E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSAn Afghan merchant believed to have once trafficked a fifth of the world's heroin was sentenced to life in prison in U.S. District Court on Tuesday.
In court, Judge Ellen S. Huvelle said the merchant, Haji Bagcho, was the second person to be convicted of narco-terrorism.
Prosecutors said Bagcho manufactured heroin in labs along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan and that he sent heroin to more than 20 countries, including the U.S. They also said Bagcho, believed to be in his 70s, paid Taliban commanders to support terrorism; his defense argued he did so to avoid trouble.
The U.S. government started investigating Bagcho in 2005, around the time that he and his son allegedly traveled to Japan to refine a load of heroin that had changed color.
At the time, he lived in a compound in Marco Village, located near a highway that connects Kabul to Pakistan.
Bagcho’s heroin was considered some of the highest quality in Afghanistan, according to court documents. His chemist, Farman Shah, was referred to as “spin mal,” a term for white, high quality, injectable heroin.
In court, prosecutors said Bagcho used mules to export his drugs – women would fast for a week at his compound before ingesting pellets of heroin. One group of women, believed to have been headed for the U.S., was caught in Pakistan.
Parwiz / Reuters
Afghan farmers work in a poppy field in Jalalabad province. Heroin is derived from poppies.
During a 2007 search of Bagcho’s compound, agents found ledgers that recorded 125,000 kilograms of heroin valued at $250 million. Based on United Nations figures, that's nearly 20 percent of the heroin market.
Read the government's trial memorandum
Bagcho was arrested on May 24, 2009. He was in U.S. court one month later, charged on four counts, including distributing heroin he knew was bound for the U.S. and “knowing and intending to provide anything of value to a person or organization engaged in terrorism or terrorist activity.”
His eldest son and co-defendant, Sucha Gul, was arrested in January by NATO forces. Gul remains in custody. Another co-defendant, Zahir Shah, who owned a shop at a currency bazaar in Jalalabad, remains at large.
The government built its case partly on the testimony of confidential sources. Informants included a man who met Bagcho in the late 1990s at his father’s opium shop in a large opium bazaar. Bagcho was a frequent visitor and customer, according to court documents.
Another informant was an errand boy for Bagcho who doubled as a religious teacher to his children. Court documents say the man was raised by Bagcho and that although the man was illiterate, he knew the Koran by heart from time spent at a madrassa.
The defense argued the case was largely circumstantial, and that no one had actually witnessed Bagcho distribute heroin – nor could it be proven that the ledgers were his.
The defense also noted that the Drug Enforcement Agency had handsomely paid the informants – one received more than $40,000 to cooperate.
More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- Clinton says Russia is sending gunships to Syria
- Clash of the titans: Vatican takes on reforming US nuns
- NBC News: Egypt's ex-dictator Hosni Mubarak slips into coma
- Twist in 32-year-old case as coroner rules dingo took baby
Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world
Leave a Comment:
Afghanistan has been one of the largest producers of heroin for decades. The Taliban has been funding itself by heroin sales, even to the Mexican cartels. Thanks to our great State Department and failed foreign policy. We spend billions on the DEA and Narco enforcement only to give the same country that produces the poison, billions in foreign aid and money to stop poppy production.
Absolute insanity!
More insanity.
Now information has been released on "informants", one of which was a "religious teacher".
And the leaks via the media continues.
All drug producers, traffickers and dealers (pushers) should be charged, tried and sentenced as murders. All poppy fields should be bombed or burnt as part of our war on terrorism since most opium and heroine are a major source of funding for the Taliban and Al Qaida. Bomb it, burn it. The people of the world don't need drugs. These drugs destroy countless lives. They have NO redeeming qualities or value.
I do not understand why they won't build drones to use a crop dusters to kill off the fields. That would put a serious dent in their production and sales. I am guessing too many politicians all over the world, are being paid off to ignore all the drug cartels.....
For that matter OUR government could employ some of the millions of people HERE to watch our borders for drug shipments..... oh wait, that hurt the pockets of our politicians, right?
Our troops not only guard the poppy fields, they help fertilize and cultivate them. It is the staple crop for the Afghans. It's insane that we die and spend billions to promote this.
