A diplomatic row started after it emerged that Russian agents had been present at an Afghan-led drug raid in eastern Afghanistan. On October 26th the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, released a statement asserting that the presence of the Russian agents was "a blatant violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty and of international laws". This was after the Ministry of Counter-narcotics had held a press conference showcasing the success of the raid, which led to four opium laboratories and over 1 tonne of heroin being destroyed. It is not clear whether the Russian presence included civilian agents or military personnel, nor whether they took an active part in the raid. Several Afghan senators called for an investigation into the incident and criticised the government for not co-ordinating effectively regarding the presence of Russian agents. However, Russia's anti-drug organisation, the Federal Drug Control Service, has argued that the raid and the presence of Russian forces had been cleared by the Afghan government.

The Ministry of Interior announced on September 29th that it had seized more than 20,000 kg of drugs and precursor chemicals used in the production of narcotics. However, participants in a saffron-producing project in Herat have apparently been subject to attacks and threats from the Taliban, who want the farmers to grow poppy. In November trucks carrying saffron bulbs were attacked and the drivers killed. The farmers involved have said that the Taliban are the main purchasers of opium, and that the Taliban do not want saffron grown in areas where they want opium produced instead.

Aside from counter-narcotics efforts, the largest drop in production in the last decade is being reported owing to a disease that has affected large parts of the opium crop. The fall in production is unlikely significantly to affect the Taliban, however, primarily because the Taliban earn income from a variety of sources in addition to the drug trade.