Biden expected to urge Dominican president to fight drug trafficking

Vice President Joe Biden will urge Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina to fight vigorously against drug trafficking in the country, one of the major gateways for illegal drugs to the United States and Europe.

Biden arrives Wednesday in Santo Domingo after visits to Brazil and Colombia during a Latin American tour that will end in Guatemala on Friday. Only two vice presidents of the United States have visited Dominican Republic before Joe Biden in Dominican history: Hubert Humphrey on July 1, 1966, for the inauguration of Joaquín Balaguer, and Lyndon B. Johnson on February 27, 1963, for the inauguration of Juan Bosch.

SEE ALSO: Dominican Republic is the command post for drug trafficking

The increasing use of the Dominican Republic as a launch pad for shipments by the main drug cartels in the Americas is of increasing concern to the United States and the agencies that enforce anti-drug laws in Mexico and Central America.

A recent report by “The Economist” magazine citing official U.S. sources says 16 percent of the cocaine that arrived in the country last year was sent through the Caribbean, 4 perecent more than in 2011.

The Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the islands of the eastern Caribbean are major transit points, such as the Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, near the Venezuelan coast, the report said.

According to the same report, Venezuela has been increasingly important for drug trafficking since the end of all cooperation with U.S. interdiction efforts in 2005–with drug organizations sometimes operating freely and in close cooperation with rogue elements of the security services in the South American country.

From Venezuela, of the cocaine moves through small planes to Central America, taking a zigzag path, first north and then west to avoid the Colombian airspace. About 120 aircraft that made this trip in 2012 were detected this way. However, this number was reduced by a third in 2013, reflecting stricter law interdiction efforts throughout Central America.

Much of the cocaine diverted from this route is now transported by sea. Cocaine sent by containers or bulk cargo, generally has little direct impact on the Caribbean, going directly to the main countries in the market.

However, another common method is to send smaller loads between 50 and several hundred kilograms in “fast” boats to the islands of the Caribbean. From there, you can go to North America or Europe by ship and boats, on cruise ships and in the air or sea freight, or in smaller quantities by mules.

Major transit points for narcotics in the Americas

The Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the islands of the eastern Caribbean are major transit points, such as the Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, near the Venezuelan coast. Some cocaine is also moved by land or by small aircraft to Guyana and Suriname, and from there to Europe and North America, sometimes moved by small cargo ships or other means of transport that make a stop in the eastern Caribbean.

Vice President Joe Biden will meet with the President of the Dominican Republic during his tour of Latin America. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Puerto Rico plays an important role in the movement on the road, as it’s located within the walls of U.S. customs and immigration; French overseas departments of Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana have a similar function with respect to Europe.

Smaller and medium scale traffic Caribbean organizations may have direct ties to street gangs that deal with marketing drugs in North America and Europe.

Activity from the most important organizations; the ‘Ndrangheta Italian, for example, is reportedly active in Guyana and Dominican Republic.

Smaller shipments are proving more difficult to intercept, according to William Brownfield, assistant secretary of the U.S. Dept. of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. The Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police on April 29 said the proportion drugs imported to the U.S. sent through Caribbean islands has increased 4 % in 2011 to 9% in 2012 and 16% last year, as cited in the report by “The Economist.”

For cocaine destined for Europe, the percentage of it coming from the Caribbean is much higher. Even small amounts transiting the Caribbean a few years ago had a significant economic and social impact in European nations, especially due to the pattern of multiple and repeated small shipments.

Drug traffickers attempted on several occasions–and with some success–to penetrate and subvert customs, police and other law enforcement agencies. With a multitude of other problems that need attention, the political will to confront drug trafficking is uneven.

According to the European Union’s COPOLAD Program (drug partnership cooperation program between the European Union and Latin America), Dominican Republic continues to be the main command center for drug trafficking in the Caribbean region, with an increase since 2011 of 800 percent of the cocaine to United States and Europe.

The lack of control and technological resources of the Dominican ports Multimodal Caucedo and Haina pose a major threat to the national security interests of United States and European countries, said COPOLAD.

On the other hand, drug trafficking has facilitated the importation of illegal firearms, and has encouraged the development of street gangs, driving the growth of violent crime that has plagued the region.

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