Pakistan International Airlines used to smuggle narcotics to major capitals worldwide: US

Revelations that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Pakistan's official airlines, now under full control of Zia's military government, has been the major conduit for hard drugs to western Europe, the Far East, Canada, and the US, are causing considerable embarrassment to the Reagan Administration.The Administration has been pushing Pakistan's case with worthy vigour even in the face of growing criticism from many sections of the American press which condemn Zia's despotism and doubt whether he will be able to control the powderkeg of mounting restiveness inside his country.Even though there is no evidence that the Pakistan Government has itself encouraged dope smuggling, the image of the Pakistani pusher destroying the flower of American youth via air-carried junk is something that the pro-Pakistani lobby within the State Department will find difficult to soften.Secret reports of the US Drug Enforcement Agency have already pinpointed Pakistan as the major source of west Asian heroin. It has overtaken the Golden Triangle both in terms of supply and production. But what is startling about the latest revelations is that the State Department has known for at least six years that PIA has been smuggling dope. It was one of the department's best kept secrets until it was blown into the open by columnist Jack Anderson.India Today has obtained copies of the extensive secret CIA and State Department cables going back five years, detailing the PIA connection. What is astonishing is that two years ago State Department officials discussed the situation with Pakistani officials and accepted the same excuse that the Pakistani Government, even though it knew the identities of some of the PIA ringleaders, could not fire them because they were backed by a strong trade union.Documentary Proof: Here are the details about the scandal as spelled out in CIA and State Department secret documents:Narcotics networks organised by major international traffickers became increasingly active in the late 70s and soon after law enforcement and intelligence agencies began discovering PIA dope smuggling networks in western Europe, the Far East. Canada and the US.While the documents do not show the exact number of PIA employees who have been arrested in connection with narcotics smuggling, their arrests "have shown a marked increase over 1972 levels. Seizures involving PIA personnel have ranged from small packets of opium to as much as 1,700 kg of hashish.""There can be little doubt," says one cable, that "major operatives, thwarted by increased security at various international border posts, have turned to PIA and have made significant inroads into its organisation."In terms of a geographical breakdown Karachi has emerged as "the centre for illicit narcotics activities involving PIA as more overseas flights transit there than any other city in Pakistan". Amsterdam, Denmark, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Brussels as well as Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, and the US "have all been identified as transiting Karachi."All Involved: Narcotics reaching western Europe are smuggled aboard PIA planes, "by pilots, stewards, ground crew, flight engineers and baggage handlers and are hidden in crew luggage and in various compartments inside the aircraft". The dope is also smuggled aboard PIA planes as part of the regular passenger baggage."A less sophisticated variant, but a very common one", says one CIA cable, "is for crew members - pilots and stewards - to include luggage - suitcases or briefcases with false compartments - containing narcotics with their personal luggage".Crew luggage is not marked as belonging to a specific crew member, "so if the bag containing narcotics should be discovered it cannot be traced to any one individual. Often, the bag containing the narcotics goes through customs easily with the rest of the unmarked crew luggage and nobody except the wilting crew member is the wiser."One case involving PIA personnel in Lahore surfaced as early as March 1974. It involved moving narcotics on PIA planes from Lahore to Karachi and onward to points in western Europe. An official report states: "PIA cargo employees in Lahore loaded baggage containing narcotics on the PIA flights, and PIA security personnel in western Europe, Frankfurt and London forwarded it to Toronto." "Some 1,700 kg of hashish was seized in Toronto and the PIA security chief for Frankfurt was arrested."Similar arrests have occurred in Denmark. A quantity of hashish destined for the US was seized in Vienna, Austria. The New York connection is made by PIA cabin crews "flying into New York - and persumably elsewhere - they carry tin cans labelled sumera in their hand baggage. These cans contain Pakistani food which the crew declare to be for their personal consumption."In another variation, PIA pilots on the Karachi-Tokyo run act as couriers "bringing narcotics with their personal belongings and passing them directly to a PIA ground crew member who boards the plane in Tokyo".Flight Hazard: Before PIA pilots began smuggling opium to Japan several of them had been involved in smuggling the white powder to Beirut. The transcript of a telephone conversation in August 1980 between PIA officials and a representative of an American aircraft manufacturer reveals that cartons, persumably containing drugs, but marked "stereo equipment" were stored "above the aft gallery, and boxes were hidden on both sides of openings in an area consisting of electric wire ducts and the power line".According to this transcript - which also contains mention of the smuggling problem - "boxes were also stored in a critical section of the fuselage with naked wires that could have caused shorts or fuses".According to these same CIA and State Department files, dope smuggling is not the only international law that PIA has so cavalierly tinkered with. Several years ago the US fined PIA $35,000 (Rs 2,80,000) for violating America's anti-rebating and anti-discounting provision under which airlines cannot sell tickets below a threshold price.This practice was discovered following a secret sting operation against PIA carried out by the State Department and Pan American Airways.Pan Am financed an undercover agent to purchase a "test ticket from PIA at discount rate in Paris for travel to US. The cost was less than one-half of face value entered on the coupon issued to the agent." The State Department reported that Pan Am immediately forwarded the coupon to the Civil Aeronautics Board for prosecution.Authorised Chicanery: What really startled State Department investigators was information that recently surfaced showing that PIA had been under strict instructions from the Pakistan Government as early as 1972 to violate American law. A CIA cable on this subject reads:"The Pakistan Government is taking measures to revive its economy and to replenish its diminished hard currency reserves - airlines representatives were instructed by government officials to take steps to increase their ticket sales even if they have to give a discount. While the practice is prohibited by international air regulations, the ruling can be circumvented."A top US attorney with inside knowledge said: "This begs the question whether dope can be used by a government for a similar economic end." He said that PIA was fined $ 35,000 (Rs 2,80,000) after entering a no-contest plea.The airline also agreed in court to provide the US Government with regular compliance reports to show that it no longer engages in the illegal practices for which it was fined. So far - five years later - PIA has failed to furnish any compliance report.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Nov 13, 2013 11:33 IST--- ENDS ---

Download App

Get 37% off on an annual Print +Digital subscription of India Today Magazine

Pakistan International Airlines used to smuggle narcotics to major capitals worldwide: US

PUBLICATIONS

TELEVISION

EVENTS

RADIO

GAMING

USEFUL LINKS

PRINTING

WELFARE

DISTRIBUTION

SYNDICATIONS

WEBSITES

EDUCATION