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DEA
Congressional Testimony [print
friendly page] Statement
of Thank you, Mr. Chairman,
for this opportunity to speak on behalf of the DEA on the general subject
of drug trafficking in the Caribbean, with a particular focus on Cuba
and Puerto Rico. I have a written statement to submit for the record,
with your permission. Allow me to begin by discussing trafficking patterns
in the Caribbean. DEA's mission is
to protect American citizens from drug traffickers by enforcing the drug
laws of the United States. A major means of accomplishing this mission
is DEA's ability to target the command and control of the most significant
international drug trafficking organizations operating in the world today.
Several of these organizations smuggle their poison into the United States
through the Caribbean. The international
drug syndicates operating throughout our hemisphere are resourceful, adaptable,
and extremely powerful. These syndicates have an unprecedented level of
sophistication and are more powerful and influential than any of the organized
crime enterprises preceding them. Traditional organized crime syndicates,
operating within the United States from the turn of the century to the
present, simply cannot compare to the Colombian and Mexican drug trafficking
organizations functioning in this hemisphere. These drug trafficking organizations
have at their disposal an arsenal of technology, weapons and allies, corrupted
law enforcement, and government officials enabling them to dominate the
illegal drug market in ways not previously thought possible. The leaders
of these drug trafficking organizations oversee a multi-billion dollar
cocaine and heroin industry that affects every aspect of American life.
TRAFFICKING THROUGH THE CARIBBEAN TO THE UNITED STATES: The Caribbean has
long been an important transit zone for drugs entering the United States
and Europe from South America. The drugs are transported through the region,
to both the United States and Europe, through a wide variety of routes
and methods. The primary method
for smuggling large quantities of cocaine through the Caribbean to the
United States is via maritime vessels. Go-fast boats (small launches with
powerful motors), bulk cargo freighters, and containerized cargo vessels
are the most common conveyances for moving large quantities of cocaine
through the region. Drug traffickers also routinely transport smaller
quantities of cocaine from Colombia to clandestine landing strips in the
Caribbean, using single or twin-engine aircraft. Traffickers also airdrop
cocaine loads to waiting land vehicles and/or maritime vessels. Couriers transport
smaller quantities of cocaine on commercial flights from the Caribbean
to the United States. Couriers transport cocaine by concealing small multi-kilogram
quantities of cocaine on their person or in baggage. Couriers also transport
small quantities (up to one kilogram) of cocaine by ingesting the product.
Compared to cocaine,
heroin movement through the Caribbean is limited. Heroin is generally
not consumed in the Caribbean, but rather is transshipped to Puerto Rico
or the Continental United States. Almost all of the heroin transiting
the Caribbean originates in Colombia. Couriers generally transport kilogram
quantities of Colombian heroin on commercial flights from South America
to Puerto Rico or the Continental United States, concealing the heroin
on their person or in baggage. Couriers also transport smaller quantities
(up to one kilogram) of heroin by concealing the heroin through ingestion.
The couriers sometimes make one or two stops at various Caribbean islands
in an effort to mask their original point of departure from law enforcement.
Jamaica remains the
only significant Caribbean source country for marijuana destined to the
United States. Go-fast boats from Jamaica often transport multi-hundred
kilogram quantities of marijuana through Cuban and Bahamian waters to
Florida. The Caribbean also
plays an important role in drug-related money laundering. Many Caribbean
countries have well-developed offshore banking systems and bank secrecy
laws that facilitate money laundering. In countries with less developed
banking systems, money is often moved through these countries in bulk
shipments of cash - the ill-gotten proceeds of selling illicit drugs in
the United States. The ultimate destination of the currency and/or assets
is other Caribbean countries or South America A few statistics
will illustrate the magnitude of the problem posed by South American cocaine
flowing through the Caribbean to the United States. The Interagency Assessment
of Cocaine Movement (IACM), in which the DEA participates, provides estimates
on the cocaine tonnage transiting various countries including Jamaica,
Haiti, the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, and to Cuba. The following
table of IACM data provides estimated cocaine flow in metric tons through
these countries to the United States from July 1998 through June 1999.
Estimated Cocaine Flow in Metric Tons from July 1998 through June 1999
TRAFFICKING THROUGH THE CARIBBEAN TO EUROPE: The Caribbean region
continues to play an important role in the transportation of cocaine from
South America to Europe. Cocaine is transported to Europe through the
Caribbean primarily in commercial container cargo or concealed in medium-to-large
merchant vessels. Spain is the primary destination of this cocaine. Colombian
drug traffickers prefer forming alliances with Spanish drug traffickers.
