Or, paving the way for the cartels since the first two transports of air america arrived in vientiane, laos, on 23 august 1959. Colby, as the lawyer to one of the founders, certainly was. This book spells out the cia s involvement with heroin smuggling since wwii. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through the use of drug prohibition laws. Production southern region of helmand and kandahar provinces, on the border with pakistan, which are the highestvolume areas for drug transactions. Can the us triumph in the drugaddicted war in afghanistan.
Oct 27, 2017 caught between the schizophrenic nature of us foreign policy with one arm of the executive branch, the cia, engaged in the secret trafficking of drugs for arms whilst the other, the dea, is engaged in stopping it, barry seal who helped build the drug cartels for the cia became a dea informant against the cia. On occasion of the cias 70th anniversary, lars schall talked with us researcher douglas valentine about the central intelligence agency. Often, the cia worked with groups which it knew were involved in drug trafficking, so that these groups would provide them with useful intelligence and material support, in exchange for. In another instance, the cia received allegations that five members of the democratic revolutionary alliance adren those fighting along the border of nicaragua and costa rica were involved in drug trafficking. The answer is the same as it was a decade ago following a central intelligence agency cia led invasion of afghanistan. The cia, drug smuggling and the main reasons for the afghanistan and vietnam wars. The us repeatedly thwarted costa rican efforts to extradite hull back to costa rica to stand trial. History channel tells the secret history of the war on drugs. Victor thorn is a hardhitting researcher, journalist and author of over 50 books cia, obama team up to hide darkest secrets. Cia s shady history of drug trafficking posted on january 3, 2014 by abby even though presentday afghanistan flies under the news radar, it remains to be the longest military quagmire in us history.
In an interview by email censored to the brazilian newspaper o tempo, later sent to me in full also by email, she stated that, the afghan narcotics economy is a designed project of. Cia and the drug war originally publised in 2011 and an updated editorial by choopers guide cofounder on the similarities between the cia involvement in the vietnam and current afghanistan heroin trade and its impact on the incidence and prvalence of heroin addiction in the united states as well globally. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia. Cia is worlds biggest drug trafficking organization. Drug trafficking is a gold mine for people who want to raise money in the underground government in order to finance projects that they cant get legitimately. According to a june 2016 article on veterans today vt website, the cia not only supports the afghanistan drug trafficking, but also designed the. Drug trafficking in the united states dates back to the 19th century. Jun 26, 2017 cia drug trafficking exposed by political prisoner documentary. The cia continues trafficking drugs from afghanistan.
A russian man accused of trying to smuggle about 900 pounds of cocaine from argentina to russia said the cia was behind the massive drug trafficking operation and that he has been set up. It should be noted that the relationship between the surge in afghanistans opium production and the us opioid crisis is more complex. Once again, anticommunism drove the cia to fund reactionary dissidents with lucrative ties to the drug trade. Perhaps the best example of such cia influence via drug traffickers today is in afghanistan itself, where those accused of drug trafficking. There is a traditional route from helmand, through pakistan, to iran. A dea agent, edwrad follis, stated that the cia turned a blind eye to the drug trade in afghanistan. In 1989, after the costa rica government indicted hull for drug trafficking, a deahired plane clandestinely and illegally flew the cia operative to miami, via haiti. Secrets of americas war on drugs new history channel series explores the dark corners of prohibition and takes viewers on great, freaky.
The cia supplied trucks and mules, which were used to transport opium. This exposes the cias drug running out of the golden triangle during the vietnam war, and also the cocaine out of south america, and the heroin out of afghanistan. Cia complicity in the global drug trade mccoy, alfred w. Cia involvement in the drug trade hardly began with its involvement in the sovietafghan war. Drug trafficking from the book the cias greatest hits by mark. Drug trafficking from the book the cias greatest hits by mark zepezauer even before the cia was officially founded, it was intertwined with major drug trafficking organizationsits parent organization, the oss, cooperated with the mafia during world war ii. While working to keep key haitian military and political leaders in power, the cia turned a blind eye to their clients drug trafficking. The cia wanted fidel castro dead and, in return for trafficantes help in various assassination plots, was willing to turn a blind eye to the extensive drug trafficking. How the cia fuels americas drug problem to fund covert.
