South Asia: Precursor Control — Current and Emerging Trends

According to UNDCP's World Drug Report published in 1997, the illicit drug industry's annual turnover is estimated to be US$400bn, roughly equivalent to 8 per cent of total international trade. The profit in the drugs business depends heavily on the availability of precursors. Only opium and cannabis — which are not as costly as heroin and some other drugs — are consumed in a relatively raw form without being chemically processed. Other drugs of abuse require precursor chemicals in their manufacture. In the case of opium, for example, a farmer will be offered only US$80 for 1 kg of opium. With the availability of chemicals, this opium will be converted, in stages, into heroin. The street value of 1 kg of heroin in the United States, for instance, is US$290,000. This staggering profit is only possible if the illicit drug industry can access the chemicals they need for the conversion.