text:
Skip to comments.Hezbollah Raises Latin American Profile
Posted on 09/18/2012 9:27:36 PM PDT by neverdem
Two news stories from recent weeks, if true, should raise a red flag in the United States that Iran is preparing to use Hezbollah to strike at U.S. interests in Latin America, if not in the United States itself.
First, this story from the Lebanese news portal Naharnet and sourced in part to Israeli radio. The Naharnet story was taken down shortly after it appeared:
Hezbollah is using a training base established by Iran in northern Nicaragua near the border with Honduras, the Israeli radio reported on Thursday [September 6]. The area is cordoned off and there are around 30 members of Hizbullah being trained in the camp, the radio quoted intelligence sources as saying. According to the report, Tehran is funding and supplying the training base
Second, this story from Belize Citys News 5 Online:
Within three days a suspected terrorist with alleged ties to the radical group Hezbollah was able to secure a Belizean identity. Rafik Mohammed Labboun Allaboun arrived in the country on August twenty-ninth and when he left, he had a Belizean birth certificate, a drivers license and a passport all issued in the name of Wilhelm Dyck, a Belizean Mennonite of Shipyard who was born in February of 1976 and died two months later.
As News 5 points out, Wikileaks also shows a long Hezbollah involvement in Belize.
Against the backdrop of riots across the region, Iranian officials have become even more threatening than usual. Hojjat al-Eslam Kazem Tabatabaei, Zabol Friday prayer leader, for example, called for "a jihad to annihilate the Arrogance [the United States]," while Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamadani warned the United States to "expect harsher reactions." It would be a mistake for the Obama administration to dismiss Iranian threats as mere rhetoric, given the elaborate preparations the Iranians and Hezbollah appear to have engaged in, south of our border.
Well....the Bed-Wetter-in-Chief will have to consider changing to Depends-in-Chief if he continues being so mobile in his campaign.
Or....is he avoiding Washington in case there is a horrible incident there due his inaction?
I am amazed at their network, planning and patience. Nobody in DC seems to care how many have probably already come across the border between Mexico and Texas. It would appear that no Federal agency has learned a thing since 9/11.
Leave that lettuce pickin' border alone! Racist! /s
I am scared for our future if Obama is reelected. Just watching Glenn Beck prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Admins story on Libya is a FLAT OUT LIE has me more worried than ever before that Americans might be fooled by the Obama lie once again. The president is doing nothing to stop these people. Literally nothing. Have we sanctioned Nicaragua? Why haven't we!?
Daniel Ortega takes his orders directly from Chavez, who is providing access to Latin America for terror networks. This comes straight from the top. The Nicaraguan government is sheltering terrorists. Heck, who knows how many are training in the jungles of Morales' Bolivia? Ahmadinejad is photographed embracing these tyrants. What more evidence do we need?!
The worst part is, the majority of Americans have no idea. They don't know a single thing about what is going on out there. They're all glued to Gray's Anatomy, unaware that the destruction of our way of life is being engineered both outside and in. WAKE UP AMERICA!
Already at a border town near you. No surprise.
Its very scary. I can't sleep thinking about that bastard Obama and what a second term portends.
Apart from David Cameron, Obama is the leader who has the most contact with the Prime Minister of Turkey. He is a belligerent Muslim, allied with the Muslim Brotherhood, who once said "our mosques are our barracks, our minarets are bayonets". This is the man who is advising Obama on the nature of the brotherhood and how to handle Israel.
What can we do? Our military won't say anything with the admin watching every Facebook post. Our media is complicit.
The only way to create a future worth living in is to vote Obama out. We cannot lose with this much at stake.
When listening to Mark Levin last week he mentioned a news story that he had just seen that described 2 middle eastern men being stopped at our border crossing from Mexico. They were stopped by Mexican border guards. I was working and half listening but was shocked by what he said and immediately checked FR and other sites like Drudge but never found any mention of the story. Wondered if anyone here had heard it. I haven't had time to go back in Mark's archives to try to find it but it was quite alarming and I couldn't believe I never heard about it again.
Totally agree.
It wasn't covered by a single network. Here it is.
Disturbing. Who knows what they were up to.
If youd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
Thanks for the link, that was driving me crazy! Well, they weren't crossing the border (yet) but, gee, wonder if they were thinking about it??
Thanks neverdem.
Cindy's Note: This is a MUST READ. Thank you.
"Hezbollah in Latin America: Terrorism and Organized Crime"
Roman D. Ortiz
September 19, 2012
REALITE-EU.ORG - Insight into Today's Middle East
URL for post no. 15:
Here's a very small sampler regarding Iran and Hezbollah:
Forum: Iran/Islamic Revolution
A Look at Iran
Background to Canadas expulsion of Islamic Republic of Iran diplomatic personnel
(September 7, 2012)
SNIPPET: My previous entries here will give you a taste of what Ive been seeing north of the lower 48. Im quite certain a number of Iranian illegals (as in agents not using diplomatic cover) remain.
"USF Prof. Stephen Zunes Still Shilling for Iran"
Posted by Cinnamon Stillwell and Rima Greene (August 23, 2012)
SNIPPET: "His topic was The United States and Iran and in keeping with his past talks on the subject, Zunes assured the audience of approximately fifty people that Iran is not a threat. He claimed that Irans nuclear weapons would not be ready for another four to five years; that Iran would never strike first with nuclear weapons; that there are no Hezbollah cells in South America and on Americas southern border; and that reports of Iranian-sponsored global terrorism are exaggerated."
"Hezbollah Raises Latin American Profile"
Michael Rubin |*@mrubin1971
"Report: Hizbullah Training 30 Members in Nicaragua Base"
(September 6, 2012)
20 August 2012 Last updated at 21:24 ET
"US seizes $150m 'linked to Hezbollah money-laundering'"
"Hezbollah Delegation Visits Cuba, Venezuela, Meets Officials"
(July 11, 2012)
"Treasury Targets Major Money Laundering Network Linked to Drug Trafficker Ayman Joumaa and a Key Hizballah Supporter in South America"
"Mexican Jihad"
by Raymond Ibrahim
May 11, 2012 at 4:30 am
The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
"Latin America as an Arena for Iran and Hezbollah's Terrorist, Subversive and Criminal Activities"
(April 18, 2012)
Note: Video included at link.
"'Hundreds' of 'Soldiers of Hezbollah' Inside the U.S., Says Homeland Security Chairman"
By Edwin Mora
March 23, 2012
Note: Updates and additional information posted at this link.
SNIPPET - quote:
King Announces Hearing on Iran/Hezbollah Threat to U.S. Homeland
THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY ^ | March 14, 2012 | n/a
Posted on March 14, 2012 6:05:32 PM PDT by Cindy
SNIPPET - quote:
King Announces Hearing on Iran/Hezbollah Threat to U.S. Homeland
MAR 14, 2012 Issues: Counterterrorism
Washington, D.C. Today, U.S. Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, announced that on Wednesday, March 21 he will convene an investigative hearing to examine the terror threat that Iran poses to the U.S. homeland. The hearing is entitled: Iran, Hezbollah, and the Threat to the Homeland.
King said: The disruption last fall of an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States at a popular Washington restaurant was a wake-up call for all Americans. Last months forthright comments by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper that the Iranian regime is now more willing to conduct an attack in the United States has further heightened concern about an attack by Iran on the homeland. At this hearing, we will focus on Irans primary terrorism proxies, including Hezbollah, which already has a robust network within the U.S., and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as the real potential that the regime will activate its network of operatives to carry out an attack here.
(Excerpt) Read more at homeland.house.gov ...
Note: Updates and additional information posted at this link.
"DEA Raids Car Dealership with Alleged Ties to Terrorist Group Hezbollah"
(December 18, 2011)
"Hezbollah Sets Up Shop in Mexico"
by Ryan Mauro (July 13, 2011)
"Tucson Police: Yes, Hezbollah is operating in Mexico"
(July 7, 2011)
"LulzSec doc drop: Arizona Officials Say Hezbollah Operating in Mexico"
(July 7, 2011)
Video posted May 5, 2011:
"Terrorist Group Setting Up Operations Near Border
Hezbollah Considered To Be More Advanced Than Al-Qaida"
SNIPPET: "A terrorist organization whose home base is in the Middle East has established another home base across the border in Mexico.
"They are recognized by many experts as the 'A' team of Muslim terrorist organizations," a former U.S. intelligence agent told 10News.
The former agent, referring to Shi'a Muslim terrorist group Hezbollah, added, "They certainly have had successes in big-ticket bombings."
Some of the group's bombings include the U.S. embassy in Beirut and Israeli embassy in Argentina.
However, the group is now active much closer to San Diego.
"We are looking at 15 or 20 years that Hezbollah has been setting up shop in Mexico," the agent told 10News."
"Hezbollah May be seeking narco-terror ties"
(September 20, 2009)
Note: The following text is a quote:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEThursday, December 17, 2009
Guyanese National Charged with Smuggling Indian Nationals to the United States
A Guyanese national has been indicted on charges of conspiracy and alien smuggling in connection with her role in the smuggling or attempted smuggling of four Indian nationals to the United States.
Annita Devi Gerald, aka Annita Rampersad, 52, was charged in a nine-count indictment returned yesterday by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Texas. Gerald was arrested by ICE special agents in Houston on Nov. 17, 2009, and has been held without bond since that time.
According to the indictment, from approximately April 2009 to Nov. 17, 2009, Gerald and others conspired to smuggle four Indian nationals into the United States. Allegedly, Gerald and her co-conspirators fraudulently obtained Belizean visas for the Indian nationals and escorted them from India to Belize, moving through various countries in Central and South America. Gerald allegedly provided lodging for all four Indian nationals in Belize while further smuggling arrangements were made.
