How Continuing the Drug War could make Nuclear Terrorism a Reality

What makes this article, at least slightly prophetic, is the fact that it was Professor Hemp's main article in Volume 6, Number 1 of "New Age Patriot." It was available on Borders accross the country in the Spring of 1995 - Six and a half years before "9/11"

by
Professor Hemp

"It is 1998 and a nuclear weapon has just been detonated in the World Trade Center building by a yet to be identified terrorist organization. Last time a terrorist organization attacked the World Trade center was 1993 and luckily there were few casualties. This time around everything went "according to plan" and both towers of the World Trade Center have been literally vaporized. Over 300,000 Americans are dead and untold numbers are suffering a combination of radiation poisoning and physical injuries. Three months later the FBI determines that this terrorist organization had acquired the 33 pounds of weapons grade uranium from Kazakhstan - a successor state of the fallen Soviet Union. A week later it is determined that over 50% of the money, used to purchase the nuclear materials came from the sale of Cocaine, Heroin and various forms of Marijuana."

Although this is a fictitious scenario it is based on a evolving reality that the general public has not yet begun to understand. And what I wish to emphasize in this article are two things:

2) the fact that Drug Legalization could very well deprive terrorist organizations of as much as 50% of their gross incomes.

In 1987 U.S. News & World Report wrote a cover story entitled Drugs, Terror and Politics.. This is the first article I can recall with a reference to "narco-terrorists." Narco-Terrorists can be defined as terrorist organizations which derived much of there funding, for bombs, weapons and manpower, from the sale and distribution of illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana etc.The following excerpt, from Drugs, Terror and Politics, should give you a flavor for the perceived extent of narco-terrorism in 1987:

"Tapping the Croesus-like profits available from the international drug trade, "narco-terrorism" is fraying the social and political fabric of dozens of nations around the world. It is helping to underwrite bloody insurgencies on four continents. And even more insidious, the combination of drugs and terror has become an unofficial new weapon of national policy of several Soviet-bloc nations bent on destabilizing the West. . .

As narco-terrorism erodes the social and political foundations of democracies and other American allies worldwide, combatting the emerging phenomenon presents new and perplexing difficulties for law enforcement. Part of the problem is that the United States has been slow to recognize the threat, and develop strategies to deal with it."

Just to show how extensive narco-terrorism was as of 1987 I will write their listing out by country. Between 1987 and 1995 the number of such organizations has increased several fold.

Columbia (M-19, FARC); Peru (Sendero Luminoso); Nicaragua (Contras); Ireland (IRA); Spain (ETA); Italy (Red Brigades); Lebanon (PLO, Hezbollah); Afganistan (Mujeheddin); India(Sikhs); Sri Lanka (Tulf); Burma (BCP); Turkey (Kurds, Armenians, Gray Wolves); Syria; Iran (Kurds, Baluchis); India (Sikhs); Cuba (Omega 7).

The article goes on to divide narco-terrorist groups into the following categories:

2) Quasi-officials of Soviet Bloc and other nations who regard Western Democracy as a threat to their global or theocratic ambitions.

The rest of the U.S. News report on narco-terrorism is disappointing but expected. First, it forgets to mention a fourth group:

4) Quasi-officials of the United States who also regard real Western Democracy as a threat to their global and secular ambitions.

The involvement of Oliver North, and the CIA is a great case in point. In this instance they used the proceeds from cocaine, in the mid-1980's, to pay for the arming of the contras in Nicaragua. This was after the Bolin Amendment had specifically forbid direct sale of arms to the contras. I always found it interesting that Lieutenant Secord was involved in this escapade as well a much earlier incident during the Viet Nam War. Back in Viet Nam Secord headed up a CIA operation that was euphemistically called the "Heroin Express." The basic function of the Heroin Express was to bring opium into South Viet Nam where it was processed and sold as heroine, to American G.I.'s.

But the most egregious error of this article on narco-terrorism, was that is failed to point out that there was a very simple and elegant solution to narco-terrorism. It usually goes under the label Drug Legalization.

What virtually all article on the Drug War neglect to include is the fact that cocaine, heroine and marijuana are exceedingly cheap to produce. For example a gram of 100% pure Cocaine only costs between $2 and $4 dollars to manufacture. It is the black market economy, which is a direct result of drug prohibition, that makes a $2 gram of cocaine worth as much as $200 -- once it is cut and sold on the streets as 4 grams of "coke" or a little pile of crack cocaine "rock." In economic terms it's as simple as this:

No Drug Prohibition, no absurd profit. No absurd profit and all the narco-terrorists, gangs and small time dealers will find themselves working a day job like the rest of us.

Professor Hemp is always available to argue this point with any DEA representative that is willing to take on the challenge -- publicly!

