Stacked Deck: Rewards of Millions in the Hunt for Latin Narco Terrorists
EmailThe war on terror is closer to U.S. borders than many think. In Central America, Colombia and other South American nations, three terrorist groups control considerable countryside, wield enormous political clout and fuel their activities by selling cocaine and heroin.
ABC News has obtained a just printed deck of playing cards that law enforcement officials are circulating in Latin America. There U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and U.S. military supplies worth billions of dollars each year are two of the most important tools in fighting the war on terror and on drugs. The "ACES" of FARC — Pedro Antonio Marin, Guillermo Varga and Victor Rojas — command $5 million rewards.
"In the past, state sponsors provided funding for terrorists," a State Department official told the Senate Commission on the Judiciary in 2003, when the trend toward narcotics financing had escalated. "In recent years … terrorist groups have looked increasingly at drug trafficking and other criminal activities as sources of revenue."
Nowhere is this more true than in Latin America where the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia (AUC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) cultivate narcotics, tax the raising of opium crops and control distribution of heroin and cocaine. FARC’s strength and the size of its armed forces are directly related to its successful use of narcotics for funding the organization’s activities.
The State Department, law enforcement and intelligence analysts tell ABC News that FARC’s largesse is a substantial corrupting influence on the government and the military.
U.S. policy is determined to buttress the influence of Colombia’s government in Bogotá. FARC is determined to destabilize it.
While the government has made some inroads, FARC has remained powerful until recently when the Drug Enforcement Administration using financial crime tools and paramilitary-trained agents cracked down hard and collared a number of key FARC officials. But still many remain at large. The "recompensa" for "KINGS" of FARC is also $5 million for information leading to their capture. The "JOKERS" in the deck — those already collared by U.S. feds and Colombian national narcotics cops — include FARC’s chief of finance, Nayibe Rojas, who was extradited to the United States for prosecution recently.
The deck bears the logo of Colombia’s counter-narcotics forces and the motto, "Dios y victoria," God and Victory. But a little cash on the barrelhead, it seems, never hurts.
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Ending drug prohibition and moving these substances into a legal, regulated market would strip terrorists of this funding source.
Just as Al Capone was able to finance his criminal enterprise with booze during alcohol prohibition, today Al Qaeda and others are using illegal drug sales to fund their shameful activities.
Prohibition creates crime. Legalize drugs and put the terrorists out of business.
It’s simple and makes sense, but reporters never seem to make this point when they write about the drugs/terror link. Why not?
Posted by: Tom | August 2, 2006, 1:49 pm 1:49 pm
That couldn’t be said better but I’ll add to it. The reason Drugs will never be legal is because the interdiction and incarceration industries are collecting over 20 billion a year keeping it illegal! That makes for a very strong lobby coupled with moralist trying to preserve their liquor sales and prescription drugs which drug companies know are being misused by Americans. The financial windfall for drugs misappropriated to doctor shopper and street thugs is a very large profit to them also. With all those lobbies pushing for available but still illegal drugs a few terrorist making money is never going to be enough to fix the problem.
Posted by: Matt Walters | August 2, 2006, 2:33 pm 2:33 pm
I agree with tom let’s legalize all drugs and have some fun.
Posted by: Dustin | August 2, 2006, 2:42 pm 2:42 pm
The “WAR ON DRUGS” is just another government boondoggle, picking the pockets of hard working Americans. This “War” costs in excess of $50 billion each year and does MORE HARM THAN GOOD.
Think of the prisons filled with those convicted of “possession”. Think of the prisons that had to be built to house those millions. Yes, MILLIONS. You, The American Tax payer, must pay for this foolishness. Those convicted of bad judgement are taken out of the GDP, not just for the length of their prison term but, for much of their productive lives. Do you think they can find gainful employment after serving a prison term? Those folks are otherwise productive citizens!
Frankly, I think you and I need their help to pay taxes.
Now think about what could be done with those wasted tax dollars. Do your children’s schools need repairs, do we need to repair our infrastructure? Couldn’t some of those BILLIONS be better spent on the government’s CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY to protect our borders?
Tell your elected representatives you no longer wish to fund PROHIBITION. It did not work for alcohol and it does not work for drugs either.
GOVERNMENT MUST LEARN FROM ITS MISTAKES.
END PROHIBITION.
END THE WAR ON DRUGS !
Posted by: John McGilvray | August 2, 2006, 3:01 pm 3:01 pm
There are enough legal drug addicts in the U.S.,those that are prescribed Oxycotin,Percocet,Valium etc. and abuse these and other drugs.The Doctors keep pushing them along with the Pharmaceautical companies.Legalizing more drugs won’t solve the problem nor will the D.E.A. . The problem like alcohol and nicotine is the individual.Drug treatment centers fail at an alarming rate in curing people of their addiction.It takes a strong will and a good reason for people to quit drugs.The goverment should be putting tax dollars into finding a real solution for the drug addicts as they are a strain on our economy,their families,friends and communities.If we were to take out by bombing the illegal drug manufacturing and growing base. Guess what another one somewhere else would pop up.Taking out some of these druglords won’t solve the problem either,more will pop up.The countries where opium and cocaine grow are third world and have no meaningfull forms of employment. Sending more of our corporations there at the tax payers expense for a wage that is at poverty level won,t help either.
Posted by: Dennis | August 2, 2006, 3:02 pm 3:02 pm
The US media could pay a lot more attention to how the profits of illegal drugs and criminal activity directly benefit terrorist groups as far away as Afghanistan! Americans are indirectly funding these groups.
