27 February 2009

Illegal Drug Trade Takes Lives, Ruins Societies

United States issues 2009 international narcotics report

Cocaine, weapons, cash and fake passports were recovered in drug raids.

By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
Staff Writer

Washington — The illegal drug trade takes lives, ruins societies and undermines legitimate law enforcement and government institutions, according to the State Department's 2009 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.

“The United States provides substantial resources to assist states in developing law-enforcement and judicial institutions necessary to prevent illegal drugs and crime from reaching our shores,” Assistant Secretary of State David Johnson said February 27 at a department briefing.

Johnson said judicial systems must become more universally accessible, impunity among drug cartels needs to end and widespread corruption must be confronted and reduced.

Along the southern border of the United States, the Mexican government has taken significant steps to reform its domestic court system and law enforcement agencies and promote the rule of law, Johnson said. He is the assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement.

Johnson said the government of President Felipe Calderón has been courageous in confronting drug cartels and limiting their ability to do business. “The result is, unfortunately, a significant level of violence,” he said.

The challenge is serious for both Mexico and the United States, he said, but Mexico has been taking steps that are necessary to get control of the situation.

“The United States is committed to support these efforts, including further steps to confront and dismantle the drug cartels that are responsible for smuggling most of the cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine consumed within the United States,” Johnson said.

Afghanistan's narcotics situation remains serious, Johnson said, though last year there was some success. “During this year, poppy cultivation declined by 19 percent after two years of record highs, and the number of poppy-free provinces increased from 13 in 2007 to 18 in 2008,” he said.

But Afghanistan remains the world's largest producer of the opium poppy. “Greater leadership and effort by the Afghan government, both at the central and provincial levels, will be required to combat the corrosive effects of the drug trade, which fuels both the insurgency as well as rampant corruption,” Johnson said.

“In the provinces that have become or stayed poppy-free, strong Afghan leadership, internal security, and the availability of incentives are among the factors that have led farmers to seek alternative livelihoods,” the State Department said in the report. “It is important to highlight the contributions, especially by the Afghans, to reducing cultivation.”

In the Andean region where all cocaine originates, Johnson said, Colombia has taken further steps to consolidate the gains it has achieved over the past decade. Colombian authorities have improved their ability to eradicate coca fields, destroy drug labs and intercept shipments.

Colombian authorities reported seizing more than 223 metric tons of cocaine in 2008, an all-time record, and destroying 301 cocaine hydrochloride labs and another 3,238 cocaine base labs, the report said.

“In Bolivia over the past year, Bolivian government decisions limited cooperation and prevented us from achieving all that we could against international drug trafficking,” Johnson said. He said the United States is looking at achieving better cooperation with the Bolivian government.

However, efforts in Andean countries collectively have prevented hundreds of metric tons of cocaine from reaching the United States and deprived international drug syndicates of billions of dollars in profits, the report said.

Johnson said cooperation with authorities in Venezuela has been minimal. “We'd like to see a much more robust cooperative program,” he said.

In 2008, Venezuela reported seizures of more than 54 metric tons of cocaine, but the government does not allow the United States to confirm its seizures, the report said.

The full text of the 2009 narcotics report, in two volumes, is available on the Department of State Web site.

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