ISIS Terror Group Looking Towards Drug Trade
With the continuous victories against the Islamic State and several of its controlled territories reclaimed, it looks like the terrorist group has turned to drug trafficking to drive revenue.
As of late, ISIS has experienced waves upon waves of defeat especially at the hands of the Iraqi forces who previously reclaimed the city of Mosul, the place where the terrorist group first announced itself to the world.
With these series of losses, it is believed that ISIS has become desperate especially now that it can't rely on oil and gas extortion and the taxation of the local populace after it had lost several of their controlled territories. In fact, the terrorist group is now believed to have turned to the drug trade to drive revenue.
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The anti-government uprising in the Middle East some six years ago — called the Arab Spring — is considered to have been instrumental in the formation of new routes for smuggling and trafficking. These routes are believed to extend throughout the Middle East and even North Africa. The creation of these routes has allowed an ease of travel for drug traffickers and an enhanced connection between criminal and terrorist groups.
An investigation made by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration along with European countries such as Italy had earlier revealed that drugs were being taken to an ISIS-controlled territory in Libya and it looked like the terrorist group was taxing those drugs as well. ISIS is reported to have formed transactional relationships with various criminal groups including the Italian Calabrian 'Ndrangheta.
It looks like the ISIS militants are also benefitting from this trade as it has been suggested that the terrorist were also giving out so-called "jihad pills," a type of amphetamine which is known to suppress pain and keep the user awake for long periods of time.
