EU Compound Allegedly at Centre of Kabul Alcohol-Smuggling Ring

EU investigators are examining claims that the organisation’s compound in Kabul is at the centre of an alleged alcohol-smuggling ring in Afghanistan.
Disused fridges and adapted gas canisters have been used to sneak bottles of alcohol brands such as Chivas Regal and Johnnie Walker out of the official EU-designated area, it is alleged.
Leaked Facebook and WhatsApp messages sent to EU investigators appear to show that beer, wine and spirits bought for the consumption of European officials were instead sold on to local businessmen.
The possession and consumption of alcohol is illegal in Afghanistan, a mainly Muslim country, but a thriving black market exists in Kabul. Special dispensation to import alcohol has been given to foreign powers including the EU.
Documents seen by the Guardian show Kabul’s EU delegation spent 509,948 dollars with MENA Supplies LLC, the company that provides most of its alcohol, over 20 months to December 2016.