Steven W. Casteel

In the following viewpoint, originally given as testimony before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on May 20, 2003, Steven W. Casteel asserts that narcoterrorism—when terrorism is funded by the sale of illegal drugs—is a worldwide threat. He contends that narcoterrorism is a particularly serious problem throughout South America, where terrorist organizations such as Colombia’s National Liberation Army use profits from cocaine and heroin trafficking to help finance car bombings, kidnappings, assassinations, and other terrorist acts. According to Casteel, narcoterrorism will persist until the flow of drug money is stopped. Casteel is an assistant administrator for intelligence for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What is the Drug Enforcement Administration’s mission, as stated by Casteel?
2. According to the author, how do the Revolutionary Armed Forces of...