Linkages Between Terrorism and Drug Trafficking in North Africa

Until the moment when 16 terrorist attacked inthe authorities in Rabat in collaboration with UN
Casablanca and caused the killing of 44 people,Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is considered
the Moroccan regime had been taking a lowMorocco opening to international collaboration. The
profile in the treatment of cannabis crop growingUNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa,
and trafficking. In the 90s, the former king Hassanwho has held extensive meetings with various
II formed an agency for the development ofspecialists and consultants from the Moroccan
northern Morocco under the auspices of theRoyal Palace Alawite estimated that is a seriously
Ministry of Interior. The cultivation and smugglingsituation. This represents a 180 degree change in
of hashish had a formal treatment "Theattitude from Morocco for many years.
production is legal and controlled... traffic isBrussels closely monitor all movements of money
penalized, but you can fight as long as demand... "from, to and within the European Union. The fight
the benefits are extended to the European mafia.against terrorism and drug trafficking charges,
The attacks in Casablanca and the fear of aneach time has a higher price. The police control
alliance between Islam and the violent drug gangsincrease in Europe, on the streets and
changed Mohamed VI ideas. The area for drugtransportation systems with more agents and
farming was 100,000 hectares and the productionpresence of television cameras. European
stood at just over 2,000 tons. Today, thegovernments, even skeptics now have confirmed
Moroccan Government admits, for the first timethe will to close the terrorist international financial
that exists 134,000 hectares of crops whichworld. Brussels aims to "seal the sources of
produce 3080 tons of hashish. For sharing profits,financing of international terrorism".
data compiled by the Agency of NorthernUnder the draft regulations submitted by the
Development, "farmers" receive $ 214 millionCommissioner Charlie McCreevy, the personal
(0.57% of Moroccan GDP), while "Traffickers" areinformation on both the sender and destination
pocketing 12,000 million. It is not clear what is theand the consignee of all wire transfers to and
area reserved for drug traffickers operations infrom the European Union are recorded, stored
Morocco and those for acting outside the countryand used in case of suspected people and money
that have Moroccan nationality.have to do with terrorism and / or drugs.
The alarm went off when, after complaints byThe credit institutions must notify the police and
some independent media, the security servicesresearch institutions in the information collected
arrested thirty commanders of their own securitywhen there is suspicion of money laundering and /
forces and the judiciary, police, gendarmes,or connections to terrorism and drug trafficking.
customs officers, spies, and judges. Due to theFor any transfers within the European Union on
seizure of guns among drug dealers bloodybehalf of paying sufficient and bank account
clashes between rival gangs resulted in severalnumber. "If the receiving bank requires more
deaths. This event pushed the regime ofinformation, persons involved are required to
Mohamed VI to seek international help todeliver," said a finance expert from the European
eradicate this problem.Commission. So far the bank of the recipient
The ramifications of the Islamist groups linked toknew little about the person running the
the Salafiya Jehadi with hashish traffickingshipments.
networks made to fear "the Colombian scenario",The monitoring and information delivery will be
as has been reported repeatedly in themade regardless of the amount of money
independent Moroccan press, as vetoed by theinvolved, because even at low amounts can fund
Moroccan governmentterrorism.
Since the killings in Casablanca, the anti-terroristThe new regulations not only lies with the banks
services have arrested more than 6,000 people,and bank drafts, but also lawyers, notaries, real
of which 1500 are already in jail, purgingestate dealers and owners of casinos. They are
sentences between two and twenty years.required to establish the identity of participants in
The National Intelligence Center, concerns with thetransactions over 15,000 Euros. Moreover, in case
developments in northern Morocco, where theany of the professionals were to be suspicious
"cells" terrorists. Police operations dismantledabout the provenance or destination of money
terrorist camps in areas controlled by druginvolved, should report it to authorities.
traffickers.The monitoring of money transfers is really part
The possibility of an alliance between rival drugof the Action Plan against Terrorism, which the
trafficking and Islamic terrorism native gangs orEuropean Union dismissed after the violent events
network linked to Osama bin Laden has warned allof 11th September and has been adapted to the
Western intelligence services.situation.
The publication of the Report on drugs made by