Terrorists future funding? Drugs?

The question has intrigued me for some time and although I have my own answers I'd like to pose it to the rest of the community.

IMO, the insurgents/ al queda/ taliban fund their war through the drug trade and other commodities but largely through drugs. Poppy production in Afghanistan usually turns into drugs headed for Europe and little, compartively speaking, coming into the US from there. The farmers have known little else and it will take time to convince to grow something else but I think it'll have to be done.

As those resources diminish, the terrorists will find other drug producers and I believe that it will result in a cooperative effort with Central and South American drug cartels resulting in Mexico and the Gulf being the gateway into the US.

In next 5 years or so, I think that the drug issue will be greater than that of illegal immigration or in the alternative, it will cause the US to finally address our open borders. As the terrorists look to expanding their funding Mexico will have to decide on whose side they are on.

Insurgents need money to carry on their operations and I expect a hefty global expansion of the drug trade by entities that do not presently do business together. We may fight them over there but another real battle will be here shortly.

Any thoughts?

IIRC, its said that's how some of the "insurgent" groups in Colombia finance their operations already. It wouldn't surprise me if others followed suit. We live in a scary world.

we can spray insecticides developed specifically for poppy. It will kill all poppies.

We did have that battle here once... Prohibition created much of the organized crime we have today (plus some political dynasties too).

Drugs, arms, alcohol are all pretty much interchangeble as far as criminal (and government types) are concerned...

We even named one of our agencies the ATF (Alcohol, Tabacco, and Firearms).

Nothing much has changed other than the size of the problem and the cash behind it. And in respect for the amount of money behind all of this, the ATF is a law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Treasury.

http://www.atf.treas.gov/

-Bill

Just to clarify, the ATF was moved from Treasury to the Department of Justice a few years ago.

The website still says "ATF.TREAS." Goes to show that things change very slowly in the government.

while this is certainly a hole to plug, remember that the folks heading up the real terrorists are members of very wealthy families. Though many of their resources have been frozen, at least the ones we can find and can negotiate control of, they have more money than they need to continue to do this. So it might be handy to get some ready cash from drug sales, it's not their main source of operating funds which they get from bin laddens family in saudi arabia.