Heroin production occurs in three primary regions: Southwest Asia (Afghanistan), Southeast Asia (Myanmar), and Latin America (Colombia and Mexico).
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) heroin production estimates for the past ten years reflect substantial changes in the primary source areas. Heroin production in Southeast Asia declined dramatically, while heroin production in Southwest Asia expanded. The decrease in heroin production from Myanmar is the result of several years of unfavorable growing conditions and new government policies of forced eradication. Afghan heroin production increased during the same timeframe, with a notable decrease in 2001 purportedly as a result of the Taliban’s fatwa (religious ban) against heroin production. Afghanistan now produces over 90 percent of the world’s opium.
Afghanistan : The Golden Crescent
The UNODC estimates opium cultivation in Afghanistan increased 59 percent in 2006 to a record 165,000 hectares. US government estimates for the same time period suggest 172,600 hectares were used for poppy cultivation. Although the U.S. government estimates indicate more ground under poppy cultivation, the potential yield estimate is lower than the production estimate from UNODC. Consequently, the total production of opium from Afghanistan in 2006 ranges from 5,644 to 6,100 metric tons. Given an average conversion ratio of 10:1 for opium to heroin, total production ranges from 564 to 610 metric tons, 30 percent greater than current market demand estimates. Helmand province produced 42 percent of the total opium from Afghanistan in 2006 with 69,324 hectares under cultivation. Other provinces with significant amounts of production (greater than 5,000 hectares) include Badakhshan (13,056 hectares), Balkh (7,232 hectares), Kandahar (12,619 hectares), Uruzgan (9,703 hectares), Day-kundi (7,044 hectares), and Farah (7,694 hectares).
Drug cultivation in Afghanistan is facilitated by both domestic and foreign individuals who lend money and/or provide agricultural inputs to farmers. These individuals then buy the crop at set prices or settle the payment of loans through the acceptance of raw opium as a payment in-kind. Reporting from multiple sources indicate nearly all of the opium is converted to heroin in Afghanistan. This is a significant transformation of the industry given the history of smuggling raw opium for heroin conversion in other countries, such as Turkey. With a conversion factor of nearly 10:1 between opium and heroin the size of the shipments to be smuggled is considerably smaller, therefore easier to conceal. This also suggests a transformation of the heroin market as Afghanistan shifts from being a source of raw material to a producer of the finished product.
The essential precursor chemical for heroin conversion is acetic anhydride. Acetic anhydride is a clear, colorless liquid with a pungent, odor similar to vinegar. It is used in the manufacture of cellulose acetate as a base for magnetic tape, and in the manufacture of textile fibers. When heated with salicylic acid it produces acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), and is used in the manufacture of pigments, dyes, cellulose, and pesticides.
Given that there is no legitimate use for acetic anhydride in Afghanistan, large quantities of the chemical must be smuggled into the country, possibly ranging from 645 metric tons to 697 metric tons.