Also criminal gangs and organized crime have become a huge problem in Latin America and Americans are helping fund that as well.
WE ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM and US media could help by focusing attention on that.
Posted by: Chris | August 2, 2006, 3:30 pm 3:30 pm
Tonight, in a tunnel dug deep in a mountain between Colombia and Venezuela, “Tirofijo” (Pedro Antonio Marín), will be playing with other members of the Farc “secretariado” with a set of these cards… a guest at the game will be Hugo Chávez… and the stakes will be high: Will Chávez or Tirofijo bring Hezbollah guerilleros to help with the Revolución Bolivariana…
Posted by: Sam | August 2, 2006, 3:33 pm 3:33 pm
I agree with Tom. Congress should rethink its Controlled Substances Act of 1972, and regulate some of the illegal drugs to put these drug lords out of business!
Posted by: Mark | August 2, 2006, 4:10 pm 4:10 pm
Tom, you are so right. I think reading the book by John Stossel can help you understand why, what makes sense to us commen people, does not make sense to reporters. Also there are to many polititians in the drug business. Plain and simple.
Posted by: ruben | August 2, 2006, 4:19 pm 4:19 pm
Because, they are either told not to or the story gets scrapped after the editors (or owners) read it.
Wouldn’t want to end all that money coming in – right?
Posted by: Anonymous | August 2, 2006, 4:31 pm 4:31 pm
If we truly wanted to stop drug trafficing we would legalize drugs, I feel the only reason we don’t is because our government must be getting part of the illegal funds!!!
Posted by: Robert | August 2, 2006, 5:05 pm 5:05 pm
As a colombian, I can say that given the heavy economic support of the US to Colombia. Colombia is condemned to live in this war until US take another approach on drugs.
The war on drugs is not going to end soon. The main issue in Colombia is that groups as the FARC are supported by many other different groups given that this group started as a revolution and anti-political group, but they found in drugs a good funding resource.
They have weapons, money and to the world they look as a political group (which might not be the reality of them).
The law in Colombia is very fragile (and it is broken easily). The public force, like the police is not able to deal with many other problems and legalizing drugs there might be a problem for consumption control.
In summary, if US decides to legalize the drugs. They should keep supporting Colombia in other aspects like consumption, so Colombia can legalize the drugs. If not, the FARC will become a powerful force, since the market will be open in the US. So it is a trade-off, but until some control can be imposed on the consumption, people is not going to support the end of the prohibition.
Posted by: Juan | August 2, 2006, 5:31 pm 5:31 pm
At issue is not whether narcotics supply terrorists with money, but that narcotics are highly addictive and destructive.
Legalizing narcotics or marijuana would only legitimize this behavior and increase the number of addicted and compromized US Citizens.
E.g. During prohibition fewer people drank because less alcohol was available.
It would be deplorable and culturaly self destructive if the US government or any private company profited from the destruction of it’s own citizens & customers. Just as the tobacco companies make money selling cigarettes.
My aunt died a horrible death from to lung cancer. And to her death, she wished the cigarettes were not available because the addiction had taken control.
Every US citizen. Every Person for that matter is sacred and should be protected.
That is a governments first duty to protect it’s citizens; and not to profit by taxing an additiction.
Posted by: John | August 2, 2006, 5:34 pm 5:34 pm
I agree with Tom. They don’t even have to legalize the drugs. Just decriminalize them. Make it a misdemeanor offence like a parking ticket, or jay walking. That would totally crush the drug trade, and free up officers, and resources to make sure that anyone that gave drugs to children, or made drugs directly available to children, got taken down hard.
Posted by: Common Sense | August 2, 2006, 6:17 pm 6:17 pm
“Narco-Terrorists”???
This “terrorist” thing has gotten way out of hand.
Now, any nationalist, revolutionary group in any small third world place that threatens any established government that has the approval and/or favor of yet a larger country are considered “terrorists” of some brand or another?
Were the Colonial Minute Men “terrorists”??
In our rush to ensure that freedom and democracy is spread around the world over the last century our country alone has backed fascists, dictators, tyrants and butchers.
But the real hypocricy is that now thanks to the current administration and it’s propaganda, we are denying people everywhere from exersizing the basic right that we have constitutionally to throw off, by force if necessary any government that practices tryanny against its people.
Officially fighting to improve ones government or to overthrow leadership with lower ideals than to serve and respect the will of his/her people is now illegal and a form of “terrorism”.
Google FARC for example…and think about whether they are freedom fighters or “terrorists” and come to your own conclusions.
This “narco-terrorism” label is just more Orwellian behavioral engineering on a global scale.
Posted by: zach | August 2, 2006, 10:48 pm 10:48 pm
Just a follow up…when you google FARC take note of where the articles generate and question them all for bias, spin and partiality.
I say this because you may want to know that while the FARC web site is certain to be one sided, so too are any descriptions coming from the US and European governments… the very same guys that swore up and down to the UN and the world that there were WMDs in Iraq and that Iraq had ties to 9/11.
Neither of which were ever found to be based on fact.
It was simply…”journo-terrorism”.
Posted by: zach | August 2, 2006, 11:04 pm 11:04 pm
Highly addictive substances can be enormously disruptive and destructive for certain people, so it’s likely all countries will continue to make them illegal. Also the health cost of drug addiction is huge.
Posted by: Chris Baker | November 1, 2006, 12:07 am 12:07 am