This research examines links between drug trafficking and human trafficking across the Tajikistan- Afghanistan border -- specifically, the use of cross-border kidnappings and human trafficking as means of fulfilling a drug debt by Afghan criminal actors. Furthermore, the paper argues that state actor involvement and interests in the Tajikistan drug trafficking economy is an obstacle to the improvement of cross-border security. The project draws on field interviews with civil society NGOs and border residents in Dushanbe, Rushan, Khorog and Ishkashim, and seeks to inform border security programs and investments in Tajikistan.
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Yoomie Huynh, of International Organization for Migration Mission in Tajikistan, was a 2012 Regional Policy Symposium [1] participant.
