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International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, 1998 [excerpted from full report] CUBA I. Summary The lack of authoritative information about the illegal narcotics situation in Cuba makes it difficult to assess the severity of Cuba's drug use and smuggling problems. Cuba's location between the United States and the hemisphere's principal drug-exporting countries makes it a logical transshipment point for traffickers. In 1998, traffickers' use of Cuba's airports, airspace, and vast territorial waters for transshipment appears to have increased. The Cuban authorities seem to have focused their apparently limited capability on law enforcement efforts at Cuban airports, not at drop sites at sea. Cuban officials repeatedly cited Cuba's proximity to the U.S. and the growing number of tourists coming to the island as the cause of the increasing, though still low-level, drug use and trafficking problems. Cuba and the United States continued to exchange drug-related law enforcement information on a case-by-case basis. Cuba is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. II. Status of Country The Government of Cuba (GOC) does not publish comprehensive information on its drug problem. The island does not appear to be a significant site for cultivation or production. There are indications, however, that drug trafficking, particularly transshipment via "mules" transiting Cuban airports and drugs dropped from planes over waters off Cuba's northeast coast, is on the rise. There were no reports of money laundering in Cuba in 1998. Sources indicate a moderate overall rise in drug use in Cuba, by Cubans as well as foreigners. 1998 marked the first time Cubans reported the presence of crack cocaine on the island. The GOC continued to attribute drug use in Cuba to the foreign influences associated with Cuba's opening up to business and tourism from abroad. During 1998 Cuban officials continued to deny publicly that drug addiction and drug trafficking were a serious problem in Cuba. In a January 1999 public address, however, Fidel Castro acknowledged that Cuba was increasingly being used as transit point for regional drug traffickers, leading to the birth of a domestic market for drugs, which he described as a "mortal venom for our youth and people." Castro attributed part of the consumption problem to the availability of U.S. dollars following the 1993 legalization of the possession of U.S. currency by Cubans. Cuban officials blame their lack of resources for the GOC's inability to patrol its territorial waters. As U.S. Coast Guard reports attest, drug traffickers appear to be taking advantage of that inability to an increasing extent. Article 190 of the Cuban Penal Code provides for three to eight years imprisonment for the production, transport, trafficking, possession with intent to traffic, or procurement for others of toxic drugs, hallucinogens, or hypnotic or narcotic substances. For "relatively large" amounts, sentences can range from seven to fifteen years. Simple possession is punishable by sentences of six months to three years. The lead law enforcement agency on drugs in Cuba is the Ministry of the Interior's National Anti-Drug Department. The National Drug Commission is an interagency coordinating body nominally under the Ministry of Justice. The Ministries of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, Public Health, Customs and Border Guards are also represented on the Commission. III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 1998 Policy Initiatives. In 1998, Cuba enhanced anti-narcotics cooperation with several countries, including the United Kingdom, Italy, The Bahamas, and France. In May, the Cuban press reported that Cuba had received more than $500,000 in counternarcotics assistance (equipment, assistance and training) from the UNDCP. In October, the United Kingdom announced it would provide $265,000 for the training of Cuban customs officials. A team of French customs officials began a 10-week canine technique training course for their Cuban counterparts at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport in December. Law Enforcement Efforts. Cuba's anti-narcotics efforts in 1998 were most noticeable at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport, where British-trained customs officials used drug-sniffing dogs to detect illegal narcotics as well as explosives. While sources indicated an increase in drug arrests, particularly of foreigners, in 1998, the Cuban media reported specific instances of drug enforcement only on an infrequent basis. The GOC did not publish complete statistics for domestic arrests or prosecutions. The GOC continued to maintain that it had no serious domestic consumption or trafficking problem, but in June, state media sources indicated that domestic trafficking had risen due to the increased number of tourists--over a million--who visited Cuba. Domestic demand for drugs, such as cocaine, is believed to be low, but anecdotal evidence indicates a rise in cocaine use, as well as the first reports of crack cocaine use in Cuba. Several "drug houses" reportedly sell much of the cocaine available in Havana, using prostitutes to market the drug to foreign tourists. While Cuba discussed the idea of exchanging prisoners with some countries, the exchange does not appear to be directed at drug offenders. There were no reports of GOC extradition of drug offenders (or receipt of extradited drug offenders), but neither were there reports of potentially extraditable offenders. Drug Seizures/Arrests. Reports of the transit of drugs through Cuban airports and via airdrops rose in 1998. Several European and Colombian drug traffickers were arrested in 1998 attempting to transit from Central America through Cuba to Europe. Most reportedly believed that law enforcement authorities would not suspect travelers of carrying drugs into Cuba, a country with a small consumer market, or from Cuba, a country not known to be a drug-producing country and therefore, they presumed, less closely watched by European customs officials. Cuban authorities arrested 18 foreign "tourists" (7 Canadians, 7 Jamaicans, and 4 Britons) in November for attempting to transport 53.5 kilograms of cocaine and 1.3 kilograms of hashish from Jamaica, through Cuba, to the United Kingdom, according to press reports. Cuban authorities called this the largest seizure ever made at a Cuban airport. In 1998, there was a much more visible presence of transit cooperation with European governments, particularly in the areas of customs training and drug-sniffing dogs, visible at Havana's international airport. The GOC notes that it does not have the "naval means" necessary to patrol its extensive coastline and many keys. In