Stings link terror funds to drugs, weapons

Manhattan federal prosecutors and Drug Enforcement Administration officials Tuesday announced two international narco-terrorism stings linking drug and weapons deals to the Taliban and Hezbollah.

Officials said the cases highlighted their growing concern that terrorist groups may be making increasing use of drug syndicates and narcotics deals as a source of funding.

"The indictments provide fresh evidence of what many of us have been seeing for some time -- the growing nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism, a nexus that threatens to become a clear and present danger to our national security," said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.

In one of the new cases, Afghan Taza Gul Alizai was charged with peddling heroin and AK-47 assault rifles to a DEA undercover agent who told him that sale of the drugs in the U.S. would be used to fund Taliban operations and more weapons purchases.

In the other case, three Middle Eastern men were charged with setting up a heroin deal with a U.S. informant and then negotiating a $9.5 million purchase of thousands of missiles, rifles and handguns that they said would go to Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese group accused of terrorism.

All four defendants in the two cases are in custody, officials said.Two were arraigned in Manhattan federal court Tuesday and two are being detained in Romania awaiting extradition.

The indictments were the latest in a series of high-profile cases linking drugs and arms in Manhattan federal court - most notably, a DEA sting that netted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout last year -- and came one day after the White House announced a push against global crime and drug syndicates that may facilitate terrorism.

"Drug trafficking is a double threat that fuels both addiction and terrorism," DEA Administrator Michele Leonhardt said in a statement.