Has drug war destabilization in South America become a threat to our national security?
MIAMI (AP) â There is real danger that Islamic extremist groups such as al-Qaida and Hezbollah could form alliances with wealthy and powerful Latin American drug lords to launch new terrorist attacks, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
Extremist group operatives have already been identified in several Latin American countries, mostly involved in fundraising and finding logistical support. But Charles Allen, chief of intelligence analysis at the Homeland Security Department, said they could use well-established smuggling routes and drug profits to bring people or even weapons of mass destruction to the U.S.
Well that just sucks. Realistically, however, I think weâre relying on a rather twisted interpretation of the drug traffickersâ agenda here. These guys are making huge profits and they donât want to rock the boat. Terrorists might pay for cover upfront, but theyâre bad for business in the long term. I doubt high-level traffickers would deliberately abate straight-up terrorists whose goal is basically to kill their customers. They bring a different kind of attention that you seriously donât want if youâre just moving a product.
Still, itâs certainly true that the massive blackmarket infrastructure has led to the development of invisible networks and services that terrorists could take advantage of. If youâre selling underground transit, you donât ask too many questions of your customers. Itâs not willful collaboration we should be worried about, so much as the reality that thereâs an industry built around bringing anyone and anything into our country.
After decades of drug war demolition tactics throughout South and Central America, the situation is worse than ever. As new threats emerge, the drug war continues to literally puncture every mechanism that might protect us.