    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [December 2, 1996]
    [Pages 2162-2163]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 2162]]

    Letter to Congressional Leaders on Major Illicit Drug-Producing and
    Drug-Transit Countries
    December 2, 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, Aruba, 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, 1996,
    International Narcotics Control Strategy Report and from other United
    States Government sources.
        This year, I have added Aruba to the list of major illicit drug-
    transit countries. At the same time, I am adding the Netherlands
    Antilles to those countries that we monitor as potentially significant
    drug-transit countries. These already include Cuba, Turkey, the Balkan
    Route countries and the former poppy-growing countries of Central Asia.
        Aruba. In the past 2 years, there has been a major shift in drug
    trafficking patterns, as enforcement activities in Mexico, the western
    Caribbean, and The Bahamas have pushed trafficking routes eastward.
    Taking advantage of the limited enforcement capabilities of most eastern
    Caribbean countries, Colombian drug syndicates have been routing U.S.-
    bound cocaine and heroin through the region. Consequently, countries
    that in the past have been peripheral to the drug trade have now taken
    on major roles that significantly affect the United States. While all of
    the eastern Caribbean is vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers, we
    have identified Aruba as a major drug-transit country. Aruba is situated
    on a major drug-transit route, with the vast majority of the cocaine and
    heroin that transits Aruba destined for the United States.
        Cocaine trafficking through Aruba to Puerto Rico continues to
    involve both transshipment through Aruba and redistribution from Aruba
    as a hub to other locations. Cocaine is smuggled by ship via Aruba,
    using commercial vessels, cruise ships, pleasure craft, and fishing
    boats. In addition, according to the DEA, traffickers use Aruba's free-
    zone facilities to engage in transit of bulk shipments of cocaine
    without scrutiny by local officials. A substantial portion of the free-
    zone's businesses in Aruba are owned and operated by members of the
    Mansur family, who have been indicted in the United States on charges of
    conspiracy to launder trafficking proceeds.
        Netherlands Antilles. Analysis of the trafficking patterns indicates
    that there is considerable drug activity taking place around the
    Netherlands Antilles, especially around St. Maarten. Although, at
    present, we have only anecdotal information, it is possible that
    significant quantities of U.S.-bound drugs are involved.
        Turkey and Other Balkan Route Countries. Although I am still
    concerned about the large volume of Southwest Asian heroin moving
    through Turkey and neighboring countries to Western Europe along the
    Balkan Route, there is no clear evidence that this heroin significantly
    affects the United States. If in the future it is determined 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 the relevant countries to the ``majors'' list.
        Cuba. Cuba's geographical position astride one of the principal
    Caribbean trafficking routes to the United States makes it a logical
    candidate for consideration for the ``majors'' list. While there
    continue to be some credible reports that trafficking syndicates use
    Cuban territory (including waters and airspace) for moving drugs, it has
    not been confirmed that this traffic carries significant quantities of
    cocaine or heroin to the United States.
        Central Asia. In 1996, the State Department conducted probe efforts
    in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, traditional 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 hec-

    [[Page 2163]]

    tares or more of poppy, I will add such countries to the ``majors'' list
    at the appropriate time.
        Major Cannabis Producers. While Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, the
    Philippines, and South Africa are important cannabis producers, they do
    not appear on the list since I have determined, pursuant to FAA section
    481(a)(2), that in all cases the cannabis is either consumed locally or
    exported to countries other than the United States, and thus, such
    illicit cannabis production does not significantly affect the United
    States.
            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 Robert L. Livingston, chairman, and David R. Obey, ranking member,
    House Committee on Appropriations. This letter was released by the
    Office of the Press Secretary on December 3.