Enemies are to be killed!!! Period end of sentence. Kill these scum.
Dan - it's fairly universallly acccepted that piling up huge body counts is not the way to achieve a good outcome in Afghnistan. For reference you might want to check out the Vietnam War - where the U.S. always had impresssiver body counts - and got chased out of the country.
What many in here posting about this article have no clue about history! If you go back and read history, the Taliban had made opium against the law, back in 2000. If you research the production of opium of each year , you will see, what I am saying is the truth! Furthermore our country invading Afghstan, the immediate result was an increase in the highest production of opium, ever recorded in history of that nation! We back the Northern Alliance, they have a known history record of drug trafficking, and human trafficking! The article stated this drug dealer represented 20% of the drug market, stating that comes to 250 million, that is an out right lie! The drug industry in opium along is in the billions! In the narcotics that make it into our nation from Mexico, you are talking 50 billion! This man that was busted, is a small fry compared to what is really going on! The sad fact is that Americans have been hoodwinked about the war on drugs, and war on terrorism, its a lie! Regarding the narcotics trafficking industry, who do you think launders all this money? BANKS! Our U.S. banks have been caught, and only pay a small fine at that! Narcotic drug trafficking will never stop until you stop the chemical company's from making acetic anhydride, this chemical is used to make heroin from opium! And enforce laws to close down banks that have been caught laundering drug money, instead of paying fines! The CIA have a track record of major involvement in gun and drug running! Go read about BCCI bank. Folks this article is not telling you the whole truth, and this is an indication to how the media are lieing to the American People!
Christian, you may want to scroll down to post #14. Not everybody believes the U.S. government propaganda.
You kill your enemy, you win the war. We stopped winning wars when we let politics get involved. Politics are to prevent wars not to be used during war, that's the military's job. Politics fails, the military goes in to kill the enemy and control the situation, then politics takes over after the enemy has been crushed. When politics is involved in the military process of it's job, that's when you lose wars. The military's job is to defend the country and kill enemies, that's it. The military's job is not to make friends with the enemy, it's not to help build their infrastructure, it's not to come up with plans on how to get enemies country back on track. How on earth can you win a war, when you send the military in, kill many of the enemy, and destroy much of the infrastructure. Then spend the next 10 years, policing the enemy, and using our money and resources to rebuild your country, and rebuild what the military destroyed? Why the hell are you helping the enemy, so they can rebuild and just turn around and attack you again? Let the enemy take care of themselves, let them rebuild themselves, if they don't learn the lesson, then bomb them to the dirt again. If you attack me, I'm gona knock your ass down. I am NOT gona, pick you up, take you to the dentist to get your tooth fixed, take you to the hospital to get your lip stitched, drive you to a therapist, to get to the root of why you attacked me. But that is what we do, that is why we don't win wars.
SO, if we legalized drugs, we wouldn't have to worry about gangs, the Mexican cartel, or the Taliban? Sounds like a win-win to the non-judgmental among us.
Every criminal wants their particular crime of choice to be legalized.
Gangs aren't going to give up. They'll move into kidnappings and robberies using kids on cheap drugs..
Not true at all. Legalizing drugs would undermine the undergroud market that dealers and drug lords rely on to make handsome profits. The same way prohibition helped fuel the rise of organized crime in the US.
Those crimes are far riskier and we would have more resources available to bring them down. But I guess those resources are better spent on locking up non-violent drug offenders in the name of the failed "war on drugs" than tackling violent crime.
NoScope,
You mean like the "non-violent" drug user who ate that guys face off in Miami?
Make illegal drugs legal and they come up with more types of drugs and not all of those have "good" side effects - just ask the victim in Miami if he minded the "legal" drugs used by the guy who attacked him!
