Four would-be drug and weapons dealers were charged with conspiring to sell drugs to finance missiles, rifles and handguns for the two terror organizations, the court papers alleged.
U.S. agents - running two separate, world-wide sting operations worthy of a James Bond movie - received thousands of dollars in down payments.
They even convinced two suspects to sign contract for $9.5 million, the indictments charge.
The contract was for 48 Stinger missiles, 100 Igla surface-to-air missiles and thousands of AK-47s and other guns, according to papers filed in Manhattan Federal Court.
"Today's indictments provide fresh evidence of what many of us have been seeing for some time: the growing nexus between drug trafficking" and terrorism, said U.S. Attorney Preet Bhahara.
The suspects met with undercover agents and confidential sources working for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in Turkey, Romania, Greece, Malysia and Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Taza Gul Alizai, of Afghanistan, sold "assault rifles and heroin to a confidential source ... who purported to be a broker of weapons and narcotics," according to one indictment.
The source assured Gul Alizai that the weapons and drug profits would be given to the Taliban, the indictment said.
A second indictment names Siavosh Henareh, known as "The Doctor," along with Bachar Wehbe and Cetin Aksu in a plot that aimed to funnel cash to Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist group.
Three other unidentified co-defendants were not charged.
"Today's indictments provide fresh evidence of what many of us have been seeing for some time: the growing nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism," said US Attorney Preet Bharara.
It's "a nexus that threatens to become a clear and present danger to our national security. Combating this lethal threat requires a bold and proactive approach," he said.
"And as crime increasingly goes global and national security threats remain global, the long arm of the law has to get even longer."
Credit : NY Daily News
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