DPS, USCG, CUSTOMS JOIN HANDS IN FIGHT AGAINST PROHIBITED DRUGS

Police Commissioner Edward Camacho disclosed Friday that the
Department of Public Safety has joined hands with the United States
Coast Guard and the CNMI Division of Customs to prevent the entry of
illegal drugs into the Northern Marianas.

Specifically, the DPS is in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard and
the Customs Division to intercept the entry of controlled substance
into the islands via large shipments that are coming in through
ocean-base commerce.

Camacho explained that the tie-up is in line with the police
department's beefed up efforts against controlled substance, adding
that it is also an offshoot to the DPS' string of raids on marijuana
plantations. This effort was initiated in mid-2000.

The police official noted that the DPS had already launched a
relentless program to combat the spread of illegal drugs on the
islands-months before the National Drug Intelligence Center released a
report he described as "exaggerated, " which accuses the Commonwealth
as a drug haven in the Western Pacific Region.

Camacho said the DPS has established a strong network with local and
federal law enforcement agencies whose main goal is to put a stop to
the illegal drug trade in the Northern Marianas, including the
interception of possible drug shipments from off-island.

According to the NDIC report, illegal drugs in the CNMI are smuggled
in for local distribution. It stated that prohibited drugs,
particularly crystal methamphetamine or ice, are smuggled from Asia,
Hawaii, and the U.S. mainland to the Northern Marianas.

"Drugs smuggled into the CNMI are often transported via couriers
aboard commercial aircraft and in air cargo. Individuals in the CNMI
also use maritime vessels and package delivery services to smuggle
small quantities of illicit drugs into the CNMI for their personal
use," according to the NDIC in its October 2003 report.

Camacho said the NDIC report termed the drug problem in the CNMI as
"numerous and wide-ranging" as a result of intelligence gaps on the
islands. The report also noted that the local government lacks the
resources necessary to track trends in drug trafficking and abuse.

Camacho earlier deplored the report released by the NDIC as
unconfirmed, exaggerated and a smokescreen to a possible takeover plan
of the federal government.

In October 2003, the NDIC released the "Northern Mariana Islands Drug
Threat Assessment" report, which pointed out that organized Asian
crime syndicates engaged in drug distribution and money laundering
have penetrated the CNMI and are exacerbating the situation by
allowing them easy access to underground banking systems.

"One violent Japanese organized criminal group, the Yakuza, has
succeeded in penetrating CNMI business markets, particularly the
tourism industry, according to [the U.S. Customs Service]. The
presence of Japanese tourists in the CNMI enables these Japanese
criminals to blend with the local population," reads part of the report.

Inconsistent reporting requirements for cash and wire transfers from
regulated financial institutions to unregulated institutions allow the
syndicates to easily access Asian underground banking systems, it
added. Story by Edith G. Alejandro