This shady business came to light during a recent sting operation in Afghanistan when Afghan and Russian drug police confiscated 600 kilos of opium and obtained crucial information about this criminal activity.
Alexander Perendzhiev, a Moscow-based political analyst and sociologist, told Radio Sputnik that, according to a 2011 PACE report, the size of the underground economy in Turkey accounted for about 60 percent of its gross domestic product, or around $40 billion.
“A shadow economy always goes hand in hand with terrorism and drug trafficking. In the case of Turkey even though this shady business is outside state control, it does not necessarily mean that it is not controlled by certain state officials,” Perendzhiev told Radio Sputnik.
“That’s why the EU is in no hurry to invite Turkey to join its ranks,” he added.