In Spain, there is no language barrier and the Colombian drug traffickers
can move about with more anonymity than in other European countries. The
Netherlands and Belgium are other focal points currently used by Colombian
drug trafficking organizations to distribute cocaine to Europe. Colombian
organizations exploit the commercial links that exist between the Netherlands
Antilles and the European markets in Holland and Belgium Containers are loaded
with cocaine in South American ports. The cocaine is sometimes concealed
in the merchandise itself, but more often, in false compartments constructed
within the container. The containers are often transshipped through various
ports in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean while enroute
to European ports. While Spain has remained the primary initial destination
of the cocaine, recent seizures indicate large cocaine shipments were
destined for ports in the Mediterranean and northern Europe. Large quantities
of cocaine are also clandestinely loaded aboard medium to large merchant
vessels in the Caribbean. Merchant vessels destined for Europe call at
various ports in the Caribbean to load legitimate cargo. At some point
in the journey to Europe, the vessels will sail near the Colombian or
Venezuelan Caribbean coasts where go-fast boats rendezvous with the merchant
vessels and load large quantities of cocaine. The cocaine may then be
stored in false compartments constructed in the merchant vessel and then
transported to locations near the European coast. The cocaine can then
be loaded onto go-fast boats and clandestinely off-loaded at various locations
on the European coast Countries in Europe
are experiencing an increase in drug abuse and a concomitant increase
in the flow of cocaine from South America. Over the past 10 years, cocaine
seizures in Europe have increased dramatically. In 1988, a total of 5.7
metric tons of cocaine HCl was seized in Europe. In 1997, the total rose
to 40 metric tons. This increase in seizures is an indicator of increased
demand for cocaine in Europe. The increase in demand has driven the price
of cocaine in Europe to levels above those found in the U.S. In 1998,
the price range for one kilogram of cocaine sold in the U.S. was $10,000
to $36,000. During the same period, the price of cocaine in Europe ranged
from a low of $12,000 per kilogram in the Netherlands to a high of $55,000
per kilogram in Germany. During 1998, the average price of a kilogram
of cocaine in Spain was $41,000. This disparity in price between Europe
and the United States is a significant incentive for Colombian drug traffickers
to expand their marketing efforts in Europe. CUBA'S ROLE IN THE DRUG TRADE: The island of Cuba
lies in a direct air and maritime path from South America to Florida.
As Cuba expands its foreign trade relations, its territory will become
more vulnerable to exploitation by international criminals seeking to
establish new bases of operation for illegal activities, including drug
trafficking. Understanding these changing trafficking trends is vital
in order to take effective measures to stem the flow of drugs. While the Government
of Cuba's performance in interdicting narcotics has been mixed, the Cuban
Government has recently strengthened agreements with several governments
- including the United Kingdom, Italy, the Bahamas, and France - as well
as the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODCCP).
Cuban authorities, on occasion, have arrested individual drug traffickers;
but, historically, the Cuban government did not respond aggressively to
incursions by these traffickers into Cuban territorial waters and airspace.
Cuba has argued that it lacks the "naval means" and other resources to
patrol all of its airspace and territorial waters while, at the same time,
it does not routinely permit U.S. interdiction assets to enter its territory.
Drug traffickers
continue to use Cuban waters and airspace to evade U.S. interdiction assets.
Go-fast boats from Jamaica routinely travel just inside Cuban waters to
avoid contact with U.S. vessels. Traffickers also use small aircraft to
transport cocaine from clandestine airfields on the Guajira Peninsula
in Colombia through Cuban air space. The cocaine may then be airdropped
and later retrieved by go-fasts that take the drugs to The Bahamas for
further transshipment to the United States. It should be noted that, in
1999, the number of these suspected drug over-flights of Cuban territory
has declined compared to the number in 1998 According to Cuban
police reporting provided to the Colombian Government, Cuban law enforcement
has made occasional arrests of drug couriers. The majority of these couriers
were transporting kilogram quantities of cocaine to European countries,
although occasional deliveries were made to traffickers operating in Cuba.
Cuban authorities have reported to the Colombian authorities only limited
instances of heroin couriers traveling to Cuba. Commercial vessels,
which transport cocaine from South America to Europe, may also load legitimate
cargo in Cuban ports. These vessels transit other Caribbean, Central American
or South American ports. At some time during the voyage, the vessel may
sail near the Colombian or Venezuelan coast. Cocaine may then be clandestinely
loaded aboard these vessels. In addressing the
role of Cuba in the international drug trade, DEA must rely on international
media sources, as well as other foreign law enforcement agencies, for
much of our information regarding drug arrests and seizures by Cuban authorities.
