Bangladesh, Oct. 21 -- Much has been written about Cold War-era links between the CIA, organized crime, and drug trafficking, often via right-wing anti-communist groups like the Nicaraguan Contras — as documented by US historians Alfred W. McCoy and Peter Dale Scott. Less discussed are contemporary connections, which suggest similar patterns may involve American actors linked to the Democratic Party and the political left.

Firstly, to recap the historical record, consider this:

On that pattern, much more could be said about instances such as gang leader Whitey Bulger, heroin kingpin Frank Lucas, Afghans Ahmed Wali Karzai (opium trade case), the Colombia Paramilitaries and on and on — all US intelligence-connected. But the tw...