In August 2009, Gerald allegedly arranged transportation for one of the Indian nationals to cross the border from Belize into Mexico where he met with Geralds co-conspirator, who escorted him through Mexico. In Monterrey, Mexico, Geralds co-conspirator paid a Mexico-based smuggler to illegally transport the individual across the Mexico-U.S. border to Houston. After making these arrangements, Geralds co-conspirator allegedly flew to Houston where the co-conspirator received the Indian national at a motel approximately 10 days later. The smugglers who delivered the Indian national to Geralds co-conspirator in Houston allegedly demanded and received a smuggling payment prior to releasing him. The Indian national smuggled to Houston is currently being administratively detained by ICE, awaiting removal. The whereabouts of the other three Indian nationals allegedly harbored by Gerald in Belize is currently unknown.
If convicted, Gerald faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy, and 10 years in prison for each of the four counts of encouraging and inducing aliens to come to the United States for profit. Additionally, she is subject to the maximum penalty for each of the four counts of bringing aliens to the United States for profit, which is 10 years for a first or second violation, and 15 years for any other violation. She is also subject to a fine of up to $250,000.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.
The investigation was conducted by ICEs Office of Investigations in Miami and Houston, with the critical assistance of the ICE Attaché offices in El Salvador, Ecuador, Brazil, Singapore and Panama, as well as the ICE Office of Intelligence in Washington, and the Alien Smuggling Interdiction Unit of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Washington. El Salvadoran authorities, particularly the Direción General de Migración y Extranjería (El Salvador Immigrations) and the Grupo Especial de Investigaciones Nacionales e Internacionales (El Salvador Police-GEINI) also provided invaluable assistance.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jerry Massie and Jessica Morris of the Criminal Divisions Domestic Security Section, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward Gallagher and Douglas Davis of the Southern District of Texas.
Note: The following text is a quote:
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Guyanese National Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Indian Nationals to the United States
Annita Devi Gerald, a Guyanese national, pleaded guilty today to bringing an alien into the United States for commercial gain, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno of the Southern District of Texas and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton.
Gerald, 52, pleaded guilty today in Houston before U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Hughes. At sentencing, scheduled for May 17, 2010, Gerald faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of three years, and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Todays guilty plea puts another alien smuggling organizer out of business, said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division. Traveling the globe seeking people willing to pay for illegal entry into the United States, this defendant sought personal riches in exchange for disregarding the immigration laws of our country.
My office will continue to work closely with the Department of Justice and ICE to pursue international smugglers who engage in elaborate schemes to import undocumented and/or fraudulently documented aliens into the United States through Houston and South Texas, said U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno of the Southern District of Texas.
ICE targets organizations that try to compromise the integrity of our immigration system for the sake of profit, said ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton . The network of ICE offices around the world as well as our partnerships with law enforcement agencies around the globe, enable ICE to shut down these human smuggling operations.
According to plea documents, Gerald provided assistance to undocumented aliens from India in their efforts to illegally enter the United States. Gerald admitted that she and her co-conspirators prepared letters of invitation for several Indian nationals from a trading and agricultural company affiliated with Gerald. These letters falsely proclaimed the Indian nationals were farming experts whose expertise was needed for a project in Belize. The letters were used to assist the aliens in obtaining the Belizean visas that enabled them to board aircraft and transit through numerous countries in route to the United States.
According to plea documents, in July 2009, Gerald escorted two Indian nationals on a series of flights from Singapore to Belize. In addition, Gerald admitted to providing lodging for the aliens in Belize while they awaited additional smuggling arrangements; to obtaining a Mexican immigration stamp for one aliens passport to facilitate domestic travel in Mexico; and arranging for transportation from Belize to Mexico for one of the aliens.
Upon Geralds direction, one of the aliens was smuggled into Mexico and then into the United States, according to court documents. Gerald was arrested in Houston on Nov. 17, 2009, on a criminal complaint charging her with conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, before any of the other aliens could be smuggled into the United States.
The investigation was conducted by ICEs Office of Investigations in Miami and Houston, with the critical assistance of the ICE Attaché offices in El Salvador, Ecuador, Brazil, Singapore and Panama, as well as the ICE Office of Intelligence in Washington, and the Alien Smuggling Interdiction Unit of Customs and Border Protection in Washington. El Salvadoran authorities, particularly the Direción General de Migración y Extranjería (El Salvador Immigrations) and the Grupo Especial de Investigaciones Nacionales e Internacionales (El Salvador Police-GEINI) also provided invaluable assistance.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jerry Massie and Jessica Morris of the Criminal Divisions Domestic Security Section, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward Gallagher and Douglas Davis of the Southern District of Texas.
Information leading to the location of
Adnan G. el Shukrijumah
Up to $5 Million Reward
Date of Birth : August 4, 1975
Place of Birth : Saudi Arabia
Height : 5'3" - 5'7" (160 - 170 cm)
Build : Medium to Heavy
Hair : Black
Eyes : Black
Complexion : Olive
Sex : Male
Citizenship : Guyanese
Characteristics : El Shukrijumah occasionally wears a beard. El Shukrijumah carries a Guyanese passport, but may attempt to enter the U.S. with a Saudi, Canadian, or Trinidadian passport.
Aliases : Adnan G. el Shukri Jumah; Abu Arif; Ja'far al-Tayar; Jaffar al-Tayyar; Jafar Tayar; Jaafar al-Tayyar
Adnan G. El Shukrijumah was indicted in the Eastern District of New York in July of 2010 for his alleged role in a terrorist plot to attack targets in the United States and the United Kingdom. One plot was uncovered in September of 2009 and targeted New York City's subway system. That failed plot was directed by senior al-Qaida leadership in Pakistan and was also directly related to a scheme by al-Qaida plotters in Pakistan to use Western operatives to attack a target in the United States. El Shukrijumah is thought to have served as one of the leaders of al-Qaida 's external operations program.
Click here to listen to a Public Service Announcement about this terrorist
Iran's Growing Influence In Latin America
SPERO Forum.com - SPERO News ^ | April 24, 2010 | Commentary, Analysis by Mark P. Sullivan
Posted on April 27, 2010 1:33:46 AM PDT by Cindy
SNIPPET: "President Chávez also announced during the visit that Venezuela is working on a preliminary plan for the construction of a nuclear village in Venezuela with Iranian assistance so that the Venezuelan people can count in the future on this marvelous resource for peaceful purposes. The transfer of Iranian nuclear technology from Iran would be a violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions - 1737 (2006), 1747 ( 2007), and 1803 (2008) - that imposed restrictions on Irans nuclear technology transfers.
In late September 2009, comments by Venezuelan officials offered conflicting information about Irans support for Venezuelas search for uranium deposits. Venezuelan Minister of Basic Industry and Mining Rodolfo Sanz said that Iran was assisting Venezuela in detecting uranium reserves in the west and southwest of Venezuela. "
SNIPPET: "Nevertheless, on the diplomatic front, Iran has opened embassies over the past several years in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua, as well as in Colombia, Chile, and Uruguay. This is in addition to having existing embassies in Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela."
SNIPPET: "As noted above, President Ahmadinejad has visited Venezuela several times, and has also visited Bolivia, Brazil, Nicaragua, and Cuba. In early May 2009, a scheduled first trip by Ahmadinejad to Brazil was unexpectedly postponed until after Irans election in June. There had been some protests in Brazil against Ahmadinejads visit, but the trip ultimately took place in November 2009. Brazilian President Lula da Silva maintains that the West should not isolate Iran. On the same trip, the Iranian President once again visited Bolivia and Venezuela. "
SNIPPET: "In March 2009 congressional testimony, Admiral James G. Stavridis, then commander of the U.S. Southern Command (Southcom), also asserted that the main concern about Irans increased activity in Latin America is its links to Hezbollah. He maintained that there was Hezbollah activity throughout South America, particularly the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay as well as parts of Brazil and the Caribbean Basin."
SNIPPET: "Mark P. Sullivan is a specialist in Latin American Affairs for the Congressional Research Service. It is a portion of a longer January 25, 2010 CRS report, Latin America: Terrorism Issues (PDF)
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author only, not of Spero News."
Read the whole article here: http://www.speroforum.com/a/31543/Irans-Growing-Influence-in-Latin-America
"Seven Charged For Illegal Export of Electronics to U.S. Designated Terrorist Entity in Paraguay"
US DOJ.gov - Justice.gov/usao ^ | February 19, 2010 | n/a
Posted on February 19, 2010 3:52:54 PM PST by Cindy
Now Arizona Has More Than One War In Our Backyards MY OPINION: Hezbollah using drug routes
AZBIZ.com - Inside Tucson Business ^ | April 23, 2010 | Opinion by Lionel Waxman
Posted on April 27, 2010 12:47:10 AM PDT by Cindy
"Now Arizona has more than one war in our backyards MY OPINION: Hezbollah using drug routes" By Lionel Waxman, Inside Tucson Business Published on Friday, April 23rd, 2010
SNIPPET: "For years, I have been warning that the Mexican drug war will sweep over Southern Arizona if we dont close the border. Well now the war is here. But today, I am writing to warn you of another war. It is using the drug routes but it isnt connected to the cartels.
Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese group, is on its way to involving Tubac, Tucson, Phoenix and other parts of Arizona in the Arab-Israeli conflict as well as the drug trade. Where are our NIMBYs?
For at least four years, the Hispanic American Center for Economic Research has been keeping an eye on a Hezbollah militia that has taken root in South America in the whats known as the tri-border region of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil."
(Excerpt) Read more at azbiz.com ...
stepping back to 2007:
Stepping back to 2006-2007:
"Hezbollah America Latina: Strange Group or Real Threat [Long, potentially ominous]"
Institute for Counterterrorism ^ | 1-25-07 | Dr. Ely Karmon
Posted on January 25, 2007 7:15:17 AM PST by SJackson
Continuing on in 2006-2007:
Note: Adding links to this link collection.
December 03, 2006
"Just in time for Hizballah and al-Qaida operatives to start moving towards North America..."
"Hezbollah America Latina: Strange Group or Real Threat?"
Dr. Ely Karmon
November14, 2006
"Iran's Ahmadinejad to tour Latin America"
AFP ^ | Jan 10 , 2007
1,465 posted on January 25, 2007 1:29:52 PM PST by Cindy
"Bachmann Warns of Hezbollah Training Camps, Weapons in Cuba"
Wall Street Journal ^ | September 26, 2011 | Neil King Jr.
