Pubdate: Sat, 20 Dec 2003
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Section: Page A21
Copyright: 2003, The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.globeandmail.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Estanislao Oziewicz
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?203 (Terrorism)

HASHISH BUST LINKS AL-QAEDA TO DRUG TRADE

Members Caught In Persian Gulf Seizure Clear Evidence Of Connection, U.S. Says

The U.S. Navy intercepted three al-Qaeda members with nearly two tonnes of 
hashish in the Persian Gulf this week, providing what it says is a 
conclusive link between the terrorism organization and the illicit drug trade.

Although Washington has hinted broadly about a connection between drugs and 
Osama bin Laden's organization, no proof had previously been found.

"An initial investigation uncovered clear ties between the smuggling 
operation and al-Qaeda," U.S. Central Command said yesterday in a statement 
from its Florida headquarters.

"This is the first empirical evidence I've seen that conclusively links 
al-Qaeda with the drug trade," Bruce Hoffman told the Associated Press news 
service. He's a terrorism expert at RAND, a Santa-Monica, Calif., 
think-tank that often works for the Pentagon.

The U.S. military said the al-Qaeda suspects were among 12 people found 
with 1,714 kilograms of hashish aboard a traditional wooden Arab boat 
called a dhow. A spokesman said no further information would be forthcoming 
of "details that connect those individuals to al-Qaeda."

The 12-metre wooden boat was seized Monday by the destroyer USS Decatur on 
a smuggling route near the Strait of Hormuz, which is "known to be used" by 
al-Qaeda, the military said. The strait is a bottleneck where the gulf 
meets the Arabian Sea.

Until the fall, the area was being patrolled by Canadian warships as part 
of Operation Apollo, an element of Canada's military contribution to the 
war against terrorism.

The hashish -- a marijuana derivative -- has a street value of $8-million 
to $10-million (U.S.), the military said.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, U.S. officials made suggestions 
of a link between al-Qaeda and drug smuggling, but have not provided 
specific examples.

Last May, for example, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official Steven 
Casteel told the Senate that drug trafficking and terrorist activities were 
"visibly intertwined."

This tie "is not a new phenomenon," he said, noting organized crime groups 
that launder drug money often use their networks for arms traffickers and 
terrorists.

Without naming al-Qaeda specifically, White House drug czar John Walters 
said recently that at least half of the 36 foreign terrorist organizations 
designated by the U.S. State Department raise money from international drug 
trafficking.

The U.S. government spent nearly $3.5-million on two television commercials 
broadcast earlier this year warning Americans who buy illegal drugs -- 
especially young people -- that they may be helping to fund terrorism.

"Where do terrorists get their money?" one ad asked viewers. "If you buy 
drugs, some of it might come from you."

When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, it used taxation of illicit opium 
production to "fund an infrastructure capable of supporting and protecting 
[Osama] bin Laden and the [al-Qaeda] organization," Mr. Casteel said.

Opium production has not ceased in Afghanistan since the fall of the 
Taliban and the installation of a U.S. backed government. According to 
reports by the United Nations and the Central Intelligence Agency, about 
3,600 tonnes of opium resin were produced this year in Afghanistan.
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