Drugs for Missiles Deal Busted, page 1

posted on Apr, 4 2006 @ 11:19 AM

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A Pakistani citizen has been sentenced to federal prison for trying to trade hashish and heroin for shoulder fired Stinger missiles he intended to deliver to the Taliban and al-Quaida. Two other co-conspirators await sentencing in this case.

www.nctimes.com
SAN DIEGO -- A federal judge sentenced a Pakistani man Monday to nearly five years in prison for his admitted role in a drugs-for-weapons plot to sell Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to the Taliban and al-Qaida.

Muhamed Abid Afridi, 32, of Peshawar, Pakistan pleaded guilty in March 2004 to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and hashish.

Two other men pleaded guilty to the same charges. The lead defendant, Syed Mustajab Shah, 57, also of Pakistan, entered his plea Thursday and is scheduled for sentencing on June 19. Sentencing for Ilyas Ali, 58, of St. Paul, Minn., a naturalized U.S. citizen born in India, is set for April 10.

Afridi admitted that he tried to sell five tons of hashish and a half-ton of heroin to undercover U.S. law enforcement officials in 2002 in exchange for cash and four shoulder-fired Stinger missiles, which he and the other defendants intended to sell to members of the Taliban. Such missiles could be used to shoot down airplanes, including commercial jets, flying at low altitudes.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Shades of Iran-Contra here. Looks like they tried to use the gimmick one too many times. Fortunately, this time around, the missile sellers were the right kind of government agents, the kind who bust jerks like this for attempting to trade drugs that can kill innocent people for missiles that can kill more innocent people.

[edit on 4-4-2006 by Icarus Rising]

[edit on 10-4-2006 by asala]

Griff

posted on Apr, 4 2006 @ 12:05 PM

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Something fishy here. Only 5 years for selling 5 tons of hashish and half a ton of heroin? Not to mention the admitted plan to sell to the Taliban?

My friend is in jail right now serving a 3 year sentence for just having stuff on him. What the heck is going on here? BTW, it was nowhere near 5 tons of hashish. Also, if that was me selling 5 tons of marijuana (hashish is concentrated marijuana), I'd be in jail the rest of my life. Fishy to say the least.

Icarus Rising

posted on Apr, 4 2006 @ 12:24 PM

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Thank you for pointing that out. I was going to say the same thing.

It is an extremely light sentence, especially when we are ready to put Moussaoui to death, as a comparison. Drugs for missiles, and the guy pleads guilty, and only gets five years. I can only hope this is indicative of a plea deal, and they are going light on the jerk because he gave up his whole network, or something like that.

[edit on 4-4-2006 by Icarus Rising]

Crakeur

posted on Apr, 4 2006 @ 12:30 PM

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the lawyers cut a good deal for the perp. Remember, our focus is on catching terrorists and this arrest might lead to more arrests. Who knows what kind of info this guy has or has given up and who knows how many other leads or arrests will be made as a result of his talking.

df1

posted on Apr, 4 2006 @ 01:51 PM

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Crakeur
Who knows what kind of info this guy has or has given up and who knows how many other leads or arrests will be made as a result of his talking.

The problem with the direction that the U.S. government is taking is that we will never know, because everything is kept secret. Quite frankly this "Who knows" schtick is getting old and shop worn. And who knows, maybe our government has become just as sleazy as appearances would indicate.

Icarus Rising

posted on Apr, 4 2006 @ 05:58 PM

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The way the story goes, the missiles were in the hands of the government agents who made the bust. They were supposed to exchange the missiles for the drugs with the guys they busted.

Afridi admitted that he tried to sell five tons of hashish and a half-ton of heroin to undercover U.S. law enforcement officials in 2002 in exchange for cash and four shoulder-fired Stinger missiles, which he and the other defendants intended to sell to members of the Taliban.

So, what I'm wondering is, did the government end up with the missiles and the drugs?

Crakeur

posted on Apr, 4 2006 @ 07:00 PM

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since gov't operatives were posing as the guys selling the weapons, one would assume they had them to show the drug dealer. I doubt they let him take them home and then arrest him although it might not have been a bad idea to put tracking devices on those things.

Nygdan

posted on Apr, 5 2006 @ 09:04 AM

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My friend is in jail right now serving a 3 year sentence for just having stuff on him

Was your friend able to turn over international terrorists as part of a plea deal???

Griff

posted on Apr, 5 2006 @ 09:13 AM

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We don't know that he did a deal. So, it is speculation. Therefore, that arguement is null. Still, five years for being a terrorist? I wonder how Johnny Walker Lynd's family thinks about this?

