DUSHANBE, May 26. /TASS/. Drug trafficking in Afghanistan involved in a terrorist organization Islamic State, head of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN) Viktor Ivanov said in Dushanbe on Tuesday at a meeting of the Coordination Council of the competent authorities to combat drug trafficking of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) member states.

"There is evidence that the Islamic State (IS) is not only involved in drug trafficking in Afghanistan, what is more, drug trafficking is the resource base for the terrorist activity," Ivanov said.

According to him, "in this regard, it is logical to assume that the intensification of the IS activity will result in the drug smuggling surge along the "northern route." Referring to the drug trafficking situation in Afghanistan, Ivanov said that since 2001, the country’s opium poppy sown areas have increased more than 28 times, reaching 224,000 hectares. Over this period, the production of raw opium grew 35 times, reaching 6,400 tonnes in 2014.

Referring to the drug trafficking threat emanating from Afghanistan, the Russian Federal Drug Control Service chief said it is extremely important to develop coordination and more efficient cooperation of the CSTO member countries, as well to attract world community’s attention to this problem. Taking part in the discussions are the heads of the drug controls services of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.

The Tajikistani Drug Control Agency and the Russian Federal Drug Control Service will sign an agreement on the provision of assistance to Tajikistan in the field of combating drug trafficking.