DEA does not have a presence in Cuba. Therefore, we have no formal contacts
with Cuban authorities, and we cannot independently corroborate much of
the reporting on alleged Cuban involvement in drug trafficking. THE CARTAGENA SEIZURE The December 1998
seizure of 7.254 metric tons of cocaine in the Colombian port of Cartagena
is one example of drugs apparently destined to transit Cuba -- which has
received a great deal of attention. The Colombian National Police found
the cocaine sophisticatedly concealed in compartments within maritime
shipping containers. The containers were manifested for shipment to Cuba.
DEA, and other U.S. counterdrug agencies have been aggressively and meticulously
pursuing the investigation of this cocaine shipment. I outline below some
of the steps we have taken since my last appearance before this committee.
At this point in our investigation, we have no information that suggests
that this shipment was destined for the United States. The information
we do have, which we are attempting to corroborate, indicates that the
shipment was destined for Spain. The 7.254 metric
tons of cocaine destined for Havana, Cuba, and seized in Cartagena, Colombia
in December 1998, was unquestionably a significant amount of illegal drugs.
Investigations by the Colombian National Police, the DEA Bogota Country
Office, the DEA Madrid Country Office, the Spanish National Police and
the Cuban Federal Police, to date, have not developed direct evidence
of the ultimate destination of the cocaine. Drug trafficking organizations
generally do not ship multi-ton cocaine shipments by a specific route
or method without first testing the "pipeline." Information provided by
the Cuban Police, to the Colombian National Police, indicated that the
same companies, involved with the shipment seized in Cartagena, made at
least four previous shipments of containers. In each of these four shipments,
containers that originated in Cartagena were shipped from Cuba to Spain.
Information also
provided by the Cuban Police to the Colombian National Police indicated
the Cuban Police searched the premises in Havana of businesses associated
with the Cartagena seizure. The Cuban Police reported the discovery of
four containers that appeared to have been outfitted with false compartments.
The four containers bore the serial numbers of containers shipped from
Cartagena through Cuba to Spain. None of the agencies investigating this
seizure have been able to obtain direct evidence that any of the containers
in the four shipments described above contained cocaine. DEA is vigorously
engaged in a comprehensive investigation of all aspects of this seizure.
We are cooperating extensively with authorities in Colombia and Spain.
Special Agents from DEA Headquarters are assigned to the "Cartagena seizure
investigation." A Senior Supervisory Special Agent is assigned oversight
of the investigation and is coordinating the compilation of all information
involving Cuba. Another Senior Supervisory Special Agent and a Supervisory
Special Agent, as well as, two Intelligence Research Specialists, are
also assigned to assist in this effort. This group is assisting DEA Headquarters,
the DEA Bogota Country Office, the DEA Madrid Country Office, and other
foreign and domestic DEA offices to coordinate all aspects of this investigation
in a timely manner. The DEA Office of
International Operations is working closely with the DEA Bogota Country
Office and the DEA Madrid Country Office to review all existing documents,
assist in ensuring all previous leads are followed, and in developing
new leads. I want to thank the Committee for the information you provided,
including audio tapes and transcripts. I assure the Committee that all
information derived from these sources will be factored into our investigation.
A priority of DEA
is to obtain independent corroboration of all information and evidence
acquired in this investigation. This will include working to corroborate
all foreign police reports to the greatest extent possible. All of the
reports are being reviewed by the Headquarters Intelligence Research Specialists
assigned to this investigation. The DEA Madrid Country
Office, the DEA Bogota Country Office and the DEA Office of International
Operations coordinated the December 1999 visit to Colombia of Spanish
authorities. The Spanish authorities, the Colombian officials, and the
DEA met to review evidence and to discuss sources and methods for developing
new information and evidence regarding the alleged drug trafficking between
Colombia and Spain. In any investigation,
the DEA does not rule out any possibility until the investigation is concluded.
As an investigation proceeds, DEA investigators review all available information.
This review provides DEA investigators with an assessment of the information
and investigative direction to follow. As new information is developed,
the investigative direction is always subject to change. The primary focus,
after the information is obtained, is to develop evidence that can be
used in criminal prosecutions and corroborate evidence to meet evidentiary
standards. DEA investigators always seek to locate any information or
evidence that provides a factual basis for criminal charges. If there
is doubt about the validity of information or evidence, DEA investigators
seek to either prove or disprove it. The DEA is applying these investigative
principles to the Cartagena investigation. There have been many
instances in which evidence was discovered in the latter stages of an
investigation, resulting in a change in the direction of the investigation.
There have also been instances in which evidence initially determined
to be factual has been disproved, resulting in a change in the direction
of the investigation. While I cannot comment on the details of an ongoing
investigation in a public forum, I assure you that DEA continues to expend
every effort on the investigation of the Cartagena shipment. Now, I would like to have SAC Vigil discuss issues specific to Puerto Rico.
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