SOMALI DRUG MAY FUND TERRORISM

14 Tonnes Seized

Terrorist groups may be funding their activities through khat, an
illegal stimulant smuggled daily into Canada, says a newly released
intelligence report.

The report by the Canadian government's Integrated Threat Assessment
Centre says "some part of the proceeds involved in the global khat
trade possibly finances terrorism."

Khat is an illicit drug that is wildly popular among
Somali-Canadians. It originates in East Africa and the Middle East,
regions that "are 'of concern' from a terrorism viewpoint," the report says.

"Given that a number of terrorist organizations around the world
finance their activities through the drug trade, and that much of the
khat trade occurs in and emanates from a region of the world closely
identified with terrorism, it is possible that some parts of the
proceeds involved may end up in the hands of terrorists or their sympathizers."

A declassified version of the Dec. 8, 2006, intelligence assessment,
titled Khat: Connections to Terrorism? was obtained by the National
Post under the Access to Information Act.

Formally called Catha edulis, khat is a leafy shrub that grows only
in the Horn of Africa and Yemen. Chewing khat is a daily ritual among
men in Somalia.

As home to one of the world's largest Somali communities, Canada has
experienced a steady rise in the use of khat. Although illegal, khat
is still widely available on the black market in places like
Etobicoke, home to Toronto's Little Mogadishu neighbourhood, where it
is sold out of backrooms in restaurants and shops.

The RCMP's annual drug report, released yesterday, said 14 tonnes of
khat were seized in Canada last year, two-thirds of it at Toronto
Pearson International Airport.

The drugs were destined for the Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa regions,
"where larger concentrations of Somali communities are found," the
RCMP report said.

The seizures were valued at $7-million.

The United Kingdom and the Netherlands are the major transshipment
points, but smugglers are increasingly using alternative countries
such as Italy, the United States, France and Germany, it said.

Most of it is coming to Canada aboard passenger and cargo planes.

"Mules were recruited through the Internet, newspaper ads or
word-of-mouth to bring khat to Canada," the RCMP said. "They were
often offered all-expense-paid trips and cash rewards if the delivery
was successful."

While many Somalis chew khat, others oppose the practice, arguing it
is destructive to families because it is costly (a small bundle can
cost $80), time-consuming and makes users lethargic.

Somalia's Islamist extremist movement, currently at war with the
government, opposes khat, considering it against Islamic law. But in
2003, the Somali terrorist group Al Ittihad Al-Islam, which is
associated with al-Qaeda, was accused of smuggling khat into the
United States. The group has operated a small fundraising network in
Toronto since the 1990s.

The RCMP has found "no distinct links" between the import and
trafficking of khat in Canada and terrorist groups, the report said.
But the report also concluded there are several ways terrorists may
be profiting from the global trade.

The primary producers of khat, Kenya and Ethiopia, have "experienced
significant terrorist activity," it said. Khat is also cultivated in
Yemen, and "several terrorist organizations, such as al-Qaeda,
continue to maintain a presence in Yemen." Some khat also makes its
way to Saudi Arabia, it added.

"It is possible that some terrorist financing occurs through
involvement in the local or regional khat trade, either directly in
the cultivation, transport and distribution of the drug, or
indirectly, such as levying fees or 'taxes' for transport or access," it says.