The motivation for crime is money, and criminals are motivated by the quest for cash. Easy to commit crimes that attract little attention and have a good payoff attract the petty criminal. Criminals look for crimes to increase their income. Terrorists are also looking for money, preferably 'off the record' money, to conduct their illicit activities. They also benefit from expendable labor and a good distribution system. The two are a natural match for the street pharmaceutical industry.
Terrorism Looks LIke Organized Crime
Everyone is familiar with the concept of organized crime. Since the movie the Godfather,and more recently the TV show The Sopranos, Americans have become accustomed to how organized crime works. There's the inner circle, or family; and the outer circle is comprised of petty criminals who run errands and do odd jobs for significant pay. These petty criminals become quite used to working with an essentially anonymous organization and expects directions to be both vague and explicit at the same time: "Here, take this to this address and the person sitting by the waterfountain on the third floor will take it and pay you." By following these simple directions without asking any questions, the criminal receives a good rate of pay. It doesn't matter which group is paying him, he simply does the work and collects his pay. Today's organized crime is terrorism, not the Sopranos, but the rewards (and dangers) are the same.
Advantages to the Terrorist
Terrorist organizations who use petty criminals have a seemingly endless supply of essentially expendable manpower. If the criminal is caught, he or she doesn't even really know who is paying them. "Some fellow who wears a Yankees jacket" is a very vague description, and use of over-the-counter, no contract cell phones makes it impossible to trace the user. The result is a perfect set up for organized crime to run drugs -- or for terrorists to run bioterrorism activities.
All across America, petty criminals and drug dealers manufacture street drugs in kitchen chemistry labs. The whole set up is already in place for an enterprising terrorist to exploit. The benefit of hiring a local street pharmaceutical specialist to mix up and distribute drugs that have been cut with a terrorist provided "secret ingredient" of bioterrorism is very great indeed. The criminal would not even know they were involved with any activity other than the usual drug activity.
Harnassing Organized Crime
If using the petty criminal makes sense, then using organized crime units already in existence is particularly smart. Organized crime exists in nearly every town and city. They have extensive distribution networks in place, a great deal of cash, and an established network of runners (those pesky petty criminals again) and workers. And just as valuable to the terrorist, they have no moral qualms about killing those who might try to get in their way. Michigan State University reports that organized crime exists throughout the world, meaning that a bioterrorism distribution system that can be easily utilized is already in place.
The combination of easy money and a ready supply of distribution agents makes the combinaton of durgs and terrorism a real challenge to law enforcement and Homeland Security. Keep yourself informed of this growing threat.