Posted on September 27, 2011 7:51:20 PM PDT by re_nortex
To: RushIsMyTeddyBear
Is she a member of a Security Commission?
She is member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence according to the biography on her web page.
4 posted on September 27, 2011 7:59:03 PM PDT by re_nortex (DP...that's what I like about Texas.)
Terror News ^ | September 5, 2010 | Rep. Sue Myrick
Posted on September 7, 2010 7:46:30 PM PDT by La Lydia
An indictment was handed down Aug. 30 by the Southern District Court of New York that shows a connection between Hezbollah - the proxy army of Iran and a designated terrorist organization - and the drug cartels that violently plague the U.S.-Mexico...a well-known international arms dealer was trying to orchestrate an arms-for-drugs deal in which cocaine from FARC - the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which works with Mexican drug cartels to take cocaine into America - would be traded for thousands of weapons housed by a Hezbollah operative in Mexico.
This most recent case brings up several questions:
Why would a member of Hezbollah be in Mexico? Why would Hezbollah need thousands of weapons in Mexico? Why are members of Hezbollah willing to work with FARC? Perhaps to exchange weapons for drugs? If Hezbollah has guns in Mexico and wants drugs, isn't it logical to assume that it is trading with more accessible Mexican drug cartels?
This is just the most recent incident in which it's clear that Hezbollah may have a presence in Mexico and along our southern border. There have been more incidents - which have been ignored by the Obama administration and the Department of Homeland Security...
The evidence is there: Hezbollah's cooperation with countries across South America; Highly sophisticated tunnels for transferring drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border, ones very similar to the tunnels dug by Hezbollah into Israel; The close relationship between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the increase in Iranian nationals traveling through Venezuela to receive false documents, which they use to cross into the United States.
...(during summer) it was reported that Jameel Nasr (Arab name), a Mexican national with ties to Hezbollah in Lebanon, "entrusted with forming a base in South America and the United States to carry out operations against Israeli and Western targets," was arrested by the Mexican government.
Days later, a cell-phone-detonated car bomb - the first of its kind reported used by Mexican drug cartels - was deployed just across the U.S.-Mexico border in Juarez. On Aug. 27, another car bomb exploded in a U.S.-Mexico border state...
If you like Twitter; this is a good account to follow:
Ending with my own links:
A Look at Iran
A Look at Iran [Archives]
ADDING to post no. 17:
DEA Raids Car Dealership with Alleged Ties to Terrorist Group Hezbollah
(December 18, 2011)
La amenaza Iraní [The Iranian Threat (in Latin America)]
(December 13, 2011)
SNIPPET: "Univision has aired a story about Iranian intelligence activities in Latin America, including Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, and Cuba, not to mention Miami. The focus of the Iranian activity was on cyber attacks. The targets: US government networks and critical infrastructure to include nuclear power plants. The reports shed light on, among other things, the Iranian use of religious training and missionary work as a cover."
Video - Description - quote:
Documentales Univision: "La Amenaza Irani" a Documentary on the Emerging Iranian Threat
Uploaded by UnivisionNews1 on Dec 6, 2011
"La Amenaza Iraní" looks at Iran's growing political, economic and military ties in Latin America, and the threat this offensive poses to the Latin American region and the United States. The documentary, which was produced in collaboration with Univision News' Investigative unit, reveals exclusive findings, including secret video and audio recordings that provide a rare window into an alleged Iranian-backed cyber attack against the United States from Mexico. "La Amenaza Iraní" also features unseen video foo
News & Politics
Standard YouTube License
"US Expels Venezuela Consul for Possible Involvement in Terrorism Against US (VIDEO)"
SNIPPET: "After U.S. lawmakers and federal agencies investigated reports that Iranian and Venezuelan diplomats in Mexico were involved in plotting cyberattacks against U.S. targets, including nuclear power plants, the US today expelled one of the diplomats — Livia Antonieta Acosta Noguera — who was Venezuela's Consul General in Miami."
NOTE The following text is a quote:
Alleged Supporter of Terrorist Group Extradited from Paraguay
PHILADELPHIAMoussa Ali Hamdan, 38, a dual citizen of the United States and Lebanon and a former resident of Brooklyn, New York, made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia today after being extradited from Paraguay. He is being held pending a detention hearing. Hamdan is among several defendants charged in a conspiracy to provide material support to Hizballah, a designated foreign terrorist organization. He was indicted November 24, 2009, along with nine co-defendants. Hamdan was taken into U.S. custody in Asuncion, Paraguay, on Thursday, by U.S. Marshals who escorted him to Washington, D.C., where members of the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force took him into custody.
At the time of the indictment, Hamdan had left the United States. On June 15, 2010, Paraguayan authorities arrested him in the Tri-Border Area (TBA) of Paraguay for the crime of material support of terrorism.
Hamdan is charged in 28 of the 31 counts in the indictment, including conspiring to provide material support to Hizballah in the form of proceeds from the sale of counterfeit money, stolen (genuine) money, and fraudulent passports. According to the indictment, Hamdan and several other defendants were also charged with several counts of transporting stolen goods, trafficking in counterfeit goods, and making false statements to government officials.
According to a related criminal complaint Hamdan began purchasing purportedly stolen cellular telephones from a cooperating witness acting as an agent of the government and participated in the purchase and transportation of purportedly stolen goods on numerous occasions. These stolen goods included cellular telephones, laptop computers, Sony Play Station 2 systems, and automobiles, which the conspirators caused to be transported to destinations outside Pennsylvania, including overseas destinations such as Lebanon and Benin (Africa). Hamdan also allegedly bought counterfeit goodsnamely, counterfeit Nike® shoes and Mitchell & Ness® sports jerseysfrom the cooperating witness. The complaint details efforts by defendants Moussa Ali Hamdan and his co-defendants to sell the CW counterfeit United States currency for the purpose of raising funds for Hizballah. In total, the conspirators provided the CW with approximately $10,000 in counterfeit United States currency. The complaint also alleges that certain of Hamdans co-defendants generated additional funds for Hizballah by selling fraudulent passports. The CW and the defendants participated in the purchase of two fake passportsone from the United Kingdom and one from Canadafor the benefit of Hizballah. Hamdan allegedly agreed to pay $10,000 towards the purchase of these passports, in order to satisfy a debt he owed to the CW.
If convicted of all charges, Hamdan faces a statutory maximum sentence of 260 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations Joint Terrorism Task Force, the New Jersey State Police, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, the United States Secret Service, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Philadelphia Police Department, Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Air Marshals, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Philadelphia Police Department.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nancy Beam Winter and Vineet Gauri, and National Security Division Counterterrorism Section Trial Attorney Jolie F. Zimmerman.
The U.S. Attorneys Office would like to extend special thanks to the Paraguayan judicial and law enforcement authorities, including the U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay, for their invaluable assistance in the arrest and subsequent extradition of Hamdan, as well as the Office of International Affairs and U.S. Embassy, Asuncion, Diplomatic Security personnel who were involved in ensuring Hamdans capture and return to the United States.
Let's look at 2003-2004
SNIPPET - quote from the link above:
Connecting the South American Terror Dots
FrontPageMagazine.com ^ | August 9, 2004 | David Meir-Levi
Posted on August 9, 2004 4:47:20 AM PDT by SJackson
Dot # 1: A Growing Threat in the Tri-Border Area of South America. (Terrorist and Organized Crime Groups in the Tri-Border Area (TBA) of South America. A Report Prepared under an Interagency Agreement by the Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, July 2003.)
Since the early 1980s, Arab terrorists have been sending thousands of their cohorts to the almost inaccessible jungle and mountain region between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay (known as the TBA, Tri-Border Area or La Triple Frontera). Terror training camps and arsenals have been established, virtually out of the reach of local law enforcement or defense forces; and elements from Hezbollah, al-Gamaa al-Islamiyya, Islamic Jihad, al-Qaeda, Hamas, and the Lebanese Drug mafia operate in partnership, freely and openly in conjunction with local organized crime and corrupt government officials.
The TBA has become a virtual haven for Islamic terror groups and a base for terror operations against South American targets. The large and growing Arab population of these states (in excess of 750,000 by local estimates) provides a community highly conducive to the establishment of Islamic terrorist sleeper cells throughout the area. The attacks in Buenos Aires on the Israeli embassy (3/17/1992) and the Jewish Community Center (7/18/1994) are believed to have originated from terror bases in the TBA. Since the mid-90s, government forces have foiled many more terror attacks against American, Jewish and Israeli targets, arresting some of the perpetrators.
CNN reported that an Islamic terrorist summit meeting was held in the TBA in late 2002, to plot attacks in South America and abroad. Security forces believe that future targets include USA and Israeli government offices, Jewish community buildings, hotels, tourism centers, airports and facilities of multinational corporations.
The TBA terrorist haven also operates an immense money-laundering project, reaping profits from their partnerships with the FARC and narcotics traffickers in the widespread South American drug trade. Government estimates place the total amount of money laundered since 1992 at more than 172 billion dollars.
There is currently no effective surveillance or containment of these terrorist activities.
Dot #2: Increased Terrorism in northern Venezuela (U.S. News & World Report, 10/6/03, pp. 18ff.)
Another South American hub of Arab terrorism has emerged recently in northern Venezuela near the border with Colombia. Thousands of terrorists now occupy an unknown number of camps in that region, and move about with the support and collaboration of the Venezuelan government. President Hugo Chavez plays host to a growing horde of Middle Eastern terrorists from some of the USAs most notorious enemies, including Libya, Saddams Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Pakistan. Thousands of Venezuelan identity cards have been legally issued to these foreigners. Such cards can be used to obtain legal travel documents and passports for unimpeded entry into other South American countries and into the USA.
These terror groups are known to work in conjunction with the Colombian anti-government insurgency group, FARC. They offer FARC terrorists safe haven in mountainous and unpatrolled regions of Northeastern Venezuela. They may provide Hugo Chavez with a covert force that can be used to support FARC against the Colombian government. Venezuelan cooperation with these terrorists may buy President Chavez a guarantee that terror assaults will not be perpetrated in his country.
