Trump lauds India's crackdown on poppy farming; lists 23 major drug transit nations

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to curb illicit poppy cultivation even as he identified India, China and Pakistan among 23 major drug transit and illicit drug producing countries and urged their respective leaders to address the issue.

In a Presidential Determination to the US Congress, Trump said he looks forward to continued cooperation through the United States-India Drug Policy Framework.

US identifies India, China among 23 major drug transit, illicit drug producing nations

“I welcome Prime Minister Modi and the Government of India’s efforts to address illicit opium poppy cultivation and bolster supply chain integrity," he said in the official directive that was made public on Wednesday.

Trump also made it clear that appearing on the list of major drug transit and illicit drug producing countries was not necessarily a reflection of the respective government’s current counterdrug efforts, or coordination with the US.

The Presidential Determination said countries are placed on the list, as required by US law, due to a combination of geographic, commercial, and economic factors that allow drugs or precursor chemicals to transit or be produced, even if a government has engaged in robust and diligent narcotics control and law enforcement measures.

The other major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries identified are Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.

Trump also highlighted the "historic progress" made by his administration in tackling drug trafficking and narcoterrorist organisations.

He pointed to tighter border security, lower drug seizures and a decline in overdose deaths as evidence of the progress.

Trump claimed drug seizures along the US southern border had dropped by more than half after what he called four years of "open border chaos".

He also said drug overdose deaths had "plunged" and claimed that the administration had saved tens of thousands of American lives.

“After four years of open border chaos, seizures of fentanyl and other drugs being smuggled into the United States have been reduced by more than half, and drug overdose deaths have plunged,” Trump said.

He urged China to take stronger action to stem the flow of precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl, methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs.

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“The PRC continues to be the world’s largest producer of many of the precursor chemicals used to illicitly produce fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other deadly synthetic drugs,” Trump said, referring to China by its official designation, the People's Republic of China.

Trump said he had raised the issue directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping and noted that Beijing had introduced licensing requirements last year for companies exporting designated precursor chemicals to North America.