Two years after the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) warned of the Taliban’s deep entanglement in criminal economies, new reports confirm that the group’s illicit revenue streams have not only endured—but expanded substantially.
The 2023 UNICRI report had identified a vast web of Taliban-linked activities including drug production, illegal mining, human trafficking, arms smuggling, and the plundering of natural and cultural resources. At the time, expert estimates put the Taliban’s annual income from these sources at $400–$500 million, primarily from opium-related revenues.
Fast-forward to 2025, and fresh data paints a more alarming picture:
Opium production, though momentarily affected by a 2022 Taliban “ban,” has resurged in parts of northeastern Afghanistan. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), poppy cultivation rose 19% last year, with revenues now estimated well above $1 billion annually.
The methamphetamine industry, once valued at $240 million per year, has rebounded following temporary lab closures. Production hubs in Herat, Farah, and Nimruz continue to supply both domestic and international markets.
Illegal mining remains rampant. From lapis lazuli in Badakhshan to talc in Nangarhar, Taliban-linked networks continue to exploit Afghanistan’s estimated $2 trillion in untapped mineral wealth—generating as much as $300 million annually, often in collusion with local warlords.
Human trafficking and migrant smuggling are surging amid economic collapse and persecution. Taliban operatives reportedly facilitate border crossings for a price, feeding transnational smuggling networks that stretch into Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, and Europe.
The destruction of Afghanistan’s forests through illegal logging has now claimed over 50% of the country’s tree cover, fueling timber smuggling into Pakistan and beyond.
Looting of cultural heritage continues in sites like Bamiyan and Shahr-i Ghulghulah, where ancient artefacts are trafficked through opium smuggling routes into international black markets.
UNICRI’s original concerns—that the Taliban were operating more as a criminal syndicate than a governing body—are now strongly substantiated. UN estimates from 2024 revealed that the Taliban collected over $1 billion in domestic revenue in just four months, much of it through taxation on both legal and illicit sectors.
“Despite superficial reforms and cosmetic bans, the Taliban’s economic backbone is criminal,” said one Kabul-based analyst. “They rule through taxation, fear, and black-market deals—not governance.”
As international attention wanes, experts warn that the Taliban’s criminal infrastructure is becoming more institutionalized, with regional implications for drug trafficking, extremism, and environmental degradation.
