‘Eyes in sky’ aid in largest drug raid in history

[LogicSoDeveloped]

Opium poppy grows abundant in the fields of Afghanistan and the harvesting of this plant in the spring helps fund terrorist organizations all year. However, this year, with the help of ‘eyes in the sky’, U.S. troops on the ground along with their Afghan counterparts were able to put a hole in the insurgents’ pockets.

Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron-1, based out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., provided Afghan National Security Forces with intelligence collected by UAVs. A recent counter-narcotics operation in the Marjeh district of Helmand province, Afghanistan turned out to be the ‘golden egg’ ground forces had predicted.

Earlier this month, the ANSF’s Narcotics Interdiction Unit (equivalent to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency), in conjunction with 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment deployed from Camp Lejeune, N.C., conducted a raid in Marjeh. The team recovered three AK-47s with magazines, a 9 mm pistol with magazines, and signs of potential improvised explosive device-making materials. But the most important stash was buried deep underground.

“The raid resulted in approximately 4,000 pounds of suspected narcotics (the equivalent of $2.5 - 3 million) being removed from the battlefield,” said 2/9’s air officer, Capt. Joseph Quirk, a Cooper City, Fla. native. “This was the biggest drug bust in ANSF National Interdiction Unit history.”

Capt. Quirk said the success of the raid will have a powerful impact. “The amount of money lost by the insurgency will significantly affect the insurgents’ capabilities and resources for the spring offensive saving ANSF and International Security Assistance Force lives.”

This raid would not have been as successful had it not been for the support and teamwork provided by the unmanned aerial vehicles belonging to VMU-1, deployed to Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan.

“What's especially fulfilling for us is we have been supporting [the ANSF NIU’s] operations for months and that information helped shape the operation beforehand,” said Lt. Col. John Barranco, VMU-1’s Commanding Officer, and Boston, Mass. native. “This operation not only demonstrated our ability to work as a Marine Air Ground Task Force and with coalition partners, but was also another step forward for manned and unmanned aviation integration within the Air Combat Element.”

Capt. Quirk confirmed that to date, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing’s support of this operation has currently led to approximately 5,000 pounds of suspected narcotics being removed from the battlefield. “3rd MAW (Fwd) has shown great support with intelligence surveillance reconnaissance from VMU-1, assault support from HMH-363, escort support from HMLA-369, and close air support from several Marine squadrons.”


source: http://www.marines.mil/unit/3rdmaw/...dinlargestdrugraidinhistory.aspx#.T2yo6piNTnl

 

[maxalfie]

Fuckers,that's the last thing I wanted to hear.

 

[Titus]

Puff and fluff show. So they took one drop out of a glass filled with water and are making a dog and pony show about it to gain support, attention, etc... Standard.

 

[jaurk]

Hmm, I can't really comment.
I'm sad for the people who can't get their opium or whatever, and I'm sad for those guys whose lives are now destroyed.

 

[Venrak]

Capt. Quirk

lol so close.

 

[kaywholed]

Don't worry, the dope will be safe and sound. PMCs handle transpo.

 

[nsauce]

Puff and fluff show. So they took one drop out of a glass filled with water and are making a dog and pony show about it to gain support, attention, etc... Standard.

Exactly this. It is FAR too much in the US interest to lose an opium crop. You don't think they could eradicate all the poppies if they really wanted to?

 

[Vader]

Probably not. Americans often seem to have this incredible faith in the power of their government to totally control the world. Eradicating the poppy from Afghanistan would be an enormous undertaking.

 

[Afghan_Tourist]

Food for thought:

A friend of who is studying at the American University of Afghanistan, happened to be from Helmand.

He told me stories of when he was an interpretor for ISAF/NATO forces specifically helping them cut-down the Poppy fields.
He left the job because he wanted to study, but he also left because many of the times instead of cutting them down they would just stand around and let the Poppies flourish. He couldn't explain why they did this, whether it was some conspiracy or they were investigating, he believed they were protecting them, for whatever reasons, and he was kind of paranoid of some conspiracy...

