[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.