Currently there are no known terror attacks that can be attributed to these groups.
Dot #3: Illegal Immigration at the Southern Border Not Just Hispanics, Anymore. (U.S. seizes 77 Mideastern aliens in southern Arizona, World Tribune, 8/2/04; Two groups of middle-eastern invaders caught in Cochise county in past six weeks, Tombstone Tumbleweed, 7/18/04; Breaking silence over possible terror threat, Defense Watch, 7/23/04.)
American border patrol agents arrested 158 illegal aliens in Cochise County, Arizona, on 6/13/04. One agent, who speaks Farsi and Arabic, overheard dozens of detainees speaking Arabic in the back of the detention vehicle. He counted 53 of Middle Eastern rather than Hispanic origin. His superiors told him to keep that information to himself; but he reported it to the local newspaper, the Tombstone Tumbleweed.
Just one week later, on June 21, 2004, another group of illegals were apprehended, including 24 Arabic speaking men. But at least as many or more escaped apprehension and disappeared into the United States.
Border Patrol officials deny that there have been any Middle Eastern illegals among those arrested, but individual arresting officers attest to the accuracy of that ethnic description.
Upon deeper investigation, the Tumbleweed editor learned that since October 1, 2003, Arizona border patrol agents have arrested 5,510 illegals from countries other than Mexico, Central and South America. In addition, the arresting officers noted that all of the Middle Eastern illegals sported identical haircuts and moustaches; and while their clothes were the typical illegal immigrant jeans, baseball caps and jerseys, the Middle Easterners all wore brand new clothes, still spiffy looking and clean (quite the opposite of the usual rather frazzled appearance of illegals).
Connecting the Dots:
We are witness to expanding Islamic terrorist bases in South America, operating with almost no interference from, or in collaboration with, the host countries governments; thousands of Arab terrorists training in these bases; and credible evidence that hundreds or even thousands of Arabic speaking illegals have been entering the USA through our porous border with Mexico for almost a year. Given the Border Patrol leaderships refusal to divulge the ethnic or national identities of the 5,510 non-Hispanic detainees, we cannot know how many of these thousands are Arabs.
Why would Middle Eastern terror groups spend untold millions of dollars to set up bases in South America? Certainly to benefit from the drug trade and money-laundering opportunities that lax or corrupt governments afford. Clearly, to attack South American targets (inter alia, Israeli or American embassies, Jewish communities, and/or other institutions that are involved in South American financial, political, or military interaction with the USA). Probably also to facilitate the planning and execution of future terror attacks in South America or abroad.
Why would Arabs enter the United States in such large numbers? At least some of them are likely bona fide terrorists who, once they have eluded the Border Patrol, can connect with established contacts in the American Muslim community and lay the groundwork for future terror attacks within this country. It takes a minimum of five support-staff to launch one terrorist action. How many terror attacks can we expect, now that we know now that hundreds or perhaps thousands of Arab terrorists have entered this country illegally during the past year, and are completely untraceable by law enforcement or military agencies.
Why would hundreds of these Arab terrorists sneak into America illegally via the Mexican border? The credible scenarios are:
These Arabs are known terrorists who could not enter in a simpler and more direct fashion, via our legal ports of entry; or The terror planners and strategists foresee that if our legal ports of entry were suddenly flooded with dozens or hundreds of entrants recognizable as Arabs but bearing legal South American travel documents, our immigration officials might get suspicious. Thus, to infiltrate very large numbers of terrorists into the United States in anticipation of future massive terror assaults, it would be necessary to create a base for the invaders in neighboring safe areas from which large numbers of terrorists could be transported en masse.
Why do the official spokespersons for the Border Patrol in Arizona refuse to acknowledge what their field force tells us? Surely corroboration by several different guards on different occasions warrants public concern.
Why are Border Patrol guards instructed to keep silent about the presence of Arabs and Iranians among the many thousands of non-Hispanic illegal aliens? Surely this unusual and alarming phenomenon merits the scrutiny of the Border Patrols leadership.
Why have no mainstream media outlets publicized this infiltration of terrorists into our country? Surely such a phenomenon is newsworthy.
Once we connect these dots, it becomes obvious that the presence of thousands of Arab terrorists in two separate areas of South America and the illegal entry of hundreds of Arabs via the Mexican border portend massive terror assaults against American and other targets in South America and within this nation.
It does not require much imagination to foresee that the many current Arab terror sleeper cells scattered throughout the USA and Canada today are being re-enforced with the influx of Arab terrorists from South America, an influx of such numbers that normal ports of entry cannot be used.
Can the purpose of this re-enforcement be other than an Arab terrorist plan to mount major attacks on numerous targets throughout North America? Such imaginative terror masterminds as Imad Mughniyyah or Osama bin Laden himself would surely have little difficulty figuring out how to best utilize an untraceable sleeper army of Arab terrorists waiting patiently for the signal to strike at centers of telecommunication, transportation, electric power, and even law enforcement and military bases.
Middle East Terror Groups Find Sanctuary, Revenue in South America
JINSA ^ | January 15, 2004 | Jess Altschul
Posted on January 16, 2004 8:43:29 AM PST by Ooh-Ah
Tri-Border Area Hotbed for Crime-Terror Nexus, Hezbollah Firmly Established
In the frontier town of Ciudad del Este, in February 2003, Paraguayan state security officials raided a store owned by Ali Khalil Mehri, a 32-year old businessman of Lebanese descent. They recovered Hezbollah propaganda and documentation of money transfers to Canada, Chile, the U.S. and Lebanon totaling more than $700,000. Also found were fundraising forms for an organization in the Middle East called Al-Shahid, which is dedicated to the protection of families of martyrs and prisoners. After a thorough investigation, Paraguayan prosecutors charged Mehri with selling millions of dollars of pirated software and channeling the proceeds to the Hezbollah terrorist group. Mehri, released on bail after his arrest, crossed into Brazil and then flew from Sao Paulo to Paris. Authorities now believed he is in Syria.
Mehris arrest was the first major breakthrough in the investigation of illicit Hezbollah activities in the Tri-Border Area, an almost lawless area shared by the cities of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay; Foz do Iguacu, Brazil and Puerto Iguacu, Argentina. The area is known for money laundering, extortion, forgery, prostitution and illegal gambling. It has long been a resting place for drug traffickers and South American terrorist organizations such as the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), but in the past decade or so it has emerged as a hotbed of Islamist terrorism as well.
As of 2002, approximately 630,000 people live in the Tri-Border Area, more than 25,000 are Arabs or of Arab descent. The Brazilian and Paraguayan cities, which are only separated by the short Puente de la Amistad (Friendship Bridge), are areas where the first settlements of immigrants from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and the Palestinian territories emerged about 50 years ago. There is a high level of Islamist political activity in the Tri-Border Area and members of international terrorist organizations, it has been reported, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), al-Fatah, and al-Qaeda have been sighted there.
Regional officials and in several U.S. agencies have also investigated connections between Islamist terrorists and drug trafficking. On May 10, 2003, police in Paraguay arrested Hassan Abdallah Dayoub as he was preparing to ship an electric piano stuffed with more than five pounds of cocaine into Syria. Dayoub is a relative of Assad Ahmad Barakat, the chief Hezbollah operative in South America. He has thus far refused to answer investigators questions about the identity of those with whom he did business.
Due to a crackdown on terrorist funding worldwide and growing international pressure on state sponsors of terrorism, terrorist groups have been turning more and more to drug trafficking to raise funds for their activities. The Taliban earned an estimated $40-50 million per year from taxes related to opium production in Afghanistan. According to the website TerrorismAnswers.org, produced by the Council on Foreign Relations, Hezbollah smuggles cocaine from South America to Europe and the Middle East and has smuggled opiates out of Lebanons Bekaa Valley.
In addition to operating in the Middle East and South America, Islamist terrorists have also been arrested in the U.S. for drug smuggling. In January 2002, the Drug Enforcement Administration apprehended 136 people in Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Fresno and Carlsbad, California in a massive operation that resulted in the seizure of 179 pounds of methamphetamine, 36 tons of the over-the-counter cold medicine ingredient pseudoephedrine (which is often used to make the illegal drug methamphetamine), $4.5 million in cash, eight pieces of property and 160 automobiles. The raid prompted an investigation that yielded the first evidence of a direct flow of money from drugs in the U.S. to Islamist terrorism in the Middle East. In addition, federal agents announced in early 2002 that they have exposed an effort involving legal immigrants and visitors to use credit card thefts, cigarette sales, charitable funds and cash smuggled in airline luggage to supply funds to anti-American and anti-Israeli terrorist groups operating in the Middle East.
Islamist terrorists operating in the South American drug trade is not a new topic on Capitol Hill. In a May 2003, Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) brought up Dayoubs arrest in Paraguay, saying that it demonstrates the narco-terrorist financing operations needed to support Barakat and Hezbollah. Hatch elaborated that the Tri-Border Area has long been characterized as a regional hub for radical Islamic groups, which engage in arms and drug trafficking, contraband smuggling, money laundering and movement of pirated goods.
In an October 2002 interview on the National Public Radio show On Point, Senator Bob Graham (D-FL), former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, emphasized his belief that the war against Saddam Husseins regime should be followed up with a strike on Syrian training camps and the Iranians who finance Hezbollah. He said the three reasons he sees Hezbollah and its supporters as a greater immediate threat than Iraq are:
Hezbollahs enthusiasm to kill Americans (previous to September 11, 2001, more Americans had died at the hands of Hezbollah terrorists than any other group);
The groups access to funds and resources, and;
Their presence in the U.S.
In September 2002, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage declared that Hezbollah would eventually become a U.S. target, to which Hezbollahs spokesman, Hassan Ezzeddin, replied The American administration will be held accountable for any offensive against Lebanon, and we emphasize that we are in full readiness to confront any eventuality and defend our people.
Jeffrey Goldberg, author of In the Party of God, which appeared in The New Yorker in October 2002, was also a guest on the radio show. Goldberg spent over a month in the Middle East and three weeks in the Tri-Border Area researching Hezbollah and their international funding and activities. He recounted crossing the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay with extreme ease, and being offered an AK-47 rifle for $375. The price even included a hotel delivery. When he asked about acquiring explosives, he was told that was also possible.
