poledriver
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2005
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WAR ON DRUGS: The deadly new weapon in the IS arsenal
AS THE Islamic State continues its deadly rampage across the Middle East fears are growing the group may have another weapon in its arsenal: Cocaine.
Video footage obtained by VICE purports to show a large stash of cocaine found inside the home of IS leader Emir Abu Zahra in Kobane along with a knife and laptop.
The organisation also reports allegations leaders dished drugs out to militants for courage, while Kurdish fighters tell of finding pills, capsules and syringes on dead IS militants.
The video remains unverified, however it comes following reports in November last year that billions of dollars worth of cocaine is smuggled to Europe each year along routes controlled by terrorist groups who have pledged support to the Islamic State.
The profits have been used to fund armoured vehicles, missiles and guns, according to the International Business Times.
Meanwhile Spanish intelligence sources said jihadist groups including IS are using drugs to finance their quest in Iraq and Syria, using knowledge of smuggling routes to export arms and drugs including cocaine, heroin and hashish.
Around one fifth of those detained in Spain under terrorism laws have previously served prison time for drug trafficking or creating counterfeit documents, intelligence reports.
Monash University’s Director of the Centre for Islam and the Modern World, Professor Greg Barton said it’s difficult to know to what degree the Islamic State is involved in the drug trade, however the group has been ruthless in exploiting opportunities to make money such as kidnapping for ransom and seizing control of oilfields.
“We know they are involved in a range of illegal business and we know they have no compunction about what they’re involved in,” he said.
“We do know they’re involved in weapons, smuggling, oil. The question of drugs would largely be a question of opportunity and what drugs are available.”
rofessor Barton said reports suggest the Islamic State has daily cash flows in excess of $2 million but exactly how much of that is garnered through the drug trade is unclear.
“It’s much less clear what production and transport levels they control. It’s a different dynamic to the Taliban who controlled considerable opium production and distribution.”
The extremist group’s influence has been rapidly expanding since mid-2014 and IS now controls large parts of northern Iraq and Syria home to eight million people. It also controls large parts of the border between Turkey and Syria and traditional smuggling routes along with it, Professor Barton said.
“That border has for a long time been a source of smuggling and contraband routes. Now that IS controls that territory it’s not surprising whatever was going on in the past is now under their control. It’s reasonable to assume there are some sort of flows going through but I don’t know the mechanics of it.”
Cont -
http://www.news.com.au/world/middle...ptured-on-camera/story-fnh81ifq-1227176656199
AS THE Islamic State continues its deadly rampage across the Middle East fears are growing the group may have another weapon in its arsenal: Cocaine.
Video footage obtained by VICE purports to show a large stash of cocaine found inside the home of IS leader Emir Abu Zahra in Kobane along with a knife and laptop.
The organisation also reports allegations leaders dished drugs out to militants for courage, while Kurdish fighters tell of finding pills, capsules and syringes on dead IS militants.
The video remains unverified, however it comes following reports in November last year that billions of dollars worth of cocaine is smuggled to Europe each year along routes controlled by terrorist groups who have pledged support to the Islamic State.
The profits have been used to fund armoured vehicles, missiles and guns, according to the International Business Times.
Meanwhile Spanish intelligence sources said jihadist groups including IS are using drugs to finance their quest in Iraq and Syria, using knowledge of smuggling routes to export arms and drugs including cocaine, heroin and hashish.
Around one fifth of those detained in Spain under terrorism laws have previously served prison time for drug trafficking or creating counterfeit documents, intelligence reports.
Monash University’s Director of the Centre for Islam and the Modern World, Professor Greg Barton said it’s difficult to know to what degree the Islamic State is involved in the drug trade, however the group has been ruthless in exploiting opportunities to make money such as kidnapping for ransom and seizing control of oilfields.
“We know they are involved in a range of illegal business and we know they have no compunction about what they’re involved in,” he said.
“We do know they’re involved in weapons, smuggling, oil. The question of drugs would largely be a question of opportunity and what drugs are available.”
rofessor Barton said reports suggest the Islamic State has daily cash flows in excess of $2 million but exactly how much of that is garnered through the drug trade is unclear.
“It’s much less clear what production and transport levels they control. It’s a different dynamic to the Taliban who controlled considerable opium production and distribution.”
The extremist group’s influence has been rapidly expanding since mid-2014 and IS now controls large parts of northern Iraq and Syria home to eight million people. It also controls large parts of the border between Turkey and Syria and traditional smuggling routes along with it, Professor Barton said.
“That border has for a long time been a source of smuggling and contraband routes. Now that IS controls that territory it’s not surprising whatever was going on in the past is now under their control. It’s reasonable to assume there are some sort of flows going through but I don’t know the mechanics of it.”
Cont -
http://www.news.com.au/world/middle...ptured-on-camera/story-fnh81ifq-1227176656199
