US soldiers suspected of using or distributing heroin
The US Army has investigated 56 soldiers in Afghanistan on suspicion of using or distributing heroin, morphine or other opiates during 2010 and 2011, newly obtained data shows.
Eight soldiers died of drug overdoses during that time.
While the cases represent just a slice of possible drug use by US troops in Afghanistan, they provide a snapshot of the illicit trade in the war zone, including young Afghans peddling heroin, soldiers dying after mixing cocktails of opiates, troops stealing from medical bags and Afghan soldiers and police dealing drugs to their US comrades.
In a country awash with poppy fields that provide up to 90% of the world’s opium, the US military struggles to keep an eye on its far-flung troops and monitor for substance abuse.
But US Army officials say that while the presence of such readily available opium – the raw ingredient for heroin – is a concern, opiate abuse has not been a pervasive problem for troops in Afghanistan.
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