HASHISH BUST LINKS AL-QAEDA TO DRUG TRADE

Members Caught In Persian Gulf Seizure Clear Evidence Of Connection, U.S. Says

The U.S. Navy intercepted three al-Qaeda members with nearly two tonnes of
hashish in the Persian Gulf this week, providing what it says is a
conclusive link between the terrorism organization and the illicit drug trade.

Although Washington has hinted broadly about a connection between drugs and
Osama bin Laden's organization, no proof had previously been found.

"An initial investigation uncovered clear ties between the smuggling
operation and al-Qaeda," U.S. Central Command said yesterday in a statement
from its Florida headquarters.

"This is the first empirical evidence I've seen that conclusively links
al-Qaeda with the drug trade," Bruce Hoffman told the Associated Press news
service. He's a terrorism expert at RAND, a Santa-Monica, Calif.,
think-tank that often works for the Pentagon.

The U.S. military said the al-Qaeda suspects were among 12 people found
with 1,714 kilograms of hashish aboard a traditional wooden Arab boat
called a dhow. A spokesman said no further information would be forthcoming
of "details that connect those individuals to al-Qaeda."

The 12-metre wooden boat was seized Monday by the destroyer USS Decatur on
a smuggling route near the Strait of Hormuz, which is "known to be used" by
al-Qaeda, the military said. The strait is a bottleneck where the gulf
meets the Arabian Sea.

Until the fall, the area was being patrolled by Canadian warships as part
of Operation Apollo, an element of Canada's military contribution to the
war against terrorism.

The hashish -- a marijuana derivative -- has a street value of $8-million
to $10-million (U.S.), the military said.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, U.S. officials made suggestions
of a link between al-Qaeda and drug smuggling, but have not provided
specific examples.

Last May, for example, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official Steven
Casteel told the Senate that drug trafficking and terrorist activities were
"visibly intertwined."

This tie "is not a new phenomenon," he said, noting organized crime groups
that launder drug money often use their networks for arms traffickers and
terrorists.

Without naming al-Qaeda specifically, White House drug czar John Walters
said recently that at least half of the 36 foreign terrorist organizations
designated by the U.S. State Department raise money from international drug
trafficking.

The U.S. government spent nearly $3.5-million on two television commercials
broadcast earlier this year warning Americans who buy illegal drugs --
especially young people -- that they may be helping to fund terrorism.

"Where do terrorists get their money?" one ad asked viewers. "If you buy
drugs, some of it might come from you."

When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, it used taxation of illicit opium
production to "fund an infrastructure capable of supporting and protecting
[Osama] bin Laden and the [al-Qaeda] organization," Mr. Casteel said.

Opium production has not ceased in Afghanistan since the fall of the
Taliban and the installation of a U.S. backed government. According to
reports by the United Nations and the Central Intelligence Agency, about
3,600 tonnes of opium resin were produced this year in Afghanistan.