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21-428: Member countries have more recently incorporated narcoterrorism and drug smuggling as focus areas for RATS, as narcotics have become a major source of funding for anti-government activities within member states. The organization also maintains a database of individuals and organizations aiding organizations designated as terrorists, separatists or extremists by member states. RATS has been described by researchers at

42-863: A "terrorist group", Pakistan opposes the definition. What China claims are counterterrorism efforts in Xinjiang are criticized by other RATS members, and much of the international community, as persecution of Muslim ethnic minorities . Definitions of "terrorists" and "terrorist groups" have become more blurry and sensitive as the SCO has grown, and member states have tended to retain inconsistent definitions and standards concerning counterterrorism. The list of entities designated as terrorist groups active in each member state has also been criticized for being discretionary, dictated by member governments. Russia since has used this authority to designate government opposition politician Alexei Navalny 's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK)

63-493: A terrorist entity with RATS. Narcoterrorism Narcoterrorism , in its original context, is understood to refer to the attempts of narcotics traffickers to influence the policies of a government or a society through violence and intimidation , and to hinder the enforcement of anti-drug laws by the systematic threat or use of such violence. As with most definitions of terrorism, it typically only refers to non-state actors . Pablo Escobar 's violence in his dealings with

84-671: Is being increasingly used for terrorist organizations that engage in drug trafficking activity to fund their operations and gain recruits and expertise. Such organizations include FARC , ELN , AUC in Colombia, PCP-SL in Peru, Hamas , Hezbollah , and the Taliban . A 2013 Congressional Research Service report noted that in 2003, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported that 14 of 36 (39%) of

105-511: Is often said to finance its activities through drug trafficking, the 9/11 Commission Report notes that "while the drug trade was a source of income for the Taliban , it did not serve the same purpose for al Qaeda, and there is no reliable evidence that bin Laden was involved in or made his money through drug trafficking." The organization gains most of its finances through donations, particularly those by "wealthy Saudi individuals". Critics of

126-527: The 19th of April Movement (Marxist guerrillas) sieged the palace of Justice in order to hold all supreme magistrates hostage. The organized military reaction caused the building to burn resulting in the deaths of 91 people, 11 of which were judges. Although the M-19 denies being funded from outside sources, multiple sources say the Medellin Cartel funded them. Additionally, numerous bombs detonated across

147-536: The Colombian government is probably one of the most known and best documented examples of narcoterrorism. The term itself was coined by former President Fernando Belaúnde Terry of Peru in 1983 when describing terrorist attacks against his nation's anti-narcotics police. The term has become a subject of controversy, largely due to its use in discussing violent opposition to the US government's War on Drugs . The term

168-683: The United States Army War College as "SCO’s most important and best-functioning component structure to date." The director of the RATS Executive Committee is appointed by the SCO Council of Heads of State to a three-year term after which the role is traditionally transferred to the representative of another member state, rotating by order of accession. The current director is Ruslan Mirzaev of Uzbekistan , who assumed office on 1 January 2022. RATS

189-402: The prohibition of drugs say that prohibition itself funds terrorism, due to it indirectly making the black market and criminal organizations responsible for all sale. Areas or countries that have experienced narcoterrorist activity or narco-warfare include: During the period from 1984–1993, Colombia was known as one of the countries to have suffered a number of terrorist attacks at

210-623: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ), and the Economic Cooperation Organization ( ECO ). Member states have flexibility to appoint whomever they would like to represent their interests with RATS. There is no statutory requirement for the official to come from an intelligence or law enforcement background, though the Russian Federation for example has traditionally been represented by

231-1016: The SCO Charter, the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, the Agreement among the SCO member states on the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, as well as the documents and decisions adopted in the framework of the SCO. To varying extents, RATS has cooperation agreements with the United Nations , Interpol , the Commonwealth of the Independent States ( CIS ), the Collective Security Treaty Organization ( CSTO ),

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252-529: The U.S. Bush administration , of Plan Colombia , intending to eradicate drug crops and to act against drug lords accused of engaging in narcoterrorism, including among them the leaders of the Marxist FARC and the AUC paramilitary forces. The U.S. government is funding large-scale drug eradication campaigns and supporting Colombian military operations, seeking the extradition of commanders. Although al-Qaeda

273-516: The country, the most memorable bomb being the one that brought down Avianca Flight 203 during its flight over Soacha Cundinamarca resulting in 107 dead in 1989. In Colombian history, the FARC were initially major enemies of the drug cartels. The MAS (Muerte a los secuestradores - Death to the kidnappers) was a group created by the most eminent members of the Cali cartel, including Escobar and Ochoa against

294-472: The drug traffickers, these connections were described as « temporary alliances ». President Alvaro Uribe, who was elected on the idea of waging an all-out war against the FARC, over-emphasized the link between drugs and the FARC as well as the terrorist nature of the guerilla group in a post 2001 context: “(Álvaro Uribe) increasingly equated the guerrillas with drug traffickers and terrorists” . This policy has provoked much criticism which has enriched

315-629: The government’s policies on extradition and their collaborations with the United States government who sought to bring the Colombian drug bosses to justice. These terrorist acts typically consisted of assassinations of political figures, kidnappings, and bombings. The wing of the cartel also known as Los Priscos reportedly also participated directly in these acts of terrorism at the behest of the Medellín Cartel’s top leaders. Pablo Escobar

336-428: The groups designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations "were involved 'to some degree' in illicit narcotics activity" while in fiscal year 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) "reported that 29 of the top 63 international drug syndicates, identified as such on the consolidated priority organization target (CPOT) list, were associated with terrorists." In 2000 the U.S. began funding, continued under

357-492: The guerrillas who had kidnapped one of Ochoa's sister. The MAS was responsible for the deaths of 500 members of the Patriotic Union, a political party that emerged from the demobilization of part of the FARC in the 1990s. Significantly, it is worth recalling that Medellin cartel refused to buy coca from peasants living in areas under FARC control. From then on, even when there was evidence of collaboration between FARC and

378-507: The hands of narcotic traffickers. Belisario Betancourt , Virgilio Barco and César Gaviria were three Colombian presidents that constantly battled against the Medellín Cartel ’s unrelenting war on the government, especially through its branch known as Los Extraditables led by Pablo Escobar Gaviria , Gustavo Gaviria and Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha . A number of crimes by “Los Extraditables” were due to their constant battles against

399-634: The principle deputy director of the FSB , and most Chinese representatives including previous RATS director Zhang Xinfeng have been members of the Ministry of Public Security . Criticism of the SCO RATS within the organization has centered mainly around how the group describes its adversaries. Although China, India and Russia name the Pakistan-based Islamic extremist group Jaish-e-Mohammed

420-466: Was elected as a representative as an alternative congress delegate, but allegations from politicians, the newspaper “El Espectador” and the minister of justice declared him a drug trafficker and he was eventually dismissed from Congress on January 4, 1984. On April 30, 1984, a motorcycle gunman from the Medellin Cartel killed the minister of Justice Rodrigo Lara Bonilla . On November 6, 1985

441-592: Was headquartered in Tashkent , Uzbekistan, until 2022, when the organisation voted to move its headquarters to Moscow , Russia. RATS' official languages are Chinese , Russian and English . RATS was established in during a meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO Member States on June 7, 2002, in Saint Petersburg , though the organization did not become active until 2004. It is governed in accordance with

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