Drug traffickers running routes through war zones, top UN official warns

ONU - 10/03
A “new black market” for synthetics and drug trafficking through war zones are fuelling instability around the world, the chief of the UN drugs and crime office said on Monday.

“Today, the illicit drug market is becoming more unpredictable, driven by the impact of synthetic drugs,” Ghada Waly, Director-General of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said, addressing the opening of the latest session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna.

“Trafficking routes run through war zones and rule of law vacuums, from Haiti to the Levant to the Golden Triangle, fuelling instability.”

Tracking the global illicit drug trade

With over 2,000 participants and 179 side events, the commission’s session takes place from 10 to 14 March, with experts from around the world taking stock of the narcotic drugs trade as countries grapple with deadl...
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