For decades, CIA-backed operations fueled drug networks worldwide. Meanwhile, US officials continue to blame foreign governments. By enabling traffickers to fund anti-communist militias, the agency helped entrench a drug trade that still destabilizes entire regions today. x.com
During the 1950s, the anti-communist Kuomintang (KMT) forces had fled to Myanmar after losing the Chinese Civil War. To fund their fight against Mao’s China, the CIA facilitated their entry into opium trafficking. This helped to turn Myanmar into a major player in the global heroin trade.
CIA & Drug Enforcement Agency pilot Barry Seal trafficked cocaine for Pablo Escobar’s Medellin cartel, helping them grow their market position. The CIA deliberately allowed cocaine to be moved around in order to fund the anti-socialist Contras in Nicaragua. x.com
DEA agent Hector Berrellez exposed CIA collusion with the Mexican Guadalajara Cartel to transport Colombian cocaine to the US and fund anti-communist paramilitaries. The CIA’s backing helped grow the cartel into becoming Mexico’s first transnational cartel. x.com
The US also led a number of covert operations to support the Mujahideen in their fight against the Soviet-backed government of Afghanistan in the 1980s. To fund these armed groups, the US helped facilitate poppy and heroin production, leading to a massive increase in global heroin supply.
Following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, poppy production fell by 95% between 2021 and 2023. These numbers suggest collusion or at least tolerance for that production under the US occupation. x.com
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