PLAUDITS

INTENSIFYING THE FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS IN HAITI

Hats off to the Haitian government for sending a suspected drug
trafficker to where he reliably can be charged and put on trial -- the
United States. That's an encouraging sign of counter-narcotics
cooperation from a government that's come under U.S. pressure as it
has become an increasingly popular way station for cocaine sold to
American consumers.

Carlos Botero Asprilla, a Colombian native with a previous U.S.
trafficking conviction, had been in a Haitian jail since being picked
up on a cocaine-laden boat some weeks ago. Haitian authorities put him
on a plane to Miami, where U.S. marshals detained him last week.

Haiti's weak anti-drug efforts have led some in the U.S.
administration to suspect that high-level Haitian officials are
involved in the illegal trade. Expelling more suspected traffickers to
the United States, where the justice system more reliably can
prosecute and jail them, can do much to reverse suspicions.