WASHINGTON — The U.S. 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.
Although the cases represent a slice of possible drug use by U.S. troops in Afghanistan, they provide a somber snapshot of the illicit trade in the war zone: young Afghans peddling heroin, soldiers dying after mixing opiates, troops stealing from medical bags, Afghan soldiers and police dealing drugs to their U.S. comrades. In a country awash with poppy fields that provide up to 90 percent of the world’s opium, the U.S. military struggles to keep an eye on its far-flung troops and monitor for substance abuse.
The data represents the criminal investigations done by Army Criminal Investigation Command involving soldiers in Afghanistan during those two years. The cases are just a piece of the broader drug use statistics released by the Army this year reporting nearly 70,000 drug offenses by roughly 36,000 soldiers between 2006-2011. The number of offenses increased from about 9,400 in 2010 to about 11,200 in 2011.
The Associated Press
