NCJ Number
145531
Date Published
1992
Length
64 pages
Annotation
The House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control conducted a study mission to drug producing and trafficking countries in South America and the Caribbean in January 1992.
Abstract
The mission included stops in Venezuela, Bolivia, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and the Dominican Republic. Mission participants observed two contrasting aspects of hemispheric efforts in the war against drugs. On the one hand, drug cultivation, processing, and trafficking remain at high levels throughout the region. Bumper crops of coca leaf cultivation are expected in Peru, and Bolivia has failed to achieve its coca eradication targets for 1991. Law enforcement and interdiction efforts have not had a meaningful impact on drug availability in the United States. Further, increased drug enforcement and financial investigations in the traditional drug source countries of Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru have caused drug trafficking organizations to shift their operations elsewhere. On the other hand, there is an increasing awareness on the part of emerging political leaders that drug abuse and drug trafficking pose serious dangers to the national security and strength of democratic institutions. Specific findings of mission visits to the five countries are detailed. Recommendations to improve drug enforcement are offered that focus on eliminating police corruption, sharing information, minimizing political instability, and enacting asset forfeiture laws.