June, a Justice Ministry official said that some of the boats the Cuban government used to chase smugglers at sea dated from World War II. Drug seizures made in Cuban waters were reported by Cuban authorities to have been the result of drug traffickers' failed "drops." In September, a Cuban press report indicated that in 1994 thirty-four "bundles" of drugs were found in Cuban waters, the apparent results of abandoned or failed drops. In the first six months of 1998, said the report, 220 such seizures were made. Cuban authorities reportedly seized "95 million doses" of pure cocaine between 1994 and 1997. A March press report said 53 Colombians were being held in Cuban jails after trying to transport cocaine from Colombia through Cuba to Europe. In early January 1999, Fidel Castro publicly announced that 216 foreigners had been arrested during the three-year period 1996-1998, of whom 165 were still in jail. He placed the number of drug seizures during the first eleven months of 1998 at 269, nearly double the previous year. According to Castro, total seizures (marijuana, cocaine, and hashish combined) amounted to 3.52 metric tons. In December, in the Port of Cartagena, Colombia, the Colombian National Police (CNP) seized over 7 metric tons of cocaine hidden in shipping containers which, according to the cargo manifest, were bound for Havana, Cuba. Information developed by the CNP in cooperation with the Cuban authorities thus far has not revealed who in Cuba was destined to receive the shipment. However, the CNP investigation indicates that the shipment was ultimately intended for Europe, and that investigation is currently targeting certain key European drug traffickers. Corruption. Since the 1989 show trial and subsequent execution of Defense Ministry official Division General Arnoldo Ochoa, Interior Ministry official Colonel Antonio de la Guardia, and two of his subordinates, Cuban authorities have maintained that there is no evidence of narcotics-related corruption by government officials. The USG has no credible evidence of recent high level official drug-related corruption. No reports of narcotics-related corruption appeared in Cuba's state-controlled media in 1998. However, it is probable that some degree of corruption is present among low level Cuban police officers and other officials best placed to facilitate smuggling. Amendments adopted in 1994 to Article 190 and 192 of the Cuban Penal Code provide for increased penalties for public officials who engage in or assist illicit narcotic activities. An amendment to Article 192 punishes persons who use their employment to facilitate narcotics trafficking. Agreements and Treaties. Cuba has no counternarcotics agreement or treaty with the U.S. The U.S. and Cuba signed a treaty in 1904 providing for the mutual extradition of fugitives from justice. That treaty entered into force in 1905 and was supplemented by an additional extradition treaty in 1926. These treaties have not been used in many decades. Cuba is a party to the World Customs Organization's International Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance for the Prevention, Investigation, and Repression of Customs Offenses (Nairobi Convention), Annex X on Assistance in Narcotics Cases. Cuba is a party to the 1961 UN Single Convention, the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 UN Drug Convention. During 1998, the GOC signed bilateral counternarcotics agreements with Portugal, Spain, Colombia, Italy, and France. The GOC states that it maintains bilateral agreements on narcotics with 18 countries, including the United Kingdom, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Guyana, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. According to the GOC, it is negotiating agreements with 25 other countries. Cuba and the United States share no bilateral counternarcotics treaties or agreements, but have worked together on a case by case basis on law enforcement matters. Cultivation/Production. There is no evidence that Cuba is a significant drug-producing country. According to the GOC, small quantities of marijuana are grown around Havana and in eastern Cuba, but are unsuitable for export because of the low THC content of the crop. The GOC published no reports regarding crop size estimates, crop yields, or eradication efforts. Drug Flow/Transit. According to GOC officials and press reports, transshipment of illegal narcotics in 1998 took place in the waters off of Cuba's northeastern coast and at Cuban international airports. In the cases at sea, the narcotics were reportedly dropped by aircraft crossing over east-central Cuba, and picked up by "go-fast" boats waiting nearby. On numerous occasions, the U.S. Coast Guard reported in real-time to the Cuban Border Guards incidents of suspicious aircraft over-flying Cuban airspace, dropping something, and returning south. None of the planes involved was apprehended. Cuban authorities did, in one known instance, recover 22 airdropped bales of marijuana. Domestic Programs. The head of Cuba's National Drug Commission noted in July that a "national prevention program" was underway to deter drug use in Cuba. The head of the Commission said that the program employed the education and public health sectors to detect and prevent drug use, particularly among Cuban youth. He also said that the Cuban criminal code did not penalize drug consumption in Cuba. Asset Seizure. The GOC retains all property seized or suspected of being linked to narcotics trafficking. Privately-held land used to cultivate cannabis or other illegal crops is subject to confiscation. There were no published reports of asset forfeitures in 1998. Precursor Chemical Control. Cuba is not believed to be a source of precursor chemicals. No incidents involving precursor chemicals were published during 1998. IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives Bilateral Cooperation. The USG and the GOC have no bilateral narcotics agreements, and there is no INL program in Cuba. In 1998, the U.S. and Cuba continued to cooperate on law enforcement matters on a case-by-case basis. Via telex link, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Federal Aviation Administration routinely provide to the Border Guard and the Havana Air Traffic Control Center non-sensitive, real-time information on suspicious vessels and aircraft in or near Cuban waters or airspace. The GOC continued to claim willingness to cooperate with the United States to combat drug trafficking. At the same time, Cuba has reportedly noted its inability to devote the resources necessary to combat trafficking within its own territory. The Road Ahead. The U.S. and Cuba will continue to cooperate in counternarcotics efforts on a case-by-case basis. |
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