Bloomberg reported on April 30, 2013, that the CIA had funneled tens of millions of dollars in discreet payments to Karzai "in suitcases, backpacks and shopping bags."
In July 2013, Joel Brinkley wrote in the Baltimore Sun that Karzai's government was attempting to levy a 1,000 USD customs fee on every U.S. vehicle operating in a non-combat role in and out of the country, and that Afghan troops had been blocking roads in expectation of payment.