Terrorists Love Narco-Terrorists- al-Qaeda Funded By Colombian Drug Money

There's not much difference between terrorists and narco-terrorists, they both thrive through intimidation, fear and violence. They both love to behead their victims, and could care less how many innocent people they lay to waste. In fact, the more the merrier. So it wasn't surprising to read that al-Qaeda is helping Colombian drug lords, and other druggie nations, get their 'merchandise' to Europe via Africa. For money, of course.

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According to the DEA groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (better known as FARC)have resorted to smuggling through Africa, since it has become more difficult to ship cocaine directly to Europe and the U.S.; and they are getting help with their criminal activities by terrorist groups like al-Qaeda.

"In the mid to late 1990s when the Europeans became better at maritime interdiction, off the coasts of Portugal and Spain for example, traffickers started moving their routes southward. So the next progression was to Western Africa," said Jay Bergman, DEA director for the Andean region of South America.

There had never been any proof that al-Qaeda was being partially funded through drug monies until this past December when 3 West Africans, who apparently had links to al-Qaeda, were caught and extradited to the U.S. and charged with terrorism and drug trafficking.

"As suggested by the recent arrest of three alleged al-Qaeda operatives, the expansion of cocaine trafficking through West Africa has provided the venue for an unholy alliance between South American narco-terrorists and Islamic extremists," Bergman said in an interview over the weekend.

While Colombian drug trafficking organizations use Africa as a shipping route to get their cocaine to Europe, Mexican drug cartels use the same African route to import the chemicals needed for methamphetamine.

Even more interesting is the fact that most flights to Africa have flown out of Colombia's neighbour Venezuela. According to Bergman,

"All of the aircraft seizures that have been made in West Africa, and we've made about a half a dozen of them, had departed from Venezuela. If you look at the range and refueling requirements, that's the place you have to fly from."

"Geography is the key reason why Venezuela has become a springboard location," Bergman added.

In other words, wacky President Hugo Chavez makes it easy for them to fly out of his country, which is also not very surprising.

Both terrorists and narco-terrorists will always find some devious way to get around the system, because all they care about is their own agenda, no matter who gets hurt.