Pubdate: Tue, 26 Jul 2005
Source: New York Post (NY)
Copyright: 2005 N.Y.P. Holdings, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.nypost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/296
Author: Dan Mangan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

COKE FIEND BIN LADEN

Osama bin Laden tried to buy a massive amount of cocaine, spike it 
with poison and sell it in the United States, hoping to kill 
thousands of Americans one year after the 9/11 attacks, The Post has learned.

The evil plot failed when the Colombian drug lords bin Laden 
approached decided it would be bad for their business - and, 
possibly, for their own health, according to law-enforcement sources 
familiar with the Drug Enforcement Administration's probe of the 
aborted transaction. The feds were told of the scheme earlier this 
year, but its existence had never been made public. The Post has 
reviewed a document detailing the DEA's findings in the matter, in 
addition to interviewing sources familiar with the case.

Sources said the feds were told that bin Laden personally met with 
leaders of a Colombian drug cartel to in 2002 to negotiate the 
purchase of tons of cocaine, saying that he was willing to spend tens 
of millions of dollars to finance the deal.

It was not clear where the meeting took place.

Bin Laden hoped that large numbers of Americans dying from poisoned 
coke would lead to widespread terror.

"They wanted to kill thousands or people  more than the World Trade 
Center," said a source.

Although the drug lords would have reaped millions of dollars in 
profits by selling the cocaine to bin Laden, they knew that if his 
plan succeeded it might effectively destroy the market for their coke 
in America for years, sources said.

But that was only one reason they declined bin Laden's offer.

The other was their fear of retaliation from the U.S. government once 
its citizens started to die from the drugs, according to sources.

Despite bin Laden's plan being thwarted, the DEA believes that al 
Qaeda continues to this day to traffic in drugs to fund a variety of 
its operations  including training, traveling and terror attacks.

In 2002, then-DEA Director Asa Hutchinson said, "The DEA [has] 
received multi-source information that Osama bin Laden himself has 
been involved in the financing and facilitation of heroin-trafficking 
activities."

"It is important we recognize that when money goes from the pocket of 
an American to buy drugs, it may contribute to the financing of 
unspeakable crimes of violence around the world," Hutchinson told 
Congress that year when he detailed the narcotics trade connection to 
al Qaeda and other terror groups.

In April of this year, Afghan tribal leader Hajji Bashir Noorzai, who 
was one of the most wanted drug dealers in the world and previously 
had been identified as bin Laden's major heroin supplier, was busted 
in New York City on federal criminal charges.
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