Narcoterrorism

Narcoterrorism is a term coined by former Peruvian President Fernando Belaúnde Terry in 1983 to describe attacks by drug traffickers on his police force. In this context, narcoterrorism referred to drug traffickers' attempts to influence government officials through intimidation and violence. Drug cartel leader Pablo Escobar is commonly cited as having been a narcoterrorist. Authorities credit Escobar for the violent murders of hundreds of government officials and police officers.

In the twenty-first century, the term "narcoterrorism" is more often used to describe terrorist organizations' use of international drug trafficking to fund their operations. Terror groups such as the Taliban, Hamas, and ISIS have been labeled by authorities as narcoterrorists. Regardless of the precise definition, however, the term narcoterrorism indicates a connection between drug trafficking and terrorism.

Brief History

When drug traffickers attacked his police force in 1983, former Peruvian President Fernando Belaúnde Terry described their actions as narcoterrorism. However, the best-known example of narcoterrorism is Escobar's vicious attacks on the Colombian government.

In the 1970s, Colombian drug traffickers routinely smuggled marijuana into the United States in suitcases onboard commercial airliners. They began smuggling small amounts of cocaine as well—and found the sale of the drug to be incredibly lucrative. They produced cocaine in secret locations hidden in jungles for $1,500 per kilo—and sold it for $50,000 per kilo. Escobar became the leader of this operation, and his group became known as the Medellín Cartel.

Escobar's operation soon purchased its own aircraft, so it could fly the drug directly into the United States instead of smuggling it in suitcases. The Medellín Cartel eventually became wealthy enough to purchase an island in the Caribbean for its planes to refuel. Escobar's ruthlessness, however, led to his demise. He was responsible for the murder of hundreds of government officials and police officers. He was also credited with the assassination of journalists and Colombian Supreme Court justices.

Escobar fought with the Colombian government and was eventually shot and killed by police. Authorities labeled his crimes, which included the bombing of a commercial airliner in 1989, as narcoterrorism.

The Medellín Cartel weakened after Escobar's demise, and other drug cartels quickly emerged to take its place. Among them were the Cali Cartel, also based in Colombia, and a number of Mexican cartels, including the Guadalajara Cartel, the Tijuana Cartel, and the Sinaloa Cartel; the latter was led by Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán until his final arrest in 2016 and extradition to the United States, where he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. These cartels used violence to gain power. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) regularly referred to their leaders as narcoterrorists.

A new focus on terrorism in the early twenty-first century—and particularly after the September 11, 2001, attacks—changed the meaning of the term "narcoterrorism." The term began to be used to describe the connection between political terrorism and organized crime, which included drug trafficking. Other crimes associated with narcoterrorists included illegal arms trafficking, money laundering, and the movement of chemical and biological weapons.

Impact

In the twenty-first century, US law-enforcement agencies refer to terrorist groups that finance at least part of their organizations' activities through drug trafficking as narcoterrorists. The train bombings in Madrid on March 11, 2004, are an example. The bombings killed 191 people. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the bombings, which were financed through the sale of hashish and ecstasy. (As a rule, however, this is not how al Qaeda has funded its activities.)

Some say the key to stopping narcoterrorism is to eradicate the production of the crops used to make the illicit drugs, but this is no easy task. The opium poppy is the plant used to make heroin. It is grown in many parts of Afghanistan. Since 2001—the beginning of the United States' War on Terror—the United States has spent billions of dollars trying to reduce or stop opium production in Afghanistan. Its efforts have largely failed, however. By 2014, Afghanistan was producing double the opium it produced in 2000. By 2015, 90 percent of the opium in the world came from Afghanistan. However, opium production in the country seriously declined after the Taliban banned the cultivation of the opium poppy. In 2023, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported a decline of 95 percent in opium poppy cultivation.

The situation prior to the ban was similar in Colombia, which grows the coca plant used to produce cocaine. About 95 percent of cocaine sold in the United States comes from Colombia. Despite efforts to stop it, between 2012 and 2015, coca cultivation in Colombia more than doubled. In 2023, Colombia set a new record for coca production.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a leader in terrorism in the Middle East, also engages in narcoterrorism to generate a certain portion of its revenue. During its occupation of large portions of Syria, members of ISIS seized drug labs in Aleppo, where legal pharmaceuticals were once produced. ISIS used the chemicals and equipment in the labs to make high-grade methamphetamine, which it sold in the Middle East and Europe. Like other terrorist groups, ISIS has diversified its revenue-making activities. It is also involved in the illegal sale of oil, human trafficking, and pirated technological information.

To eradicate the sale of heroin and cocaine, the United States and other countries have researched and considered using mycoherbicides. Mycoherbicides are developed from pathogenic fungi that infect certain plants. If mycoherbicides are sprayed on soil, it is likely they would prevent the growth of drug crops, such as the opium poppy and the coca plant. Cutting off the production of heroin and cocaine would put a serious dent in narcoterrorists' income. Additionally, it would end the need to spend billions of dollars to fight drug trafficking.

However, too many fears about mycoherbicides persisted to implement their use. Scientists worried that mycoherbicides could harm legal crops and hinder the food supply in these areas. They questioned how mycoherbicides might affect animals, humans, and the environment in which they are used. Studies on the use of mycoherbicides have indicated that the research done thus far is not adequate to draw conclusions regarding their effectiveness and safety.

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