Minister of Foreign Relations Eduardo Latorre said that the deportations of Dominican criminals carried out by U.S. authorities goes against efforts of both nations to reduce drug trafficking in the region. He said the U.S. is sending back to the Caribbean U.S.-trained drug traffickers that are then using their skills to increase drug trafficking. The U.S. and the D.R. are implementing a plan to avoid the DR being used as a bridge between Colombia and the United States, but these efforts are severely hampered by the large number of deportations. Latorre raised the issue during the meeting of foreign relations ministers from Caribbean Community (Caricom) nations, Haiti and the Dominican Republic with Madeleine Albright, U.S. Secretary of State in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. Latorre participated in the meeting accompanied by Bernardo Vega, Dominican ambassador in Washington, D. C. Eduardo Latorre said that the U.S. has deported back to Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic some 14,000 criminals, most sentenced drug traffickers, from 1993 to 1997.
