United States and Turkey’s secret business partner – ISIS – is a very rich terror institution. The Islamic State was generating about US$50 million every month through selling crude oil from oil fields the extremist group controls in Iraq and Syria. ISIS controls more than 60% of Syria’s oil production capacity and about 10% of Iraq’s oil production capacity.

Since last year, however, the price of oil on global markets tumbled from a high of US$114 a barrel last June to around US$44 for a barrel. At its peak in the summer of 2014, the terror group controlled between 100,000 – 110,000 barrels a day. With the airstrikes by the badass President Vladimir Putin, the production goes down to 40,000 barrels a day.

 

It is believed that ISIS militants sell crude oil to smugglers, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son, at a discounted price, sometimes US$35 per barrel, and in some cases as low as US$10 per barrel, compared to just under US$50 a barrel on international markets. They could afford to sell at such low prices because they got it free.

After the Russian Su-24 fighter jet shot down, courtesy of President Erdoğan with endorsement from Obama administration, the airstrikes by Russia on ISIS oilfields, trade routes, truck convoys and whatnot will only get worse. Since the deployment of Russian gruesome S-400 “Triumph” air defence system in Syria, both the American and Turkish air forces have halted their strikes on Syrian territory.

 

Essentially, this means Russian would control the airspace and probably doesn’t need to consult anyone as to when they like to bomb ISIS. With the exception of nuclear warhead of international ballistic missile while flies at speeds of up to 7 kilometer per second, the S-400 is capable of shooting down any existing aircraft, helicopter or missile travelling at speeds of up to 4.8 kilometer per second.

This also means it’s harder for ISIS to make money selling oil on the black market. But with the stubbornly low oil price, perhaps it’s time ISIS ventures into other business. And ISIS could end up as the world’s biggest drug lord, taking the same path like the Colombian drug lord – Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria – who once controlled 80% of U.S. cocaine business.

 

According to Tom Keatinge, a terror finance expert from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), ISIS is seriously looking to expand its drug trade to compensate for oil revenues lost due to airstrikes by Russian and French. The Russian believes ISIS controls almost half the opium smuggled from Afghanistan into Europe through Iraq and North Africa.

Interestingly, UK National Crime Agency has confirmed that almost all the estimated £4 billion (US$6 billion; RM25.6 billion) of heroin sold on Britain street every year comes from Afghanistan. The UK agency added that the amount of heroin estimated to be imported annually into the UK is between 18-23 tonnes, mostly derived from Afghan opium.

 

Recently, Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN) said ISIS already makes US$1 billion (£662 million; RM4.2 billion) a year through drug trafficking. Conservatively, the Russians estimate ISIS could make a staggering £33 billion (US$50 billion; RM211 billion) through the sale of heroin in Europe, including cities such as London, Paris and Milan.

Besides Syria and Iraq, ISIS’ affiliates also operate in Afghanistan, Libya, Nigeria, and Egypt, just to name a few. It’s also believed that the suicide bombers involved in the recently Friday 13th Paris attacks were high on drugs. So, is ISIS’ Jihad War really about Islam, or they are no different from drug lord Pablo Escobar?

 

Other Articles That May Interest You …

• Russian Jet Shot Down – How Putin Brilliantly Turns It To His Advantage
• Here’s UK US$269 Billion Awesome Military Spending Spree To Combat ISIS
• Move Over FBI, CIA, NSA … Let MAFIA Handles The ISIS
• Meet Cowgirl Hasna, Paris Female Suicide Bomber Who Loves Alcohol & Sex
• From Russia With Love – Putin Sent “Bear”, “Backfire” & “Blackjack”
• Here’s Why ISIS’ Paris Attacks & New Threats Are Such A Big Deal
• Paris Attacks – Western Superpowers Playing With Fire They Couldn’t Control
• Russian Airstrikes Prove Why Putin Is A Better Leader Than Obama
• 20 Crazy Facts About Lord Pablo Escobar You May Not Know

 

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December 1st, 2015 by financetwitter

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