Pubdate: Mon, 07 Apr 2008
Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Copyright: 2008 Sun-Sentinel Company
Contact:  http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159

U.S. SHOULD HELP GUYANA FIGHT DRUGS

ISSUE: Guyana's president wants a U.S. DEA office in his country.

English-speaking Caribbean countries have become  transshipment ports
for drugs headed to North America  and Europe. So it's not a bad idea
to have a U.S. Drug  Enforcement Administration office in the region
to help  combat illegal trafficking.

The possibility of such an arrangement surfaced  recently when U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State for  Western Hemisphere Affairs, Thomas
Shannon, visited  Guyana. President Bharrat Jagdeo sent Shannon back
to  Washington with a request for a DEA office in the South  American
country.

The request comes as Guyana is facing a wave of violent  crime. The
country of 760,200 people had 23 murders in  less than a month in
early 2008, according to  CaribWorldNew, a wire service for Caribbean
news.

A recent U.S. State Department International Narcotics  Control
Strategy Report highlighted the drug shipment  activities in Guyana
and other countries in the region,  pointing out that interdictions
and seizures of drugs  had decreased in Guyana between 2004 and 2005,
and that  the country remains a prime target for drug traffickers
because of poor economic, social and political  conditions.

The U.S. Embassy in Guyana estimates that narcotics  traffickers earn
at least $150 million annually by  smuggling drugs through the
country, an amount  equivalent to at least 20 percent of the country's
  gross domestic product. These conditions should be of  concern to the
United States, and a reason to pay  closer attention to what's
happening in the Caribbean,  also known as America's Third Border.

Stronger relations with countries like Guyana could go  a long way in
fighting the flow of drugs here on the  home front. And with Guyana
and the United States  having a history of cool relations due to the
country's  socialist leanings during the Cold War, having a DEA
office in the country could help usher in a new era of  cooperation,
which is much needed at a time when  national security is a concern.

BOTTOM LINE: The State Department should grant the  South American
country's request.
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MAP posted-by: Steve Heath