USDEA labels Pakistan as 'vital anti-drug ally'

The Administrator of the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Karen P Tandy, on Friday described Pakistan's stand against drug as "a success story in the global war on drugs" and labelled Pakistan as "America's vital ally on anti-drug efforts."
"The USDEA and Pakistan stand shoulder-to-shoulder, and we are proud of our friendship with Pakistani law enforcement agencies," she informed this in a gathering of anti-narcotics and law enforcement officials here. "We are eager to build outstanding friendship with Pakistan and it's law enforcement agencies for betterment of both nations."
While introducing the DEA Administrator, the American Ambassador, Anne W Patterson, noted that in her previous posting as Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, she worked closely with the Administrator Tandy.
"I saw firsthand outstanding work of the DEA under her leadership," the US Ambassador remarked. "Within the United States and around the world, the DEA has a strong record of success in demolishing drug trafficking organisations and bringing the traffickers to justice."
Tandy said that, the UN estimates the drug trade across the world generates 320 billion US dollars is the "single most profitable sector of transitional criminality." "To address global drug threat, DEA works with law agencies world-wide. In fact, we have a larger international presence than any other US federal law enforcement agency," she added.
Explaining the "sinister connection between drugs and terrorism," Tandy said that the "monster of the Afghan opium trade" has threatened the entire world including Pakistan. "I have just come from Afghanistan, and I can tell you that we are having success in the vital attack on the Afghan opium trade," Tandy observed.
"Together with our Afghan counterparts and coalition forces, we are successful in identifying, disrupting, and disorganising high-level traffickers from Afghan, their leaders, infrastructure, and illicit assets", said the administrator assuring US support to Pakistan in counter-narcotics efforts.
Further, she concluded that "like the USA, Pakistan has been hard-hit by the problem of drug abuse, and we are here to work with you to save your nation from the menace of addiction, and drug-funded terrorism."