Posted on 04/25/2005 11:35:10 AM PDT by aculeus
The US has arrested a suspected Afghan drug baron it considers to be one of the world's most wanted heroin traffickers, officials have announced.
Federal prosecutors say the arrest of Bashir Noorzai on US territory will be a severe blow to the Afghan drug trade.
A US federal indictment alleges Mr Noorzai has been at the centre of a multi-million dollar heroin operation.
He is expected to appear in a federal court charged with conspiring to import heroin worth $50m (£26m).
'Militant financier'
Last year, US President George Bush named Mr Noorzai as one of the world's most wanted drug traffickers.
Prosecutors allege that since 1990, he has been at the centre of a multi-million dollar heroin operation which controls poppy fields, drug laboratories and a trafficking operation based in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The US attorney, David Kelly, said the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had become aware that Mr Noorzai was planning to come to America and that it had "seized the opportunity and the individual".
The US authorities are giving no further details of the arrest. The Americans clearly regard this as a major breakthrough in their war on illegal drugs.
But they also believe that the arrest may have wider implications, claiming that Mr Noorzai had close links with the Taleban and had used drug money to supply Islamic militants with arms and explosives.
© BBC MMV
Let us keep the scales tipped in favor of civilization and not lawlessness.
Well, if we impound and sell off his property, like they do the druggies over here, we should be able to pay off the National debt.
The question remains: Why are our troops in Afghanistan prevented from razing the poppy fields that produce the major source of funding for Islamic extremism (not to mention the misery of heroin addiction).
The answer, "We don't want to antagonize them by disrupting their economy" doesn't cut it. They're already antagonized and have been throughout most of recorded history.
there's one main problem and that is that without the poppy trade, afghans have no source of income. that's why we haven't really gone after them in any serious way. i was there last year and i can tell you, the US is looking the other way. only petty drug users were ever prosecuted. the guy who runs herat (khan) is a major drug dealer as is the largest private property holder in kabul who is a multi-millionaire and karzai put him in the government. this is a good development but they have to be careful, they cannot really get rid of the problem because afghanistan needs this drug money. karzai knows this well.
There's no room for 7th century hoodlums in the modern world.
The U.N. is bad enough.
What bothers me are the local liberals who would be lenient to criminals and not be for stiff punishment.
As for the Afghan problem I don't know the remedy. Maybe, force them to migrate then Nuke the poppy fields? No, maybe that wouldn't work.
Those poppy fields translate to crime here in the states. I'm sure you know the lengths that addicts go to get their fix.
What I don't want to see is the United States become some lawless country where truth doesn't exist.
I worry because of the increase in crime at all level, especially the digitial and electronic crime such as identity theft.
Leave liberals in charge and we'll become lawless in record time.
How are the Afghani's doing as far as producing enough food to feed themselves?
As I understand the situation, much of their ability to be self sufficient has been destroyed over the past 25 years.
But why is that the lib goal?
Steal their wallet and they will complain.
"They shouldn't since that is correct behavior for you."
But really, these ideas escape them and they truly can't grasp them when I debate them.
I usually argue with them for an hour before they realize that in this world "someones" morality will be legislated.
It might be that of a Communist, a Democrat (abortion), a Libertarian or a Republican.
The problem is they try to associate Republican morality with the bible.
My side will win. Legislate my morality. Wear a seatbelt, Don't drink and drive, Don't Steal...
Anything else would be a preference - I like cheese pizza. I like PC gaming.
i understand with all the ire towards the UN and i agree with most of it. its horribly run in so many ways. however, i gotta say, they are intrumental in afghanistan. they are doing really good work there. don't flame me but its true. so are the germans who have spent a ton of cash there rebuilding infrastructure. and the norwegians are doing incredible work arbitrating property disputes way out in the countryside that go back 25 years. they are preventing a lot of violence through this arbitration program. we don't hear about this stuff but its very good and the UN is a big part of that.
i agree with you entirely. crime is a huge problem and drugs are the number one reason, we have to slow it down somehow. and yep, afghanistan is the biggest exporter of poppy in the world. its a big conundrum, especially for the US there because they want to stop it but if you cut off the only resource they have you have even worse problems. i'm for wicked sentencing for drug dealers. i'm more flexible on users just because that tack doesn't really work as we can see from years of jailing users. they use in jail, when they get out, and they'll kill you for a fix. and there are more born every day. we have to cut the supply.
you know sentences for users in afghanistan are extremely harsh and they are all shooting up anyway out of despair, etc, all the things that make people use drugs, escape. they are a broken people. we have to help create something else and that's what is happening very slowly, i have hope for them. those that were there under the taliban are just broken but a lot of people are returning and making things work. they really care what happens but its an uphill battle. lots of years to turn around.
"How are the Afghani's doing as far as producing enough food to feed themselves?
As I understand the situation, much of their ability to be self sufficient has been destroyed over the past 25 years."
not very well. drought has left the place impossible agriculturally. and the russians destroyed the place. its a mess. and as per my post above, they are really broken. the hope they hold comes in the form of the US and other international security and aid that is doing a good deal in the capital and in some other pockets around the country. kabul is really much better, relatively speaking. the rest of the country is rough. but so many people who fled under the taliban have come back and they are working really hard to fix the place. they are really heroes. i loved them for giving up good lives in america and europe to live without electricity and clean water in a shell of a place because they cared so much. i think as long as the aid continues and the building continues, it will work. it will take years, but i think they can do it with our help. they need some damn rain though. i guess we can't send that.
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