10/10/2001 Text: State Dept.'s James Mack Tells Congress of Drug, Terror Links Asserts "nexus" between terrorism and organized crime
In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United
States, providing support for counternarcotics and other anti-crime
efforts around the world is more important than ever, according to
James Mack, deputy assistant secretary of state for international
narcotics and law enforcement affairs.
Testifying October 10 before the House Committee on International
Relations' subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Mack said that
"[t]here often is a nexus between terrorism and organized crime,"
adding: "Many of the skills and types of equipment needed to attack
organized crime are applicable to combating terrorism." He further
noted that "the same criminal gangs involved in narcotics smuggling
have links to other criminal activities and to terrorist groups."
Mack gave the subcommittee examples of several organizations that have
reaped profits from narcotics trafficking while engaging in terrorist
acts. He began with the Taliban's profiteering from the opium poppy
trade in Afghanistan. A United Nations report on Taliban activities
states that "funds raised from the production and trade of opium and
heroin are used by the Taliban to buy arms and war materials and to
finance the training of terrorists and support the operation of
extremists in neighboring countries and beyond."
Turning to the Western Hemisphere, Mack noted that the Peruvian
terrorist organization Shining Path carried out its murderous
activities "largely funded by taxes on cocaine trafficking." He also
observed that designated foreign terrorist groups in Colombia -- the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), National Liberation
Army (ELN) and United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUS) -- "all
benefit substantially from their deep involvement in drug
trafficking."
Mack presented the Andean Regional Initiative as a mechanism to help
combat criminal narcotics activity in that area, and then broadened
his focus to emphasize that narcotics trafficking "both feeds and
feeds upon" social and economic problems besetting the region.
"Sluggish economies produce political unrest that threatens democracy
and provides ready manpower for narcotics traffickers and illegal
armed groups. Weak democratic institutions, corruption and political
instability discourage investment, contribute to slow economic growth
and provide fertile ground for drug traffickers and other outlaw
groups to flourish. The drug trade has a corrupting influence that
undermines democratic institutions, fuels illegal armed groups and
distorts the economy, discouraging legitimate investment," Mack said.
To underscore the gravity of the problem, he urged lawmakers "to keep
in mind the situation in Colombia just a few years ago," pointing out
that for several years Colombian drug lords nearly succeeded in
bringing the legitimate government of Colombia "to its knees." In
conclusion, Mack said, the threat to U.S. national security of "a
narco-trafficking state used as a springboard for international
terrorist groups" indicates that "the Andean Regional Initiative
continues to be critical."
Following is the text of his remarks, as prepared for delivery:
(begin text)
JAMES MACK, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL
NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
OCTOBER 10, 2001
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE WESTERN
HEMISPHERE
Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, thank you for the
opportunity to speak to you today on this important subject.
The attacks against the United States on September 11 stunned us all.
They also made it very clear that the mission of the Bureau for
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) -- to
provide support to counternarcotics and other anticrime efforts
worldwide -- is more important now than ever.
While INL does not have the lead on the war on terrorism, we are
strongly supportive of these efforts through our counternarcotics
activities, which provide training, equipment and institutional
support to many of the same host nation law enforcement agencies that
are charged with a counter-terrorist mission.
There often is a nexus between terrorism and organized crime. Many of
the skills and types of equipment needed to attack organized crime are
applicable to combating terrorism. Much of INL assistance -- such as
the equipping of forensic labs; assistance with drafting asset
forfeiture and money laundering legislation; and provision of basic
training in investigation techniques, maritime enforcement and port
security -- applies to both counternarcotics and counterterrorism.
Migrant smuggling, document fraud, arms trafficking, auto theft,
contraband, and illegal financial transactions are tools for
terrorists as well as narcotics traffickers.
In the wake of the horrendous September 11 attacks, we need to
rededicate ourselves to work hand-in-hand with our coalition partners
to stem narcotics smuggling and to strengthen law enforcement and
border controls. Very frequently, the same criminal gangs involved in
narcotics smuggling have links to other criminal activities and to
terrorist groups. Just as we in the U.S. are trying to strengthen our
homeland security, other nations are facing similar challenges.
