The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan has fired six employees for using and selling illegal drugs, a Department of State official said Wednesday.
Most of the people fired were Americans, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to officials with knowledge of the matter, some of the embassy employees who were let go were working as security contractors for Aegis Worldwide, a subsidiary of GardaWorld.
An investigation into illegal drug activity was started after some staff noticed a person wandering around in a stupor, appearing to be intoxicated.
“The guy was stoned in the street,” a person familiar with the investigation told The Wall Street Journal. “That’s how it blew everything up.”
It remains unclear what illicit substance was being used and sold by the terminated embassy employees. Afghanistan produces more than 90 percent of the world’s heroin and has seen poppy production rise despite U.S. and coalition anti-narcotics efforts. Afghans who have worked for U.S. Embassy Kabul told the BBC that use of hashish by local and foreign staff is not uncommon.
Canada-based GardaWorld is a major U.S. security contractor and provides security guards and protective systems to government and private clients around the world.
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