Posted on 12/19/2009 6:56:37 AM PST by AtlasStalled
Osama Bin Laden's terrorist organization has become increasingly reliant on organized crime, including cocaine smuggling, human trafficking and kidnapping, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday in Manhattan's federal court. The charges filed against three alleged al-Qaeda associates by the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan is the latest chilling evidence of a convergence between terrorism and organized crime.
Oumar Issa, Harouna Touré and Idriss Abelrahman were snatched in Ghana on Wednesday by a Drug Enforcement Administration sting and shipped to New York, where they arrived on Friday to face charges of conspiracy to commit acts of narco-terrorism and providing material support to al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization. The arrests mark the first time that al-Qaeda associates have been charged with narco-terrorism offenses.
* * *
"It's pretty compelling evidence, but not the only evidence that has been growing that al-Qaeda and its affiliates are becoming more and more involved in the global drug trade to help fund their operations," says Michael Braun, former chief of operations at the DEA and a founder of Spectre Group International. "They have to pay for their operations somehow."
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
What’s new about this? The Bush Administration was talking about this in the early party of this decade.
Anonymous email - author unknown. Bears repeating on any thread concerning our enemy. sod.
This was written by a Canadian woman, but oh how it also applies to the
U.S., U.K. and Australia
THIS ONE PACKS A FIRM PUNCH
Here is a woman who should run for Prime Minister!
Written by a housewife in New Brunswick , to her local newspaper. This is one ticked off lady.
‘Are we fighting a war on terror or aren’t we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001 and have continually threatened to do so since?
Were people from all over the world, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from the capitol of the USA and in a field in Pennsylvania ?
Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn’t they?
And I’m supposed to care that a few Taliban were claiming to be tortured by a justice system of the nation they come from and are fighting against in a brutal insurgency.
I’ll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.
I’ll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere belief of which is a crime punishable by beheading in Afghanistan ..
I’ll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking off Nick Berg ‘s head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.
I’ll care when the cowardly so-called ‘insurgents’ in Afghanistan come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques and behind women and children.
I’ll care when the mindless zealots who blows themselves up in search of
nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.
I’ll care when the Canadian media stops pretending that their freedom of speech on stories is more important than the lives of the soldiers on the ground or their families waiting at home to hear about them when something happens.
In the meantime, when I hear a story about a CANADIAN soldier roughing up an Insurgent terrorist to obtain information, know this:
I don’t care.
When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank:
I don’t care.
When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and ‘fed special’ food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being ‘mishandled,’ you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts:
I don’t care.
And oh, by the way, I’ve noticed that sometimes it’s spelled ‘Koran’ and other times ‘Quran.’ Well, Jimmy Crack Corn you guessed it,
I don’t care!!
If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it’ll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!
If you don’t agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don’t complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:
‘Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Soldiers don’t have that problem.’
I have another quote that I would like to add, AND.......I hope you forward all this.
One last thought for the day:
Only five defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The British Soldier.
3. The Canadian Soldier.
4. The US Soldier, and
5. The Australian Soldier
One died for your soul, the other 4 for your freedom.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON, AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET ALL OF THEM.
AMEN!
The Mexican drug cartels have established bases in Ghana and West Africa as transit points to obtain delivery of precursor chemicals from the Middle East used in the manufacture of crystal meth, and I wonder how long it will be before the terrorist folks hook up directly with the Mexican drug cartels.
The Mexican drug cartels have no problem getting over our border — they smuggle $50 billion worth of drugs and cash back and forth over the border each year — and have established operating cells in 250 cities across America.
My concern is that the terrorists will hook up with the Mexican drug cartels as their new partners in the drug trade, and exploit the operating infrastructure the Mexican cartels already have within our country — including its paths in and out — in order to do further damage to us.
I understand why America is in Iraq & Afghanistan; however, it seems that our backdoor — the U.S.-Mexico border — is wide open, and the success of the Mexican drug cartels in America illustrates how vulnerable our country remains to people getting in and out and doing whatever illicit business they choose.
I don’t care.
When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank:
I don’t care.
When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and ‘fed special’ food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being ‘mishandled,’ you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts:
I don’t care.
And oh, by the way, I’ve noticed that sometimes it’s spelled ‘Koran’ and other times ‘Quran.’ Well, Jimmy Crack Corn you guessed it,
I don’t care!!
