PKK'S Role in International Drug Trafficking

[orkhan]

Drug trafficking Is one of the major avenues used by terrorist organizations to raise funds for weapons systems and to launder money for so-called legitimate businesses. The PKK is no exception. Since its establishment, the PKK has been using drug profits to fund Its campaign of terror. After the military coup of 1980 in Turkey, many terrorists, including members of the PKK, began to immigrate to Europe. This gradually created a supply of human capital for the PKK to use in the continent.

Turkey has historically remained a key transshipment point for drug trafficking because of its desirable geographic location connecting Europe to Asia. In 1994, European narcotics specialists contended that 60-70% of Europe's heroin was passing through Istanbul. In addition, Tuncay Yilmaz, leader of the anti-narcotics unit of the Turkish National Police in Ankara, maintains that the PKK plays the dominant role In Turkey's narcotics smuggling industry. Most of the heroin coming from Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan pass through Turkey and head toward Western Europe. Several sources maintain that smuggling operations were partly controlled by Iranian nationals who escaped to Turkey after the 1979 revolution in Iran. Finally, police In Italy, Holland, Germany, and Scandinavia have been investigating and uncovering the PKK's Involvement In drug and arms smuggling In those nations since 1993.



Trends In police seizures of heroin and other drugs within Turkey Illustrate the significance of the drug trafficking problem. For example, heroin seizures In Turkey increased from 1,894 lb. In 1990 to 1.6 tons in 1994. Other areas of drug tracking have been marked by similar gains. During 1993-1994, an average of 21 tons of hashish were seized annually m addition to 2.7 tons of morphine. These figures are significant In light of the PKK's use of narcotics for supporting its campaign of terror.

According to a report by the British National Service of Criminal intelligence, the PKK acquired about $75 million from drug smuggling In Europe in 1993. Further, in 1994 PKK members were arrested by Turkish authorities while attempting to smuggle 1.5 tons of hashish into Turkey from one of Turkey's neighboring countries.



Due to its extensive drug smuggling operations, the PKK has remained well-armed. In 1994 alone, Turkish security forces seized from the PKK a total of 3,075 weapons and various instruments including 767,000 rounds of ammunition; 399 rocket launchers; 3,419 rockets; 4,415 hand grenades; 31 mortars; 1,964 mortar bombs; and 131 radios.



http://www.fas.org
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/studies5.htm



823 kg of PKK heroin seized in Kapikule and Istanbul
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=42564

The Kurdish Terrorism-and-Drugs ConnectionOver the year, he said, police had seized 1054 kilograms of heroin, 2884 kg of morphine base, and 23679 kg of hashish from PKK traffickers...
http://www.int-review.org/terr7a.html

[Piling]

Lol and what about Turkish involvement in drug traffic ? For example the connexion between State and mafia ? It is currently "hot topic" in Turkey as we could see.

[xsokrates]

Orkhan,
which government is not involved in Drug traffic `?
do you heard from "Susurluk Scandal" ??
"Susurluk Skandalı veya Susurluk Kazası, 3 Kasım 1996'da saat 19.25 sularında Balıkesir-Bursa karayolunda Susurluk ilçesi Çatalceviz mevkiinde meydana gelen trafik kazası sonucu, yasadışı polis-mafya-aşiret ilişkilerinin ortaya çıkması ile patlak veren skandal. Türkiye Cumhuriyeti tarihinin en önemli skandallarındandır." http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susurluk_Skandal%C4%B1

here the english artikel about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susurluk_scandal

As you see the turkish government are the real terrorists.

PKK is an organisation and not a state. they cannot take taxes from the people. for pkk it is necesarry it to sell the drugs, it is the only way to make enough money for buying Kaleshnikofs. it might be not legal, but it is "legitim". Look i give you an example:
During the french revolution the revolutionäries attacked the soldiers of the king. this was not legal but it was "legitim" and it was the only way to make the king "one head shorter"(kill), do you understand ??
during the arab revolts against the ottoman empire, the arab rebells united with Britain and attacked the soldiers of ottomans. it was "illegal" but it was "legitim", the only that thay had to go through, for the freedom of the arabs.

[Piling]

PKK is an organisation and not a state. they cannot take taxes from the people.

But they do it by force, all the same. Racket is a reality. I don't think the PKK is innocent, I just laugh when accusations come from Turkey, which largely involved also, and of course, the crime is more serious from a legal state than from an outlawed organization.

[SinekSekiz]

Orkhan,
which government is not involved in Drug traffic `?
do you heard from "Susurluk Scandal" ??
"Susurluk Skandalı veya Susurluk Kazası, 3 Kasım 1996'da saat 19.25 sularında Balıkesir-Bursa karayolunda Susurluk ilçesi Çatalceviz mevkiinde meydana gelen trafik kazası sonucu, yasadışı polis-mafya-aşiret ilişkilerinin ortaya çıkması ile patlak veren skandal. Türkiye Cumhuriyeti tarihinin en önemli skandallarındandır." http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susurluk_Skandal%C4%B1

here the english artikel about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susurluk_scandal

As you see the turkish government are the real terrorists.

PKK is an organisation and not a state. they cannot take taxes from the people. for pkk it is necesarry it to sell the drugs, it is the only way to make enough money for buying Kaleshnikofs. it might be not legal, but it is "legitim". Look i give you an example:
During the french revolution the revolutionäries attacked the soldiers of the king. this was not legal but it was "legitim" and it was the only way to make the king "one head shorter"(kill), do you understand ??
during the arab revolts against the ottoman empire, the arab rebells united with Britain and attacked the soldiers of ottomans. it was "illegal" but it was "legitim", the only that thay had to go through, for the freedom of the arabs.

Attacking someone for freedom or any other cause is might be "legitim" as you call it. But poisining people from every age (9 - 70) from all over the world something else. Because of one goverment officals involvments you can not declare all goverment as guilty. If one crook politician is enough to anounce a goverment guilty there is non even one country on the planet is innocent.

You can easly say that PKK is an organisation an sepperate them from their supporters. There is not even one terrorist organisation on earth that do not get support from some other contries. PKK had a lot of support during last 24 years. You were so eager to call this countries as terrorists whne you had the chance. Why do you keep yourself to call PKK as what they trully are.

French revolution was against to an emperor not to the country. People killed and died for their right to choose their goverments. It was against to one man in literaly but it was actually against to monarchy. Republic of Turkey is a secular DEMOCRATHIC country. Kurt or Turk everybody has theri right to vote to choose whom will be in their goverment. There is Kurdish politicians in our goverment.

You can easly say selling drugs is legitim now. Was it very legit of Ocalan (PKK former leader) to keep almost all of this money in his personel accounts in Sweedish banks? His KNOWN accounts has 5 billion dollars.

Whatever, if you have a legimet cause you support your actions with legimet ones. If you sell drug, kill babies in their cradle, attack hospitals, police stations, schools I would really suspect you legimecy....

And I do not belive anybody on this planet could forgive you for involving french revolution with an terrorist organization. Before you read wikipedia I thonk you should read Les Misribles from Victor Hugo.