Private Contractors and Covert Wars in Latin America http://upsidedownworld.org/main/international-archives-60/2539-private-contractors-and-covert-wars-in-latin-america

Contractors such as DynCorp and Northrop Grumman working in South and Central America are paid to spray drug crops, work with foreign militaries and police, offer intelligence and operational support, and conduct public relations assignments. McCaskill, who said "there is almost no transparency," added that she "will not hesitate to use subpoenas."

Meanwhile, the United Nations is pushing for a new international convention to regulate Private Military and Security Companies (PMSC's).“This industry, which deals with heavy weaponry in conflict zones is less regulated than the toy industry,” said José Luis Gómez del Prado, chair of the UN's Working Group on the use of mercenaries, in April.

William F. Wechsler, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global Threats, used his testimony at the Senate to connect the 'war on drugs' with the 'war on terrorism.'

comment-heres some backround on WILLIAM F. WECHSLER... vice president, Greenwich Associates; former director for transnational threats, National Security Council and special adviser to the secretary of the Treasury. Former chair of the interagency group charged with disrupting al Qaeda’s financial network.http://www.cfr.org/publication/5080/terrorist_financing.html?id=5080

Greenwich Associates is a consulting firm in institutional financial services. Based in Stamford, Connecticut, with additional offices in London, Toronto, Tokyo, and Singapore, the firm's clients include 250 global financial service companies.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich_Associates