WEST FACES FLOOD OF CHEAP HEROIN AS OPIUM PRODUCTION SET TO SOAR UNDER TALIBAN

The shambolic handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan is truly shocking as the country has been left at the mercy of the Taliban. There are huge implications domestically as women’s rights look set to regress significantly while there remains a risk of reprisals for members of the Afghan Government and security forces, as well as those who assisted UK operations on the ground, such as interpreters and aid workers.

The UK must work with international partners to help resettle those Afghans vulnerable to reprisals from the new Taliban regime.

As well as fears that Afghanistan under the Taliban will once again become a training ground for terrorists, in the Commons debate this week, I also pointed out that, as Afghanistan enters a new period of economic and political insecurity, the country’s opium production is likely to soar, meaning cheap heroin could flood the streets of UK towns and cities, along with the country’s deadly new export, crystal meth. The Taliban has been described as “the world’s biggest drug cartel”, supplying at least 85 per cent of the world’s heroin — and 90 per cent of the narcotic injected by UK users. If opium production soars, reducing its price and availability, as is feared, the consequences will be felt at the very heart of our communities.

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