The Canadian military is casting doubt on reports in the British media that a heroin smuggling ring is being run out of Kandahar with the help of Canadian troops.
Capt. Annie Djiotsa, a spokeswoman for Task Force Kandahar, says officials are aware of allegations, but have yet to decide whether a full military police investigation will be launched.
She says there has been no evidence thus far that Canadian troops are involved in such activity.
A British newspaper — the Sunday Times — and the BBC reported Sunday that Britain's Ministry of Defence was investigating claims that troops from both countries used military aircraft to smuggle drugs out of southern Afghanistan.
The report cited anonymous sources and claimed security had been tightened at both Kandahar Airfield and Camp Bastion, the main British base in neighbouring Helmand province.
The region is the source of most of the world's heroin, which is derived from the poppy plant.