In the Party of God details how terrorist organizations make money from even legitimate businesses in the area. The Islamic fundamentalists extort business owners and force them to make a monthly donation - one that will save their shop and family from possible harm. Investigators in South America believe that over the past few years, Islamist terrorists have raised tens of millions of dollars - one Paraguayan official even told Goldberg that in one year Hezbollah raised $12 million in the Tri-Border Area alone. In addition, Paraguay has no anti-terror law, which in many countries allows for the seizure of terrorist funds and bans donations to terrorist organizations. The lack of such a law makes donating money to a terrorist organization in the Tri-Border Area as easy as donating to the Red Cross is in the U.S.
The absence of anti-terror laws makes it almost impossible for U.S. and regional authorities to arrest suspects. Because the organization and channeling of money is similar to the way organized crime operated in the 1930s in the U.S., the only charge officials can try to arrest the terrorists on is tax evasion. In addition, many officials believe that Paraguay in particular is extremely hesitant to prosecute or conduct investigations into Middle Eastern terrorists because the Tri-Border Area is the largest center of commerce in the country and the Arab community there is often described as the pillar of economic activity. If the Arab community abandons the region en masse, Paraguays already unstable economy would further deteriorate.
Paraguay is the one country of the three that has done the least to curb Islamist terrorists in the area because of the massive corruption at even the highest levels of the government. In the article Paraguays Ciudad del Este and the New Centers of Gravity by Colonel William W. Mendel, U.S. Army (ret.), published in the March-April 2002 issue of Military Review, the journal of the U.S. Armys Command and General Staff College, Paraguayan police estimate that about 70 percent of the 600,000 cars in Paraguay were purchased on the black market, with at least a portion of the profits likely going to terrorist groups.
Corruption runs to the topmost ranks of government in Paraguay. Court officials and police say that even the Presidents BMW and his wifes Mercedes were purchased on the black market and were probably stolen. Both cars claimed the same title document, which was issued for a Toyota. And, in September 2001, the Paraguayan consul in Miami was arrested for selling over 300 passports and visas since 1999.
Many believe the U.S. has not done enough in the Tri-Border Area to halt the terrorism. According to Jonathan Goldberg (no relation to Jeffrey Goldberg), in his December, 2002 article Blind Eye in The American Prospect, the U.S. agenda for the region puts fiscal crises, trade negotiations, and local terrorist groups such as the FARC above Islamist terrorism. And although the DEA and State Department have representatives investigating drug-related activity in the Tri-Border Area and throughout Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, little attention is paid to the corruption within the highest ranks of the governments. Meanwhile, according to Juan Belikow, a professor at Argentinas School of National Defense, Islamist terrorists and their supporters in South America are branching out into other regions such as Panamas Colon Free Trade Zone, Iquique, Chile; Maicao, Colombia; and Chui, Brazil.
Al Qaeda and Hezbollah Plot a Dangerous Alliance
DefenseWatch ^ | 01-01-03 | Tom Knowlton
Posted on January 1, 2003 8:52:49 AM PST by Conservative News Hound
Al Qaeda and Hezbollah Plot a Dangerous Alliance
By Tom Knowlton
In an interview with The Sunday Times of London on Dec. 15, 2002, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat unwittingly provided the U.S.-led coalition against terrorism with a major insight into the evolving strategy of Osama bin Ladens al Qaeda terrorist network.
Arafat asked Times interviewer Marie Colvin, Why is Bin Laden talking about Palestine now? Bin Laden never, not ever, stressed this issue. He never helped us. He was working in a completely different area and against our interests.
Arafat gave the interview after statements attributed to al Qaedas Political Office of Qaeda al-Jihad were published on the Islamic extremist web sites www.azfalrasa.com and www.mojahedoon.net, claiming responsibility for Novembers bomb attacks on an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya and an unsuccessful missile attack against an Israeli civilian airliner departing Mombasa for Tel Aviv. The statements also announced the launch of an Islamic al Qaeda Organization in Palestine that would serve as a powerful basis for restoring the rights of our Arab and Islamic people in Palestine.
In todays world arena, Islamic terror leaders such as Arafat and bin Laden utilize false piety and liberation movements to attract disciples and mask their own personal aspirations for power. But it seems highly unlikely that these two megalomaniacs, who seem more comfortable performing in front of a camera than behind a gun, could ever amicably share the limelight of the Palestinian cause.
There is little love lost between the two terror kingpins. Arafat and bin Laden are in fierce competition for the financial backing of Sunni Muslim extremists, a competition bin Laden has been steadily winning since Arafats support of Saddam Husseins 1990 invasion of Kuwait and his signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 angered jihadist supporters in the Persian Gulf states.
Strategically, there is very little that either Arafat or bin Laden would substantively gain from an alliance. Aligning with bin Laden would only serve to further alienate Arafat and the Palestinian Authority from the United States. And while Palestinian terrorists have shown that they are willing to turn themselves into human bombs, they have not evidenced any of the sophistication and planning that has been the trademark of al Qaeda operations.
Many analysts feel that engaging in the Palestinian cause is an attempt by bin Laden to co-opt the movement away from the foundering Arafat and to solidify al Qaeda as a global front for Islamic action in Afghanistan, Kashmir, Chechnya and Israel.
However, Arafats comments appear indicative of the fact that al Qaeda had not planned the Kenya attacks in coordination with, nor made any overtures to, any of the leading Sunni Muslim terrorist organizations engaged in attacks on Israel.
What appears most likely is that the entry of al Qaeda into the Palestinian fray is a byproduct of growing ties between al Qaeda and the Iranian and Syrian-backed Shiite terrorist organization Hezbollah.
Despite common foes, Sunni and Shiite Muslims are separated by a deep-seated, faith-based animosity and a history of cultural conflict that dates back to a 7th century religious schism in Islam. Hezbollahs close dealing with Sunni Palestinian terrorists has been a noticeable exception.
With a U.S.-Iraq war now becoming a near certainty, the Bush administration has actively courted Iranian cooperation (or at least neutrality), and turned a blind eye towards that rogue nations own program to develop weapons of mass destruction. Iran has a far more advanced and dynamic nuclear program than its axis of evil counterparts, Iraq and North Korea, and an ongoing long-range missile program. However, Iran has not been the focus of military action or international isolation like its counterparts.
This soft handling has not gone unnoticed by hard-liners in Tehran and has translated into a proliferation in Hezbollah activity in Lebanon, Israel, Europe and South America. An alliance between Hezbollah and al Qaeda brings to the Intifadah (Palestinian uprising), a level of sophistication, planning, training and global reach that has been noticeable absent from Sunni Palestinian terrorism and significantly raises the operational tempo of terrorist forces arrayed against Israel.
More importantly to Hezbollah, the alliance provides the Shiite terrorist organization with a proxy by which to attack the United States. During this years annual Jerusalem Day parade in Lebanon, the secretary general of Hezbollah, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, denounced what he perceived as the United States plan to control the region, to redraw the political map of the region and criticized the dangerous and satanic goals of the United States and Israel.
Clearly, Hezbollahs leadership sees the growing war on terrorism as the first major threat to the radical Islamic stranglehold on Lebanon since the withdrawal of American troops in the 1980s and Israeli troops in May 2000.
Conceivably, it would be in Hezbollahs interest to maintain the focus of the war on terrorism on Sunni extremists. They will likely seek to accomplish this task by putting aside ideological differences and assist in rejuvenating an al Qaeda network - severely hobbled by the loss of bases in Afghanistan - and its surviving financial, logistical and operational cells worldwide.
U.S. and Israeli intelligence sources believe that the guiding hand behind such an alliance would be Hezbollahs Imad Mugniyeh, the alleged mastermind behind the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine base in Beirut, Lebanon, and a key facilitator of Islamic terrorism worldwide.
An alliance with Hezbollah would provide al Qaeda with vital access to one of the worlds most prolific drug production and smuggling networks, an ominous development for the United States and the West.
During his January 2002 State of the Union speech, President Bush identified Iran, Iraq and North Korea as rogue nations who constituted an axis of evil which provide terrorists the means to match their hatred. The United States has effectively applied international pressure, the threat of military action, and the implementation of aggressive means of financial interdiction to stymie the flow of resources to al Qaeda from its state sponsors.
However, a network of drug production and smuggling controlled largely by Hezbollah may provide al Qaeda with the means necessary to continue its inhuman campaign against civilization. This network is centered on a transnational triangle of illicit activity conducted from areas of Lebanon, the Balkans, and the tri-border region of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.
All three regions have unstable, often corrupt, government structures with weak economic platforms. Their porous borders and largely unsupervised waterways and airfields are highly conducive to the conducting of illicit operations that go undetected.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah utilized the Bekaa Valley region to produce and smuggle opiates and hashish into Europe until international pressure prompted Syria to institute an aggressive counter-narcotics program in 1992. After the U.S. liberation of Afghanistan in 2001, Syria effectively ended its efforts to deter cultivation or to eradicate illicit cultivation.
A U.S. State Department report on drug trafficking released in early 2002 stated that unlike in recent years, Syria did not use its influence in Lebanon to assist Lebanon in suppressing cannabis cultivation and harvesting in the Bekaa Valley. Moreover, the report identified that this fact led to a sharp increase in hashish production in Lebanon, and estimated that over 4,010 hectares of land was being used for hashish production.
In the Balkans, a prolific drug-smuggling operation is being conducted along the Balkan Road running through the fluid borders of Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. The Balkan Road is considered the doorway to Europe and North America and accounts for over 80 percent and 40 percent, respectively, of the continents heroin trade.
On Sept. 17, 2002, a Debka-Net-Weekly report (Socialist-Albanian Election Win Leaves Macedonians in Pit of Despair) identified a 1,400-square-mile enclave in Macedonia running from Crna Gora and Sar Plan (near Tetovo) in the north to the divided lake districts of Ohrid and Pripsankso Ezero in the south that is controlled by Islamic drug lords aligned with Imad Mughniyeh. Western intelligence sources believe that Mughniyeh has long viewed the Balkans as the gateway to an Islamic conquest of Europe and utilized Albania and Kosovo as the main base for Islamic armed action in Europe.
