Pubdate: Wed, 31 Jul 2002
Source: Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
Copyright: 2002 The Salt Lake Tribune
Contact:  http://www.sltrib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/383
Author: Los Angeles Times

ASHCROFT DESCRIBES 'DRUGS-TERRORISM NEXUS'

WASHINGTON -- The United States has determined that about one-third of 
foreign terrorist organizations traffic in narcotics on a large scale, 
providing authorities "shocking" insight into how two of the nation's most 
serious threats are connected, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said 
Tuesday.

"Law enforcement has been aware for some time of significant linkages 
between terrorism and drug trafficking. But we have not had the tools to 
quantify the drugs-terrorism nexus until now," Ashcroft said in a speech 
before the annual conference of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement 
Task Force.

Earlier this year, Ashcroft said, he asked federal law enforcement agencies 
to draw up such a list, quantifying all the major trafficking groups 
responsible for the U.S. drug supply.

"Following extraordinary collaboration and information-sharing between 
agencies, this list has been developed, and what it reveals is shocking," 
Ashcroft said. "Nearly one-third of the organizations on the State 
Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations appear also on our 
list of targeted U.S. drug suppliers."

Cross-matching the lists is providing substantial leads in the ongoing 
global war on terrorism, Ashcroft said, as well as helping combat the 
growing worldwide traffic in cocaine, heroin and other drugs.

Ashcroft's remarks came as authorities announced the arrest of more than 
2,120 fugitives along the Southwest border in recent months.

Ashcroft did not elaborate on which terrorist groups are involved in drug 
trafficking.

Justice Department officials also would not, except to say that al- Qaida 
was one of them.
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