My advice to him was to not think to much about it.
Beyond this, I always hear of "busts" happening, but nobody is ever charged, put to jail, or put on the public spotlight. Why? Well I don't think anyone has actually been put away(Unless they are direct Taliban) but to do these types of activities you would need contact with the government, police, and army in Afghanistan.


I read about a 100,000+ Kilos of Heroin bust in Jalalabad that happened some 1-2 months ago? Maybe it was 3 - the article is at the "Pressistan" Twitter (My news source for latest updates on local news here) and it was 1 quick thing.
Think about that for a second - 100,000 KILOS of Heroin. You'd expect something this big to be put all over the global news, but it went completely under the radar.

Here is the link, I was wrong on the date, and the number is a bit higher then 100,000 Kilos...:
http://twitter.com/#!/Pressistan/statuses/145480641104986112

I have not bothered to contact them for an update on this particular story, but this group doesn't put out bullshit stories.

Lets do some math for a second:
100,000 Kilos = 100,000,000 Grams x 50$ a Gram = 5 Billion $. If Sold at 50$ a gram on the streets.
Is that not one of the biggest drug busts in the entire history of this planet? What?
Afghan police took it, I'm sure if it was ISAF/NATO involvement the global news would be jizzing themselves over this story...

Crazy,crazy stuff happening in this place all the time. This is the land of paranoia and conspiracy theories with deep-rooted facts that only the few journalists and ex-pats may know about, and share if they wish, plus the locals all the while the rest of the world is oblivious as to what goes on.

 

[Titus]

Probably not. Americans often seem to have this incredible faith in the power of their government to totally control the world. Eradicating the poppy from Afghanistan would be an enormous undertaking.

IMO it might be from a political standpoint, but not from a practical one. A prase I heard on a documentary I watched in part that is in a thread in the political news or whatever forum sums up my thoughts nicely. To paraphrase "We have satalites in the sky that can read the name of the maker of a golfball off of one laying in any golf course in the world but we can't find places as large as 50 major auto producing plants?

To clafiry I am for ending all drug prohibition. But locating poppy and coca fields, especailly large one's, has got to be ridiculously easy for a machine as large as the us gov't. Of course all this would do is drive up prices. Hell, the major meth manufacturors would probably fund an operation to destroy the coca and poppy fields lol

 

[kaywholed]

IMO it might be from a political standpoint, but not from a practical one. A prase I heard on a documentary I watched in part that is in a thread in the political news or whatever forum sums up my thoughts nicely. To paraphrase "We have satalites in the sky that can read the name of the maker of a golfball off of one laying in any golf course in the world but we can't find places as large as 50 major auto producing plants?

To clafiry I am for ending all drug prohibition. But locating poppy and coca fields, especailly large one's, has got to be ridiculously easy for a machine as large as the us gov't. Of course all this would do is drive up prices. Hell, the major meth manufacturors would probably fund an operation to destroy the coca and poppy fields lol

analizing raw intel is a major bottleneck. even though its large operations your looking for, its still a needle in a haystack of hundreds of thousands of square miles big

 

[Titus]

analizing raw intel is a major bottleneck. even though its large operations your looking for, its still a needle in a haystack of hundreds of thousands of square miles big

You honestly believe that with the infinite ammt of resources at the disposal of the us gov't than can't discover (assuming they don't already know- I have heard stories of us soldiers doing patrols in Afganistan running across them and being on missions or routine patrols right by them but had orders to leave them alone. And that is besides the point, what dirt poor columbian farmer, afgan farmer wouldn't draw a map for 10 million usd? lol) where large poppy and coca fields are? IMO they already know and destroying the coca and poppy would upset the military industrial complex machine they have here (that employs millions of people, and lines the pockets quite deeply for a few key people). And they want to keep things as is. Not only can they not win the drug war (fact IMO) but they don't WANT to IMO. It's a multi billion dollar industry. People in charge of multi billion dollar industries typically like to keep them functioning so they can reap the benefits for themselves, their families, and their friends. Wouldn't you at least agree with that last part?

