Drug trafficking has stronghold

bdablack

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Jun 30, 2011
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Drug trafficking has stronghold

There are no convictions in 90% of the drug cases in the Central American and Caribbean region, said President Leonel Fernandez during the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) Forum "Integration, Citizen Safety and Regional Development" taking place in Santo Domingo this week.

President Fernandez highlighted the global nature of drug trafficking by organized criminal networks and called for global combating of the crime with the integration of affected nations.

Fernandez highlighted the way that drug trafficking networks transact more than 400 billion dollars a year. He said that the strength of the cartels is due in part to the weakness of states in combating drug trafficking.

On the home front, Fernandez said this situation of relative impunity undermines the confidence Dominicans have in the security and judicial authorities' commitment to combating international narcotics trafficking. Speaking at the forum, the President said that the 14,000 police agents in the DR receive low wages which makes them vulnerable to drug traffickers. He said that Law 50-88 was drawn up to fight macro-trafficking, but not micro-trafficking.

Fernandez said donations to the DR from the US for fighting organized crime were minimal at US$15 million compared to US$1.2 billion for Mexico or US$7 billion for Colombia. He said he would prefer soft loans so the country could equip itself with speedboats and radars to fight against crime and drug transshipment from Haiti. Fernandez said that while the recently purchased Tucano jets have been effective in controlling airspace, sea and land operations continue.

Acento.com.do reported that in the past 18 months alone more than 130 military and police anti-drug agents who were posted at leading airports have been arrested and sent to justice for involvement in drug transshipment operations intercepted at airports. These military personnel provided support for the drug networks in their shipments to the United States and Europe, taking advantage of their authorized access, mainly in Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and Santiago airports.

Commenting on the President's words, El Caribe said that in-depth reforms are needed in the systems and security corps, investigative bodies, the prosecutor general office and judicial structure.

http://www.elcaribe.com.do/site/opinion.html

The average salary $200 each month, rent more than half their salary, real esate prices out of reach of the average Dominican, rampant government corruption, education system which ensures poverty, government theft etc. etc.

And one thinks that corruption from drug money is not going to be pervasive. STUPID! the U.S. need to be more vigilant as to the quality of life that exist in the Dominican Republic. Only this will have a chance of steering Dominicans from the drug trade. The president is only vying for money from the U.S. that he can channel into his pockets. AMERICA, DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!
 

SKing

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Nov 22, 2007
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I think that you are correct, I would live to see the "books" on where this money goes. Most of the time there are government officials involved in the drug trade, this is why it will never be stopped. I do believe that policemen un the DR need higher salaries but in conjunction with that a "zero tolerance" policy for police misbehavior. Bribery, extortion, etc. should be punished by terminating their position and stripping them of any other benefits. Maybe if they stood to lose a decent salary, they would think twice.

In the hospital we have secret handwashing observers. They are there to observe that everyone is washing or sanitizing their hands before and after patient contact. We do not know who they are. When the program was started there was a 68% compliance rate and because of that we did not receive bonuses. Since then, the compliance rate has gone up to 98% because no one knows who they are, they could be anyone and noone wants to contribute to NOT getting a bonus.
There could be that type if thing for police. Have secret people in situations with them and see how they handle them, if they fail...terminate them and make it public....on the news "Hoy, un policia nacional conocido como Jorge David Torres-Valdez fue despedido por aceptar in soborno. El ya perdio un salario de 20,000rd mensual y tambien perdio todos los beneficios. Un oficial de la policia nacional nos avisa que el pais no va a soportar este tipo de comportamiento mas.59 han sido despedidos entre el mes pasado y este mes. Con el nuevo salario que han puesto el,gobierno para la policia, llega mas responsabilidad y la esperanza que la policia servira el pais honestamente y con dignidad."
That would be embarrassing to me and my family to have my name on the news like that. A higher salary (I think) would have them feel more pride in their job, and secret "civilians" watching then would help with corruption, but that is just my opinion.
Maybe the DR is too far gone for something like that to work (shrug shoulders)

SHALENA
 

AJL6767

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Apr 14, 2011
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I do not have any use for drugs, but i do believe that we would be better off if we took the siezed drugs and gave them to the addicts free, instead of destroying them. That would greatly reduce the profits they generate and that would lead to a reduction in the # of people who earn money from it. It would also reduce crimes by at least 30 % and free up resorces for other uses.
 

SantiagueroRD

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Apr 20, 2011
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A modest proposal is that countries that are the goal for immigration which is the national pastime should apply the civil standard of law in issuing visas and require that any involvement in drugs, human trafficking, or terrorism be included on the persons criminal background. At present here those person are arrested for a few days and released without charges being filed and or retired.
 

windeguy

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It isn't possible for countries like the DR, or anywhere, to pay their law enforcement officials enough money for them not be be corrupted by the huge money available in trafficking drugs. What everyone really needs to understand as ALJ6767 does when he/she pointed out a potential alternate solution,is that prohibition does not work. Fighting a war that cannot ever be won makes no sense.
 

AJL6767

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The reason there is so much production and trafficing in drugs is the very high profit margin which makes the risks smaller when you look at the potential. One of the ways to combat that is the allocation of the captured drugs to the addicts at no cost. That greatly reduces the profits and makes the risk much higher. Also, I believe, there should be more reasarch into synthetics that could be used to replace the illegal substances. I, for one, would prefer to have users high and in their own houses, and not out on the streets robbing old people and burglarizing homes of regular people.
 

