The Listín Diario reported that General Barry McCaffrey, chief of the United States government efforts against drug trafficking, will visit Santo Domingo at the end of May. The chief of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency will meet with Dominican drug trafficking department heads. The U.S. official seeks to collaborate so that both nations can intensify efforts to impede drug traffickers from using the DR as a bridge to introduce drugs into the United States. The U.S. and D.R. at present have underway the Frontier Lance sea and land operation, but the DEA would like to strengthen this operation and turn it into a permanent one. The DR is a bridge between Colombia-Haiti-DR-Puerto Rico-US. During his visit here, the U.S. general will meet with President Fernández, Minister of the Armed Forces Vice Admiral Rubén A. Paulino Alvarez, and the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Police. Also, will meet with Rear Admiral Sigfredo Pared, director of the National Department of Investigations; and with Rear Admiral Luis Alberto Humeau Hidalgo, president of the National Drug Control Bureau. Meetings are also scheduled with Judicial Branch and Legislative Branch officers. This year DR drug combating departments have confiscated almost 1,000 kilos of cocaine.
