ABU DHABI — Saudi security sources said Sunni insurgents have been smuggling illegal drugs from Iraq to Saudi Arabia to finance insurgency attacks against coalition forces.
The sources said the drugs being smuggling now tend to be cannabis.
"In the space of one year, border police intercepted 10 tons of cannabis
coming from Iraq," a Saudi source said. "In the past, the [smuggled]
merchandise used to consist of alcoholic beverages and prohibited drugs."
Saudi officials said that from February through August 2005, Saudi
authorities captured 682 infiltrators, Middle East Newsline reported. They said that Riyad, which deploys
35,000 troops, has spent more than $1 billion to improve security along the
Iraqi border and closed 27 smuggling routes.
The sources said revenues from the smuggling were being shared by Al
Qaida operatives in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. They said the money has been used
to purchase weapons and finance attacks in both countries.
"We have reason to believe that profits from drug smuggling has been
financing militants who are fighting Iraqi and coalition forces and
facilitating the illegal entry of people into the country," a Saudi security
source told the London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat daily. "It also supports Al
Qaida's terrorist activities inside the kingdom."
"Since March 2004, we have given special training to officers to monitor
the Iraqi border," a Saudi security source told the Riyad-based Al Watan
daily. "There are 34 fixed units and 37 mobile units monitoring the Iraqi
border."
The sources said Al Qaida has turned to drug smuggling after Saudi
authorities decreased the flow of contributions from the kingdom. They said
that over the last year Saudi intelligence has been monitoring the flow of
funds to Al Qaida.
The sources said Al Qaida's network in Iraq has sought Saudi volunteers,
largely for their willingness to transfer money to the insurgency. They said
hundreds of Saudis who infiltrated to Iraq were believed to have brought in
up to $15,000 each.
Many of the Saudis have arrived in Iraq via Syria. The sources said
Saudis sought by authorities left the kingdom for Yemen and then made their
way to Syria. Still others entered Iraq from neighboring Iran.
A senior Saudi official said up to 3,000 Saudis were said to be fighting
the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. The official told a briefing to Saudi
journalists in mid-2005 that the volunteers joined the Al Qaida
network led by Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi.
