World drug cartels find Haiti a soft touch
By Martin Hodgson
Poverty-stricken and unprepared, Haiti has become a prime target for traffickers seeking a new launch-pad into American markets. The island's police are easily bribed and an inadequate judiciary means not a single officer has been convicted.
PORT-AU-PRINCE: When a smuggler's boat came ashore near the south-coast village of Flamand, local peasants chased off the crew, and seized over 1.5 tons of cocaine. Shortly afterwards, Haitian police arrived, took possession of the drugs and disappeared. The police were later arrested but no charges were brought.
Since the U.S. stepped up its anti-smuggling activity along the Mexican border, the Caribbean has become a prime target for traffickers seeking a new launch-pad into American markets. Poverty- stricken and unprepared, Haiti is the ideal venue.
"Haiti is at great risk," said a U.S. narcotics agent in San Juan, Puerto Rico. "They don't have the infrastructure, they don't have the institutions and they don't have the laws to deal with this problem."
Although customs controls are much weaker than in neighboring countries, in 1997 Haitian authorities seized over nine tons of marijuana and 2.1 tons of cocaine. There are no figures for the drugs that enter the country undetected.
Once in Haiti, the drugs can be slipped across the border into the Dominican Republic. From there it is a short boat trip to Puerto Rico.
As Puerto Rico is U.S. territory, there are no customs checks on flights to mainland U.S.. "Once they arrive in Puerto Rico, you might as well say that the drugs are in Miami, New York or any place in the United States," said the U.S. agent.
The drugs enter Haiti in any number of ways. From Colombia's north coast it takes only a day to cross the Caribbean in a "cigarette boat", like the one pillaged at Flamand. Even with help from the U.S. Coastguard, the Haitian authorities have no hope of patrolling the 200 miles of southern coastline, where isolated beaches make ideal landing spots.
By plane the journey is even faster - narcotics agents say clandestine airstrips are scattered throughout the Haitian back- country.
Other smugglers carry their cargo on board commercial flights from Panama and Curacao, in the knowledge that there are no sniffer dogs or scanners in Port-au-Prince airport. Some estimates say 15 percent of cocaine sold in the U.S. comes through the Caribbean - and 7 percent through Haiti. Whatever the exact figure, law officials agree that the situation is getting worse. And of all the Caribbean states, Haiti is probably the least equipped to take on the cartels.
After Baby Doc Duvalier was deposed in 1986, Columbian cartels, taking advantage of disorder in the country, made lucrative deals with the country's military rulers. Haiti was effectively turned into a free-trade zone for drug dealers with millions of dollars worth of cocaine being shipped through the island. When the Americans invaded in 1994 to get rid of the military, the U.S. government and the United Nations poured money into programs promoting democracy and the rule of law.
There was great optimism for the newly created institutions but the civilian police force formed to replace Haiti's infamous military fell prey to the same shortcomings. Over 200 officers have been fired on charges ranging from summary killings to petty theft. But of the many accused of drug-related charges, few have been charged and none convicted. Now, the effective closure to the cartels of the Mexican border has intensified the problem in Haiti.
Despite international support, the 6,000-man police force remains understaffed and ill prepared with only 28 specially trained narcotics agents.
An officer's monthly salary is around 250 dollars -- a huge amount in a country where the average annual income is around 300 dollars, but not much compared to the bribes the narcos can pay. A Haitian anti-narcotics agent puts it simply: "Haiti is a poor country.
The drug dealers are very rich. It's easy for them to corrupt people."
National Police Chief Pierre Denize insists that the novice police force is tackling the smugglers. "Despite our very limited resources, we are doing what we can," he said. "I'm sure that Haitian institutions are capable of fighting the drugs trade. But I don't know any country which has won the war against drugs." There have been victories: this year seizures of cocaine have totaled 1.3 tons so far -- but a dysfunctional judiciary has not brought a single successful prosecution. Critics say impunity has become routine.
The situation is compounded by a political crisis. The resignation last year of prime minister Rosny Smarth, and parliament's inability to agree on a successor, have paralyzed government, making it impossible to pass new laws targeting drug trafficking and money laundering.
As the young anti-narcotics agent thinks of the future, his hand strays to the pistol on his belt. "We're willing to fight, but we're scared," he says. "We are about to start a battle and we're not ready for it."
-- Observer News Service