A record flow of Afghan drugs is shifting toward Russia's North Caucasus on the back of a number of anti-drug trafficking operations in Pakistan, Russian drug control chief Viktor Ivanov said on Thursday.
"According to our Pakistani colleagues, special operations caused a 70% weakening in the southern drug trafficking routes across Pakistan to India and that [percentage] has been redirected to the North Caucasus," Ivanov said.
He said drug traffickers were actively using Iran and Azerbaijan as transit countries, and pointed to the substantial role Georgia was playing in drug trafficking.
"According to our data and information from foreign sources, the high level of corruption among Georgian authorities is preventing the fight against drug transit across the country from being effective," Ivanov said.
YESSENTUKI, February 25 (RIA Novosti)
