Juma Khan
Encyclopedia
Haji Juma Khan, an ethnic Baluch
from Afghanistan
’s Nimroz Province, is a drug lord with links to the Taliban. The title Haji (alternative spelling Hajji) indicates that he has completed the Hajj
pilgrimage to Mecca.
Juma Khan, an illiterate provincial drug smuggler in southwestern Afghanistan in the 1990s, when the Taliban governed the country, seized control of the town of Baramcha in the Chagai Hills
on the Pakistani border in late 2001 and turned it into a hub of smuggling and gun running. He rose to national prominence after the American-led invasion, taking advantage of a record surge in opium and heroin production in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. He was briefly detained by American forces after the 2001 fall of the Taliban, and released, even though American officials knew at the time that he was involved in narcotics trafficking. After being release Juma Khan has allegedly gone on to run the Taliban's opium
distribution network, selling the drug worldwide and using the profits to equip Taliban forces militarily.
In 2008 he was arrested in Indonesia and transported to New York to face charges under a new American narco-terrorism law. It later turned out, that Juma Khan was also a longtime American informer, who provided information about the Taliban, Afghan corruption and other drug traffickers, and was paid a large amount of cash by the United States. Plea negotiations are quietly under way. A plea bargain might keep many of the details of his relationship to the United States out of the public record.
Baluch
Baluch may refer to:*Balochistan region of south and southwest Asia*Baloch people, a people inhabiting the region of Balochistan*Sindhi Baloch, a community of Baloch descent found in the province of Sindh in Pakistan...
from Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
’s Nimroz Province, is a drug lord with links to the Taliban. The title Haji (alternative spelling Hajji) indicates that he has completed the Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
pilgrimage to Mecca.
Juma Khan, an illiterate provincial drug smuggler in southwestern Afghanistan in the 1990s, when the Taliban governed the country, seized control of the town of Baramcha in the Chagai Hills
Chagai Hills
The Chagai Hills is a range of granite hills in the Chagai District in Pakistan's Balochistan province.-Location:The Chagai Hills lie in a desert area in the northernmost part of Chagai District north of Pakistan's Ras Koh Hills and south of Afghanistan's Helmand and Nimruz provinces.- Topography...
on the Pakistani border in late 2001 and turned it into a hub of smuggling and gun running. He rose to national prominence after the American-led invasion, taking advantage of a record surge in opium and heroin production in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. He was briefly detained by American forces after the 2001 fall of the Taliban, and released, even though American officials knew at the time that he was involved in narcotics trafficking. After being release Juma Khan has allegedly gone on to run the Taliban's opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
distribution network, selling the drug worldwide and using the profits to equip Taliban forces militarily.
In 2008 he was arrested in Indonesia and transported to New York to face charges under a new American narco-terrorism law. It later turned out, that Juma Khan was also a longtime American informer, who provided information about the Taliban, Afghan corruption and other drug traffickers, and was paid a large amount of cash by the United States. Plea negotiations are quietly under way. A plea bargain might keep many of the details of his relationship to the United States out of the public record.
External links
- United States of America vs. Haji Juma Khan, INDICTMENT
- "Fierce factional fighting reported in northwestern Afghanistan" Deutsche Presse-Agentur March 26, 2003. Lexis-Nexis September 10, 2003
- "Afghan government probes killings in northwest" Agence France Presse May 1, 2003. Lexis Nexis September 10, 2003
- "Ex-Taliban governor held in Afghanistan" April 6, 2003. The News September 10, 2003