 

[nsauce]

Probably not. Americans often seem to have this incredible faith in the power of their government to totally control the world. Eradicating the poppy from Afghanistan would be an enormous undertaking.

The government wont be the ones to eradicate the crop. Its smart young guys (military) with a LOT of resources at their disposal. (aircraft, any chemicals you need, manpower, fuel - everything they need to get the job done.) They can get the job done if it was a priority, TRUST ME.

 

[Afghan_Tourist]

If they really wanted to stop Afghanistan into becoming a Heroin producing country they would not fund soldiers/anti-drug groups so heavily to go into the country to chop down plants (Which can be re-grown)
But rather they would build factories, teach & hire Afghan chemists, and have all the Opium turn to Morphine, Codiene, Vicodin, whatever medical opiates are needed.

Change the buyer group, generate tax funds, lower global prices on Morphine to help the averge American who may need Morphine after being in say, a severe car accident, be able to afford it, and stop funding for terrorist organizations who tax drug-traffickers.

Or they can cut them down, drive-up prices, bring up the demand for the drug by the loss in quanitity globally, and force farmers to grow more because it suddenly became more profitable to do so, and sell it as Heroin...


I just don't see any point to this Drug-War when there are far better solutions out there...

 

[B1tO'RoughJack]

Opium poppy grows abundant in the fields of Afghanistan and the harvesting of this plant in the spring helps fund terrorist organizations all year. However, this year, with the help of ‘eyes in the sky’, U.S. troops on the ground along with their Afghan counterparts were able to put a hole in the insurgents’ pockets.

Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron-1, based out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., provided Afghan National Security Forces with intelligence collected by UAVs. A recent counter-narcotics operation in the Marjeh district of Helmand province, Afghanistan turned out to be the ‘golden egg’ ground forces had predicted.

Earlier this month, the ANSF’s Narcotics Interdiction Unit (equivalent to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency), in conjunction with 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment deployed from Camp Lejeune, N.C., conducted a raid in Marjeh. The team recovered three AK-47s with magazines, a 9 mm pistol with magazines, and signs of potential improvised explosive device-making materials. But the most important stash was buried deep underground.

“The raid resulted in approximately 4,000 pounds of suspected narcotics (the equivalent of $2.5 - 3 million) being removed from the battlefield,” said 2/9’s air officer, Capt. Joseph Quirk, a Cooper City, Fla. native. “This was the biggest drug bust in ANSF National Interdiction Unit history.”

Capt. Quirk said the success of the raid will have a powerful impact. “The amount of money lost by the insurgency will significantly affect the insurgents’ capabilities and resources for the spring offensive saving ANSF and International Security Assistance Force lives.”

This raid would not have been as successful had it not been for the support and teamwork provided by the unmanned aerial vehicles belonging to VMU-1, deployed to Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan.

“What's especially fulfilling for us is we have been supporting [the ANSF NIU’s] operations for months and that information helped shape the operation beforehand,” said Lt. Col. John Barranco, VMU-1’s Commanding Officer, and Boston, Mass. native. “This operation not only demonstrated our ability to work as a Marine Air Ground Task Force and with coalition partners, but was also another step forward for manned and unmanned aviation integration within the Air Combat Element.”

Capt. Quirk confirmed that to date, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing’s support of this operation has currently led to approximately 5,000 pounds of suspected narcotics being removed from the battlefield. “3rd MAW (Fwd) has shown great support with intelligence surveillance reconnaissance from VMU-1, assault support from HMH-363, escort support from HMLA-369, and close air support from several Marine squadrons.”


source: http://www.marines.mil/unit/3rdmaw/...dinlargestdrugraidinhistory.aspx#.T2yo6piNTnl

This is basically big pharma sending in the boys to get a monopoly on the opium trade - nothing new. They're "stopping" the terrorists (of course they're going to burn it all aren't they ) - none of that is going over to the USA for free morphine, codeine etc is it?)