Illicit Drug Trafficking and Financing of Terrorism: The Case of Islamic State, Al Qaeda and their Affiliate Groups

The revenue generated from the drug trafficking business constitutes a fifth of the organised crime revenues, with annual worldwide value of the trade estimated to be around $650 billion. As the trafficking of drugs provides a lucrative opportunity, transnational terror groups such as Al- Qaeda, the Islamic State and their affiliates are increasingly using illicit drug trade to fund their expenses and operational costs. Further, with the increasing surveillance of the funding routes of terror by the security forces, the traditional sources of revenue have dried up. The investment in drug trafficking is low, and profits are high. Drug trade, therefore, provides terror groups with an adequate and sustained alternative means to generate funds.