Testimony of Steven C. McCraw, Assistant Director, Office
of Intelligence, FBI
Before
the Senate Judiciary Committee
May 20, 2003
"International
Drug Trafficking and Terrorism"
Good
morning Mr. Chairman and members of the Judiciary Committee.
On behalf of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I would
like to express my gratitude for affording us the opportunity
to speak with you on the important issue of international
drug trafficking and terrorism, which you have appropriately
labeled as "a dangerous mix."
Worldwide
economic, political, social, and technological changes have
resulted in a more dispersed, complex, asymmetric threat to
our nation. Terrorists, criminals, and foreign intelligence
collectors have significantly benefited from these rapid changes,
which have permanently shrunk the world. The result is a world
that is more integrated with activities that are significantly
less discrete. Terrorist acts, crime, and foreign intelligence
activities are no longer distinct activities, but rather profound
fluid enterprises that through their very existence have a
reverberating impact on our national security. Terrorism and
crime respect no borders and threaten civilized countries
throughout the world.
Terrorism
and crime are inextricably linked. International and Domestic
Terrorism Organizations and their supporters engage in a myriad
of crimes to fund and facilitate terrorist activities. These
crimes include extortion, kidnaping, robbery, corruption,
alien smuggling, document fraud, arms trafficking, cyber crime,
white collar crime, smuggling of contraband, money laundering
and certainly drug trafficking.
In framing
the issue, the Committee astutely recognizes these links and
the threat they present to the American people. That is why
all aspects of the terrorist enterprise including funding
and support must be attacked. The criminal nexus to terrorism
including drug trafficking is why our local, state, and federal
law enforcement partners throughout the U.S. and the world
are essential to combating global terrorism. They constitute
an army of dedicated professionals who bring tremendous resources
and capabilities to the war on terrorism. In fact, the successes
of the Joint Terrorism Task Forces are in large part to their
unwavering commitment to the safety of our nation and its
citizens.
Today's
Committee meeting focuses on the ties of drug trafficking
and international terrorism which is clearly a problem. Drug
trafficking is a highly lucrative enterprise generating billions
of dollars in profit that terrorist organizations can easily
tap into. The ties between international terrorist organizations
and drug trafficking varies greatly from organization to organization.
For example, the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia
(FARC), aka the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, is
strongly tied to drug trafficking in Colombia. The objective
of the FARC is to overthrow the established order in Colombia
and replace it with a socialist dictatorship. In its attempts
to destabilize the Government of Colombia, the FARC conducts
bombings, extortions, selective assassinations, kidnappings,
and armed confrontations with Colombian police and military
forces. In an effort to finance its agenda, the FARC has conducted
countless kidnappings for ransom of Colombian and foreign
nationals, including the most recent kidnaping/capture of
American citizens in Colombia. They have also forced businesses
to pay "war taxes" in exchange for FARC protection.
However, drug trafficking profits are the FARC's principal
source of funding. Moreover, it appears much of their agenda
is based upon protecting and exploiting drug trafficking operations
in Colombia and the region.
Historically,
Afghanistan has been a major source of heroin throughout the
world. Recently, al-Qa'ida and Sunni extremists have been
associated through a number of investigations with drug trafficking.
We have observed elements of the Taliban shipping and selling
illegal drugs into the US. A recent joint FBI and DEA investigation
resulted in the arrests of 16 Afghan and Pakistani subjects
for involvement in a drug ring that was possibly linked to
Al-Qa'ida and the Taliban. The investigation determined that
heroin, grown and processed in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was
being shipped to the U.S. Profits from the sale of the heroin
were laundered through Afghan and Pakistani owned businesses
and then sent back to associates of terrorist organizations.
Criminal and financial links to the Taliban regime and their
involvement with Al-Qa'ida were established. The subjects
were also involved in a number of other criminal activities
including document/mail fraud, operating an illegal money
transmitting business, and other white collar crimes.
Historically,
Hizballah's direct involvement in narcotics trafficking has
been limited, and the group's leaders have condemned the drug
trade on religious grounds. However, we have seen individuals
with suspected Hizballah ties involved in drug related activities
and we believe that funds from these activities eventually
make their way to Hizballah coffers in Lebanon. The FBI has
investigated and continues to investigate, efforts by individuals
and entities associated with Hizballah to traffic illegal
drugs in the U.S. Acts of terrorism attributed to Hizballah
have little or no connection to narcotic issues. Rather, these
acts were intended to further their political and terrorist
agendas. Hizballah utilizes funds from drug trafficking as
one of many methods to fund these agendas.
By way
of example, the FBI conducted an investigation which employed
an undercover operation to target Hizballah cells in the U.S.
The investigation has focused on distinct, but related, criminal
enterprises which have participated in a host of criminal
activity from fraud schemes to drug trafficking to fund their
activities and provide funds to the overall Hizballah organization.
A number of the subjects have been indicted and the investigation
is continuing.
The
Al-Ittihad al-Islami, or AIAI, Somalia's largest militant
Islamic organization, is suspected of smuggling an illegal
narcotic leaf known as Khat ("cot") into the United
States. Arrests and shipment seizures indicate a sharp increase
in demand for the drug. Proceeds from East African Khat sales
are likely remitted to Middle Eastern banks via Hawala network
and wire services. It is likely that these funds pass through
the hands of suspected AIAI members and other persons with
possible ties to terrorist groups.
The
bottom line is that terrorists and terrorist groups will resort
to any method or means to fund and facilitate their terrorist
agendas. As state sponsorship of terrorism has come under
greater international condemnation, the tremendous profit
potential associated with drug trafficking make it an attractive
from the perspective of terrorist groups. This is further
evidence that the prospect of terrorist-related drug trafficking
represents a continuing and significant threat to our national
security.
Thank
you for affording me the opportunity to speak to you today
on this important topic, and I look forward to any questions
that you may have. However, I would like to take this opportunity
to thank you Mr. Chairman and all members of the committee,
for the tremendous support you have provided to the FBI to
effectively combat terrorism. I would also like to publicly
thank the Drug Enforcement Administration and the thousands
of local and state law enforcement agencies for their outstanding
support to the FBI since the attacks on 9/11/2001.
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