Allegations of CIA drug trafficking

A number of writers have claimed that the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is or has been involved in drug trafficking. Books on the subject that have received general notice include works by historian Alfred McCoy, English professor and poet Peter Dale Scott, journalists Gary Webb, Michael Ruppert, Alexander Cockburn and Mexican journalist Anabel Hernández. These claims have led to investigations by the United States government, including hearings and reports by the United States House of Representatives, Senate, Department of Justice, and the CIA's Office of the Inspector General. The subject remains controversial due to conflicting media reports, but documented evidence confirms that the Federal Government has permitted illegal drug trafficking and media organizations have prematurely dismissed the allegations. The Kerry Committee report found that "the Contra drug links included[,]" amongst other connections, ".... Payments to drug traffickers by the U.S. State Department of funds authorized by the Congress for humanitarian assistance to the Contras, in some cases after the traffickers had been indicted by federal law enforcement agencies on drug charges, in others while traffickers were under active investigation by these same agencies."

Following is a summary of some of the main claims made by geographical area.

For eight years, (until October 2009), Ahmed Wali Karzai, brother of the then-newly elected President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, was on the payroll of the CIA - but is also alleged to have been involved in opium trafficking in the Middle East.

While the CIA was sponsoring a Secret War in Laos from 1961 to 1975, it was accused of trafficking in opium (an area known as the Golden Triangle).

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