Defence report hints at drug culture

A possible drug culture in the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) in Afghanistan has been described in internal reports.

The NZDF reports suggest six soldiers who held regular drug sessions at the New Zealand base in Bamyan could be part of a wider drug problem.

The group, who were part of a 107-strong Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) of Army, Navy and Air Force personnel, were sent home in disgrace in March last year for allegedly using hashish - a potent form of cannabis.

Charges were dismissed four months later because the proper legal process was not followed.

The reports, released to the Sunday Star Times, reveal the drug use among the six soldiers was "not an isolated incident".

They said the soldiers took part in at least six drug sessions, held in an electrical workshop at the New Zealand base in Bamyan and at forward operating base Romero.

One of the soldiers was also suspected of being stoned when reporting late for sentry duty.

The reports described how the soldiers started using a flat soldering iron to smoke "spots" of the drug within a month of deployment, and suggested drug use could be a wider problem among soldiers in Afghanistan. One of the accused said he had heard drugs had been used at the base for the previous three rotations, and one of the investigators reported a "nagging worry" that if an Afghan employee at the base had provided the drugs, as two of the accused suggested, "then it will continue to be a problem".

Defence Force spokesman Commander Shaun Fogarty said there had been no repeat of the incident.

"To put it in perspective, we've had 1800 staff go through the PRT in six years, and we've had six bad eggs in this case."

- NZPA