As in Afghanistan, the armed Islamic militants guarding this operation are former U.S. allies, primarily the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) - renamed the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) after the NATO-Serbian conflict in the spring of 1999 - and its Macedonian counterpart, the National Liberation Army (NLA), which both have a long history of smuggling drugs as a means of raising funds for weapons. According to the France-based Geopolitical Observatory of Drugs, the KLA was responsible for smuggling over $2 billion in drugs into Western Europe. Janes Intelligence Review estimates that the KLAs profit from these ventures is in the high tens of millions.
The tri-border region of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, has been identified by the U.S. State Department as a focal point for Islamic extremism in Latin America and represents a major hemispheric threat to the United States. Hezbollah has maintained an active and growing presence in the region and is believed responsible for at least two attacks in Buenos Aires; the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy and the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center.
The Latin American center of Hezbollahs narco-terrorism is the Paraguayan city of Ciudad del Este, under the operational command of successful businessman Assad Ahmad Barakat. Barakats chief aide, Sobhi Mahmoud Fayad, was arrested in 1998 for an alleged conspiracy to bomb the U.S. embassy in Paraguay, and again in 2002 for alleged participation in a money-laundering ring.
Drug-trafficking routes through the tri-border region have brought Hezbollah into close contact with the powerful drug lords throughout the Andean region of Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. Virtually all of the worlds cocaine production is conducted in these three countries and it is believed that collective synergies have been developed between Islamic terrorists and Latin American narco-terrorists such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and Perus Shinning Path.
Ali Mohamed Mukhlis, a member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and closely linked to top al Qaeda lieutenant Ayman al Zawahiri, heralded an al Qaeda presence in the tri-border region when he was apprehended by Uruguayan authorities in 1999 in connection with a plot to bomb the U.S. Embassies in Paraguay and Uruguay. Authorities linked Mukhlis to an operational cell in Ciudad del Este.
The combination of illicit narcotics and terrorism is an alluring proposition for al Qaeda.
First, the financial windfall of the drug trade is highly lucrative. The Golden Crescent countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan, bin Ladens former lair of choice, are the worlds largest producers of heroin, growing in excess of $50 billion in street value annually - over 70 percent of the worlds heroin supply. The al Qaeda-Taliban regime had actually formalized the revenue-generating aspect of opium production in Afghanistan by imposing a ten percent zakat (tax) on all opium transactions.
Denied access to their former Afghan bases and with state sponsorship of terrorism aggressively scrutinized and financial institutions being closely monitored, drug trafficking presents a viable alternative form of financing for al Qaeda.
Second, there is a highly synergistic effect in an alliance between terrorists and drug lords. Traffickers and terrorists have parallel logistical needs in terms of weapons, fraudulent documents and the covert movement of operative, shipments and funds.
The smuggling routes through Lebanon, the Balkans and South America traverse highly volatile regions and face the increasing specter of government interdiction. Drug traffickers benefit from the military expertise and equipment that terrorist organizations are able wield in defense of these coveted routes
On March 13, 2002, Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Rand Beers provided testimony on the benefits to terrorists from this symbiotic relationship before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism and Government Information.
Beers explained that not only do terrorists gain a source of revenue, but also equally important, they acquire a means of illicit transfer and laundering of proceeds from illicit transactions. Moreover, the drug trade often ensnares corruptible officials who can provide access to fraudulent documents, including passports and customs papers.
Officials at the U.S. Immigration and Nationalization Service have expressed concern that a growing Islamic presence in Latin America may lead to ties with criminal organizations in Mexico that have proven highly successful in smuggling people and materials undetected into the United States.
Finally, al Qaeda would seek to strategically weaken Western society through the flooding of North America and Europe with illicit drugs.
Western analysts believe that Hezbollah, which receives significant amounts of overt military and financial aid from Iran and Syria, is involved in drug trafficking predominantly for the purpose of the facilitating the fall of the West through drug addiction.
Osama bin Laden has on several occasions advocated the use of opiates to weaken the West. It is this strategy that wreaked havoc on the Soviet military during the Soviet-Afghan War and strongly contributed to their defeat.
By the end of the Soviet-Afghan War in February 1989, the Afghan guerilla groups were producing more heroin than major illicit drug producers Iran and Pakistan combined. The result was a flooding of the Soviet Union and Europe with high quality, low-cost narcotics. Soviet Afghan War veteran Lt. Col. Yuri Shvedov claimed the Soviets had found significant evidence that this was the product of a systematic program. Rampant drug addiction in the Soviet forces in Afghanistan translated into a dramatic drop in morale and operational efficiency that later led to a crippling drug problem within the Soviet Union itself.
The mounting evidence of an al Qaeda-Hezbollah alliance should be of paramount concern to the Bush administration. The synergies created by the alliance will significantly raise the operational capabilities of terrorist forces and infuse bin Ladens global terror cooperative with crucial funding. Already in the fall of 2002 we have seen the reemergence of a reinvigorated al Qaeda manifested in attacks in Indonesia, Kuwait, Yemen and Kenya.
The lines between traditional terrorism and drug trafficking are becoming increasingly blurred, signaling a possible convergence of the drug war and the war on terrorism. Islamic terrorists are forming symbiotic relationships with narcotics traffickers in urban and quasi-urban regions in the Third World such as Lebanon, the Balkans and Latin America, where Western governments have been traditionally reluctant to enter into military action.
As retired Vice Adm. Arthur Cebrowski pointed out during an interview with The Navy Times on Nov. 12, 2002, by not engaging terrorists in these regions we are essentially providing them with sanctuary, which is unacceptable.
The Fire Down South...( Latin America)
various links | 10-24-02 | The Heavy Equipment Guy
"Iran gains power in Latin America as Obama administration looks on; a brave leader speaks"
Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 06:44 PM
SNIPPET: "With little notice in the main stream media, Iran has been cementing its relationships with regimes in Venezuela & Bolivia, both countries under the control of strongmen friendly to communism. Iran is a main funder of terrorism throughout the world, For them to gain a foothold in Latin America, does not bode well for peace in our hemisphere.
Recently I spoke with Bolivian elected representative Senator Carmen Gonzales. She has had the courage to stand up and speak out about the repression besetting her country and its ever closer alliances with Iran. She has been the object of continual harassment by the government for her vocal opposition; including being buried in lawsuits (18) designed to silence her.
Tell us about Iran's influence in Bolivia?
The influence of the Iranian theocracy in Bolivia is very wide and deep. Iran has inked many agreements with Bolivia, both known and unknown to the Bolivian people. I have demanded to know the extent of these agreements, but as of yet there has been no response from the leadership. Iran is interested in our mining industry, gas and uranium. Iran is interested in expanding its influence in Latin America, to provoke the United States. It is very advantageous to Iran to have the friendship of the Bolivian regime, with all of its natural resources, including uranium and being strategically placed in the center of the continent."
SNIPPET: "I am also worried as a Bolivian, what may happen to the Jewish community here.
Recently, the Iranian defense minister was with our ruler, Evo Morales. That same minister is under orders for international prosecution, accused by an Argentine federal judge to be part of the deaths of hundreds of Jewish-Argentine AMIA (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina in 1994).
So, it is very dangerous for the Jewish community the fact that Bolivia has relations with Iran."
SNIPPET: "Since Bolivian leadership has signed agreements with Iran as well as Venezuela, there is clear worry that these countries can serve as bases for terrorist activities against neighboring countries and become a springboard for jihadism. With Iran racing toward nuclear weapons capability, there is no doubt in many circles, that technology can filter to enemies of the US. The exporting of nuclear weapons technology to Latin America would cause huge political disruption to this region."
ADDING on to posts no. 23, 24, 25:
(MySA.com - EXPRESS-NEWS)
"Iran Making Push into Nicaragua" by Todd Bensman
(December 8, 2007)
"The Skunk is Back in Nicaragua"
(December 19, 2007)
"Venezuela as Iranian Terror Route Worries US"
Aug 13, 2012
Houston Chronicle| by Stewart M. Powell
SNIPPET: ""There's pretty much of a general consensus within the intelligence community that Iranian-backed cells providing financial support to Hezbollah could easily convert to operational cells and light up the place," says U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul, a Republican whose district stretches from Austin to Houston."
SNIPPET: "McCaul said Hezbollah is fundraising with impunity in the tri-border area surrounded by Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil, where some 30,000 Lebanese expatriates and immigrants live among a population of 800,000.
He said enterprising businesses there are being required to tithe as much as 2 percent of gross revenues to the Lebanon-based terrorist organization."
SNIPPET: "Congressional investigators working for the GOP majority estimate there are now "at least hundreds of Hezbollah operatives" in the U.S., said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security."
SNIPPET: "But the State Department's annual report on terrorism concluded "there were no known operational cells of either al-Qaida or Hezbollah in the hemisphere.""
"Hizballah-Linked Arms Dealer Sentenced to 12 Years Prison"
(October 12, 2012)
SNIPPET: "This caught my eye. The DEA case began as an FBI operation in 2006, when FBI sources caught wind of an effort by Hizballah, represented here by Mr. Yousef, to sell arms to a Mexican drug cartel."
"Lebanese Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Terrorists "
U.S. Attorneys Office
October 11, 2012
Southern District of New York
SNIPPET: "Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Jamal Yousef, a/k/a Talal Hassan Ghantou, a native of Lebanon, was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to 12 years in prison for conspiring to provide military-grade weapons to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (the FARC), a foreign terrorist organization, in exchange for over a ton of cocaine. Yousef pled guilty in May 2012 to one count of providing material support to the FARC before U.S. District Chief Judge Loretta A. Preska. U.S. District Judge John F. Keenan imposed todays sentence.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, Jamal Yousef was ready, willing, and able to provide an arsenal of weapons and explosives to people he believed to be part of a terrorist organization, dedicated, in part, to killing Americans. Thanks once again to our partnerships with law enforcement both here and abroad, he will now go to prison."
