WASHINGTON.— U.S. officials recognized Cuba’s work in the fight against drug trafficking and stressed the need to increase cooperation agreements between the two countries, reported U.S. newspaper The Washington Post on January 6. The influential publication cited Mike Vigil, former director of international operations at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, who stated that “We need to work with the Cubans in a far greater capacity.” Vigil, who also served as a special agent in charge of the Caribbean, commented that “It’s insanity not to do so,” reported PL.
The Washington Post article highlights that for years, both countries have co-operated with each other in the fight against drug trafficking, and the exchange of information regarding the movement of suspicious boats and aircraft in the Caribbean region.
The U.S. newspaper emphasized Cuba’s reputation in the fight against drug trafficking with the application of severe prison sentences, in contrast, according to the Post, with the pre-Revolution era, when Havana’s nightclubs and casinos offered a full range of illicit substances and opium dens. “I don’t believe the Cuban government wants to be a hub for drug smugglers,” commented Barry McCaffrey, a retired general who served as the White House drug czar during the Clinton administration and is a former commander of the U.S. military’s Southern Command.
“They (the Cuban government) saw it as a threat to their children, the workforce, their economy, their government,” noted McCaffrey. The Post emphasized that in 2013, Cuban courts convicted 628 people on drug related charges, 273 of which received prison sentences ranging from six to 10 years, according to a U.S. government report.
The document notes that Cuba continues to share information with neighboring countries, including the U.S., and has had increasing success in intercepting suspicious vessels. According to the report, the Cuban government notified the U.S. Coast Guard 27 times, in 2013, of the presence of suspicious vessels in “real time.”
The Post also noted that over the years, cooperation on drug enforcement has been strained by the hostile political relationship between the countries.
The first agreement between the two countries was singed during William Clinton’s second term and demonstrates the potential for collaborative efforts to combat common threats. As part of these agreements, the U.S. Interests Section in Havana (USIS) has a Coast Guard attaché who serves as “drug interdiction specialist,” but has no DEA officers.
Vicki Huddleston, head of the USIS from 1999 to 2002, said that even though the Cubans would send radio messages about passing narcotics speedboats, U.S. policy at the time was not to answer.
The measures announced by Barack Obama as part of his change of policy toward Cuba, include collaboration in the fight against drug trafficking.
THE NEW YORK TIMES HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO CLOSE GUANTÁNAMO
The reasons to close the U.S. prison in the illegal Guantánamo naval base are more compelling than ever, highlighted an article in The New York Times. The piece, by Cliff Sloan, former special envoy for Guantanamo Closure at the U.S. State Department, who recently resigned, stated that the White House must accelerate the transfers of prisoners approved for release and expedite the processing of cases pending approval.
Sloan noted that a former official of an allied European nation – whose identity he did not reveal – once told him that the closure of the Guantánamo prison is the most important measure that the U.S. can take in the fight against terrorism. According to the former special envoy, “The path to closing Guantánamo during the Obama administration is clear, but it will take intense and sustained action to finish the job.” Obama is looking to close the center before leaving office in January 2017, in order to fulfill a promise made during his 2008 election campaign, when he was elected as President for the first time.
Obama is however facing serious obstacles in Congress, where the Republicans and some Democrats oppose releasing detainees and transferring them to prisons based in U.S. territory.
