Pubdate: Sat, 13 Dec 2003
Source: BBC News (UK Web)
Copyright: 2003 BBC
Contact:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/558
Author: Geraldine Coughlan, BBC correspondent in The Hague

DRUG SMUGGLERS TAX DUTCH JUSTICE

Smugglers arrested with less than three kilos of cocaine at Amsterdam's 
Schiphol airport will not be prosecuted under plans by the Dutch Government.

The policy is designed to ease pressure on the judicial system due to a 
rising number of arrests of drug couriers.

They are mostly from the Caribbean islands of the Netherlands Antilles.

Some MPs fear the new policy will make the Netherlands a target for 
criticism. But the government says it is the only way to deal with the 
growing problem.

About 150 cocaine smugglers are arrested there each month.

Most carry pellets of the drug in their stomachs.

Last year, the government stopped prosecuting drug couriers carrying less 
than one-and-a-half kilos, but those with larger amounts were sent home 
with a court summons on the understanding they would be prosecuted in their 
home countries.

Still, extra courts and prison cells were not enough to deal with the drug 
traffickers.

Colonial Legacy

Most of them come from the Dutch Caribbean and have Dutch passports.

The authorities have begun intensified security controls on so called risk 
flights from the Netherlands Antilles and Surinam.

The justice minister has threatened to ban them if the influx of drug 
smugglers continues to increase.

But he emphasised such a drastic measure would be a last resort. 
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman