In July, a raid by U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) team and Afghan counter-narcotics agents in Afghanistan's Kandahar Province led to the arrest of an Afghan Border Police Commander. Danger Room has learned of a related bust that further underscores the links between some Afghan officials and narcotics traffickers.
On July 21, an Afghan National Interdiction Unit officer, working with a DEA Foreign-Deployed Advisory Support Team (FAST) agent, obtained a search warrant for drug labs and processing sites in the Spin Boldak area of Kandahar Province. The sites were allegedly used by Afghan drug barons Shahdoula and Fasil Qaram for storage and transportation; their operation was purported to be under the protection of an Afghan Border Police commander named Raziq.
A DEA FAST team and National Interdiction Unit officers executed the warrant on July 22. The raid -- launched from Kandahar -- was an air assault that involved two Mi-17 helicopters from the Afghan Ministry of Interior's Air Interdiction Unit and four UH-1H Huey helicopters from the Department of State contracted air wing. A Douglas DC-3 provided overhead surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft.
During a search of the site, agents discovered a large underground bunker that housed approximately 3,125 kilograms of pre-packaged hashish and another 2,500 kilograms of marijuana. The search also resulted in the arrest of one Afghan citizen and discovery of a pair of bolt action rifles, a 9mm Pistol and ammunition. The team destroyed the giant drug stash -- along with some of the weaponry and other equipment -- using incendiary grenades, diesel fuel and C-4 charges.
In a footnote, the Afghan police commander allegedly tied to the drug ring was described as associate of Shar Shahin, the Afghan Border Police commander who was arrested on July 18 after being lured to Kandahar Airfield in a separate bust. Rampant corruption in Afghanistan has already strained ties between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the United States; these drug raids raise more concern about the apparent ties between Afghan officials and organized crime.
[PHOTO: Wikimedia]
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