AJL6767

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There is another reason why the war on drugs has been inneffectve. There is an entire sub-economy in the US and alot of other countries that is based on the revenues generated by the sale of drugs. Housing, luxury homes-cars-boats, night clubs and casinos, restaurants, jewelry, etc. That money circulates and does provide jobs in those areas for regular people. The government knows this and is complicit in allowing it to keep happening,
 

mart1n

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If they would poison all the drugs that they have and any they get and then let them go through. They might kill all the incurable drug addicts and scare off the new users. If you take away the profit of the drug dealers the problem goes away
 

windeguy

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If they would poison all the drugs that they have and any they get and then let them go through. They might kill all the incurable drug addicts and scare off the new users. If you take away the profit of the drug dealers the problem goes away

At least you are thinking differently about the problem, but I would say your approach is the least likely alternative for a government to take.

I do agree that the profit motive needs to be removed, but that would better be done by legalization, regulation and treating addiction as a medical problem and not a criminal problem.
 

Eddy

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There is another reason why the war on drugs has been inneffectve. There is an entire sub-economy in the US and alot of other countries that is based on the revenues generated by the sale of drugs. Housing, luxury homes-cars-boats, night clubs and casinos, restaurants, jewelry, etc. That money circulates and does provide jobs in those areas for regular people. The government knows this and is complicit in allowing it to keep happening,
Take away the drugs from the DR and the whole economy would crash. That's all we have left. (Too bad though. So much potential lost forever)
 
May 5, 2007
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If they would poison all the drugs that they have and any they get and then let them go through. They might kill all the incurable drug addicts and scare off the new users. If you take away the profit of the drug dealers the problem goes away

International agencies have been trying that for years, spraying Mexican Marijuana fields, Afghan Poppy fields, Peruvian cocoa etc with negligible results. these crops make up a huge portion of the producing countries operating budgets , especially that of the Narco trafficker/politicians
 

Acira

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Make it legal and there goes the profit because it becomes less interesting for the crooks. Just look at the prohibition period in the States and look how the crime shot up then just because it was illegal and oh so desirable for crooks to get their hands on it and make a huge profit on it.
 

windeguy

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Make it legal and there goes the profit because it becomes less interesting for the crooks. Just look at the prohibition period in the States and look how the crime shot up then just because it was illegal and oh so desirable for crooks to get their hands on it and make a huge profit on it.

Exactly correct. That was the infamous era of Prohibition where people like the Kennedy's made their money. How apt there is a main street in Santo Domingo named John F Kennedy. People are finally starting to realize that drug prohibition works as badly as alcohol prohibition did.
 

greydread

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Jan 3, 2007
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If they would poison all the drugs that they have and any they get and then let them go through. They might kill all the incurable drug addicts and scare off the new users. If you take away the profit of the drug dealers the problem goes away

Half the lobbyists on Capital Hill, more than a few Congressmen and a great number of prominent lawyers, bankers and businessmen would be more collateral damage than the Country could afford. Then there's the loss of profit. For every one thugged out hood rat with his drawers showing and his "9" in his belt there are 30 guys wearing either uniforms or business suits in the chain between his poor, dumb azz and the poor, dumb azz who picks the leaves.

Announcing a victory against a cog in the mighty drug machine is like announcing a victory against all natural disaster because your roof didn't leak the last time it sprinkled a little rain on it.
 

Chuck T

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Nov 30, 2010
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Exactly correct. That was the infamous era of Prohibition where people like the Kennedy's made their money. How apt there is a main street in Santo Domingo named John F Kennedy. People are finally starting to realize that drug prohibition works as badly as alcohol prohibition did.
To legalize marijuana is one thing but have you ever seen what meth addiction does to a person ? where does one draw the line on what type of drug is to be legal ?
 

ramesses

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To legalize marijuana is one thing but have you ever seen what meth addiction does to a person ? where does one draw the line on what type of drug is to be legal ?

....have you ever seen what alcohol addiction does to a person?
 

Acira

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Drugs and alcohol have and are destroying many lives but whether they are legal or illegal doesn't make much difference for those people as such. One way or another they will get their "stuff". Being legal, makes it more open for the public to talk about hence creating a better understanding hence the more the individual can search for real structured help which if far better available if its legalized. Of course its depends on the individual to want that help also but do not under estimated the "pressure" the public can lay on this also if its in the open.

Its not a simple matter, Holland is far ahead with its program to many countries. They legalized soft drugs and made sure that heroine users had free access to methadon for years now. Most coffee shops are controlled by the government and have strict regulations, a lot of Dutch people have always had an open mind towards soft drugs but were fed up with the crime surrounding it. Crime rates related to drugs have dropped significantly in the big cities. Now the government faces the next step in their program and that is to really regulate the business of hard drugs which will not be easy at all.
 

belgiank

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at the moment an estimated 3 million people in the US are addicted to cocaine. Which represents around 1% of the population. In comparison with the rest of the world this is a huge amount, as cocaine is used by an estimated 13 million people worldwide.

More frightening is the fact that a big part of the users in the US are leading businessmen, politicians and of course showbiz people. The excuse of these users is the high stress caused by their jobs.

I attended a high school in 1980 where 90% ( yes, you read it correctly) of the kids were into marihuana, hash and/or speed. It was a typical high school with a mix of well to do families, middle class and blue collar kids.

Several guys I met there are still friends. Most of them dropped the stuff and went on to successful careers. Some of them are still dopeheads. None of the guys using marihuana or hash ever went on to harder stuff. When they had money they had a smoke, when they did not, they didn't.

So yes, in a way I am in favor of legalizing and regulating marihuana and hash (only those). The damage ain't bigger than alcohol, and by legalizing it you take the wind out of the sails of the criminal elements.

I would not mind opening up a couple of "coffee-shops" here. Hey!!! Don't blame me. The money is good and your customers are always happy :)