Alsvintermark Drug War

Alsvintermark Drug War
Tulese Soldiers at a checkpoint in southern Tule.
Date 1960s-present Location Tule, Belhavia, and other countries.
Belligerents
Template:Country data Tule Belhavia and others	Englar Cartel Taverian BDLF cells Sverðin Cartel Rodarian Mafia Stafafell Cartel M6 Anikatian Jopok gangs
Strength
Template:Country data Tule 230,000 Tulese police officers 340,000 Tulese Army soldiers Belhavia 15,000 DISE agents 8,433 Imperial Home Guards and others	Estimated 9,000 - 33,000 criminal operatives
Casualties and losses
2,438 Tulese police killed 377 Tulese Army personnel killed 567 DISE agents killed 1,298 DISE agents injured or missing-in-action 105 Imperial Home Guards killed or injured	10,276 cartel members killed 65,200 detained
Total Casualties: 50,000+ killed

The Alsvintermark Drug War is an ongoing low-intensity conflict in eastern Alsvintermark between the Belhavian and Tulese governments and various criminal syndicates involved with illegal trafficking of contraband, mainly drugs and firearms. The conflict emerged from controls and prohibitions placed on drugs in the 1960s and 1970s in Belhavia and Tule. Sundry criminal organizations and cartels took up the lucrative illegal drug trade, and escalated with violence against government agents enforcing drug laws and disrupting illegal trafficking networks. With the rise of an illegal drug-use epidemic among some social sectors, largely youth and lower-income populations, within both Tule and Belhavia by the late 1970s and early 1980s, both governments independently pursued "wars" against the drug cartels. In the mid-1990s and early 2000s, following the Tulese-Belhavian détente, both governments coordinated counter-narcotics operations.

Background

Main article: Intoxicant Control Act

In the 1950s, the market for drugs emerged as more organic and human-manufactured drugs with intoxicating effects hit the commercial economy. Among the first was clozapine, an atypical antipsychotic drug with powerful intoxicating effect. This was followed by enhanced cocaine and commercialized weight-loss drugs such as Dawnpreen (crystal meth) by the early 1960s.

Early social radicals and housewives were noted for the beginnings of a widespread use and abuse of these emerging intoxicants, and by the mid-1960s doctors, politicians, and social thinkers across the region and the broader world were calling for the institution of controls and restrictions as drug use escalated out of hand.

In 1966, the Belhavian Senate with President Kalian's backing passed the Intoxicant Control Act, which regulated, prohibited, and controlled various "Schedules" (categories) of drugs and created the Anti-Drug Task Force inside DISE's Office of Anti-Criminal Activities.

In the 1970s, enforcement of antidrug laws was ramped up under the Tulese communist regime while it was relaxed in Belhavia under Presidents Vern Callan and Berel Levine, known as the "Watermelon era". By the late 1970s, illegal drug use had become an inexplicably broad social phenomenon across society. In the 1980s, the Settas Revolution in Belhavia and new leadership in Tule independently created "tough-on-crime" legal regimes that significantly increased incarceration rates for drug offenders and aggressively went after regional drug cartels and criminal groups.

By the late 1990s, after the Tulese civil war ended with the fall of communism and repulsion of an Estovnian invasion, the newfound non-communist State of Tule government and its détente with Belhavia and the rest of the Free World sparked a ground-swelling bilateral anti-drug pact to coordinate on cracking down on the drug cartels and illegal trade. Since 1997, the drug cartels have faced a coordinated Tulese-Belhavian effort.

Cartels

Foreign cartels

Black Eagles

WIP

M6

The M6 is a notorious Greek Eaglelander criminal conglomerate of 6 syndicates each with their own realm of activities, from high-profile assassinations and grand theft auto to the heroin and cocaine trade, most notorious for their ties to the Lekanopedion Attikis Police Department in the 1970s resulting in the subsequent purge of 25% of its commissioners and superintendents, but rose to prominence during the onset of the Alsvintermark Drug War, wherein they could deal chrystal dextromethamphetamine and heroin to Belhavians with drugs originating from Thule, and use Belhavia as a 'transshipment hub' to transport drugs into the Eagleland and beyond.

Of the two Eaglelander gangs present in the Alsvintermark Drug War, the M6 was the most effective, since the M6 were formed by dishonourably discharged members of the Eagleland Armed Forces, police constables, and mercenaries. Its military organisation and austere obsession to functionality, decentralisation, and professionalism in the criminal industry were particularly noticed in DISE investigations.

