U.S. and Hong Kong (2002)

U.S. Arrests Seven in Two Drugs-for-Weapons Deals

Following is the text of Ashcroft's remarks, as prepared:

(begin text)

Prepared Remarks of Attorney General John Ashcroft
U.S. Department of Justice
Washington, D.C.
November 6, 2002

[ ...Intervening Text... ]

In a simultaneous strike against the terrorism-drug trafficking nexus, an indictment was unsealed this morning in San Diego charging two Pakistani nationals and one United States citizen with conspiring to provide Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to anti-U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Syed Mustajab Shah, Muhammed Abid Afridi and Ilyas Ali are charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin and hashish, and conspiracy to provide material support to al Qaeda. The indictment alleges the defendants arranged to exchange 600 kilograms of heroin and five metric tons of hashish for cash and four Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. The indictment charges that the defendants, who are currently in the custody of Hong Kong authorities, said they intended to sell the anti-aircraft missiles to al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan. If convicted on all counts, the defendants face up to life in prison.

Both these successful investigations were the result of literally thousands of hours of complex and often dangerous work by law enforcement officials.

In the Houston case, undercover agents met with the defendants to negotiate the drugs-for-weapons deal in London, the Virgin Islands and Panama City, Panama. In the Virgin Islands, agents met with AUC members at an undercover warehouse to inspect some of the weaponry involved in the negotiations. These meetings were video- and audio-taped, exacerbating the risk to the agents involved.

Likewise in the San Diego case, undercover law enforcement officials met with the defendants and recorded their negotiations for weapons and drugs. Some of these meetings took place in Hong Kong. It was in one such meeting with undercover agents that the defendants stated that they intended to sell Stinger missiles to al Qaeda.

[ ...Intervening Text... ]

(end text)