"Lawmaker urges feds to monitor Hezbollah in Mexico"
By Joseph Kolb
Published October 29, 2012
SNIPPET: "The presidential campaign has featured plenty of talk about terrorism in the Middle East, but one lawmaker is warning that the federal government is ignoring a growing Hezbollah presence in Mexico, with the Lebanese terror group increasingly joining forces with drug cartels.
One report shows hundreds of thousands of Middle Easterners living in Mexico, and a small percentage of them may be radicals using routes established by drug networks to sneak into the U.S."
SNIPPET: "Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.) says the mounting evidence of a Hezbollah presence in Mexico is being ignored by the Department of Homeland Security.
"I don't have a lot of faith in the Department of Homeland Security," said Myrick. "They should be looking at these groups in Mexico much more closely.""
INFOSUR HOY.com: Asuncion, Paraguay - "PARAGUAY: ALLEGED HEZBOLLAH FINANCIER DETAINED Wassim el Abd Fadel, a Lebanese with Paraguayan citizenship, faces human trafficking and narco-terrorism charges." by Marta Escurra (SNIPPET: "Fadel is suspected of running the operation after the organization he allegedly worked with was dismantled by Paraguayan authorities. Lebanese national Moussa Ali Hamdan was extradited to the United States on Feb. 11, 2011 to face charges of terrorist financing. About a year earlier, two of his alleged cohorts Amer Zoher El Hossni and Nemir Ali Zhayter were extradited to the United States, where they were wanted on cocaine-trafficking charges. Ali Hamdan was apprehended on June 16, 2010 in Ciudad del Este. Hamdan, a dual U.S.-Lebanese national, is accused of allegedly buying goods he suspected were stolen from a U.S. official.") (January 24, 2013) (Read More )
INFOSUR HOY.com: Asuncion, Paraguay - "PARAGUAY: THREE LEBANESE OFFICIALS EXTRADITED TO U.S. Nemir Ali Zhayter, Amer Zoer El Hossni, Mousa Ali Hamdan to face charges in U.S." (February 28, 2010) (Read More )
Article - Document - Link:
"South of the Border, a Threat from Hezbollah"
Matthew Levitt
Journal of International Security Affairs
Spring 2013
SNIPPET: "A detailed look at the group's robust criminal and support networks in Latin America, including its close relations with drug cartels."
Iran 'in Latin America Terror Plot' - Argentina Prosecutor
BBC.co.uk - News ^ | 29 May 2013 Last updated at 18:31 ET | n/a
Posted on May 30, 2013 2:21:47 AM PDT by Cindy
SNIPPET: "An Argentine prosecutor has accused Iran of trying to infiltrate countries in Latin America to sponsor and carry out "terrorist activities".
Alberto Nisman said Iran was attempting to set up intelligence-gathering stations in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and other countries in the region.
Mr Nisman is investigating a bomb attack that killed 85 people in a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires in 1994."
SNIPPET: ""I legally accuse Iran of infiltrating several South American countries to install intelligence stations - in other words espionage bases - destined to commit, encourage and sponsor terror attacks like the one that took place against Amia," Mr Nisman was quoted as saying, referring to the Jewish centre bombed nearly 20 years ago.
He said the countries targeted included Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Surinam.
And he claimed that Mohsen Rabbani - the Iranian former cultural attache in Buenos Aires who Argentina blames for the Amia attack - was co-ordinating the alleged infiltration operation."
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
"State Department highlights Iran's 'marked resurgence' of state-sponsored terrorism"
By THOMAS JOSCELYN
May 31, 2013
SNIPPET: "The State Department released its Country Reports on Terrorism 2012 yesterday. The year 2012 witnessed a "marked resurgence of Iran's state sponsorship of terrorism, through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), its Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), and Tehran's ally Hezballah," State concluded. "Iran and Hezbollah's terrorist activity has reached a tempo unseen since the 1990s, with attacks plotted in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa.""
SNIPPET: "The State Department's report confirms, once again, that Iran sponsors terrorists and militants throughout the world."
Adding to Post no. 20:
Treasury Targets Major Money Laundering Network Operating Out of Colombia
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY - Press Release ^ | July 9, 2013 | n/a
Posted on July 10, 2013 1:56:06 AM PDT by Cindy
NOTE The following text is a quote:
Treasury Targets Major Money Laundering Network Operating Out of Colombia
Trade Based Money Laundering Network Supported Narcotics Traffickers Ayman Joumaa and Evaristo Linares Castillo
WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the designation of Colombian nationals Isaac Perez Guberek Ravinovicz and his son, Henry Guberek Grimberg, as well as 29 other individuals and entities, including companies located in Colombia, Panama, and Israel, as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers (SDNTs). These 31 individuals and entities together form a money laundering network responsible for laundering hundreds of millions of dollars in drug money connected to drug trafficking organizations, including Ayman Saied Joumaa and Linares Castillo who were both previously designated by the Treasury Department. In a separate action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Drug Enforcement Administrations (DEA) Miami Field Division announced the filing of criminal charges against four defendants, including Isaac Perez Guberek Ravinovicz, Henry Guberek Grimberg, and Johanna Patricia Ceballos-Bueno — designated by Treasury today — all Colombian nationals, for their participation in an international money laundering conspiracy in which they laundered millions of dollars for transnational drug trafficking organizations.
Todays action builds upon the U.S. governments continued campaign to target global narcotics networks, including that run by Joumaa whose global narcotics enterprises have stretched from South America to Africa and have benefited terrorist groups such as Hizballah. By designating the individuals and entities behind this money laundering organization, the Treasury Department is taking another step to protect the international financing system from abuse by narcotics traffickers, money launderers, and terrorists.
Money laundering is the lifeblood of the narcotics trafficking world, said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. Our action against this major money laundering network strikes a powerful blow at the illicit profits flows of criminals like Ayman Joumaa and Linares Castillo.
Drug traffickers only motive to enter the illegal drug trade is the money, and they will go to any length to hide and protect their proceeds. These bad actors often depend on international businesses to facilitate the illegal movement of their drug profits. Whether you are a successful businessman or a secretary, if you assist drug traffickers you will face the same justice, said DEA Special Agent in Charge Mark R. Trouville.
Isaac Perez Guberek Ravinovicz, a Colombian national, and his son, Henry Guberek Grimberg, a dual Colombian and Israeli national, lead a money laundering network based in Bogota, Colombia that launders narcotics proceeds on behalf of numerous drug trafficking organizations, including organizations based in Colombia. Narcotics traffickers such as Ayman Saied Joumaa, previously designated by the Treasury Department in January 2011, and Jose Evaristo Linares Castillo, designated in February 2013 are known to have laundered their drug proceeds through this money laundering network.
Several family members and associates of Guberek Ravinovicz and Guberek Grimberg were also designated today for materially supporting the principals money laundering activities and/or for helping to manage their companies. The family members include Henry Guberek Grimbergs two brothers, Felipe Guberek Grimberg, a businessman currently residing in Israel, and Arieh Guberek Grimberg, a licensed soccer (futbol) agent. The business associates include Johanna Patricia Ceballos Bueno, the secretary of Guberek Ravinovicz and Guberek Grimberg, who manages the day-to-day operations of the network from their offices in Bogota.
Guberek Ravinovicz and Guberek Grimberg primarily rely upon the use of ostensibly legitimate textile companies within Colombia to engage in trade-based money laundering. Using bank accounts for these companies, as well as accounts belonging to a series of shell companies in Panama, Guberek Ravinovicz and Guberek Grimberg provide a means for traffickers to transfer narcotics proceeds back to Colombia from locations all over the world, with drug money transiting additional accounts in Spain, Hong Kong, the United States, Mexico, China, Israel, the Cayman Islands, and Venezuela, as well as other locations in Europe and Central America.
Todays action, taken pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), generally prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with these entities and individuals, and freezes any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction.
This action would not have been possible without the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Treasury Department has designated more than 1,200 individuals and entities linked to 103 drug kingpins since June 2000. Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1.075 million per violation to more severe criminal penalties. Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $5 million. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10 million. Other individuals face up to 10 years in prison and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act.
For a chart relating to todays actions click here..
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"Hey Mike, when is BrikWars 2010 done? I really need to know!!" - Dürer, 2016
Varsaavius wrote:As the size of the explosion increases, the amount of social situations it can't resolve approaches zero.
Communiqué to: Inquisitionary Duchess Angelica Del Montero, from: High Lord Warhead of the Immortal Vanguard Fleet wrote:
Greetings Lady Duchess. Your words of conquest are pleasing to our ears. We are no less committed and will gladly lend any assistance we are able to your cause, your enemies are now also ours. The Immortals look forward to standing side by side in battle with your nations fine troops and I would encourage your goals in this venture. It is well that you have allowed our allies to share in the glory of battle against our enemies and both will serve you well I am sure, if they are used wisely to their own potential. I eagerly await news of your success.
lawmaster wrote:Kill him again.Bragallot wrote:He's already dead.lawmaster wrote:Kill the guy I'm in cc with.
lawmaster wrote:Kill him again.Bragallot wrote:He's already dead.lawmaster wrote:Kill the guy I'm in cc with.
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Pink Peppercorn
Even before your first bite, there's that arrestingly fruity aroma of cracked pink peppercorns. On the tongue, this flavorful spice produces a gentle heat, like a savory chili with a sweet bite. Add the color and tang of Pink Himalayan Salt, the buttery crunch of smooth, hull-less popcorn, and hello, love.


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Former SNAP Recipient Helps Increase Access to Fresh Produce at Farmers Markets
Blog Categories:
Ending Hunger
This post originally appeared on the USDA blog on March 24, 2011.
If there's one thing Corey Chatman is passionate about, it's making sure everyone has access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Maybe it's because he knows what it's like to rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for nourishment.
During the recent financial crisis, Corey was down on his luck and needed SNAP assistance to make ends meet. After he found a job with the Chicago-area nonprofit, Experimental Station, Corey was able to discontinue his SNAP benefits. To this day he's adamant about promoting the safety net that helped him through a tough time.
