NCJ Number
110359
Date Published
1988
Length
13 pages
Annotation
In this statement, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida describes indictments brought by his office against public officials from Caribbean Basin countries for smuggling cocaine into the United States.
Abstract
The speaker says that south Florida is the major route for smuggling cocaine into the United States. Arresting and convicting the minor players in the smuggling schemes achieved little, the speaker notes. Therefore, the U.S. Attorney's office began to focus on the foreign criminal organizations supplying the cocaine and the foreign government officials who protect the cocaine shipments. These investigations led to the indictment and conviction of some U.S. officials and several public officials from Caribbean Basin countries who participated in the smuggling of cocaine into the United States. One of the eight indictments of foreign public officials outlined in the testimony involved General Manuel Noriega of Panama. The speaker provides details on how the Noriega case was developed. He emphasizes that it was necessary to seek hard evidence and to avoid acting only on the basis of rumor. The speaker notes that the United States is the largest consumer of narcotics in the world, that the illegal narcotics trade is a national security and health problem, and that mandatory drug education programs in schools should be used, along with increased Federal resources to enforce drug laws domestically and internationally.