WAR: Afghan special police raid drug labs, seize 15 tons of opium

A anti-narcotic task force in Afghanistan has made a massive raid seizing some 15 tons of opium. The raid is part of President Hamid Karzai�s crackdown on what he termed the biggest thread to his country. The opium, refined into heroin, would have netted 1.5 tons. According to the United Nations, Afghanistan in 2003 produced over three quarters of the worlds opium. While they were able to seize the opium and several automatic rifles no arrests were made. The processors had fled prior to the raid.




This comes on the heels of a two ton opium bust last week. President Hamid Karzai is no doubt eager to crack down on the trade. First its important to the United States. The other reason is that the various warlords in Afghanistan no doubt derive a lot of income from the trade. By clamping down on it he reduces their income and it makes it much easier to bring them to heel.

Special Thanks to LL1

Has he ever considered what he's doing to the economy ? If drugs were eradicated, half the ER would be out on their backsides, the luxury car dealers would go bust , lots of nightspots would shut down, lotsa cops would get laid off, firearms sales would dip tremendously, pharmaceutical companies would be affected and half of the inner city would be on this site, with nothing better to do on a weekend.

Originally posted by dixon
Has he ever considered what he's doing to the economy ? If drugs were eradicated, half the ER would be out on their backsides, the luxury car dealers would go bust , lots of nightspots would shut down, lotsa cops would get laid off, firearms sales would dip tremendously, pharmaceutical companies would be affected

Not to mention War Lords would not have any income to fund their terrorist activity in the world.

Originally posted by dixon
Has he ever considered what he's doing to the economy ? If drugs were eradicated, half the ER would be out on their backsides, the luxury car dealers would go bust , lots of nightspots would shut down,

Now now, there still is coc aine, tobacco, booze, gambling, working ladies, etc. to keep everyone occupied to no end.

If you haven't noticed they seized it... they're in turn going to resell it.. lol

Seems like everyone missed the real point. He is keeping his word that he would try and iradicate the drug trade in the country.

You mean "unauthorised" and "uncontrolled" drugs trade?

A stable afghan government is in the interest of the Americans, it takes a lot of grease to have all them tribal leaders looking the same way, so I bet the Americans allow Afghanistan to keep selling to the former soviet-republics for instance, ....Also pakistani opium interests near the border I expect not to be touched heavily , since Pakistan can buy tons of new american weapons with it,.


[edit on 18-12-2004 by Countermeasures]

Drugs are bad. No doubt.

But from the golden triangle to Afghanistan, opium has been a large foreign exchange commodity to the producing countries.

During the Vietnam war era, opium was a commodity traded even by the US intelligence services. Later, it was Afghanistan. Again, it was a convenient export commodity for cash, which was then used by the Taliban to purchase arms and finance the resistance against the Russians. Again, all this was condoned by the US.

Hell, just ask Ollie North and Noriega, they will tell you all about it.

Hamid Kharzai (and consequently the US) needs to keep to their words on creating jobs, opportunities, education, health care, water and sanitation.

That's where the priorities are for the Afghan people. Stopping the opium production and trade will not help the Afghan people. It will actually assist the US and Europe, who are the consumers, again at Afghani expense.