ABU DHABI — The United Nations has relayed a warning to the six Gulf states that opium production from Afghanistan would increase by 59 percent in 2006.

The Gulf comprises the main route of Afghan opium to the Middle East, Europe and Asia with the United States being a major final destination.

Richard Murphy, a spokesman for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said Iran would absorb most of the drug flow. Murphy said the appearance of the new Afghan opium crop would be felt in early 2007.

"The Afghan opium crop is much higher this year, up 59 percent from last year with around 6,100 tons expected to be produced, Murphy said. "This accounts for 92 percent of the total world supply and that means there is going to be a lot more heroin coming onto the market in the next six to 12 months."

"The Gulf is an economically very vibrant region and has a number of very busy ports with vigorous trading links to the rest of the world," Murphy said. "Clearly that makes it an attractive region for drug traffickers."

Officials said the main routes for opium and heroin stem from Afghanistan to the Middle East and Europe, with much of the processing conducted in Iran and Lebanon. Secondary routes begin in Southeast Asia and South America — with much of the drugs bound for the United States.

So far, Qatar has pledged $10 million to establish a criminal intelligence center to combat drug trafficking. The center, expected to open in 2007, would facilitate the exchange of intelligence on drug shipments through the Gulf.

"The center will make police intelligence and customs officers act in a more coordinated way and the center will have experts from a number of countries," Murphy said. "This will help in sharing information and help to track the movements of drug traffickers and their consignments and hopefully lead to arrests and seizures of drug shipments."

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