Stars and Stripes reports on US Soldiers targeting black market operations that funnel revenue to the Iraqi insurgency.

Organized crime is nothing new in Iraq. Smuggling has long been an intrinsic part of Iraq’s black market economy, most notably under Saddam Hussein. Many of these criminal networks have not gone away, but have simply adapted to new conditions since the arrival of American troops.For racketeers in Mosul, the price of doing business now typically includes paying a percentage to insurgent fighters and nominally becoming part of the anti-Western movement. But ultimately Mosul’s “white collar” criminals are devoted to profits and not causes, Welsh said.

For example, the article mentions a case where propane and fuel that was sold on the black market was able to generate $1 million for the insurgency.

Previously, Iraqi authorities stated that $1.5 billion was lost to gas and oil smuggling, with a large portion of the funds believed to have gone to insurgents.