……………..In the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, Middle East terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hizballah train terrorists and conduct fundraising activities in an area which has a growing population of Middle Eastern and South Asian immigrants. Funds raised in the tri-border area are sent directly to the Middle East to support the operation of these organization, possibly even the planning and execution of terrorist acts. I have no doubt that funds raised in the tri-border area have made it to the pockets of Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. Afghanistan produces 75 percent of the world's heroin. The Taliban reaps tremendous profits from such trade and use them to sponsor Osama Bin Laden and other terrorists. As Americans, we must recognize that fighting the war on drugs is tantamount to fighting the war on terrorism. Every time an American boy buys cocaine or heroin, they are directly funding the terrorists who are responsible for the deaths of over 6,000 innocent Americans.
Today, the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere will hear from a distinguished panel of official witnesses who will provide us with important testimony about the type of terrorist organizations operating in our hemisphere, the links between international terror and drug trafficking, and the efforts of the OAS and its member states to help our nation win the war on terrorism. While I have no doubt that these panelists will provide the Subcommittee with excellent testimony, I am profoundly troubled that Otto Reich has yet to be confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. At this time, the President needs to have his nominee confirmed and in place to fight both drug trafficking and terrorism in Latin America.
……………..Mr. STRUBLE. There are large expatriate populations in a number of areas in Latin America. The tri-border region has been mentioned before. There is also Santa Margarita Island in Venezuela, the Colon Free Trade Zone in Panama, and then a number of others throughout the hemisphere. We are quite concerned about the possibility or in some instances the certainty of financial transactions from these areas supporting terrorist groups in the Middle East. Mr. Mack alluded before to the efforts of INL over a number of years to give countries the tools, help them develop the tools, and work multilaterally in this hemisphere to control money laundering through more effective sharing of financial transaction information.****
During the operation, he also reported to Brigadier General Pedro Torres Finol, of the Venezuelan Air Force. Due to his higher rank, he was present at more meetings than Major Diaz Castillo, with more insiders.
Pedro Torres Finol was eliminated afterwards by Chavez, in an helicopter crash set up look like an accident. The "accident" happened over the Avila mountain, en route between La Guaira and Caracas, 19 April 2002. Diaz Castillo said that he had direct contact with Chavez for the Al Qaeda mission:
" - el tenia contacto directo con Chavez y recibio esta mision, la que se me transmitio de inmediato a mi."
After his brief ouster in the last April coup, one of the first things Chavez did upon his comeback was to eliminate those who had the most damaging information about him. Along with Gen. Torres Finol, two more generals also died in the pre-arranged crash. Chavez thus eliminated his main Al Qaeda connection witness.
-Shane