Of course the media is always quick to remind us that any real thought about Re-Legalizing Drugs is absolutely silly because the whole world would fall apart. The problem is that the American public is becoming increasingly sceptical of the media. After all, you can only believe a lie -- that drug prohibition works -- for so long. The reality is, every year, more and more groups and organizations are, - after extensive analysis - coming to the conclusion that Drug Legalization is the obvious solution to our Drug Policy problem. Let me make clear that Drug Re-Legalization, is by no means going to solve all of the worlds problems. But it is going to have a far better effect on our social fabric than our current Drug War policy.

In the last year the National ACLU, the New York Bar, the Attorney General for Columbia and many other groups and individuals, have joined the growing mass of citizens, around the world, that want to Abolish the damaging and senseless, Drug Laws. You might call us the new abolitionists.

The real problem is, if we don't Re-Legalize drugs very soon, this drug money is eventually going to purchase a few nuclear weapons and then the world may literally fall apart. Short of this unthinkable tragedy is the fact that the influence of Narco-Terrorist drug money is already corrupting our legal and political institutions world wide. Consider that last year 1 out of 5 officers in a Harlem police precinct were charged with drug dealing, drug money extortion and even distribution. Corruption is already happening in a big way.

To look at the economic status of narco-terrorism it is instructive to consider what was talked about at a recent U.N. Crime Conference in Naples, Italy. According to the testimony "mobs have thrived as a lifting of the international restrictions on the flow of money and goods made their own illicit trade easier. Experts put their combined business at $750 billion a year, which exceeds the output of all but the world's largest economies." [Detroit Free Press 11/22/94]

Now when you consider that the drug cartels are pulling in about $300 billion worldwide all of a sudden you realize that possibly 40% of all organized crime proceeds (300/750 = .40) originate from the sale and distribution of illegal drugs.

Here are further excerpts, from the U.N. Crime Conference, which indicate the increasingly multinational nature of organized crime:

"Like big business corporations seeking international partnerships, the world's mafia's are forging cross-border alliances that are turning organized crime into a global threat:

* Nigerians organize cocaine shipments from the South American Andes that use Brazil as a staging post and have Europe as their destination.

* East European-run prostitution rings spread out into western Europe, and Colombians have been arrested in St. Petersburg charged with helping Russians set up cocaine-processing laboratories.

* Weapons and stolen goods are exchanged between Russian and Japanese gangs at the east Russian port of Vladivostok, while the Italian Mafia is putting decades of experience in money laundering at the service of other international criminal groups."

The very idea that a terrorist organization should acquire a nuclear bomb seems unthinkable, yet it is a very real possibility. Sticking our heads in the sand will solve nothing. The fact that Drug Legalization could throw the world's terrorist organizations, into economic chaos - by instantly depriving their organizations of $300 billion dollars of annual revenue (40-50% of their gross incomes) - is an idea we must serious consider very soon. Failure to reach the right decision could spell disaster for our loved ones. And the acquisition of weapons grade nuclear fuel is not something that governments fear will happen - it is something that is already happening. Consider these facts:

* If civilian plutonium programs proceed more than 550 tons will be separated from spent fuel by the year 2010. About 330 tons won't be needed for fuel. The combined U.S. and Russian arsenals only contain 220 tons of plutonium. It only takes 12 pound of plutonium or 33 pounds of weapons grade uranium to produce a bomb. That works out to 55,000 nuclear weapons! [New York Times 1/25/95]

* In the summer of 1994 six-tenths of a pound of plutonium was found in Munich in a Lufthansa plane bound from Moscow. Given the lack of security it is impossible to say if terrorists actually have current possession of a nuclear weapon.

So the media continues to feed us a diet of prohibitionist propaganda but never allows us to consider the true ramifications of both alternatives: Drug War or Drug Peace. They say we must continue the Drug War to prevent Americans from taking these supposedly dangerous drugs. They say we must do everything we can to prevent our children to use the same drugs we used as young adults. But the fact is, 13 Billion in drug interdiction has done nothing to stop the flow of drugs . . . so what is the difference? What is the point?

The difference is, if we continue with this folly, called the Drug War, we may be filling the coffers of narco-terrorists who may one day reduce our families into nuclear dust. Somehow, I think it is time that citizens of this planet wake up and realize the seriousness of continuing the Drug War.

Beyond a nuclear terrorist incident we have much to consider in the next year as we consider the merits of Drug Legalization. And beyond the threat of Nuclear Narco-Terrorism consider this: In Chicago the Gangster Disciples, who police say are "one of the country's most violent drug dealing gangs" is getting into politics with its political organization - 20th Century Vote. Because they control 30% of the Chicago drug trade there is no question in my mind that they will have a serious effect on Chicago politics -- if they don't already.

Just keep in mind that Drug Legalization can effectively dis-empower both multinational narco-terrorists as well as the growing numbers of gangs and corrupt public officials, that just get more powerful everyday - primarily through their profits from selling drugs. For anyone who still believes in pursuing the Drug War, I hope this article helps to convince you that the stakes are much higher than you ever imagined. Do you still seriously think continuing with the Drug War is worth the risk?