New business model? Pretty much parallels the one they have been following all along, dating back to the time of Mohammed, and probably even earlier. Practically all the African slaves, and a good many from the other parts of the Middle and Far East, were transported to the slave markets all through the days of European colonization, by Muslims in various capacities. Likewise with opium and hashish, a form of marijuana, the most potent form of cannabis. Much better than the spice trade, really. Cocaine is just a more compact and easily transported habit-forming drug, so once the supply lines are established, there is a “forever” market with great growth potential.
Interesting article from FORBES.
I can’t believe that by now AQ has NOT tried to hook up with the Mexican drug cartels. That being said, the cartels would want to make sure their dealings with AQ were profitable and that dealing with them wouldn’t hurt their current money-making business models.
“the cartels would want to make sure their dealings with AQ were profitable and that dealing with them wouldn’t hurt their current money-making business models”
I think you make a good point. The Mexican drug cartels knowingly wouldn’t want to bring more heat upon them by letting the terrorists exploit their operational infrastructure; however, the terrorists could use the Mexican drug cartels as unsuspecting dupes, and a cell of Middle East terrorists could pose as just your garden variety drug smuggler trying to get into the U.S. through the smuggling lines and distribution networks the Mexican drug cartels have in place.
***I can’t believe that by now AQ has NOT tried to hook up with the Mexican drug cartels.***
Knee cap & Trade?
al-Qaeda = jihadist = Islamic extremist.
Until the Muslims start policing their own ranks I will not find anything redeeming about their religion...or their culture.
Or they could just fly in through JFK, Logan, Dulles, Miami or LAX.
Nothing new about this at all. Many of the AQ in Iraq were involved in drugs. Also, Hezbollah is perhaps the world leader in terrorism-drugs—human trafficking. AQ has often followed in Hezbollah’s footsteps.
“I cannot believe that anyone who participates in the industry in anyway is God-fearing”
I agree. I don’t think religion is their motivation as much as it is a cover for their activities. Gretchen Peters has a relatively new book out called Seeds of Terror which explores the drug connection to AQ & The Taliban, and she concludes that the groups are basically organized crime enterprises who exploit their so-called religion to provide cover for their illicit money-making operations.
Build the border fence, and once in a while airdrop ammo so no one faction in the drug war can win a conclusive victory.
Whoops! And thanks hennie pennie.
“I wonder how long it will be before the terrorist folks hook up directly with the Mexican drug cartels.”
We’ve had many such reports. If you want drugs, or anything distributed, you look to the Mexican cartels. Remember when Mexico’s president said, ‘where ever you find a Mexican, you find Mexico’? Then there is the fact that Mexico and Iran are active trading partners. And all the prayer rugs, etc. found on the border.
Mar. 2009- Hezbollah Uses Mexican Drug Routes Into U.S. : Homeland Security News
[snip]Hezbollah is using the same southern narcotics routes that Mexican drug kingpins do to smuggle drugs and people into the United States, reaping money to finance its operations and threatening U.S. national security, current and former U.S. law enforcement, defense and counterterrorism officials say.
The Iran-backed Lebanese group has long been involved in narcotics and human trafficking in South America’s tri-border region of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. Increasingly, however, it is relying on Mexican narcotics syndicates that control access to transit routes into the U.S.
Hezbollah relies on “the same criminal weapons smugglers, document traffickers and transportation experts as the drug cartels,” said Michael Braun, who just retired as assistant administrator and chief of operations at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“They work together,” said Mr. Braun. “They rely on the same shadow facilitators. One way or another, they are all connected.
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2009/03/28/hezbollah-uses-mexican-drug-routes-into-us/
2007-
The Mexican Drug Cartel Joins Forces with Al Qaeda?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=762PtpiBfy4
Islamic Terrorists Teaming with Mexican Drug Cartels
http://conservativethoughts.us/2007/08/09/islamic-terrorists-teaming-with-mexican-drug-cartels/
Mexican drug cartels reach Europe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CanA6lnz1U&feature=related
Years ago Don Rumsfeld and several top US officials warned of this.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0411/16/ldt.01.html
DOBBS: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is warning of the threat of terrorists entering this country through the same routes as those used by illegal aliens. Secretary Rumsfeld, traveling in South America, warned that enemies look for weaknesses and take advantage of them.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The risk is that some of these human-smuggling routes into our country from this hemisphere could be used just as easily for terrorists.
Sounds like ACORN to me.
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