Paul helliwell is the personification of the cias respectable, financial aspect of international drug trafficking. Drug trafficking in afghanistan the new york times. Recent coverage of the congressional battle over central intelligence agency cia snooping on the senate intelligence committee has served to obscure the real story of the cias misdeeds and the demands to cover them up. It was alleged by the soviets on multiple occasions that us central intelligence agency cia agents were helping smuggle opium out of afghanistan, either into the west, in order to raise money for the afghan resistance, or into the soviet union, in order to weaken it through drug addiction. Maintaining a global perspective, this groundbreaking study details the mechanics of drug trafficking in asia, europe, the middle east, and south and central america. The cia was very much involved in the irancontra scandals. Apr 16, 2019 afghanistans opium economy is a multibillion dollar operation which feeds the surge of the us heroin market which is currently the object of debate and public concern. Black gangs used their profits to buy automatic weapons, sometimes from one of the cialinked drug dealers. Fonseca is the uncle of former juarez cartel leader, amado carrillo fuentes. The cia s negligence of looking the other way toward drug trafficking was explosively displayed in the rise of the crackcocaine epidemic that devastated inner city communities in the 1980s90s.
Secrets of americas war on drugs new history channel series explores the dark corners of prohibition and takes viewers on. The drug milieu is also, in its various stages of production and transmission, inevitably associated with organized violence. Jan 31, 2015 in 1993, an official of the dea called afghanistan the new colombia of the drug world. These topics arent expressed in the mainstream media because it would be detrimental to the governments credibility. Mainstream media finally exposes cia drug trafficking. Most recently, john abbotsford an excia analyst and war veteran who fought in afghanistan confessed that cia had a role in drug smuggling operations. The charges of cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking were revived in 1996, when a newspaper series by reporter gary webb in the san jose mercury news claimed that the trafficking had played an important role in the creation of the crack cocaine drug problem in the united states.
Fonseca carrillo was involved with drug trafficking since the early 1970s, primarily in ecuador, but later with the cias assistance and allegedly under their direction moved his operations to mexico. The cia has been one of the worlds biggest illegal drug trafficking organizations in the world for decades, a leading american analyst has warned. A drug warriors inside look at the war on afghanistans heroin trade a dea veteran recounts fighting the taliban and the cia while trying to bring down afghan drug kingpins. Cia ties to international drug trafficking date to the korean war. In 1949, two of chiang kaisheks defeated generals, li wen huan and tuan shi wen, marched their third and fifth route armies. Afghanistan s opium economy is a multibillion dollar operation which feeds the surge of the us heroin market which is currently the object of debate and public concern. The cobra by frederick forsyth, orange is the new black by piper kerman, the cartel by don winslow, the queen of the s.
The following areas of afghanistan play a major role in its drug trafficking. In part 1 we will look at afghanistan s complex relationship with opium and the united. Jun 30, 2018 despite the fact that afghanistan supplied approximately 50% of the heroin used by americans, the u. To a certain degree, the cia s responsibility for the present dominant role of afghanistan in the global heroin traffic merely replicated what had happened earlier in burma, thailand, and. How the heroin trade explains the usuk failure in afghanistan. The cia also worked with bcci in arming and financing the afghan mujahideen during the afghan war against the soviet union, using bcci to launder proceeds from trafficking heroin grown in. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy. Shackley, who around the same time was also fingered as a cia drug trafficker by burmese opium kingpin khun sa, was reported to be involved in the bank.
The book basically connects the cia to drug trafficking in both the gold triangle of southeast asia and the taliban triangle in afghanistan and pakistan. It is very clear that the cia has been very much involved with drug dealings, paul said. According to cliff works on you tube, this interview with beau abbott was done by john gentry at stew webbs request in the 1990s and recently loaded on you tube by john gentry of dallas, texas. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack based on a yearlong investigation, reporter gary webb wrote that during the 1980s the cia helped finance its covert war against nicaraguas leftist government through sales of cutrate cocaine to south central l. In 1993, an official of the dea called afghanistan the new colombia of the drug world. This is a great book if you dont mind a real life trip down the rabbit hole. The cia was behind a massive drug trafficking operation in. In the 1980s, ciasupported moujahedeen rebels were heavily involved in drug trafficking heroin. There is no question in my mind that people affiliated with, or on the payroll of, the cia were involved in drug trafficking, explained u. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in. The cia s offthe books war in laos was one extreme case where it fought a war, using as its chief assets the royal laotian army of general ouane rattikone and the hmong army of general vang pao, which were, in large part, drug financed. Masterminding a coup in chile, the cia set up the brutal rule of general pinochet, who later founded an international assassination program called operation condor with other latin american intelligence chiefs. Unravelling the american drug cartel in afghanistan real. The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of drugs that are subject to drug prohibition laws.
