Chapter 300: Drug Problems
La Madre’s efficiency had surpassed even Alex’s expectations. Within two weeks, the drug supply to the middle east had entirely evaporated. At least in terms of a specific narcotic known by the name of cocaine.
It had become so difficult to get one’s hands on, that even the Crown Prince of Oman, whose influence was far and wide would have to spend a large amount of cash to hire people to smuggle it into his country’s ports directly from South America.
But there was just one problem: nobody was willing to deal cocaine to these men sent by the Prince of Oman. This caused Ali significant problems, as his body quickly went through withdrawal after exhausting his supply of that sweet Columbian nose powder.
No matter how much he searched for answers about why the drug supply had suddenly been cut off to the middle east, Ali would get the same answers. That being that the UAE had begun to crack down on drug smuggling, thus making it impossible to bring drugs like cocaine into the region.
The reality was that the Columbian cartels who produced the stuff outside of the Zetas control were more fearful about getting on the bad side of the infamous Drug Lord known as “El Cucuy” then they were about making money from the royalty of the Middle East.
After all, Alex had done what nobody else had managed to do in decades. Ended a bloody conflict through overwhelming displays of force. Usually via drug induced rampages. But regardless, the Columbian Cartels wanted nothing to do with this madman to the north, and thus accepted the request made by what many now assumed was the mysterious Drug Lord’s bitch.
Thus, Ali was sweating bullets as his body craved the drug, his mind becoming erratic as he began to indulge himself in fits of paranoia. Coincidentally, Ali was visiting the Saudi Palace on the same day that Alex had a meeting with the Saudi King.
Alex of course still needed to conclude the business that the United States was asking of him, and was quietly aware that something was seriously wrong with Ali, who was trying his best to court Aisha as he waited for this crisis in his drug supply problem to resolve itself.
“Your Majesty, it is an honor for me to sit here and speak with you. I believe you know why I am here, and would very much like to talk to you about an important issue regarding the sale of some interesting equipment…”
The Saudi King narrowed his eyes and called Alex out on his BS without any hesitation.
“Cut the crap. The defense contractors sent you so that you can talk me into buying a bunch of overly expensive fighter jets who capabilities far outmatch what my enemies in the region are remotely possible of contending with. Explain to me why I should buy these expensive stealth jet fighters when my enemies can’t even shoot down the previous generation?”
Alex had indeed not expected the man to so bluntly counter his attempts to kiss ass, but he honestly preferred it this way, and thus he was quick to address the major issue in the room that the Saudi King was seemingly forgetting.
“Oh, let’s not pretend like you don’t have more serious concerns at the moment…. Iran has just announced the creation of its first nuclear weapon, and we both know that they will be focusing on building a lot more of these.
If you want to counter an Iranian nuclear stockpile, then you will need a jet that can penetrate into Iranian airspace without being detected, one that is also entirely capable of launching a munition that has the means of destroying nuclear missile silos and production plants.
In case you didn’t realize, the fighter jets that my friends back home wish to sell, you can carry two tactical nuclear weapons each. And are capable of dropping them with a precision unmatched by any other fighter on the planet.
They can get these tactical nuclear weapons within a five meter radius of their target, and they can do so entirely without being detected by Iran’s meagre air defense systems. Now I can make no promises that the United States will sell you these tactical nuclear weapons, but they may be willing to sell you an alternative that can still get the job done.
I mean, are you really willing to just sit by and watch the influence that you have spent the last few decades building within the region fall into the hands of your largest rivals?”
Alex had no qualms leveraging a problem he created, while providing a theoretical solution to it. And it seemed to work like a charm, as the Saudi King bit into the bait with ease.
“Heh, you are far more manipulative than you look, young man. Alright, you can tell your friends back in the States that I will buy as many of these fighter jets as they are willing to provide. And they have you to thank for changing my mind.”
A slight smirk emerged on Alex’s face when he heard this. He was just about to fully seal the deal with a handshake when a loud shriek was heard throughout the halls. No doubt coming from Aisha as she came running over to her father, interrupting his meeting with a foreign dignitary as she did so.
Aisha was so alarmed by whatever had happened that she did not even realize Alex was the one speaking with her father, and instead was quick to announce what has happened.
“Father! Come quick! Something is wrong with Ali! He needs medical attention!”
By now the royal guards had already approached the Omani Prince. All the while, Alex sat back in curiosity. As far as he was aware, there were only two drugs on the planet whose withdrawal symptoms had the potential to be lethal.
One of those drugs was the most common form of intoxicant on the market. That being alcohol. The other was a far more sinister narcotic. Opioids, a drug whose abuse by the pharmaceutical industries had caused an epidemic in the United States, one that had caused the deaths of over half a million people within the last twenty years.
Although Alex had cut off the drug supply to the region. Iran had not provided him with intelligence on the Omani prince being addicted to painkillers. But apparently that was exactly what had happened.
As a result, the Omani Prince was swiftly escorted to the hospital, where it would be discovered by the Saudi Royal family that the man was addicted to at least three different kinds of drugs. A scandal that would not only worsen Aisha’s affection towards the man, but provide a necessary amount of stress to the engagement, one that Alex could further exploit.