Pubdate: Mon, 05 Mar 2001
Source: Orlando Sentinel (FL)
Copyright: 2001 Orlando Sentinel
Contact:  633 N.Orange Ave., Orlando, FL 32801
Fax: (407) 420-5286
Website: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/
Forum: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/interact/messageboards/
Author: Ivan Roman, San Juan Bureau

DEBATE RAGES ON SOLUTIONS TO ISLAND'S DRUG PROBLEM

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Standing in front of 1,300 pounds of cocaine 
plucked from the high seas, Rogelio Guevara of the Drug Enforcement 
Administration was only half-joking Tuesday as he addressed assembled 
reporters.

"These press conferences seem like they're turning into a daily 
occurrence," said Guevara, DEA's Special Agent in Charge for the Caribbean.

Just the day before, DEA, the Coast Guard and local police held a similar 
news conference with almost two tons of cocaine found on a boat adrift 12 
miles off the coast of San Juan. A total of six people were arrested in the 
two cases, three of them by authorities in St. Maarten after they fled 
waters around Puerto Rico, dumping cocaine along the way.

Officials say the two loads, with a street value of $230 million, could 
have been part of a shipment they were tracking. A third boat may have 
gotten by them, another victory for international drug rings using Puerto 
Rico as a major entry point for cocaine into the United States.

Although these seizures were among the largest in recent years, Guevara 
couldn't say whether this indicated a rise in drug trafficking through the 
region. Thanks to its 300-mile coastline and proximity to Colombia and the 
Dominican Republic, about 43 percent of all the cocaine smuggled into the 
United States in 1999 stopped here first.

"The price right now remains steady, which tells me the availability is 
pretty much the same," Guevara said. "That is something we'll be looking into."

With the stacks of cocaine as a backdrop, debate raged on related matters 
last week -- from federal budget cuts to whether the new government's vow 
to bolster prevention and rehabilitation is just lip service.

Coast Guard officials bemoaned how in the face of such a challenge -- $68.5 
million worth of drugs smuggled into the island a day -- the U.S. 
Department of Transportation refused a request for more funds. Unexpected 
expenses and rising oil prices put the agency $91 million in the hole, so 
it must cut back on patrols, making 6 million square miles of open water 
between the United States and Colombia even easier to sneak through.

The Coast Guard in the eastern Caribbean seized 6.5 tons of cocaine last 
year -- 23.7 percent of the drug confiscated by the agency nationwide. 
Guevara, concerned about the message the Coast Guard cutbacks will send to 
drug traffickers, said his DEA budget was increased slightly, but he could 
always use more help.

"The challenge remains the same, and we will do the best to stem the flow 
with what we have," he said. "There's only so many people and so much money 
to go around."

Puerto Rico pays a heavy price for serving as the springboard for cocaine 
and other drugs. A quarter of the drugs are sold and used here, and that 
leads to crime and addiction. Eighty percent of last year's 693 homicides 
were tied to drug trafficking. Homicides are down this year -- 122 as of 
March 1 compared to 143 last year -- but an overwhelming majority are still 
related to drugs.

With a hot debate in and out of the Capitol over Gov. Sila Maria Calderon's 
choice for the island's drug-policy adviser, exactly what that person is 
supposed to do has seemed to be a secondary concern.

Simply getting tough on criminals and drug addicts was the wrong approach, 
Calderon and her Cabinet members say. They want to focus on prevention and 
rehabilitation.

But supporters say that strategy played only a small role in the bill 
approved last week establishing the drug policy-adviser's duties. The 
activists were even prevented from testifying at public hearings.

"It's a lack of respect to the people on the street, who are the people we 
represent," said Jose Vargas Vidot, director of the Community Investigation 
Initiative. "All they've done is dress up the get-tough-on-crime position a 
little and put a face on it."
- ---
MAP posted-by: GD