Jan 12, 2015 a drug warriors inside look at the war on afghanistans heroin trade a dea veteran recounts fighting the taliban and the cia while trying to bring down afghan drug kingpins. The five were allegedly working with known drug trafficker jorge morales. Jan 26, 2017 is afghan drug trafficking directly linked to the us backed afghan leadership and even to the cia itself. The cia continues trafficking drugs from afghanistan page. Opinion the cia drug connectionis as old as the agency.
Inspectorgeneral hitz outlined his offices report which finds no evidence of any links between the cia and drug traffickers. Afghanistan, southeast asia, central america, colombia. Cia drug and sex trafficking in the national interest. A drug warriors inside look at the war on afghanistans. Years ago, former parliamentary, writer and activist for human rights malalai joya pointed out that the cia continues trafficking drugs from afghanistan. Dec 03, 1993 cia ties to international drug trafficking date to the korean war. The cia looked the other way while afghanistans opium production grew from about 100 tonnes annually in the 1970s to 2,000 tonnes by 1991. May 16, 2017 douglas valentine, author of numerous books and articles about the cia, the dea and black ops, highlights the importance of oss officer paul helliwell as a pioneer of cia drug dealing. Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia. War, and also the cocaine out of south america, and the heroin out of afghanistan.
Webbs series led to three federal investigations, none of. I guess that the us was broke after world war ii so we stooped to funding our intelligence operations with drug money. Nobody is supposed to know that certain elements running our country are drug dealers, murderers and thugs. The office of public affairs opa is the single point of contact for all inquiries about the. Aug 24, 2016 the world drug report has stated that pakistan is the main transit country for narcotics, heroin and opium in particular, produced in the neighbouring afghanistan. Deep politics, the cia global drug connection, and the road to afghanistan war and peace library peter dale scott on. The cia s massive afghanistan operation in the 1980s was another example of a war that was in part drug. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy studies. There are certain books that, once read, alter ones mind permanently. Trade, afghanistan, southeast asia, central america, colombia, 2nd revised ed.
The cias massive afghanistan operation in the 1980s was another example of a war that was in part drug. Drug trafficking from the book the cias greatest hits by. In addition to shackley and colby, cia officers and key cia assets paul helliwell. Cias shady history of drug trafficking posted on january 3, 2014 by abby even though presentday afghanistan flies under the news radar, it remains to be the longest military quagmire in us history. Cia drug trafficking evidence ultimate collection topics cia drug trade iran contra politics heroin cocaine oliver north southeast asia bill clinton mena cocaine guns john kerry report contras nwo new world order conspiracy gary webb. How anticommunism fueled cia drug trafficking the forge.
The united states central intelligence agency cia has been accused of involvement in drug trafficking. Cia drug trafficking exposed by political prisoner documentary. Jul 28, 2012 the central intelligence agency s involvement in drug trafficking is back in the media spotlight after a spokesman for the violenceplagued mexican state of chihuahua became the latest high. Instead, many of the individuals trafficking the drugs in afghanistan were actually trained, armed, and funded by the cia at the time. In addition, in the mid1980s, any effort to keep the cia out of the world of drug trafficking was made more difficult by the decision of its boss, director casey, to activate what became known as.
Cia complicity in the global drug trade, afghanistan. The cias offthe books war in laos was one extreme case where it fought a war, using as its chief assets the royal laotian army of general ouane rattikone and the hmong army of general vang pao, which were, in large part, drugfinanced. Air force general nguyen cao ky, while serving in 1965 as head of south vietnams. Mainstream media finally exposes cia drug trafficking conspiracy in explosive history channel series. Cia usurped military guarding opium poppies afghanistan. Books and investigations on the subject that have received general notice include works by historian alfred mccoy. The cia supported its drug trafficking allies in laos and vietnam. The united states central intelligence agency cia has been involved in several drug trafficking operations. Is afghan drug trafficking directly linked to the us backed afghan leadership and even to the cia itself. It should be noted that the relationship between the surge in afghanistan s opium. Aug 27, 2016 in any case, pushing for full drug legalization and regulation is as viable a route as trying to educate people about cia sanctioned drug trafficking and how the cia built up the french connection, the golden triangle opium lords, the afghan heroin market, and the colombian cocaine cartels.
News about drug trafficking in afghanistan, including commentary and archival articles published in the new york times. Afghanistan is another country with a complicated history of involvement in the opium and heroin industries, much of which implicates the cia. According to valentine, the cia is the organized crime branch of the u. From opium to marijuana to cocaine, a variety of substances have been illegally imported, sold and distributed throughout u.
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