Pubdate: Mon, 02 Sep 2002
Source: Oklahoman, The (OK)
Copyright: 2002 The Oklahoma Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.oklahoman.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318
Author: John Solomon, Associated Press Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?194 (Hutchinson, Asa)

U.S. EVIDENCE LINKS DRUG RING TO TERRORISTS

WASHINGTON -- Federal authorities have amassed evidence for the first time 
that an illegal drug operation in the United States was funneling proceeds 
to Middle East terrorist groups such as Hezbollah. Evidence gathered by the 
Drug Enforcement Administration since a series of raids in January 
indicates that a methamphetamine drug operation in the Midwest involving 
men of Middle Eastern descent has been shipping money back to terrorist 
groups, officials said.

"There is increasing intelligence information from the investigation that 
for the first time alleged drug sales in the United States are going in 
part to support terrorist organizations in the Middle East," DEA 
administrator Asa Hutchinson said.

DEA officials said the men, most of whom were indicted on drug charges 
after their January arrests, were smuggling large quantities of the 
chemical pseudoephedrine from Canada into the Midwest.

Officials said the smuggling went through two primary Midwest locations, 
Chicago and Detroit, and involved several men with ties to Jordan, Yemen, 
Lebanon and other Middle East countries. There is no evidence that the 
money was connected to the Sept. 11 attacks, officials said.

Pseudoephedrine is used in some cold and allergy medications. It is an 
essential ingredient in the creation of methamphetamine, a powerful drug 
known on the streets as "ice," or "crystal meth."

The U.S. drug ring was reselling pseudoephedrine to Mexican-based drug 
operations in the Western United States that used it to produce 
methamphetamine, authorities said.

The Middle Eastern men then diverted some of the proceeds from the 
pseudoephedrine sales back to the Middle East to accounts authorities have 
begun to connect to terrorist groups, DEA officials said. Some connections 
involved the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, and some of the 
money has been traced to accounts in Lebanon and Yemen, officials said.

DEA officials said U.S. authorities don't know yet how much money was 
funneled from the drug sales to the terrorist groups but said the 
pseudoephedrine sales alone amounted to millions of dollars.

The drug ring was broken up Jan. 10 as part of a massive DEA investigation 
called Operation Mountain Express. Arrests were made in Detroit, Cleveland, 
Chicago, Phoenix and several California cities.

The raids have resulted in criminal charges against 136 people and the 
seizure of nearly 36 tons of pseudoephedrine, 179 pounds of 
methamphetamine, $4.5 million in cash, eight real estate properties and 160 
cars used by the drug gangs.

Hutchinson has been warning for months that illegal drug money provides a 
compelling opportunity for terrorist groups to siphon support from the 
United States, but the DEA investigation provided the first evidence of a 
direct flow of money.

The evidence of the terrorist ties emerged after the arrests. U.S. 
authorities said it is possible some defendants charged with drug 
violations could face additional charges.

The Bush administration has been stepping up efforts to stem the flow of 
money and items from sympathizers in the United States to foreign terrorist 
groups under a law that prohibits providing "material support and 
resources" to known terrorist organizations.

Six men who lived in the United States were indicted last week on charges 
they conspired to provide such support to al- Qaida or related terrorists.

Federal agents believe they have uncovered a broad effort by American 
residents, many of them legal immigrants or visitors, to use credit-card 
thefts, illegal cigarette sales, diverted charitable funds and cash 
smuggled in airline luggage to enrich anti-American and anti-Israeli 
terrorist groups, officials said.
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