NCJ Number
157816
Date Published
1988
Length
258 pages
Annotation
Testimony provides information on the effectiveness of drug law enforcement in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and off the coast of Florida.
Abstract
The testimony focuses on the level of resources being used by major U.S. drug enforcement agencies in and around the Bahamas and Puerto Rico, cooperation among the three principal drug enforcement agencies in the Bahamas and Puerto Rico, the level of cooperation and initiative being taken by the Bahamas and Puerto Rico to assist U.S. drug enforcement efforts, and the status of initiatives within the Bahamas to combat narcotics trafficking and corruption. The Ambassador of the Bahamas to the United States traces the history of drug trafficking through the Bahamas and efforts of the Bahamian government to counter it. She advises that the Bahamas has become a geographical link in the smuggling route from South American to the United States, as many of the islands have become occupied by sophisticated criminal cartels and introduced chemical substance abuse and addiction to local populations to ensure accomplices and coconspirators in the drug trade. The ambassador testifies about the Bahamas' response to the problem and to the corruption of public officials. Testimony is also presented from the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, a regional commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service, a representative of the Drug Enforcement Administration, a representative of the Bureau of International Narcotics Matters, and Puerto Rico's superintendent of police.