Terrorism still No. 1 threat to the country

Last week I met with counterterrorism experts from the United States who came here to conduct studies regarding the situation in Marawi, and the link between terrorism and the illegal drugs trade.

Since the discovery of several kilograms of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride estimated at P250 million in a residence in Marawi during clearing operations by government troops, suspicions have become heightened that terrorist groups are using the illegal drugs business to generate funding.

The US and the Philippines are, in fact, embarking on a bilateral, interagency counterterrorism drill dubbed Tempest Wind to assess the capability of both countries in rapidly planning, coordinating and conducting counterterrorism operations and see what areas should be improved on.

The drills – which will take place in Hawaii and the Philippines – will be augmented by additional assessments from the military, national level engagement and information exchange. Tempest Wind will certainly be a good way to test the readiness of the troops and other elements that will be engaged in counterterrorism operations, and find ways to enhance interoperability.

The exercises have been designed to “create a realistic environment to exercise counterterrorism strategy, including senior decision-making and tactical responses while deepening the bilateral partnership,” the local US Embassy said in a statement, stressing that the assessments to be made from the drills will help both nations to focus future bilateral training efforts in enhancing their crisis response capabilities.

Since the twin attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by al-Qaeda terrorists in what has become known as 9/11, terrorism continues to be a global threat, with no less than the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime executive director acknowledging the link between drugs and terrorism.

 In fact, a study published by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation or Europol said the drug trade is funding terrorism in Europe.

According to the report, the heroin market, estimated at €6.8 billion annually, is the second biggest illicit drug market in the European Union, while cannabis (marijuana), which accounts for around 38 percent of the retail market for illegal drugs, is estimated to rake in €9.3 billion per year, making cannabis the most widely used drug in Europe.

Europol director Rob Wainwright has, in fact, noted that illicit drug production and trafficking remains one of the largest and most innovative criminal markets in Europe, becoming more complex and intertwined with other crimes and even terrorism which represent a “key threat” to the internal security of the EU.

Last month, a naval task force led by France and Britain intercepted drugs estimated at €436 million from smugglers plying the Gulf and the Indian Ocean. Called Operation Southern Surge, Combined Task Force 150 – which also has warships from Australia and the US – successfully mounted eight raids since April against illegal drug traffickers who are suspected of using their profits to fund terrorism.

According to UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, the success of the joint task force is a demonstration of Britain’s firm commitment to global maritime security and their ability to work with allies to tackle the treat from drug smuggling. Fallon said the money from the criminal activities fund terrorists who threaten British citizens at home and abroad. Just recently, 22 people were injured following an  explosion in a London underground train – the fifth attack by terrorists this year, with the most horrific so far being the suicide bombing attack during an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena last May 22 that killed 23 people – among them children and teenagers – and injured 250 others.

Experts have long pointed out the connection between Islamic terrorism and drug trafficking. Groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS are making a lot of money trafficking drugs across the Sahara and offering protection to smugglers and illicit goods traders, with new recruits driven less by ideology and more on the thought of financial gain. Even Boko Haram, the homegrown terrorist group from Nigeria that has killed thousands, destroyed dozens of villages and which has since become affiliated with ISIS, is also using profits from the narcotics trade to fund its activities and pay new recruits.

Synthetic identities 

An estimated 143 million Americans could be affected by identity theft and financial fraud after hackers stole sensitive information from Equifax, a major consumer credit reporting agency that collects data on more than 800 million people and 88 businesses worldwide.  Names, addresses, birthdates and social security numbers of credit card holders were stolen in what has been described as a massive security breach, with the possibility that identity thieves could use the information for years to conduct fraudulent transactions.

Experts however, say cybercriminals don’t even need to steal data from consumers because they can just create “synthetic identities” or fake people to get real credit cards – something that apparently has been happening for several years. These scammers look for inactive social security numbers  then combine them with a fake identity and a real address, which they then use these to apply for credit cards.

Although credit card companies initially reject requests from those with no existing credit profiles, the fraudsters just keep applying until one card company opens an account. This small window leads to bigger opportunities because they can use the new account to apply for cards from other companies. The scammers religiously pay up and wait for credit limits to increase – and then charge everything to the max, running up tabs of tens of thousands of dollars before discarding the synthetic account – to the dismay of credit card companies who belatedly realize that they’ve been had.

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