First, different drugs have different effects, some sedate, making them less violent, some, such as those chemically made legal drugs, make people freaking crazy. Some drugs are used as medicine, some are used recreationally. Just like there are billions of types of different people, from Hitler, to you, to me, to your mom, there are billions of types of chemicals and drugs, each with different effects. The Opium Poppy can be used for heroin, or morphine, which is commonly used as a strong pain reliever, or a sedative. You are totally on the floor, on this, not violent at all. The violent drug user used a legal drug made in some lab. If drugs were legal, maybe the types of people that use drugs, would turn to a drug that doesnt make you violent and crazy. Their would be more facts on drugs and their effects, and less ignorant people, grouping every drug into one category. You cannot stereotype people, animals, races, drugs, or anything into one group because of the infinite combinations and complexities that occur in life. Their is only one of everything. Everyone is completely unique. Every drug should be tested based on unbiased results, to determine if they are safe to release to the public. If someone poses harm to himself or others, then that drug should be illegal. Otherwise drugs that slowly decay a person, like cigarettes or opium, could be legal, because the person sedated on them, does not pose a threat to those around them. Also individual laws would have to be made, for each drug based on intoxication value. Such as the drunk driving laws that prohibit anyone from driving drunk.
So what, violent crimes are committed by people who are under the influence of alcohol every day. How come I don't see you calling for laws against that?
The fact of the matter is people do stupid things irregardless and drug laws haven't made the world a safer place. They simply move the market underground and help to finance criminal organizations and thugs which means more crime. Has it stoped people from getting high? Of course not. It is a complete and total failure and a huge waste of tax dollars and resources.
Ido has a good point about the informants being identified in the media, terrible, just awful. Like who couldn't figure out who the illiterate guy who taught the kids is based on that article? If the guy isn't in protective custody, he's a goner. Thanks for all your help! Here's 40k, better spend it by sundown!
Also, the fact that "bath salts" like that face eater was using are legal, while an unprocessed plant like weed is Illegal is a perfect example of the lack of common sense that permeates our country's drug laws.
USAF, the face eating guy you mentioned? It is believed to be bathsalts, which is LEGAL. So you are backwards. Make drugs illegal, and people will find new legal alternatives, which are often far more dangerous. Weed is harmless, spice, the legal replacement, isn't. Ban alcohol, and people will once again make moonshine which can cause blindness and death.
Quit treating drugs as a moral issue and face it as a more pragmatically. You can't stop drugs, but you can shape their use. Divert people to the less harmful drugs. Regulate manufacturing to ensure drugs are not more dangerous than they need to be. Much of the dangers in drugs is how they are made and what they are cut with. Street dealers don't exactly care about public health. Not that companies do either, but at least they have to follow regulatory law.
Will drugs destroy some peoples lives, not any more than locking people in jail for drug possession. People can recover from drug addiction, but a criminal record is forever. Nobody is saying drugs are good for you, just that the fight against them is much worse.
Taziar, The STREET NAME of the drug is bathsalts, because that is what it looks like. So, don't even bother telling me I'm backwards when you have no idea what you are talking about!!
You place me in a box of your own making and decide I'm being moralistic instead of even considering the real ramifications of allowing ALL drugs to be legal as NoScopes has proposed. So, let's make the date rape drug legal. Let's make drugs that cause blindness legal, let's make drugs that are poisonous to humans legal, let's make drugs that cause birth defects legal!
When you guys get off your @!$%#ing drugs and put your head in gear, you will realize that we can't just go willy-nilly making all drugs legal.......
BTW, the drug IS illegal. Why don't you check into something before putting your foot in your mouth!
No Scopes,
So, because SOME people who drink get violent all drugs should be made legal? And your supposed to convenience me that all drugs such as the date rape drugs should be legal, because some people get violent when they drink? Yeah...sure......
...and druggies will still give themselves a hernia trying to convince us that their crime of choice is a victimless crime.
Just like the pro-war on drugs morons will claim that anyone who opposes locking up a non-violent drug user is a "druggie" themselves. I don't use drugs, and I want to free up police resources to fight real crime. The war on drugs actually helps to fuel crime significantly.
Actually, the lack of summary executions for hard drug users and pusher fuel the crime. In this Global World, we should take a lesson from the Chinese and execute pusher AND users.
7 billion people in the world, we can afford to take a few out of the gene pool.
