CAUTION: The following review of the regional drug situation has been excerpted, as background information only, from the 1995 Annual Report of the International Narcotics Control Board, which is under embargo until 9 a.m. (European Time) on 28 February 1996. The Board annually assesses the drug situation in each region, based on information obtained from a variety of sources, including Government authorities. No part of the report or this excerpt may be used before its official release:
In Central America, with the exception of Belize and El Salvador, all States are parties to the 1961 Convention.
In Central America, only Belize, El Salvador and Honduras are not parties to the 1971 Convention. In the Caribbean, one half of the States are not parties to that Convention.
In Central America, with the exception of Belize, all States are parties to the 1988 Convention. In the Caribbean, Haiti and Saint Lucia acceded to the 1988 Convention in 1995; consequently, Cuba and Jamaica are the only States in that subregion that are not yet parties to that Convention.
Subregional Developments
Both Central America and the Caribbean are heavily affected by the large-scale transit traffic in illicit drugs. Drug traffickers exploit the legislative and administrative loopholes and the lack of coordination in and between a number of countries in those subregions.
Seizure data indicate that Central American countries are increasingly being used by international drug traffickers as transit points for transporting illicit drugs, particularly cocaine and heroin, between South and North America, mainly in areas along the Atlantic coast. Large seizures of cannabis and cocaine are signs that, because of their strategic location, Caribbean countries are increasingly being exploited by illicit traffickers as transit points.
Drug-related violence is on the increase in the Caribbean, as evidenced by recent events in Saint Kitts and Nevis, where a series of murders have been linked to the illicit drug trade. The Board notes with concern that drug traffickers are gaining a strong foothold in the Caribbean and that they could pose a real threat to political stability in the subregion.
Successful interdiction action in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, and also in the United States (southern Florida), has led traffickers to shift the focus of their illegal activities to the eastern Caribbean, where controls are seen as less stringent. Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands have become the preferred points of entry into the illicit drug markets in North America. Aruba, the British Virgin Islands, Martinique and Netherlands Antilles are used as gateways to the illicit drug markets in France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
The Board hopes that the return of democracy to Haiti and important changes in the administration of a number of Caribbean States and territories will give new impetus for improved drug control.
The Board wishes to draw the attention of Governments in Central America and the Caribbean to the importance of there being a continued commitment to define comprehensive drug control policies and to establish the legislative basis and administrative structures that are necessary for the implementation of those policies. The Board appreciates the assistance of UNDCP and encourages States in the region to make use of the possibilities offered by UNDCP.
The Board welcomes the initiatives of some Governments aimed at organizing and strengthening regional cooperation. It appreciates the creation of a regional legal centre, with the assistance of UNDCP, in Costa Rica for the improvement of drug control legislation in countries in Central America, and the financial support from the Government of Honduras for the operation of the permanent Central American commission for the eradication of drug abuse, production and illicit trafficking.
The Board hopes that the Central American integration system and the recently established association of Caribbean States will be able to deal with those aspects of the drug problem that fall within their purview.
Money Laundering
The weak banking and financial structures of most countries in Central America make them prime targets for money laundering activities, a situation that may be substantially aggravated by the existence of significant informal economic sectors that are well beyond governmental control. It is of the utmost importance for all countries in Central America to introduce legislation and to establish the institutional structures required to combat money laundering effectively, as is being done in Panama. The Board hopes that the operation of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force will reduce the attractiveness of the Caribbean to persons who engage in money laundering. The Board appreciates the steps undertaken by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago against money laundering. Since 1992, local commercial banks have voluntarily reported large deposits of money to the office of strategic services, a unit of the police services. The office has recently published guidelines for the financial sector on money laundering countermeasures.
The Board welcomes the introduction of administrative measures in Costa Rica to ensure that at least part of the confiscated assets of illicit origin are used to fund the operations of its national drug council.
More stringent money laundering legislation is being drafted in the Bahamas and is expected to enter into force in the near future. Although Jamaica is not yet a party to the 1988 Convention, the forfeiture of assets act entered into force in 1994 and the Government has continued to elaborate draft legislation to prevent money laundering.
Cannabis
Cannabis is illicitly cultivated in most countries in Central America and the Caribbean for local illicit consumption. Cannabis remains the most commonly abused drug in the region. Jamaica continues to be a major producer and supplier of cannabis for Europe and North America.
The Board notes continuous reports on the cultivation of opium poppy in remote areas of Guatemala.
Cocaine
Small coca bush cultivation sites have reportedly been detected in southern Panama.
Increasing cocaine abuse has been reported in several countries in the region. Pharmaceutical preparations containing psychotropic substances are not prescribed, dispensed and distributed in conformity with the provisions of the 1971 Convention in most countries in the region. The Board urges all States that have not already done so to introduce and implement regulatory measures and controls that are necessary to prevent the abuse of stimulants and sedatives. The Board invites Governments to harmonize and coordinate action taken against the diversion and smuggling of such pharmaceutical preparations.
Preventive Efforts
The Board highly appreciates the efforts of CICAD and the Pan American Health Organization aimed at improving knowledge of the drug abuse situation in the region. The growing availability of drugs of abuse, mainly cannabis and cocaine, because of the increasing use of Central America and the Caribbean as transit points by international drug traffickers, and the marginalization of large segments of the population, mainly in the metropolitan areas of some countries, might contribute to a large-scale spread of drug abuse. The Board encourages Governments of countries in Central America and the Caribbean, as a matter of high priority, to participate actively in more initiatives aimed at preventing and reducing drug abuse. Although it highly appreciates the activity of non-governmental organizations in the treatment and rehabilitation of addicts, the Board considers it to be its duty to remind Governments of their responsibilities in that area.
Precursors
Large quantities of ephedrine from Asia and Europe were channelled through Guatemala to Mexico and the United States for the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine. A short mission to Guatemala in March 1995 dealt with legislative and organizational problems. The Board is confident that Guatemala and other States in the region will exercise the necessary vigilance with regard to orders of large quantities of ephedrine and similar substances not destined for the licit manufacture of pharmaceuticals within the country and that those States are intervening in a timely fashion; however, no seizures of any precursors have been reported in the region.
The entire text of the INCB Report for 1995 can be found on INCB's Home Page accessed from : http://www.undcp.org beginning 27 February 1996