Deepening our law enforcement cooperation with these like-minded
nations becomes all the more urgent.
The methods used for moving and laundering money for general crime
purposes are similar to those used to move, money to support terrorist
activities. INL has worked with the Departments of Justice and
Treasury and with-nations around the world to strengthen controls
which could thwart the drug traffickers' attempts to launder their
funds and to investigate and prosecute those who are involved in
moving criminal proceeds. These same law enforcement controls could
also help prevent the movement of funds of terrorist organizations.
Similarly, INL drafted the first "Trafficking in Persons" report
earlier this year. It is important to note that migrant smugglers
bring in not only economic refugees, but also persons linked to
terrorist organizations and international crime syndicates. We must
therefore strengthen our efforts to halt all alien smuggling.
While we do not possess conclusive evidence directly linking drug
traffickers and terrorists in Afghanistan, the Taliban's link to the
drug trade is irrefutable. The Taliban have de facto control over 90
percent of the country, including the major areas of the Afghan opium
crop. There is a symbiosis between the Taliban and narcotics
traffickers, whose smuggling and money laundering networks would be of
great help in the Taliban's efforts to circumvent UN sanctions.
Additionally, the Taliban is known to provide aid, training, and
sanctuary to various Islamic terrorist and separatist groups in
Afghanistan, including Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda group. Al-Qaeda
fighters have gained an increasingly prominent role in the Taliban's
war against the Northern Alliance, reportedly because war-weary
indigenous Afghans are reluctant to fight.
Despite effectively banning poppy cultivation in July 2000, the
Taliban has allowed uninterrupted trafficking of Afghan opiates over
the past year by not taking any measures to halt the drug trade.
Narcotics interdictions by Afghanistan's neighbors show record
seizures of Afghan opiates flowing out and precursor chemicals flowing
in. This clearly indicates that Afghan heroin traffickers are drawing
from their stockpiles, presumably with the knowledge and perhaps the
collusion of some in the Taliban, according to a report by the U.N.
Committee of Experts on Resolution 1333 for sanctions against the
Taliban. This report states that "funds raised from the production and
trade of opium and heroin are used by the Taliban to buy arms and war
materials and to finance the training of terrorists and support the
operation of extremists in neighboring countries and beyond."
Before last year's ban on opium poppy cultivation, the Taliban
collected from 10-20 percent taxes on the yield of poppy fields, as
well as taxing the processing, shipment and sale of opiates. United
Nations estimates for 1999 say that the value of the Afghan opium crop
at the farm gate was $265 million, which represents at least $40
million in tax revenue for the Taliban. However, its revenue may be
far greater, according to the U.N.
In the Western Hemisphere, there is a historic link between various
terrorist groups and narcotics trafficking. The Shining Path cut a
brutal swath through Peru from the 1980's to the mid-1990s, largely
funded by taxes on cocaine trafficking. In Ciudad del Este, Paraguay,
and along the loosely controlled region that it borders with Brazil
and Argentina, members of radical Islamic groups are reported to be
engaged in money laundering, intellectual property rights piracy,
alien smuggling, and arms trafficking.
One such individual is Said Hassan Ali Mohamed Mukhlis, a suspected
member of the Egyptian Islamic Group with possible ties to Osama bin
Laden. This group is linked to the murder of 58 tourists in Luxor,
Egypt, and Mukhlis himself was arrested in 1999 by the Uruguayans in
connection with foiled plots to bomb U.S. embassies in Paraguay and
Uruguay.
Three of the 13 Arab individuals, recently arrested in Paraguay for
issuance of false Paraguayan identification documents, were identified
by the FBI as having close ties to Hamas and the Lebanese Al-Kaffir
group. Reportedly, they collected funds for these terrorist groups to
support terrorist plots against the United States. In July of this
year, a vehicle containing improvised explosive devices was discovered
near our embassy in Paraguay. Police said that a getaway vehicle used
in this foiled plot was purchased by an individual with suspected ties
to the Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front, a known Chilean terrorist
group.
