Links between the state and illegal drug trade?

[nowarbutclasswar]

Do states profit from illegal drug trade and/or do they partake in it? If so, where do the profits go? Just wanted to hear some ideas, I find it very doubtful that the state would not want a piece of such a huge market. There is a lot of documentation on the subject but its hard to separate facts from conspiracy theories. If anyone is informed on the subject, I'd love to hear more about it.

[socialistjustin]

A lot of police are corrupt in Mexico, but I haven't heard much about the president being involved or anything like that. The US government helped the drug trade through a stupid program called fast and furious where they gave guns to the cartels and was going to track them and lost most of them. Really don't that was done on purpose though.

[DeBon]

If the state does have its nose involved with the drug trade, it's probably nothing more than corrupt police allowing certain things to go on or aiding in trafficking. I highly doubt it's some conspiracy to degrade low-class minorities.

[EvilRedGuy]

Yes. its true the state does it in many places in Latin Amerika.

[khad]

Already pretty well documented:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_drug_trafficking
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_and_Contras_cocaine_trafficking_in_the_US

Drug money is useful because it's difficult to trace and can fund operations overseas "off the books," so to speak.

[bricolage]

Not to mention how the CIA funded various groups that controlled heroin production and trade across, mainly, the golden triangle as buffers against the ussr and soviet proxies. Some people estimate that had it not been for this and based on pre-existing trends heroin addiction within the US would have all but collapsed.

[Geiseric]

not a modern thing, but look up the opium war in china. Cops have been caught tons of times taking trucks full of crack and coke into compton.

[socialistjustin]

Does the CIA still do the drug trade? I thought that ended after the collapse of the Soviet Union?

[maskerade]

CIA facilitated drug trade in order to fund terrorists in Nicaragua.