Drug use IS a victim-less crime. Drug users are not funding terrorism, the war on drugs is. My alcohol purchases currently fund American businesses, but during prohibition, they would have funded organized crime. The only difference being a misguided law.
Some people misuse drugs and then become a threat to society. Some people misuse guns and then become a threat to society. There are even parents who's kids were neglected to death while their parents played video games. Are we going to create laws banning video games because they are not a victim-less crime?
Obviously, not all drugs are equal. Weed is about as dangerous as a nerf bat. Meth is closer to a grenade launcher. A balance needs to be stuck between personal freedom and safety of society. People owning guns is a possible danger to society, many believe it is justified. There are very few, however, who push for citizen owned explosives projectiles.
The DEA hasn't any business mucking around outside of the US. No wonder our budget is out of control !!
So they get some 2 bit drug dealer in Afghanistan... There are thousands lined up ready and waiting to take his place.
How many 10s of millions of dollars did the government spend of our money to get, transport, prosecute and imprison this 1 man ?? !!
It is absurd. And our stinking Congress won't do anything about it.
The only thing government is good at is constant expansion and spending.
Didn't I read that this "1 man" you refer to was responsible for about 20% of the heroin trade?
The drug cartel named the CIA hates competition. Poppy bush is responsible for the other 80%.
Proving once again that the Taliban could not care a rat's rectum about Islam! They are killers and drug runners who are out to corner the entire Afghan opium market -- along with murdering several hundred citizens a week -- just for the power and money.
And somehow I don't believe the amount of heroin being distributed is even going to be slightly dented by this.
Good job war on drugs!
This is why all muslims must be surveiled throughout the US... there are more like this POS criminal doing the same thing here...
Good catch...
Yea lets put them in detention camps with gas chambers too!
And Pete, criminals come in all religions. Look at the Jews and Christians that ran all the Mafia from the East Coast to the West Coast. Yup, all peoples have criminals.
Al Capone was white. Irish white. And a Roman-Catholic to boot.
Bravo.
Time to call in secret agent orange or if he is unavailable secret agent round-up.
They couldn't even get direct evidence. So they use terrerism charges which don't need evidence.
I thought the ledgers they found in the compound recording 125,000 kilos of heroin sold was also fairly convincing--the defense claim of not being able to prove they were his was just lame; and as for anyone actually witnessing him personally distributing the heroin--again, just silly--that's why they use mules. Duh. The defense didn't have much to offer. This is a little bit different than trying to prosecute someone based on the library books they've checked out.
I think the "actually witnessing him personally distributing the heroin" is just silly--every trafficker uses mules. There wasn't much to be said to defend this guy.
Don't forget that it was the Taliban that eradicated opium production in Afghanistan. The NATO invasion is what revived it, and their puppet government leader Karzai is a known trafficker.
NATO just doesn't like competition in their drug market and wants to make it look like they are doing something about the problem that they created and foment.
It's nice that at least one person here is informed. So all of you condemning the 'druggies'. You've never taken pain meds? Vicodin, Percacet, Oxycontin... Where do you think the opium in these drugs come from? And why would the US go to a country with nothing to offer and cause trouble? HMMM It doesn't add up. The opium was the point of NATO going into Astan in the first place. Wake up you fox news watching lemmings!
Osama bin Ladin was no different from our government politicians. They have their product of choice and sell it to the people as they promote religion and patriotism to rally them into a fighting frenzy so they themselves can live in luxury. Our government politicians promote oil and gas while they promote opium. Osama bin Ladin lived in a luxury compound in Kubal until 2001, then he fled. Sure, his videos showed him living in caves so the zealots who followed him would think he was one of them and would die for him, but he wasn't found in a cave. He was found in a multi-million dollar compound. Our own leaders are the same, they are just more blatant about it and they have us snow-jobbed into believing that it is the natural order of things that we give them our hard-earned money so they can live lives of wealth while we all struggle to put food on the tables for our own families. Slap us around like the dogs we are so we will send in more troops and allow a few to profit from many soldiers' deaths!
hear!hear!
There ! There!
