DRUG TRAFFIC INCREASED TO ST. MAARTEN IN 2005

Drug traffic increased to St. Maarten, the U.S. Department of State
said in its narcotics report of the Netherlands Antilles for 2005.

Traffickers reduced loads on go-fast boats in 2005 because of
potential exposure to law enforcement. This shift was attributed to
successful investigations and investments by the Netherlands Antilles
in border security such as the new ground-based radar system capable
of identifying inbound vessels.

With investments and tightening the borders in Aruba, Bonaire and
Curacao, drug traffic increased to St. Maarten. These shipments were
generally en route to Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The islands of the Netherlands Antilles serve as transhipment points
for cocaine and heroin coming from South America; chiefly Colombia,
Venezuela and, to a much lesser extent, Suriname. These shipments
typically are transported to U.S. territory in the Caribbean by
"go-fast" boats, although the use of fishing boats, freighters and
cruise ships is becoming more common.

Direct transport to Europe, and at times to the U.S., is by "mules"
(drug couriers) using commercial flights. Drugs entering the United
States from the Netherlands Antilles are not in such amounts as to
have a significant effect on the United States.

In addition to go-fast boat activity and smuggling via commercial
airlines, large quantities of narcotics continued to be moved in
containers. Officials in St. Maarten initiated joint investigations
with U.S. law enforcement and adopted new law enforcement strategies.
Sailing vessels and larger vessels moved several hundreds of kilograms
of cocaine under the guise of recreational maritime traffic.

The crackdown at Curacao's Hato International Airport on "mules" --
travellers who either ingest illegal drugs or conceal them on their
bodies -- which began in 2002 continued during 2005. Historically,
most of the courier traffic (current estimate is 95 per cent) has been
destined for Europe.

Antillean authorities reported a significant reduction in courier
traffic, from 80-100 couriers a day to approximately 10 couriers per
month, according to local court statistics as of October 2005.

These results were directly attributed to aggressive law enforcement
tactics employed by Antillean authorities, in conjunction with their
Dutch partners, that led to significant seizures and the dismantling
of responsible organisations, coupled with innovative legislative
tactics like passport removal that ultimately resulted in the removal
of more than 850 passports from would-be couriers.

As Hato Airport maintained tightened control during the year,
traffickers turned their attention to other regional airports,
challenging law enforcement control at those locations as well. St.
Maarten, to a lesser extent, continued to detect increasing numbers of
"mules." Consistent with the continued smuggling ventures, arrests
were frequent in 2005.

The specialised police units of the kingdom cooperation detective team
RST improved their place in the regional scheme of enforcement as a
viable international partner for law enforcement matters, according to
the U.S. Department of State. In January 2005, the RST participated in
a joint international operation that netted the seizure of 385
kilograms of cocaine and 21 arrests as a result of investigation in
seven countries.

RST seized 21 kilograms of MDMA in March 2005, the largest seizure of
XTC in the Caribbean region to date, during a controlled delivery
operation between the Netherlands, St. Maarten, and the United States.
The RST also seized an operating LSD laboratory, the first of its
type, in St. Maarten. "These successes highlight the RST's ability to
perform and its viability as a regional partner in sensitive and
highly technical investigations," according to the report.

The Coast Guard of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba (CGNAA) scored a
number of impressive successes in 2005, the US State Department stated
in its report. CGNAA was responsible for several seizures of cocaine,
heroin, and marijuana.

In July, CGNAA, for the first time, detained a vessel in international
waters and escorted it back to territorial waters where a search
resulted in the seizure of approximately 800 kilograms of cocaine. In
August, CGNAA supported a controlled operation in international waters
in which approximately 300 kilograms of cocaine were seized.

CGNAA has developed an effective counter-narcotics intelligence
service and is considered by the U.S. Coast Guard and DEA to be an
invaluable international law enforcement partner. Authorities in both
the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are intent on ensuring that there
is a proper balance between CGNAA's international obligation to stop
narcotics trafficking through the islands and its local responsibility
to stop narcotics distribution on the islands.

The Dutch Navy also operates in the Netherlands Antilles. The U.S.
Coast Guard deploys Law Enforcement Detachments LEDets on all Dutch
naval vessels conducting counter-narcotics patrols in the Caribbean.
The most impressive seizure during 2005 was a three-week surveillance
operation of a shipping vessel which ultimately netted 2,040 kilograms
of cocaine. The operation was conducted as a joint effort between
three countries, including the United States.