The M6 would use, in a way similar to the Rodarian Mafia, cities like Dakos as a transport hub. Using what economists refer to as a 'hub-and-spoke' system, the M6 would source all primary drugs from Thule to Dakos, process them on site, then distribute methamphetamine in Belhavia and 'export' heroin and other opiates to the Eagleland and elsewhere in Lusankya, primarily Arthurista, Rodarion, Belfras, and Emmeria. The M6 have also been linked to the cocaine trade in Belhavia and are even rumoured, but not yet confirmed, to be selling such cocaine to high net worth individuals.

Of all foreign cartels in Belhavia, the M6 were notorious for their raw brutality with a tendency to minimise evidence provided; M6 Assassins and/or Death Squads received special instructions depending on the person's significance. Important persons would have their corpses decapitated and their heads would be sent to their next of kin or the police through the post. The remainder of the body would be burned or cremated and its ashes disposed off the wind. Insignificant persons, such as witnesses, would be fully burned or cremated once killed or forced into prostitution, wherein the persons affected by this would be brainwashed by means of a combination of drugs and raw violence, intended to subdue them. M6 criminals are not known for extortion; rather the drug trade, assassin market, and human trafficking to and even from Belhavia to the most detailed yet brutal extent possible added to their notoriety. Such trafficking was in place for both women and men in some circumstances.

One of the factors that make the operations of M6 difficult to cease was the fact that M6 members lived in austere anonymity and have a decentralised form of command, using codenames and avoiding face-to-face contact as much as possible. Often M6 members disguise as genuine members of the public, having day jobs, maintaining bank and social network accounts, even families and children. Several M6 members even run legitimate businesses which were used for money laundering. This also negated their need for extortion. DISE and ISD investigations on potential subjects were exhaustively long and strenuous and witnesses were difficult to find, in part because the M6 had a tendency to eliminate trace from crime scenes, including killing and, if possible, burning witnesses.

On April 6th, 2010, after years of joint investigations by DISE, EFP, and ISD agents, simultaneous raids were launched at 37 different locations in the Eagleland and Belhavia, resulting in 305 arrests, confiscation of UR$1.5 billion in assets, 1,500 firearms, over 500,000 rounds of ammunition, and a classified amount of methamphetamine, cocaine, but mostly heroin. Among those arrested was Belhavian-Eaglelander Isaac Ioannis Skaramangas-Maibaum, who served in the Imperial Belhavian Army and is of certified Eaglelander descent but possesses no Eaglelander nationality. Skaramangas-Maibaum was later confirmed to be one of the 'Hydras' of the organisation, i.e. one of the six leaders of the M6. This operation, referred to as Operation Hope, although commonly referred to in Belhavia as 'Operation Passover,' was one of the most prominent arrests in the Taverian Drug War's history.

As of January 2016, 105 Eaglelander, 47 Belhavian, and 27 Belfrasian nationals were arrested and convicted in Belhavia for a total of 275 counts of methamphetamine trade, 57 counts of heroin trade, 11 counts of human trafficking, 37 counts of cocaine trade, and 48 counts of first degree murder. Of those, nearly 75 were convicted to death and most received life sentences. Isaac Ioannis Skaramangas-Maibaum's request for extradition to the Eagleland based on Eaglelander ancestry and not nationality were denied and the Eaglelander Embassy refused aid to him. He was given the death penalty. He is due to be executed in XX/XX/20XX.

Rodarian Mafia

The Rodarian Mafia in relation to the Alsvintermark Drug War reportedly operates near exclusively in Belhavia, the Fratellanza Meridionale (Southern Brotherhood; Meridionali, Southerners) group has been identified by DISE as the most prominent Rodarian entity involved in the drugs trade. According to a 2006 report by DISE, the Fratellanza Meridionale has used its business links between Dakos and Tule to smuggle drugs into Belhavia, whilst also utilising its businesses in Dakos to export Tulese drugs to Rodarion and other Lusankyan states.

After the 2007 arrest and extradition of Armando Pernucci, the Fratellanza Meridionale seized the opportunity to strike out into different activities. Under the leadership of Alberto Lanciani, the brotherhood, numbering approximately 300, gradually set up its own arms and human-trafficking networks. Since 2007, the Meridionali has made no official deals with other cartels or organised crime groups in either Belhavia or Tule, however it reportedly has links to the Banda Nostra and the Fratelli del Mare Sorrentina groups based in Rodarion.

In 2009, the Meridionali was charged as responsible for the murder of eighteen low-key criminals in a shootout in Dakos, in which DISE reported as a "authority killing", in that the Fratellanza Meridionale attacked and destroyed a very low-level street gang after they attempted to become involved in drug dealing, by 2014 DISE declared Fratellanza Meridionale the most "prolific drugs operation in Dakos".

The Meridionali are notorious for targeting civilians, including the mass-murder of 13 patrons of a strip club in Dakos, owned by a rival drug baron.

