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2008 Highlights

  1. Strong demand for heroin in the CIS and Western Europe has had an effect on the growth of drug trafficking through Central Asian countries.
  2. Well-developed cross-border transportation and porous borders have made Central Asia one of the most attractive routes (the “Northern Route”) for the smuggling of Afghan drugs.
  3. UNODC estimates suggest that some 121 tons of heroin and 293 tons of opium transited through Central Asia in 2008.
  4. The year 2008 is characterized by strengthened countermeasures against drug trafficking taken by law enforcement agencies in Central Asia.
  5. With the overall increase in drug trafficking, seizures in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan rose sharply in 2008.
  6. 5.3 tons of heroin (60% more than in 2007) and 4.5 tons of opium (28% less than in 2007) were seized in Central Asia in 2008.
  7. Large volumes of drugs are delivered in containers by road and rail transport disguised as agricultural produce.
  8. Cannabis group drugs (marijuana and hashish) comprise the largest portion of the total volume of trafficked drugs; however, the share of opiates is increasing.
  9. In addition to heroin and opium, the drug market in Central Asia is expanding with cannabis originating in Afghanistan as well as cocaine and ecstasy coming from Europe and the Russian Federation.
  10. According to UNODC estimates, in Central Asia the number of people aged 15-64 who were regular opioid users was 340,000; for cannabis, the range is from 1.89 to 2.02 million people.
  11. In 2008, there were over 63,000 registered heroin and opium-dependent patients and over 18,000 people dependent on the cannabis group of drugs.
  12. In Central Asia, most drug users are heroin dependent (63% of registered drug users in 2008); with fewer users dependent on cannabis (21%), opium (12%) and other drugs (4%).
  13. Some 70% of registered drug users in the Central Asian countries in 2008 were injecting drug users.
  14. Although the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the region is mainly concentrated among injecting drug users, epidemiological data suggests that the epidemic has spread beyond risk groups and has started to affect the public at large through heterosexual transmission.
  15. In 2008, 6,664 newly registered persons with HIV/AIDS were officially identified. HIV/AIDS is spread predominantly among male injecting drug users of the most productive age – 20 to 49 years.
  16. The total number of officially registered HIV cases in Central Asia has increased 19-fold: from 1,641 cases in 2000 to 30,993 cases in late 2008. Along with the growing number of HIV cases, there is an increase in the number of people living with HIV/AIDS.