cannabisnews.com: Bush Urged on Drug Efforts With Cuba Bush Urged on Drug Efforts With Cuba Posted by FoM on August 28, 2001 at 18:41:50 PT By Anne Usher, Associated Press Source: Associated Press Anti-Castro sentiment is preventing the United States from helping Cuba combat drug traffikers' increasing use of the Caribbean island as a transit point for cocaine and marijuana, former White House drug policy director Barry McCaffrey said Tuesday. McCaffrey said the Bush administration should ask a reluctant Congress to approve sharing intelligence on drug operations and develop targeted training programs with the Cuban government. He said domestic outrage with President Fidel Castro, heightened during the Elian Gonzalez case and the shooting down of a plane carrying three Miami activists, prevented him from opening a dialogue with the Cubans on ways to jointly fight drug trafficking. "Our current policy is mistaken and we do need to engage them on this issue," McCaffrey said in a speech at Georgetown University. About 40 percent of cocaine in the United States is transported through the Caribbean and Cuban waters are increasingly being used as a transit point for South American suppliers, U.S. officials say. Low-flying planes fly over the Cuba's keys, dropping bundles of cocaine that are picked up in speedboats destined for the United States. Cuban officials reported that in 1999 alone more than two tons of cocaine from airdrops washed ashore. Cuba has denied the U.S. Coast Guard permission to enter its waters in pursuit of drug smugglers. But in the past 10 months, Cuba has allowed the Coast Guard to station an officer there to help monitor drug shipments on a case-by-case basis. He is known to have participated in only one drug seizure to date, of several hundred pounds of marijuana, Coast Guard Cmdr. Brian Kelley said Tuesday. U.S. officials also installed a direct telephone line between Coast Guard officials in the region and Cuban border troops after McCaffrey concluded in 1999 there was no evidence that the Cuban government was acting in collusion with drug smugglers. McCaffrey, a retired general, suggested Tuesday increasing the joint effort by placing a Coast Guard admiral to head a counter drug center in Key West, Fla., that also would be staffed with a representative of the Cuban border patrol. He said the two governments should share intelligence on drug operations and set up joint training programs in addition to exchanging information on drug prevention and treatment programs. Simon Henshaw, a State Department officer who deals with Cuban affairs, said the Coast Guard officer has had little success in dealing directly with the appropriate Cuban officials. Congress has repeatedly blocked efforts to increase cooperation with Cuba on drug interdiction, citing the belief that either Cuban officials are involved in the drug trade or that working with them would legitimize Castro's communist government. Source: Associated PressAuthor: Anne Usher, Associated PressPublished: August 28, 2001 Copyright: 2001 Associated Press Related Articles:Colombia's Peace Bid at Risk http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10714.shtmlUN Cut US Off As Drug Monitor http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9627.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by Jose Melendez on August 29, 2001 at 08:04:49 PT: sure, Barry. (McCaffrey)said domestic outrage with President Fidel Castro, heightened during the Elian Gonzalez case and the shooting down of a plane carrying three Miami activists, prevented him from opening a dialogue with the Cubans on ways to jointly fight drug trafficking."HA! Is that what happened with the Mexicans, too? Does Backpedal Barry still maintain that a twelve year old smoking pot is the most dangerous drug? The report cards are in, you can 'F' your drug war. Jose Melendez [ Post Comment ] Post Comment