The Meridionali, since 2007 have involved themselves in more than drug trafficking and have also been connected to human trafficking, racketeering, extortion, illegal organ trade and trading pirated CDs and DVDs. Their criminal network is said to reach far from Dakos including Tule, Estovnia, Rodarion, and Lusankya.

Anikatian Jopok gangs

Since the DSRA collapsed and the country made the difficult transition to a free market economy, organised criminal groups began to emerge and rise to prominence. As the Cold War ended military budgets were reduced as a result many ex-Ministry of State Security officials, soldiers and veterans of the Myrdesia War offering their skills to the Jopok gang leaders. Within a year after the fall of the DSRA Jopok gangs had built an international operation that included, but was not limited to, extortion, prostitution, illegal goods (drugs, guns), money laundering, loan sharking, kidnappings, and night club management. They have also made ties with the Rodarian Mafia and other criminal groups, eventually extending to Taveria, Lusankya, Ashizwe and beyond.

Around the world, Anikatian Jopok gangs have popped up dominating particular areas such as Tule and Belhavia, created tremendous problems and an exacerbating criminal activity in an already crowded illicit marketplace. The Anikatian groups appearance have been associated with the rise in supply of military-grade weaponry in the wake of the DSRA's demise and end of Cold War allowing significant quantity of small arms, explosives and vehicles to be introduced into the war. However, in recent years the supply of military-grade hardware has declined as the Government has cracked down on the smuggling of military equipment. The Jopok gangs have been responsible for expanding the spread and supply of narcotics into the Alsvintermark region through an advanced criminal network of smugglers often employing innovative methods to avoid detection from authorities.

Preists of Antos

The Priests of Antos, often known as the Sons of Antos or the Sons of Discord, is an organisation that serves one of the inherently "evil" gods, Antos the god of Discord and disorder. Though outlawed in Tarsas, the organisation seeks to promote their own self-interests as well as promoting discord and disorder against order and law. Politically considered an anarchist group, the organisation is known to participate in drug trafficking, human trafficking, racketeering, bribery, robbery, murder, and a host of other criminal activities they use to promote their agenda. Multiple hidden backers around the world keep the group informed and in the know and it is said they are capable of trafficking people and goods anywhere in the world. Known fronts for the group include nightclubs and dining establishments.

Government response

Belhavia

Main articles: Intoxicant Control Act and Counter-Narcotics Enforcement Act

International

Rodarion

The Alsvintermark Drug War was initially received well in Rodarion, with the Urbano Tucci government welcoming the effort as a "much needed response to the depravity of drug barons". However as the war wore on and the amount of drugs being smuggled into the Papal Republic from Traveria increased, the Rodarian government became highly critical of the Tulese and Belhavian efforts. By 2009, the Alsvintermark Drug War had become a contentious point in Rodar-Belhavia relations and Rodar-Tulese relations. The Rodarian government critically claimed that both governments were not doing enough to break the drugs trade and urged tougher action, whilst conversely both Tule and Belhavia have criticised the Rodarian government for failing to cut ties between the Rodarian Mafia groups in Rodarion with the Fratellanza Meridionale based in Dakos, the Meridionale group being one of the major exporters of illicit drugs from Taveria to Lusankya.

In July 2010, the Rodarian authorities arrested, Tristan Artúrsson, a Tulese national and businessman for drug offenses. According to the Rodarian government Artúrsson was meeting with Rodarian Mafia groups to facilitate links for the smuggling of drugs and human trafficking. The Tulese government denounced Artúrsson's arrest and demanded his immediate release, however by August six Mafia bosses were arrested in connected raids, implicating Artúrsson in a major drugs deal signed in November 2008. Artúrsson was found guilty and sentenced to 35 years imprisonment, however in April 2011 Artúrsson was murdered by other inmates in his prison cell, the Tulese government accused the Rodarian government of murder, whilst the Rodarian government criticised Tule for failing to stop the internationalisation of its "failures in fighting organised crime".

In early 2012, the Ottavio Civitarese government announced a series of new laws aimed at combating drug smuggling into the Papal Republic, as well as the return of drug dealing as a crime punishable by death. On 5 February, the Rodarian National Police Service raided the offices of Argon Freight, a medium sized shipping company based in Lanciano. Argo Freight had extensive business connections to manufacturers in Taveria and was found to be a front company for the Banda Nostra mafia group based in Romula, with ties to the Fratellanza Meridionale in Dakos, these ties resulted in Argon being used to smuggle drugs into the Papal Republic. The owner of Argon Freight, Ludvicio Gaspari was arrested and sentenced to death for drug smuggling and his company closed, following the raid the Rodarian government increased the power of the State Port Security and Customs Authority to search privately owned shipping companies on a regular basis to stop contraband entering the country. In October 2012, the Rodarian government announced it would offer the Tulese government UR$5 billion to combat organised crime.

