Daily Hampshire Gazette – Columnist Richard Fein: Terrorists and gangs profit from drug addiction

This column is about the illegal drug trade, how it corrupts societies and kills people. Drugs include those of natural origin (e.g. opiates), chemical mixtures (e.g. fentanyl) and combinations of the two. Worldwide, the annual revenue of illegal drug traffickers is estimated at $650 billion. The beneficiaries are terrorists, criminal gangs and autocratic regimes.

How do terrorists benefit from drugs?

Terrorism is defined as the unlawful use of violence and intimidation to achieve political goals. Some terrorist groups seek to destroy another country, while others seek to impose their religion on a particular area (e.g. ISIS in the Levant) or to achieve the independence of their ethnic group (e.g. Polisario in Morocco).

One of the most powerful terrorist organizations in the world is Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy army based in Lebanon. Its stated goal is the destruction of the State of Israel. For Hezbollah, drug trafficking is a source of income to finance its operations. According to the Washington Institute: “… Hezbollah has significantly expanded and institutionalized its drug logistics and money laundering operations, to the point that drug trafficking revenues are an important source of revenue.”

Buying and manufacturing weapons is one use of drug money. The money is also used to bribe government officials, police and community leaders so that they do not hinder drug trafficking or terrorist activities. Building a base among the population is a significant advantage. This has two aspects. First, Hezbollah has established social programs that are funded by the government in most countries. Second, the production and transportation of the drugs creates jobs.

The extent to which Hezbollah is popular with the Lebanese population depends on the religious groups. According to Foreign Affairs magazine, around 85 percent of Lebanese Shiites trust them “quite a lot” or “a lot.” Among Sunnis, Christians and Druze, however, approval rates are 10 percent or less.

Terrorist groups like Hezbollah have another advantage: they can inflict suffering on their enemies. They do this by encouraging the increase in the number of drug users in the enemy's population. To pay for the drugs, users commit crimes, burden the health care system and possibly procure weapons for local terrorists. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, “drug smuggling into Israel is at an all-time high… Apart from the clear economic benefits {for Hezbollah}… other goals are to recruit agents in Israel and flood the country with drugs in order to corrupt society in general and members of the police and military in particular.”

Nation states can also be drug traffickers. One example is Iran. According to the Brookings Institute, the country has one of the highest drug addiction rates in the world. Therefore, Iran is trying to stop the flow of drugs from Afghanistan. However, the seized drugs are smuggled to Saudi Arabia to make the population there addicted.

Drug gangs have some similarities with terrorist organizations. However, their main concern is making money. They terrorize to protect their lucrative business, not to destroy a foreign country or achieve national independence. They seek influence with government officials, police officers and judges not for political reasons per se, but as a necessary function to protect their business.

Let's take a look at the Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico's oldest and most powerful drug trafficking groups. Although drug trafficking is its main business, the group also engages in extortion, human smuggling, oil and mineral theft, prostitution, and arms trafficking. Sinaloa has systematically sought to build political capital with businesses, influential figures such as priests, politicians, the military, government officials and institutions, and the local population. It has considerable influence over the Mexican government and public institutions, and has strongholds in nearly half of Mexico's states. Its methods are not limited to intimidation attempts such as murder. It can ingratiate itself with many people by providing jobs or services to local businesses and people, for example by keeping government tax collectors and inspectors away.

Mexican authorities have been waging a deadly war against drug cartels for nearly two decades, but with limited success. Thousands of Mexicans, including politicians, students and journalists, are killed each year in the conflict. Since 2006, when the government declared war on major drug trafficking organizations, there have been more than 431,000 murders in the country.

Drug trafficking is a major issue for Americans. Last year, about 107,000 Americans died from a drug overdose. According to the 2022 U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 27.2 million Americans ages 12 and older reported having a drug use disorder. Drug use is a global problem, but that doesn't absolve us from the fact that our country is a major importer of illegal drugs. These drugs destroy American lives while benefiting some of the worst people in the world.

Richard Fein has a Master of Arts in political science and an MBA in economics. He can be reached at [email protected].