In August of this year, Bolivian authorities expelled six Pakistani
citizens suspected of links to the terrorist attacks on September 11
in New York and Washington. They were arrested by the FBI upon their
arrival in Miami. It is well documented that designated foreign
terrorist groups in Colombia, such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (FARC), National Liberation Army (ELN) and United
Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), all benefit substantially from
their deep involvement in drug trafficking. For example, there are
strong indications that the FARC, a group which openly engages in
illicit narcotics production and trafficking, has established links
with the Irish Republican Army to increase its capability to conduct
urban terrorism. In July, the Colombian National Police arrested three
members of the IRA who are believed to have used the demilitarized
zone to train the FARC in the use of explosives. We are watching this
ongoing investigation with great concern.
These are but a few examples of how terrorists use narcotrafficking
and international crime to support their activities. INL can assist
the Department's efforts to combat terrorism by helping foreign
governments to strike at the very means that terrorists use to finance
their activities.
The Andean Regional Initiative, overseen by INL, was developed to
support the efforts of nations plagued with drug production and/or
transshipment to secure their borders and prevent the use of illegal
activity to finance terrorism, or any other criminal activity that
disrupts the political and economic foundations of democracy.
The Andean region represents a significant challenge and opportunity
for U.S. foreign policy in the next few years.
Important U.S. national interests are at stake because drug
trafficking is a problem that does not respect national borders and
that both feeds and feeds upon the other social and economic
difficulties with which the Andean region is struggling.
Democracy is under pressure in all of the countries of the Andes.
Economic development is slow and progress towards liberalization is
inconsistent. The Andes produce' virtually all of the world's cocaine,
and an increasing amount of heroin, thus representing a direct threat
to our public health and national security. All of these problems are
inter-related. Sluggish economies produce political unrest that
threatens democracy and provides ready manpower for narcotics
traffickers and illegal armed groups. Weak democratic institutions,
corruption and political instability discourage investment, contribute
to slow economic growth and provide fertile ground for drug
traffickers and other outlaw groups to flourish. The drug trade has a
corrupting influence that undermines democratic institutions, fuels
illegal armed groups and distorts the economy, discouraging legitimate
investment. None of the region's problems can be addressed in
isolation.
Since we believe Plan Colombia will result in major disruption of the
cocaine industry, a regional approach becomes even more of an
imperative. Traffickers will undoubtedly try to relocate as their
operations in southern Colombia are disrupted. We believe they will
first try to migrate to other areas inside Colombia, then try to
return to traditional growing areas in Peru and Bolivia. But if those
options are forestalled, they may well seek to move more cultivation,
processing and/or trafficking routes into other countries such as
Ecuador, Brazil, or Venezuela.
Establishing security along the borders of these countries will be a
critical element in the success of this regional plan. In that vein,
Ecuador has established a Northern Border Initiative to promote better
security and development in the region bordering Colombia; Brazil has
launched Operation Cobra, a law enforcement effort concentrated in the
Dog's Head region bordering Colombia; Panama has taken concrete steps
to improve security and development in the Darien region; and
Venezuelan authorities have cooperated admirably on drug interdiction,
exemplified by last year's record multi-ton seizure during Operation
Orinoco.
When looking at U.S. programs in the Andean region, it is important to
keep in mind the situation in Colombia just a few years ago. The large
drug lords and organizations had embarked on an extensive campaign of
violence to bring the government to its knees, and almost succeeded.
Their symbiotic relationship with illegal armed groups continues to
keep the government weak. And one can imagine the threat to U.S.
national security that would have been posed by a trafficking state
used as a springboard for international terrorist groups. That is why
the Andean Regional Initiative continues to be critical.
Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, I want to thank you again for
giving me the chance to speak with you today and for your continued
support for INL's important role in the war against terrorism.
(end text)
Return to US Embassy Home Page
|