Cyclone Mafia

Cyclone Mafia is the name given to the umbrella syndicate which consists of numerous major drug barons, military and government officials, politicians and businessmen who were involved in profiting from the drug trade rising out of Afghan-Soviet War starting in 1979. The Cyclone Mafia gets its name from CIA's Operation Cyclone which was aimed at expanding and monetizing the Afghan Drug Trade. The origins of the mafia lie with the US CIA's director William Casey and Vice President George Bush who advised their Pakistani counterparts to dwelve into this dark arena of limitless personal profits.

Cyclone Mafia - First Afghan War

Key Regions

For the entire system of opium production to final sales the organization had setup a sophisticated system of opium cultivation, herion refinement, storage and shipment.

Routes and Transportation

The principal conduit by which weapons reach the Afghan resistance in the north is in fact one of the main organised routes bywhich heroin reaches Karachi for trans-shipment to Europe and the United States.

ISI and NLC

The American Central Intelligence Agency's pipeline for the weapons to the Afghan Mujahidin is organized and coordinated by Pakistan's Inter- Services Intelligence (ISI). It is under ISI direction that weapons and supplies move north by two principal means. One route utilises Pakistan Air Force transports. But, the main carrier of supplies is an organization called the National Logistic Cell (now National Logistic Corporation). It is the largest transport organization in the country and is wholly owned by the Pakistan Army. All drivers and loaders are Pakistan Army personnel and security is tight at its main installations.

NLC trucks have been used repeatedly in the shipment of heroinfrom the frontier province to Karachi port. In its September 1985 issue The Herald gave the following eyewitness report: "The drug is carried in NLC trucks, which come sealed from the NWFP and are never checked by the police. They come down from Peshawar where they deliver their cargo, sacks of grain, to government godown. Some of these sacks contain packets of heroin… This has been going on for about three and a half years."

According to the report, "A few months ago. an NLC truck was involved in an accident near Thana Bula Khan. The driver was thrown out of the cab and lost consciousness. When he became conscious and found a number of people gathered around him, he became anxious. Not surprisingly — because when the trailer had overturned, a white powder spilled out all over the road".

According to official statistics, opium output inPakistan has fallen from 800 metric tons in 1979 to 165 tons in 1987. But, during precisely the same period, the output of opium increased from an estimated 270 tons to 800 tons across the border in Afghanistan.

Key Players of Cyclone Mafia

Nearly 40 syndicates or drug kingpins are included in the Cyclone Mafia who operated during the Afghan-Soviet War.

US Players

In January 3, 1989 at 10:25 pm, CNN television showed an AIR AMERICA Pilot (with face blackened out) admitting to flying cocain flights out of South Asia.

Pakistani Players

Small Pakistani Smugglers

Afghan Drug Lords

Critics

A number of prominent figures in the Afghan resistance have for many years been highly critical of the links which have arisen between the heroin trade, senior figures in the Pakistan government, and the use of Afghan exiles as intermediaries in the narcotics smuggling nexus that exists between Afghanistan, the Frontier Province, and Karachi.The most articulate critic was Dr. Sayd Majroo, Director of the Afghan Information Centre in Peshawar, who was assassinated lastFebruary 1988.

Cyclone Mafia - Second Afghan War

When US attacked Afghanistan, the key players of Cyclone Mafia returned in full force.

Also See

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