"I view this as a tremendous opportunity to give back to the community…by helping a valuable government program that helped me when I needed it the most," he says. For his day job, Corey helps Chicago farmers markets set up Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) machines so they can accept SNAP benefits. He set up the first EBT machines in 2010, and soon after farmers markets sales soared. Participating markets earned a record $28,944 in total SNAP/EBT transactions. And one market even broke Illinois state records for both complete season and one day sales.
Ensuring families have access to nutritious food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, is a key objective of the First Lady's Let's Move!initiative aimed at reducing childhood obesity and improving the health of Americans. And farmers' markets are vital in providing this access. Corey's future plans include implementing EBT machines at farmers markets across the state. He will happily offer free EBT consulting, training and on-site maintenance services to market managers, thanks in large part to a USDA Farmers' Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grant.
We look forward to an update on Corey's work as he continues to help those in need.
Megan Bensette is a Public Affairs Intern with the USDA FNS Midwest Region.


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The drill is the same during each and every week of preparation. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers highlights the Green Bay Packers' upcoming opponent's biggest playmaker and tells his guys, simply, We need to stop this guy.
It is obvious, to be sure, and often easier said than done. But with the exception of their failure against San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin in the Sept. 8 regular-season opener, one thing the Packers have done this season is contain opposing No. 1 receivers.
Now, their quest may have gotten a big medical assist on Oct. 6 when Detroit Lions all-pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson – you know, that Megatron guy who put up 329 receiving yards last week against Dallas – sat out with a knee injury, but even Chicago Bears No. 1 wide receiver Brandon Marshall is aware of what the Packers are doing against high-profile pass-catchers this year.
"Green Bay does a good job of taking out the No. 1 guy," Marshall said during a conference call with Wisconsin reporters on Thursday afternoon. "After the first game getting torched by Anquan, no other No. 1 has put up huge numbers, so you have to look at that and respect what they do on defense."
Boldin caught 13 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers' 34-28 victory in the opener, a heinous performance by the Packers defense in part because the 49ers were playing without their other top receivers, Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham, both sidelined by injury.
The next week, Washington's Pierre Garcon caught eight passes for 144 yards and a touchdown, but his numbers were misleading in a game where the Packers led, 24-0, at halftime. Garcon had catches of 44 and 18 yards in the first half, then had six catches for 82 yards in what amounted to garbage time.
Since then, Cincinnati's A.J. Green (four receptions, 46 yards, one TD), Baltimore's Torrey Smith (one catch, 12 yards), Cleveland's Josh Gordon (two catches, 21 yards) and Minnesota's Greg Jennings (one catch, 9 yards) have been non-factors.
Now, it's Marshall's turn. Last year, in the teams' first meeting, Marshall caught only two passes for 24 yards while quarterback Jay Cutler threw four interceptions in a 23-10 Packers victory. Marshall later said that Capers "did an amazing job of game-planning me," a plan that included Tramon Williams matching up on Marshall with frequent over-the-top safety help. Before the rematch, he dared the Packers to try to cover him man-to-man, which of course they didn't, and he caught six passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in the Packers' 21-13 victory.
Marshall enters Monday night having caught a team-high 46 passes for 540 yards and five TDs. No. 2 receiver Alshon Jeffery has 33 receptions for 561 yards and two TDs, although the Bears will be without Cutler, who suffered a torn groin muscle against Washington before last week's bye. Josh McCown is set to start in his place.
"For me, it never changes. I can watch a ton of film throughout the week and whatever team we're facing they're probably going to do something different to take me out of the game," Marshall said Thursday. "I guess that comes with success. I'm expecting them to definitely do something to take me out of the game and if that's the case, we have guys who can do some damage. Alshon Jeffrey, is actually leading us in receiving yards. That says a lot there. And (tight end) Martellus Bennett, he's a beast. If they're going to take me out, we definitely have guys that can beat them. It's going to be tough, though.
"There's always ways to get guys open who face a lot of roll coverage, different schemes, double coverages. But with us we're not going to force it to me. I think it's been working for us. Now, we have to get some wins with some of our success and progress."
The Packers' success and progress in the secondary has been interesting because they've done it without matching Williams on opponents' top targets, as they did last year on an almost weekly basis. They did that in part because Williams was still their best cover man, and in part because Sam Shields missed six games with an ankle injury and youngsters Casey Hayward and Davon House still had some growing to do.
Now, the Packers have all kinds of options, with that foursome plus rookie fifth-round pick Micah Hyde. Last week against the Vikings, the Packers played with Shields, Williams and House in the nickel (with Williams moving inside to the slot position) while giving Hayward 22 snaps in his season debut after a nagging hamstring injury. Then, in the dime unit, they used House and Shields outside and Williams and Hyde inside on the slot receivers. This week, Hayward could see more time but the Packers like all five of them.
Their approach to top receivers has been diverse, too. For instance, cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said against Baltimore on Oct. 13, the Packers started the game with Shields matching Smith, while House manned the other outside position and Williams worked in the slot. But when House wore down because of his special-teams work and Hyde replaced him, Hyde moved inside, Williams moved back outside and Whitt simply let whoever was on Smith's side cover him.
"Each game is a little bit different," Whitt said. "The last game, they just covered them well. Davon is starting to come into his own. He is challenging people. Sam is just playing outstanding. He's playing really good and Tramon has been solid. It's just a combination of, we have matched Sam on some of those guys, but when Tramon goes back outside, we let them play left and right, and they've done a nice job with it."
Marshall has put up big numbers against the Packers before. Before he joined the Bears last year, the Packers watched him catch 10 passes for 127 yards for the Miami Dolphins in a 23-20 overtime victory at Lambeau Field. In that game, Marshall caught passes of 13, 23 and 19 yards on the Dolphins' first possession – a drive which ended in a Miami touchdown – before Capers decided to match Williams on Marshall on the second drive. While that drive began with a pair of 5-yard catches by Marshall, it ended with Williams intercepting Chad Henne on a pass intended for Marshall. On the next play, Aaron Rodgers hit Greg Jennings for an 86-yard touchdown.
"As you go through your game plan, you evaluate how much they're going to somebody and obviously you want to try to make people beat you left-handed," Capers said. "Every team's a little bit different. We've probably done it a little bit more (this year) with scheme and double-schemes as opposed to matching a specific guy up.
"There's been two or three games (where) we've matched Sam up. We've been playing Tramon inside, that's a little bit different; now that Casey's back, I think it gives us a good combination of people. Micah Hyde continues to gain more experience at the dime position. We like what he's doing there. So I think it gives us more flexibility."
Williams said he's not only OK with not being the matchup guy anymore but that it actually helps with that defensive flexibility.
"There's just a chemistry about the defense," Williams said. "Just as a whole, we've been playing well. Everyone's been doing their job, and it's the little things.
"We felt it was good that we had good enough players that we can all handle what's going on out there, and at the end of the day, I just feel like it makes the defense better. Because now, you don't know who's going to be where. The opponent doesn't know who's going to be covering or where they're going to be at."
Williams went so far as to say this is the best and deepest cornerback group the Packers have had during his time in Green Bay, which goes back to 2007, when he was the third corner behind Pro Bowlers Al Harris and Charles Woodson.
"In this league, you can never have too many good DBs in the back end," Williams said. "We have some younger guys, (but) everybody's good. Back then, you could state the first three (were good) and then after that, you may say there's a dropoff. Now, there ain't much of that."
Listen to Jason Wilde every weekday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on "Green & Gold Today" on 540 ESPN, and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/jasonjwilde.


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March 15, 2011 —
The draft of the amended zoning ordinance on gas drilling in Damascus Township was released last week. A public hearing will be held on Thursday, March 31 at 7:00 p.m. at the township office at 60 Conklin Hill Road.
The draft adds definitions, amends the schedule of regulations for the rural residential and industrial districts and adds a section on oil and gas wells and pads.
As to definitions, it clarifies the terms "oil and gas pads" and "oil and gas wells." It defines further what is included in the term "mineral extraction."
The most significant development is that it declares oil and gas wells and pads as a conditional use in the rural residential district, the industrial district and the Neighborhood Development Area.
"The ordinance can require the planning commission to visit each site if it so wishes but it is not required," said Ed Lagarenne, township zoning officer. "They may want to look around to see if there may be a reason to adjust the setbacks."
Lagarenne said if adopted, the ordinance would bring the township into compliance with the River Management Plan (RMP). "The RMP requires that an application like this should be for a conditional use," he said. "Almost all of our river district is in the river corridor which comprises land within 1,500 feet of the River Road."
The RMP is a guide for the growth and use of the river corridor and its resources in order to protect its outstanding character. It provides a vision for the future of the river and context for future growth and emphasizes local control.
There can be no drilling in the river district, Lagarenne said.
"The [PA Municipal Planning] code allows zoning ordinances to regulate mineral extraction, but only to the extent that such uses are not regulated by the state," the draft states.
The amendment directs that a list of information requirements be provided to the township "for each well pad location upon application for conditional use approval."
It establishes the standard of 100 feet setbacks from property lines and roads, as well as minimal setbacks of 100 feet from the River District boundary and the Neighborhood Development District boundary.
The ordinance allows for input from the township board: "If the Board of Supervisors determines that the standards in this ordinance are not adequate to protect the public health, safety and welfare, the Board of Supervisors shall attach such other conditions deemed necessary provided the conditions do not include requirements which are preempted by state stature."
The board may also impose an increased well pad setback from property lines and/or zoning district boundaries based on public health, safety and welfare.
Go to damascustwp.org/docs/GasAmend_Ord_Rev03_1F.pdf to read the text of the amendment.


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Honolulu police say a man in his 60s is dead after being struck by a vehicle on Farrington Highway near the Kahe Power Plant in Nanakuli Friday morning.
The crash happened just after 5 a.m. Police say a woman in her 40s was driving a white pickup truck when she apparently hit the man.
Police say the man was homeless.
Emergency Medical Services officials say the man was taken to the hospital in extremely critical condition.
Investigators say speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors in the crash.
Lanes on Farrington Highway in the town bound direction were being contraflowed while police investigated.
All lanes were opened up by 8:20 a.m.