Iraq Emerging As Drug Trafficking Route

[Torsten]

Funny how wherever the US invades they leave a drug hotspot.

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U.N.: Iraq Emerging As Drug Trafficker

By SUSANNA LOOF, Associated Press Writer2 hours, 47 minutes ago

A U.N. drug body warned Thursday that Iraq is emerging as a transit point for drugs, with traffickers working with insurgents and terrorists, and called on the international community to tackle the problem before it's too late.

Drug traffickers from Afghanistan have begun crossing Iraq to get to Jordan, the exit point for Asia and Europe, said Hamid Ghodse, the president of the International Narcotics Control Board. Afghanistan is the world's main source of opium and its derivative heroin.

Ghodse said traffickers cooperate with terrorist and insurgents, thereby worsening the situation in Iraq. He urged the international community and Iraqi leaders to act before the trafficking route becomes entrenched. All efforts to support Iraq must give due focus to the drug problem, he said.

"You cannot have peace, security and development without attending to drug control," he said.

The board had only anecdotal evidence of the new drug trafficking route, Ghodse said, adding that it's the board's duty to warn the world of emerging problems.

"The pattern (in Iraq) is similar to what we have seen in other post-conflict situations," he said. "Whether it is due to war or disaster, weakening of border controls and security infrastructure make countries into convenient logistic and transit points, not only for international terrorists and militants but also for drug traffickers."

The board had no figures or estimates of the quantity of drugs passing through Iraq, but noted that last month, officials seized 3 million pills of Captagon — an amphetamine-like medication — on the Iraqi-Jordanian border. Significant quantities of cannabis resin and chemicals needed to process opium into heroin also have been seized, the board said.

"There is enough evidence of a problem there that we are alarmed," Ghodse told reporters.

Though the board did not know much about the drug situation in Iraq before the war, the country then was "not one of the hottest spots," Ghodse said.

He lauded Iraq for cooperating with the board, and for trying to battle the drug trafficking problem. 'Political will is there, but they need assistance," Ghodse said.

Koli Kouame, the board's secretary, said international organizations and donor countries could help Iraq battle drug trafficking problem by supporting programs that strengthen border controls and law enforcement.

The board said in March that the drug trafficking problem was so severe in Afghanistan that the country's existence was threatened. Ghodse said there have been some "encouraging signs," since then, but he urged continued efforts to curb opium cultivation.

The Vienna-based board is an independent body that monitors implementation of U.N. drug conventions.

[2b]

I often thought the Haj (spelling may be wrong , but I'm talking about the trip to Mecca all muslim men must take if they are able) would be the greatest way of moving drugs like heroin around .Most Islamic countries have special passport catagories for this trip as most in the developing world have a hard time comming up with the right paperwork for a passport. Think about it , Malasian/Indonesian men go to Saudi Arabia to visit Mecca. they come into contact with men from Afganistan, Turkey, what ever ! then return. Who's going to stop these guys at the airport and search them with out causing offence ? May i say that this is all my own crap and is in no way the truth , but get's you thinking ....

[apothecary]

It's Haj, you spelt it right.

Want to know why smugglers don't use Haj? Because Haj isn't like a hotel. There is no privacy. You go into the mountains with thousands upon thousands of other men and there is no way you could do anything significant without getting caught and killed.

And I don't mean killed by law enforcment. I mean the muslims would kill you for desecrating their holiest of holies.

Not even the most hardened of criminals have the balls to do something like that, as far as I'm concerned. Also keep in mind that a lof of the heroin etc going into these places is being funded by muslim militia as part of fourth generation warfare.

That is to say, they're sending the stuff as an attack to rot the base of society. No muslim militia is going to send their weapon through the holy land.

[2b]

But that was my whole point , who would suspect it ? It's the perfect cover.

[apothecary]

It's not a matter of suspecting it or not.

You get exactly 0 or possibly less than 0 privacy there.

There is nowhere during the course of a pilgrimage to the holy land that you could do some drug deal without getting caught.

[-YT-]

"Funny how wherever the US invades they leave a drug hotspot." - Torsten

That is so true they cause so much more desctruction and death and yet funnel millions into "the war against drugs" when infact they start these situations :mad:

So where's next on the map korea?

[2b]

Iran

[apothecary]

I think it'll be a while before they attack Iran.

Distinctly different from both Afghanistan and Iraq in that they have a full fledged army and a strong infrastructure.

Iraq had an army, but not exactly worthy for the cover of ...uh...an army magazine?

I think if the US wants to attack Iran they should do it through social subversion like they usually do with Iran. That has a much higher chance of success.

As for N. Korea, there's little chance the US will go after them. The North Koreans are the ones they should be going after because they're the really psycho ones who really want to fuck the US up. I believe I read a quote somewhere from Kim Jong Il (or whatever his name is) along the lines of "we are willing to turn Washington and LA into burning lakes of fire".

[mr toodly]

apothecary:

 "we are willing to turn Washington and LA into burning lakes of fire".

Sounds good to me.

[mr toodly]

Nothing.

[ 15. May 2005, 03:47: Message edited by: r. Jackson ]

[SunChaser]

quote:

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So where's next

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They wont stop till they have taken over the world, the only diffrence between the US and the Nazis is America is not going to make the same mistakes Hittler made

[Rev]

Hitler was about nationalism, but thats old hat.

With multinatioanalism you dont need a country to rule the world. Headquarters like capital and human resources can be re-located, upgraded downgraded etc.

manufacturing in SE asia, I.T. from india,manufacturing in china, Arms and aerospace engineering in europe,soldiers from the USA, raw materials from africa and sth america etc

Re: The USA

seems to me there a lot too much flagwavin' going on and far too little attention to their constitution for that country to pull back from oblivion now...

I dont think thatll stop the quest for global dominance though.The players will just relocate to a new populace.

Money has no sentiment.

[ 15. May 2005, 13:07: Message edited by: Rev ]

[Rev]

 

quote:

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"we are willing to turn Washington and LA into burning lakes of fire"

LOL.how easy is it to ignite a cesspool?

[2b]

Iran will be the next to go IMO , the US are in the process of selling their ' bunker buster bombs' to Israel. These should be able to take care of any under ground installations and stop the balance of power in the middle east moving. As for the North Koreans i think the Chinese mean to much to the US to open this old can of worms again . If North Korea is a threat the Chinese are more than capable of looking after their own back yard with out US intervention.

[nabraxas]

how easy is it to ignite a cesspool?

a few thousand nuclear megatonnes would do it.

as well as drugs following US "liberations", prostitution snaps at their heels too---

God Damn wouldn't be much freedom if you can't buy drugs & sex

[occidentalis]

nabraxas:

how easy is it to ignite a cesspool?

a few thousand nuclear megatonnes would do it.

I dunno - all that methane and hot air....