    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [February 22, 1996]
    [Pages 316-318]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Letter to Congressional Leaders on Major Narcotics Producing and Transit
    Countries
    February 22, 1996

    Dear Mr. Chairman:  (Dear Ranking Member:)
        In accordance with the provisions of section 490(h) of the Foreign
    Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), as amended, I have determined that the
    following countries are major illicit drug producing or drug transit
    countries: Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma,
    Cambodia, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala,
    Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Jamaica, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico,
    Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand,
    Venezuela, and Vietnam. These countries have been selected on the basis
    of information from the March 1, 1995, International Narcotics Control
    Strategy Report and from other United States Government sources.
        No countries on the 1995 list have been removed from the list this
    year. I have added Belize and Cambodia to the list for the following
    reasons:
            Belize. In my letter of February 2, 1995, which removed Belize
            from last year's list of major drug-producing countries, I
            stated, ``We will be watching to determine whether it becomes a
            major transit point for drugs moving to the United States.'' I
            did so because Belize's geographical location south of Mexico's
            Yucatan peninsula makes it an ideal strategic drug transshipment
            point for U.S.-bound cocaine shipments. The coun-

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        try's long, unprotected coastline, large tracts of rain forest, many
            inland waterways and large unpopulated areas make Belize an
            inviting feeder site for moving drugs into the mainstream
            Mexican trafficking routes that carry the bulk of South American
            cocaine to U.S. markets. Despite a demonstrated commitment to
            cut off access to these routes, the Government of Belize lacks
            the human and material resources to control its borders
            adequately. In earlier years, the British Defense Forces
            stationed in Belize were a partial deterrent to drug traffic,
            though cocaine transited the country even then. Their withdrawal
            in late 1994 cleared the way for new trafficking opportunities.
            There is little doubt that traffickers are exploiting Belize's
            vulnerable antidrug infrastructure, particularly as other
            countries have strengthened their counternarcotics efforts. The
            very factors that make Belize attractive as a backdoor to the
            Mexican cocaine route to the United States preclude a precise
            estimate of the volume of drugs transiting Belize. But it is
            clear from a number of airdrops off Belize's coast and important
            seizures that the trafficking organizations view it as a
            valuable transit point. Mexico's disruption of the large jets
            carrying multi-ton loads of cocaine (``cargas'') has made Belize
            even more attractive as a feed-in point for U.S.-bound cocaine.
            While shipments transiting Belize are smaller than those
            entering Mexico directly, they can still be sizable. For
            example, in a single operation in 1995, Belizean authorities
            seized more than half a ton (636 kilograms) of U.S.-bound
            cocaine and arrested two Colombians and a Belizean believed to
            be connected to the Cali cartel. In all of 1995, Belizean
            authorities seized a total of 840 kilograms of cocaine, which
            probably represents only a small fraction of the cocaine
            actually finding its way to the Mexican conduit to the United
            States. Moreover, this route is not new, since Belizean
            authorities reported seizing 850 kilograms of cocaine in 1993,
            and 650 kilograms in 1990. Consequently, I am now adding Belize
            to the list as a major drug transit country.
            Cambodia. Over the past year we have seen numerous indicators
            that the heroin trafficking problem in Cambodia is severe. Newly
            formed and undertrained drug enforcement units have made large
            seizures of heroin. Cambodian police and customs sources have
            uncovered narcotics cases that involve the Cambodian military
            and police. Narcotics-related corruption also seems to be a
            problem in government and business circles. Cambodia shares
            borders with Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam--all countries on the
            list of major drug producing and drug transit countries.
            The Cambodian government formally acknowledged that drug
            transshipment was a significant problem in a royal decree
            establishing an interministerial committee against narcotics
            signed by the King on September 7. The head of the Phnom Penh
            Municipal Counternarcotics Bureau has stated to the press that
            as much as 600 kilograms of heroin is smuggled through Cambodia
            each week. While we have no evidence to corroborate this figure,
            which seems high, seizures in Cambodia give us reason to believe
            there is a significant volume of heroin transiting the country.
            On August 11, the Cambodian Customs Service seized 71 kilograms
            of heroin hidden in a speedboat in Koh Kong province. This is
            the largest seizure ever made in Cambodia and one of the largest
            made in Southeast Asia this year. Two west African traffickers
            apprehended by the Cambodian authorities in July have admitted
            smuggling heroin to the United States and other destinations.
            The extent of narcotics-related corruption suggests that the
            overall drug transshipment problem in Cambodia may be even
            greater than recent seizures suggest. There have been
            investigations and arrests involving both police and military
            suspects. Local police were arrested in the 71-kilogram heroin
            seizure in Koh Kong province. In August, Thai police arrested
            several Cambodians including members of the Cambodian military
            for attempting marijuana smuggling. For all the reasons listed
            above, I believe it is appropriate for Cambodia to be added to
            the list as a transit country.
            Major Cannabis Producers. While Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco,
            the Philippines, and South Africa are important cannabis
            producers, they do not appear on this list since I have
            determined that in all cases the illicit cannabis is either
            consumed locally or exported to countries

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            other than the United States, and thus such illicit cannabis
            production does not significantly affect the United States. (FAA
            481(e)(2) states that a country that cultivates and harvests
            more than 5,000 hectares per year of illicit cannabis falls
            within the definition of a ``major illicit drug producing
            country,'' unless I determine that such illicit cannabis
            production does not significantly affect the United States.)
            Turkey and Other Balkan Route Countries. Turkey and its
            neighboring countries play a key role as a major transit route
            for much of the Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western and
            Central Europe along the so-called Balkan Route. We know that
            some of this heroin also flows to the United States, but thus
            far our information has been limited and we have traced only
            relatively small quantities. We will be looking further into
            this issue over the next year. Insofar as we determine that
            heroin transiting Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, the Former Republic
            of Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Croatia, the Former Yugoslavian Republic
            of Macedonia, or other European countries on the Balkan Route
            significantly affects the United States, I will add such
            countries to the list.
            Cuba. We still do not have sufficient evidence that Cuba plays
            an active role in the drug trade affecting the United States to
            add it to the list at this time. However, Cuba's geographic
            location and evidence of some movement of drugs around the
            island indicate it could become a target for greater trafficking
            activity in the future.
            Central Asia. During 1995, we conducted probe efforts in
            Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, traditional opium poppy growing areas
            of the former Soviet Union. These probes did not show
            significant opium poppy cultivation. If ongoing analysis reveals
            cultivation of 1,000 hectares or more of poppy, I will add the
            relevant countries to the list.
            Sincerely,

                                                          William J. Clinton

    Note: Identical letters were sent to Jesse Helms, chairman, and
    Claiborne Pell, ranking member, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations;
    Mark O. Hatfield, chairman, and Robert C. Byrd, ranking member, Senate
    Committee on Appropriations; Benjamin A. Gilman, chairman, and Lee H.
    Hamilton, ranking member, House Committee on International Relations;
    and Bob Livingston, chairman, and David R. Obey, ranking member, House
    Committee on Appropriations. This letter was released by the Office of
    the Press Secretary on February 23.