A joint operation between the DEA, American Special Forces and Afghan counternarcotics forces yielded a gargantuan seizure of heroin in Afghanistan from insurgents tied to leaders of the Taliban.
They launched an operation in October against the Hadimama drug trafficking network, led by suspected Taliban commander Abdul Rahman. DEA agents and a team of Green Berets grabbed 20 tons of drugs in the bust worth an estimated street value of $60 million. Officials said it is the “largest known seizure of heroin in Afghanistan, if not the world,” according to ABC News.
Officials from the DEA said the bust will keep a massive quantity of heroin off streets around the world and help restrict Taliban funding. The bust occurred Oct. 17 in the Afghan province of Farah, but agents would not comment on why they delayed an official announcement.
“If that was Pablo Escobar’s stash, that would be considered a lot of frickin’ heroin,” a combat veteran of the DEA’s counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan told ABC News. “That’s going to make a dent in the European market.”
Forces seized a total of 12.5 tons of morphine base, 6.4 tons of heroin base, 134 kilograms of opium, 129 kilograms of crystal heroin and 12 kilograms of hashish from what officials describe as a “superlab.” DEA officials believe the facility was meant to fund terrorist activities. The majority of the heroin would have ended up in Europe, according to the DEA, with some making its way into the U.S.
Afghanistan continues to be the largest global supplier of heroin, and its opium harvest increased by 43 percent over last year. Cartels and gangs in Mexico continue to be the principal suppliers of heroin coming across the U.S. border.
Drug overdoses from opioids have reached epidemic levels in the U.S., according to the DEA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Heroin deaths contributed to the first drop in U.S. life expectancy since 1993. Opioid fatalities also eclipsed deaths from motor vehicle accidents in 2015. The substance currently accounts for roughly 80 percent of drug fatalities. The U.S. suffered the deadliest year on record for fatal drug overdoses, which claimed 52,404 lives in 2015.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.