Afghanistan’s opium crop falls 20 percent as synthetic drugs surge

Afghanistan’s once-booming opium industry has shrunk dramatically with cultivation falling by 20 percent in 2025, according to a United Nations report warning of a sharp rise in synthetic drug production. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Read More …

UNODC Supports Burkina Faso in strengthening its response to the evolving threat of Improvised Explosive Devices

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) pose a grave security threat in the Sahel region. Threatening lives and livelihoods, the widespread use of IEDs by terrorist groups in the Sahel leads to increased loss of life, serious injuries, and psychological trauma among Read More …

UNODC: Organized crime dynamics in the context of war in Ukraine

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2022, the political economy of Ukraine has been profoundly transformed. The aggression affected both licit and illicit trade routes, disrupted criminal organizations, and spawned new forms of informal Read More …

EU announces €8 Million for post-conflict stability in Lebanon

The European Union announced 8 million Euro to support stability, security, and peace in Lebanon, following 13 months of conflict. The project will be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Read More …

West Africa Capacity-Building Working Group and UNODC Hold Regional Meeting

In 2024, Nigeria experienced 197 attacks from improved explosive devices (IEDs) – an average of nearly one IED attack every two days. Troublingly, the use of IEDs in West Africa is on the rise, with terrorist groups increasingly relying on Read More …

New IAEA Publication about Detecting Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material out of Regulatory Control

A new IAEA publication titled Detection in a State’s Interior of Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material out of Regulatory Control offers law enforcement agencies and frontline officers detailed guidance to support them in combatting criminal acts involving nuclear or other Read More …

UNODC: Afghanistan opium cultivation in 2023 declined 95 per cent following drug ban

Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan plunged by an estimated 95 per cent following a drug ban imposed by the de facto authorities in April 2022, according to a new research brief from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Read More …

UNICRI: Final review meeting of the Prosecutor’s guide to radiological and nuclear crimes

The threat of acquiring, producing and disseminating radiological and nuclear hazardous materials for deliberate use has substantially increased over the past ten years. The lack of experience and awareness among law enforcement and judicial authorities, as well as prosecutorial and Read More …

UNODC and BNPT Conduct a training exercise to strengthen rapid response capabilities to chemical weapons terrorism

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the National Counter Terrorism Agency (BNPT) collaborated on a four-day training and simulation exercise to enhance rapid response capabilities to chemical weapons terrorism. The event brought together over forty representatives from Read More …

UNODC: Synthetic Drugs in East and Southeast Asia – Latest developments and challenges

East and Southeast Asia’s drug market has been marked by a decade of growth in the production and trafficking of synthetic drugs, particularly methamphetamine – a trend that continues. The region has also experienced an expansion in the production and Read More …

UNODC/UNIDIR: Addressing the linkages between illicit arms, organized crime and armed conflict

Linkages between illicit arms, organized crime, and armed conflict can reinforce one another while also escalating and prolonging violence and eroding governance.1 Financial gains from crime can lengthen or intensify armed conflicts by creating revenue streams for non-State armed groups Read More …

International Operation Disrupts Supply of Firearms to Terrorists: INTERPOL & UNODC Target Firearms Trafficking in West Africa and the Sahel

Lyon (France) & Vienna (Austria), 21 December 2020 — A seven-day operation saw law enforcement officers intercept illicit firearms, ammunition and explosives, and disrupt the trafficking networks used to supply terrorists across West Africa and the Sahel. Under Operation KAFO Read More …

UNODC and ICAO sign partnership to strengthen airport security against crime, terrorist threats

The Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, and the Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Fang Liu, signed a memorandum of understanding today to enhance the security of international air Read More …