Anikatia

The Anikatian government initially took little notice of the Alsvintermark Drug War as it was focused on the difficult economic conditions facing the post-DSRA nation. As the economic conditions improved and the effects of the war began to influence Anikatia, the government pledged support towards the Alsvintermark Drug War by vowing to crack down on illegal criminal gangs and their activities both at home and abroad. Media within Anikatia has been highly critical of efforts of both the Belhavian and Tulese government's attempts to break the drugs trade, as well as inaction by the Rodarion and Anikatian governments to prevent the global spread of the conflict.

Tarsas

The Sons of Discord originating in Tarsas meant that a significant number of private backers still still backed the group as of 2010. The organization's banishment in 2011 meant that most of the public backers quickly dissipated. The Tarsan government took little notice after the Discord Disbandment Bill of 2011 forced the group's private holdings to be absorbed and the members dispersed. The uncovering of a significant operation in Marvius in 2014 meant that the group was back on the government radar. After that, a significant number of ICP personnel were pledged to dealing with the group. It was discovered that Tarsas was a significant stop over between Ashwize and the rest of the world due to "international zones" where immigrants were required to live. Despite increased policing of these zones, the contraband trade still goes on.

Effects

Effects in Tule

Although the conflict has mostly been limited to the southern part of the country, the impact it has had on the entirety of Tulese society is considerable. The average homicide rate in Tule rose from 4.8 per 100,000 residents in 2002 to 12.2 per 100,000 residents in 2008, and the conflict has caused 45,000 deaths within the country. Life expectancy among men is estimated to be about 5 months shorter on average than it should be for a country of Tule's development level as a result of the drug war.

The conflict has had a cultural impact on the country, with the appearance of both pro-cartel folk songs sponsored by the cartels themselves and sentimental ballads mourning the loss of loved ones to gang membership and violence. The drug war has also been depicted in numerous Tulese television shows and films.

The economic impact of cartel activity has been more mixed however. Although the war has caused a net loss in economic output in southern Tule due to the high loss of life, incarceration and healthcare costs, a part of the losses has been recovered in the form of drug profits, which brings an estimated 20-35 billion URD into the economy of southern Tule annually.

Effects in Belhavia

While Belhavia has largely been spared widespread and public exposure to the violence and criminality of the illegal drug trade and the government's actions to thwart it, the drug war has had a fair effect on the nation. By the time the Imperial government and its domestic investigative and security forces executed anti-drug operations in the 1980s, Belhavian society had felt a social change due to the war. In the 1980s, while the number of arrests for all crimes had risen by 19%, the number of arrests for drug offenses rose 186%. The Provisa Times reported in early 1992 that the anti-drug effort was responsible for the incarceration of over 750,000 Belhavians each year. Statistics from 2000 show that foreign expatriate and second-generation immigrant drug users (mainly ethnic Rodarians, Tulese, Eaglelanders, among others) made up 38% of drug arrests, 57% of convictions, and 72% of people sent to prison for drug possession crimes.

President Julian Settas began orchestrating drug raids nationwide to improve his "law-and-order watchdog" reputation. Lois Jacobson, a social historian who studied drug arrests during this period in Freeport City, stated that "police chiefs indicated they were making the kind of arrests the public wanted." Also, some of Settas's newly created drug-enforcement agencies would resort to illegal practices to make arrests as they tried to meet public demand for arrest numbers. From 1982 to 1983, the DISE's Anti-Drug Task Force performed over 8,700 drug arrests in 21 months, the majority of the arrested were foreigners or non-ethnic Belhavians. In the mid-1980s, cities in northern Belhavia suffered under a high-crime epidemic related to the War on Drugs called the Urban Enclave Crisis (1982 - 1987).

Culturally, the illegal drug trade became a part-and-parcel of the Belhavian criminal underworld, and often a very lucrative business. Many small-time criminals received their start in the black market doing drug and drug-related activities. With documented participation in the drug trade by Belhavians of Rodarian, Tulese, and Eaglelander descent, these communities, especially in large cities such as Dakos, Freeport City, Tel Nafesh, and Provisa, felt targeted and discriminated against by DISE agents, inhibiting their assimiliation into Belhavian society in part and helping to foster a retention of ethnic enclaves inside big cities. In cinema and television, the antidrug war and law enforcement's war on crime due to it has spawned hundreds of movie and TV show titles since the late 1960s, repeatedly earning a spot among the top three most popular entertainment genres.