Crakeur

posted on Apr, 5 2006 @ 09:46 AM

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do you really doubt that a deal was struck?

5 years for tons, literally, of drugs and you're saying "if a deal was made"

let's at least acknowledge that a deal was made here. there's no other explanation for the short time, unless they figure they'll pop this guy in a cell with a real patriot who does double duty as a skinhead or something.

Griff

posted on Apr, 5 2006 @ 09:59 AM

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I'm not disputting that a deal was made. I'm sure of it. But, 5 years for being a terrorist? It still doesn't add up. I don't care if he gives them Bin Laden, he should still do more time than 5 years. That's all I'm trying to say here. Especially when we are about to kill Moaussowi (sp?) for just saying he was suppossed to be a part of 9/11? Doesn't add up.

Crakeur

posted on Apr, 5 2006 @ 11:27 AM

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his crime was selling drugs. Remeber, he wanted to sell drugs for money and weapons which he was supposedly going to sell to the taliban. He didn't sell the weapons to the taliban. He sold drugs. For all we know, this guy was an opportunist who had no contacts with any terror groups (I doubt it but it could be possible).

Griff

posted on Apr, 5 2006 @ 11:36 AM

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And Moussawi's crime was what? Conspiring. Conspiring to do a crime is also a crime in itself I believe. This guy admitted to conspire with the Taliban....i.e that makes him a terrorist himself. I still think this whole deal is fishy.

Hal9000

posted on Apr, 5 2006 @ 11:46 AM

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How does this have "Shades of Iran-Contra"? That was a weapons-for-hostages deal, and no drugs involved, only crooked politicians.

en.wikipedia.org...

I think this case goes to show the relationship between terrorists and drugs. If you do drugs, your supporting terrorism.

I say stick to the juice.

Crakeur

posted on Apr, 5 2006 @ 12:58 PM

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griff, his crime was lying to the feds which led to them not stopping the plot.

in other words, since the feds screwed up they can now say that this guy's lies were the reason we didn't stop the attacks.

Icarus Rising

posted on Apr, 5 2006 @ 01:22 PM

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How does this have "Shades of Iran-Contra"?

My recollection of Iran-Contra is the money for the weapons that freed the hostages came from drugs supplied by the Contras through Noriega in Panama. Your own link touches on this in a somewhat convoluted way. How do you figure the Contras fit in? I know for a fact that there were drugs involved in the Iran-Contra affair.

US Attorney General Edwin Meese on November 25 admitted that profits from weapons sales to Iran were made available to assist the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

So, please tell me how, if the weapons were exchanged for the hostages, did we also receive money from Iran for their sale? I thought we received the hostages in exchange for the weapons. Were they holding a bunch of cash hostage, too?

Faced with undeniable evidence of his involvement in the scandal, Reagan expressed regret regarding the situation on national television on March 4, 1987. In his speech, Reagan stated that his previous assertions that the US did not trade arms for hostages were incorrect.

Is this the original version of the Texas two-step? Is it possible to talk out both sides of your mouth at once? Only if you speak with a forked tongue.

Contra-drug links

Sen. John Kerry's 1988 U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations report on Contra-drug links concluded that "senior U.S. policy makers were not immune to the idea that drug money was a perfect solution to the Contras' funding problems."

In August of 1996, the San Jose Mercury News published Gary Webb's "Dark Alliance", a 20,000 word, three-part investigative series which alleged that Nicaraguan drug traffickers had sold and distributed crack coc aine in Los Angeles during the 1980s, and that drug profits were used to fund the CIA-supported Nicaraguan Contras.

Gary Webb was suicided as a direct result of this expose, and subsequent projects he was researching. Oh, but the 'official' story goes he was 'clinically depressed' for a long time.

I am so sick of all these lies!

[edit on 5-4-2006 by Icarus Rising]

Hal9000

posted on Apr, 6 2006 @ 08:41 AM

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How does this have "Shades of Iran-Contra"?

I know for a fact that there were drugs involved in the Iran-Contra affair.

OK, so drugs were involved, point taken.

My point was that this deal was not made by any government. Fortunately, it was US government agents that busted these guys, so kudos to them.

I am so sick of all these lies!

Couldn’t agree with you more, but I just wouldn’t rank this case at the same level as Iran-Contra.

All in my opinion.

Icarus Rising

posted on Apr, 6 2006 @ 08:59 AM

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I don't think it rises nearly to the level of Iran-Contra, just shades of, in that it was an arms deal involving drugs. Again, it is great to see the government was on the right side of this deal, and provided a sting instead of Stingers.

I want to clarify that when I said I was sick of all the lies, I was in no way referring to your post.