Sibel Edmonds, Susurluk and the Turkish Mafia.

Click on the famous Black Mercedes and read an article from 2006 connecting Sibel Edmonds allegations with Susurluk, (above) and the international spread of the Turkish Mafia 'Deep State'.

From the article:

".....If those remarks seem intemperate, they are nothing compared to those of a former FBI whistle-blower. According to Sibel Edmonds, who was a translator at the FBI, the Deep State continues to exist in Turkey.

Her claims are the most sensational since Susurluk.

LEGACY

Edmonds, who speaks Turkish, Farsi and Azeri, was hired by the FBI after 9/11 to translate phone-taps. She was in the front-line of the War on Terror, a war where terrorism, organised crime and drug-trafficking closely intersect.

Headphones on, from her desk she had, as it were, her ear pressed to the wall of a lot of clandestine activity involving Turkey. When asked by Druglink whether the Deep State still operates in Turkey, she said:

“Of course it does. It’s more powerful than ever.”

Edmonds, who gave evidence to the 9/11 commission based on her experience, was fired by the FBI after she accused colleagues of corruption involving Turkey. She is a celebrated whistle-blower in America. But she is bound by a draconian gag order. She can’t say a lot, but anyone interested in Susurluk’s legacy should listen carefully to what she does say.

She questioned how drug trafficking can stop when it is so vital to the Turkish economy:

“The sums of money are huge. If it stopped it would cause an economic crash.”

Dr Ertan Bese, of the Turkish National Police Academy, wrote in his 2004 doctoral thesis on Turkish organised crime, that the underworld economy of Turkey is worth $60bn, amounting to a massive 25 per cent of Turkey’s national income.

A huge proportion of this figure is derived from heroin trafficking. Edmonds has testified, in secret, to how she discussed hearing Turkish consular officials in the USA apparently discussing drug deals.

She told Druglink:

“In Turkey everything is run by the military. These activities cannot take place without the permission of the military and the permission of Turkish intelligence.”

Until the gag-order on Sibel Edmonds is somehow lifted, we will be unable to explore her claims. However, they do raise concerns that the legacy of Susurluk is still with us and that combating the heroin trade is not so much a matter of police work as politics.

But Turkey’s crucial value to the British and US governments at a time of crisis in Iraq and Iran means the political will is not there. Meanwhile, Britain’s heroin addiction will continue. For us, at least, that is the legacy of Susurluk."