Opium seizure

• The fourth highest seizure of opium in 2018 was reported from India, after Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to the latest World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

About:

• The maximum of 644 tonnes of opium was seized in Iran, followed by 27 tonnes in Afghanistan and 19 tonnes in Pakistan. In India, the figure stood at four tonnes in 2018.

• In terms of heroin seizure (1.3 tonnes), India was at the 12th position in the world. Again, Iran reported the highest seizure of heroin (25 tonnes). Heroin is manufactured from the morphine extracted from the seed pod of opium poppy plants.

• Close to 97% of the total global production of opium in the past five years came from only three countries. Afghanistan accounted for 84% of the global opium production, Myanmar accounted for 7% and Mexico accounted for 6%.

• The global area under opium poppy cultivation declined for the second year in a row in 2019. It went down by 17% in 2018 and by 30% in 2019.

• The opiates seized in the largest quantity in 2018 continued to be opium (704 tonnes), followed by heroin (97 tonnes) and morphine (43 tonnes).

• Quantities of seized opiates remained concentrated in Asia, notably in south-west Asia (70%).