Our primary reason for invading Afghanistan was to jump start the production of Heroin because the Taliban had outlawed the growing of poppy and reduced heroin production by 92%. If there is no heroin then the scope of the "war on drugs" becomes limited and would result in loss of funding for many different U.S. agencies. Also, heroin related incarcerations in U.S. prisons would decline and reduce profits. We had boots on ground in Afghanistan less than a year after the success of the Taliban heroin ban. After the invasion, heroin production promptly began again and was soon higher than pre-ban levels.
The U.S. government is not concerned with stopping the production of heroin. Their concern appears only to be where the profits go.
That's an interesting take on it. I thought the Taliban just came to the realization that they could afford to arm themselves far more effectively by selling heroin and reversed their stand. I have a hard time believing that they do anything from a "religious purity" motive. They pay off their debts or even the score for a wrong committed by one of their male family members by selling/trading one of their daughters...like they were cattle. Does that sound like keepers of the highest moral standard to you?
It's hard to judge other cultures fairly when you've only been exposed to the cultures of the west (USA, European countries, et al). You have a narrow point of view and what you are able to view is clouded by prejudices and preconceptions.
Ron I agree with you, the US government has always been involved in the drug trade. Remember Iran- Contra and Oli North, any many do not know but C. Powell was North's boss during that time, go figure.
Somebody, please, explain to me that this isn't true.
If you'd like somebody to tell you that this isn't true then just drink the government kool-aid. Believe what they tell you about how we invaded to fight terrorism, even though not a single Afghani was involved in the attack on 9/11.
Do you think we would have invaded Canada, if Osama had been hiding in the rugged wilderness of the Great White North? No. What about China, Switzerland or Russia? No. Afghanistan was no threat militarily and we could use the conservative muslim taliban rule as a pretext for invasion. It is a fact that the taliban virtually eliminated heroin production in Afghanistan (the world's primary producer). It is a fact that we invaded less than a year later. It is a fact that after the invasion and the removal of the Taliban rule the production of heroin began again with increased vigor.
Also, do you not find it odd that the Taliban, with their limited technology and resources, was able to eliminate the production of heroin in less than a year? Yet, the U.S. government has not accomplished any of their stated goals in the "war on drugs" in the 5 decades since it began?
Ron, in your post 14.2, you wrote:
While it may be more difficult to judge other cultures, it is certainly not impossible. I've been fortunate to have been exposed to several different cultures. I think you are off base in your second sentence. We do not live in a vacuum, we are exposed all the time to other cultures. Here's what Momcat99 so appropriately said:
Being exposed to other cultures does not make me able to accept these actions. This isn't just a different culture, it is abusive at the minimum.
By the way, I never did enjoy kool-aid much. Apart from that, however, I appreciate your explanations.
Being exposed to different cultures is very different from being immersed in different cultures. People like Momcat and you can stand on your moral highground preaching from your pulpit about how wrong it is to trade off a daughter but your frame of reference is the culture you were raised in. For some cultures, things you find offensive are a normal and accepted part of life. While I find cannibalism to be a repugnant practice, I'm not going to say the natives of Papua New Guinea are evil and morally corrupt because they eat the flesh of their slain enemies or those they believe were possessed by spirits.
There are people in eastern cultures who believe westerners are morally corrupt because our high schools are co-ed. Just because we practice things which conflict with their beliefs doesn't make us morally corrupt. Same holds true in reverse.
Go ahead and sit in judgement and feel content in your perceived superiority, if that's what you need to do to establish your place on this planet.
Also, you are right. It is not impossible to judge other cultures. I am right, however, in stating that it is difficult to judge them fairly. You're an ideologue while I'm a pragmatist.
Ron, you don't know who I am or what I believe about most things, or even the different countries I have lived in (and no, not in the military). You stated (among several other untrue and rude comments):
I'm sorry you feel the need to judge me (and MomCat) so harshly. At the same time, I realize that reflects much more about you than it does about me.
So now, how about trying to do something about the Mexican border. There is alot more drug trafficking coming across the Mexican border than any other trafficking combined. Mexico has become a terrorist state and our politicians, both Rep and Dem don't give a damn.
