UN At Odds With US Claims Over North Korea Drug Trade

According to the Associated Press, Secretary of State Colin Powell added illicit narcotics to nuclear weapons and missiles as programs North Korea must end to avoid being shunned by the world. The United Nations international narcotics agency, however, says it has no evidence that the North Korean government is operating an illicit drug trade.

North Korea's alleged drug trafficking activities were highlighted two weeks ago when Australia seized a North Korean cargo ship after it was said to have unloaded 110 pounds of heroin valued at $50 million, and a member of the North Korean ruling Worker's Party was found on board.

A recent report on worldwide narcotics trafficking from the State Department shows that U.S. officials have been unable to confirm reports that North Korea grows opium poppy or engages in heroin production. The UN narcotics agency says it has not seen any evidence of a state-sponsored trade, although it recognizes the involvement of North Korean nationals in some cases. Japanese authorities - who are fighting a multi-million-dollar trade in methamphetamines smuggled into the country via North Korea - are also struggling to find evidence that the regime is sponsoring the trade.

Although it has not been proven the North Korean drug trade is officially sanctioned and supported by the North Korean government, U.S. Officials claim North Korea is earning between $500 million and $1 billion from the narcotics trade, which they fear is being used to support Pyongyang's weapons development. The Bush administration is devising ways to choke the country's illicit exports including a possible economic embargo and interdiction of North Korean ships.