The CIA, Opium Trade, and Pakistan — Part 1
The media no longer caters to a passive audience, feeding them information. People choose what they want to consume as per what they want to see, hear and learn. A trove of knowledge is often inside the articles which don’t go viral, the books we don’t read, and documentaries that are never made. One such subject is the rise of opioids in Pakistan and America’s active involvement in the drug trade. Pakistan and her people have long suffered from its effects in terms of social well-being and collective health, the black market and racketeering, which comes as a part of the package of illicit trade, as well as the consequences of the reputation it has brought to the country. “Occult Operations: Bloom of the Black Flower” will dissect several sources and is intended to be a comprehensive series of works on the issue.
A good start to the series would be to bring a lesser-known fact into the spotlight. In 1982, Agency Director William Casey negotiated an extraordinary secret “Memo of Understanding” with Attorney General William French Smith, which spared the CIA from any legal obligation to account for drug trafficking operations of any of its assets. This agreement was not fully rescinded until 1995. (Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourth Congress, 1996).
Furthermore, a book, apparently recommended by one of the most influential men to have walked this planet — hated as he may have been — “Rogue State: A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower” by William Blum. It left me surprised when I came across it. I came across a PDF of the book on which the cover page just beneath the title said: “A Recommended Book By Sheikh: Osama Bin Laden, May Allah Bless Him”. I would be lying if I said I didn’t laugh!
The book goes in-depth about Washington’s love-hate relationship with terrorists, use of weapons of mass destruction, and the superpower versus the world, including a concise history of invasions, shenanigans of eavesdropping, and one very important chapter, number 24, The CIA and Drugs: Just Say “Why Not?”. The chapter highlights numerous incidents and investigations which followed which implicated the CIA in the drug trade. Invariably, many of those involved turned out to be their assets.
Moreover, it provides a brief rundown of some of the following names, places and entities in the context of the massive shift in dynamics of the opium trade, quintessential to providing a pretext before moving on to the Soviet War, followed by the Afghan War and Pakistan.
- France, 1947–51: the Corsican Mafia criminal syndicate and the French Connection.
- Southeast Asia, the 1950s to early 1970s: The Nationalist Chinese Army in exile in Burma, the invasion of Vietnam, refinement labs in Northern Laos.
- Australia, 1973–80: the Nugan Hand Bank in Sydney.
- Panama, 1970’s to ’80s: General Manuel Noreiga.
- The 1980s, Central America: Nicaragua, reports by the Kerry Commission, Hull in Costa Rica, Alan Hyde in Honduras, Ilopango Air Base in El Salvador and Felix Rodriguez.
- 1990’s, South America: Venezuelan General Ramon Guillen Davila
- 1986–84, Haiti: Joseph Michel Francois
Those familiar with the geopolitical landscape and history will be no strangers to these regions, events and names. I have hyperlinked some links for those who are not, should you be looking for a place to start reading.
