Drug cargoes pass from Afghanistan through Kyrgyzstan's spectacular mountain peaks on their way to Russia and Europe. Despite the best efforts of the UNDCP and the Russian military, the problem gets worse. At a checkpoint 4000 metres above sea level, soldiers search truck engines and petrol tanks. Their trained dogs suffer first from altitude sickness and then addiction. Higher in the mountains, the tracks cannot be policed. Here, destitute villagers haul sacks of opium across the snow to earn money for their families. A young trader in prison for 15 years says quietly, "I feel very bad and I don't think that I will ever get over this mistake." Addiction and drug related crime are also rising rapidly. In Bishkek, an armed police raid exposes a dealer with needle marks up his arm. The local hospital treats a 20 year old addict, pumped full of sedatives. He dreams of "an enormous syringe flying in my head".

Produced by ABC Australia