Statement by:
William E. Ledwith
Chief of International Operations
Drug Enforcement Administration
United States Department of Justice
Before the:
House Government Reform Committee
Date:
January 4, 2000
Note: This document may not reflect changes made in actual delivery.
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
| 3Q/CY98 | 4Q/CY98 | 1Q/CY99 | 2Q/CY99 | TOTAL | |
| Jamaica | 4.9 | 2.55 | 5.75 | 3 | 16.2 |
| Haiti | 7.728 | 17.97 | 16.25 | 11.941 | 53.889 |
| The Dominican Republic | 2.411 | 1.513 | 3.96 | 1.95 | 5.91 |
| The Bahamas | 16.33 | 5.7 | 9.047 | 0.925 | 32.002 |
| Cuba | 1.35 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1.85 |
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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