[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Guest Commentary April 26, 2002
Narcotics Is Real Source of Money for Terrorists
The Honorable Orrin Hatch
Since the end of the cold war, analysts and policy makers have struggled to understand the challenges that affect our foreign policy. As we have learned, the challenges of today -- drugs, terrorism, and international organized crime -- are very different from the challenges we have faced previously. Today's problems are transnational, cross borders at will, and are not subject to control by nation states. The actors are "sub-state" actors: terrorists and criminal organizations. And these problems affect us at all levels - in our homes, on our streets, and in our communities. While our attention to narco-terrorism has been heightened by the September 11 attacks, we must remember that virtually all of our local communities have been suffering for years from the ill-effects of drugs. ...
Willie Sutton once said, when asked why he robbed banks, "Because that's where the money is." We've heard of Yemeni honey producers and Saudi charities being sources of funds for terrorists, but the real money is in narcotics.
Free Newsletter
Get the scoop on important legislation, Congressional action, election updates, hard-hitting political commentary, the latest developments in the War on Terror...and more! Just enter your email address below.
Privacy: Your name and email address will be confidential - never rented, never sold.
In 2000, Afghanistan produced more than 70 percent of the world's opium supply. Although the Taliban regime substantially reduced its opium production in 2001, the availability and the price of opium in international markets have remained constant, while prices have skyrocketed in regions near Afghanistan. This phenomenon is attributable to significant amounts of stored quantities that remain in Afghanistan. It is widely believed that the 2000 eradication was a cynical market intervention by the Taliban. One analyst from the field, when queried about the 2000 edict and whether the Taliban's ban was sincere, is reported to have said, "Buy opium futures." His words have rung true. Recent reports indicate that since September 11, 2001, farmers in Afghanistan have re-planted opium crops, and the crop predictions are ominous. It is estimated that the harvest in 3 weeks will yield quantities commensurate with year 2000 levels.
Afghanistan does not stand alone. The problem extends to other countries in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
In Colombia, insurgent groups have long been characterized as narco-terrorists because of their use of cocaine proceeds to fund their civil war, including terrorist acts, such as the kidnaping of Americans. DEA reports have indicated that elements of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are deeply entrenched in all aspects of the drug trade. Some insurgent groups have assisted in the transportation and storage of cocaine and marijuana within Colombia; others have benefitted financially by taxing traffickers and cocaine laboratories. Colombian paramilitary groups have used similar methods to finance their activities.
While we have learned that some countries have succeeded in reducing the production of certain types of narcotics, that is simply not enough. Unless governments take bold steps to eradicate narcotics of all types, at every level of the trafficking chain - at the packaging, transportation, and distribution, as well as the production stage - profits from narcotics dealings will continue to soar and be used to fuel and finance terrorist and other criminal organizations.
To counter the ever-growing threat of narco-terrorism, we must take a proactive approach. As we have learned through our experiences in South America and Mexico, there are no short term fixes. I have also learned recently that over the past few years a new opium problem has arisen in Southern California, particularly in Los Angeles. I am told that Mexican traffickers are the source of this opium. ...
We need to continue to educate ourselves and build international coalitions, as we have in the war against terrorism. If America and its allies want to halt terrorist activities, we must continue to expose havens for money laundering, and we must attack narcotics trafficking as well. Doing so will serve the dual purpose of cutting off a significant source of terrorist funding and preventing dangerous drugs from making their way into our communities.
Orrin Hatch, a Republican, is a U.S. Senator from Utah. The above column has been adapted from remarks by Sen. Hatch at a hearing of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, March 13, 2002. To contact him, Click Here.
The above column has been distributed by PoliticsOL.com.
