US Attorney Preet Bharara announced at an afternoon news conference, “Today we unseal two indictments that provide fresh evidence of what many of us have been seeing for some time, the growing nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism.”
Indeed, we have been seeing it for some time. In my 2002 book Islam Unveiled I discussed how the Taliban’s involvement in drug trafficking was consistent with the group’s theology. It is in line with the sharp distinction in the Qur’an and Islamic tradition between believers and unbelievers: since the buyers were non-Muslims, they had no problem selling the product. And Osama bin Laden himself was once called “one of the world’s largest heroin dealers.”
“U.S. Attorney Bharara Announces Intl. Narco-Terror Bust,” by Peter Thorne for WPIX, July 26:
NEW YORK (PIX11) “” Federal prosecutors in New York announced Tuesday the results of a globe undercover sting operation that took down suspected money men for Hezbollah and the Taliban busted in a narco-terror takedown.
Four men are now accused of plotting to sell heroin on the streets of the United States — and to buy weapons for the Taliban allied with Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah, designated a foreign terrorist organization by the US State Department.
US Attorney Preet Bharara announced at an afternoon news conference, “Today we unseal two indictments that provide fresh evidence of what many of us have been seeing for some time, the growing nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism.”
Two defendants were arrested in Romania and were identified as Cetin Aksu and Siavosh Henareh. No photos of the men were immediately available. Two other defendants were detained in the Maldives, Bachar Wehbe and Gul Alizai. They’ve been flown to New York for trial.
US Attorney Preet Bharara said, “Today’s indictments relate to two different dangerous narcotics networks. But their aspirations did not end with the sale of Heroin. Both allegedly were also prepared to traffic in terror not just drugs.”
Prosecutors say the weapons deal involved: 48 Stinger surface-to-air missiles, 5,000 AK-47 rifles, 1000 M4 rifles and 1000 Glock handguns. Tonight one defendant’s attorney told me his client — who is now accused of being a Hezbollah henchman — is from Lebanon. He is now in custody in New York, and today entered a not guilty plea….