Mexico is not engaged in armed conflict with us. If you want to consider drugs a terrorist activity, well, US citizens are the ones funding it. In fact, Mexico should invade US for funding terrorism in their country.
What if he had paid taxes on the shipment?
Paid no taxes...he is a rich repub. Money went into offshore account like Romney's.
So I wonder...if he had paid taxes on it would we be talking about iit?
This guy Haji Bagcho is believed to be in his 70's.
This sounds like a good retirement program. Spend the rest of his life in jail reaping benifits of protection, health care all on the American tax dollar. Spread his religious docturine, and teach all the rest of the muslim criminals how to work the system distributing heroin, money and arms all around the world while in there.NICE.
He had already appointed his predicesser before capture. The farmers still farm the poppy fields. Business goes on as usual only under new management. And they can be investigated about another 10 years before the good guys claim ( Hey look at us we got another BIG ONE. )
Just as was in Viet Nam so is the war in Afghanistan. Heroin addiction was huge with soldiers stationed in Viet Nam but so was smuggling tons of high grade heroin in the caskets of dead soldiers being flown back to the US. Now we have a new war that is stationed right within the walls of some of the purest heroin production on the planet. In all wars there is always a guy that runs the general store. He is in charge of what comes in and what goes out. He has connections on the inside that are willing to overlook such as a shipment of good whiskey for some four star generals who like to drink. The store keeper has always played a vital role in providing the troops stationed with access to all the comforts of home. Whether a guy wants cash or certain perks in the form of bribes smuggling of heroin HAS to be going on with that much product available within a matter of miles from every US base over there and for every soldier killed in the line of duty it is one more casket full home of high grade heroin. For this guy to get life for dealing off base is miniscule as compared to what I'm sure the troops are shippping home daily..
Yeah smuggling was problem in Viet Nam days. However, show your source that it is happening today.
Amazing our Military has been there over 10 years and Poppies grow like mid west wheat.
If American Idiots didn't buy that crap there would be no problem. So it is simply the law of supply and demand.
Herion is much more popular in Europe than the US. Most of the Opium (base product) is shipped to th US for use in Pharmacueticals. Do some research before posting. It'll make you look smarter.
It's so clear to me that this guy has been set up by evil,drug hating,anti-people ,right wing thugs.Where is the ACLU and others of that sort to help clear this innocent man?Oh!Wait this drug dealing piece of filth is quilty as sin....Hope his God fries him in Hell....:o)
If they couldn't prove that the man did anything, then they should let him go. ...if they can prove that he did what is purposed, then he should be infamous.
Sure he's a drug dealer but the terrorist label is starting to get old , our government is over playing the use of the word , its a catch all that has no defence , soon it will be a word to silence debate , protest the wars and you are a terrorist , protest utility rate hikes your a terrorist , protest oil spills your a terrorist , protest obama care your a terrorist and the use of the terrorist word can be used on any one they want too and with laws just passed you have no rights or way to defend yourself , you become a political prisoner thrown in a cell with no way out.
We spent yrs calling the soviets out about human rights abuse and now we make them look like saints
Hey if you run a red light and happen to be a Muslim its an act of terrorism.
This is the reason we should not be rubbing shoulders with
such filthy people. This is a part of their religion; they poison the rest of the world with the blessing of their Muslim Gods.
There has got to be more than one, because there are too many different types of Muslims.
If the Arabs world truly believed and submit to God, they would be killing the producer of heroin by the thousand.
The fact is; Arabs are laze, greedy. They are the leaders in selling heroin, and prostitution.
When their girls refuse to marry the person they have been promised to, she is sold to a pimp who prostitutes her.
Arabs have learned to identify young gay boys, as young as 5 years old. Those boys are sold to other Arab men out in the deep desert as slaves, sex slaves or whatever you want to call
them.
The Arab worldthat America has rapped its arms around is dirty and ugly and we must stop. Step back and reevaluate are position. The Chinese understand how crazy they are, because there history is much the same.
Well Rat, what has all that rant got to do with the article?
Kingrat, you are the reason the rest of the world hates the US. Why don't you put down your Beer, put out your Cigarette and go back into your mobile home and rethink your life and maybe next time you have a thought, let it go.