Counterterrorism Blog

It is interesting to note the first major conviction in the United States in a drug case tied to radical Islamist movements, in this case, the Taliban. (Many more case documents can be found here.)

“As an enemy of the United States, Khan Mohammed intended to ship heroin to the United States and use profits from that trade to assist the Taliban,” said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “A dangerous double threat, Kahn Mohammed purchased rockets to attack American and coalition soldiers who were risking their lives to stabilize Afghanistan. The conviction of Kahn Mohammed puts an end to this source of poison and violence.”

If there remained any doubt that Islamist militants are perfectly willing to engage in criminal activity to finance their military actions, this case should dispel them. As money from donations and charities becomes harder to acquire and move safely, the easy alternative is the drug trade.

Hezbollah learned this in its heroin trafficking days a decade ago, and continues to use a range of illicit activities to fund its operations.

In addition to showing how the lines between drug trafficking and terrorism are often blurred to the point of extinction, it is important to note the role of DEA in this. My full blog is here.