US, UK urged to assist in drugs and crime fight
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Caribbean nations are insisting that the United States and the United Kingdom are morally obligated to assist them in their deadly fight against drugs trafficking and violent crime.
"Those countries which provide the market for hard drugs and are in the best position to help us fight the gun and gang crimes that result from the drugs trade are the ones who should help us most," said St. Lucia's National Security Minister Senator Guy Mayers yesterday, one day after signing a security cooperation agreement with the United States.
Mayers echoed the sentiments of Chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) grouping, Grenada's Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, who last week repeated his earlier statement that "Those (countries) who provide the markets for the drugs" should do more to help Caribbean countries fight a region-wide increase in gun, gang and drug-related crimes now affecting all member-states.
On Tuesday (February 22), St. Lucia observed its 32 anniversary of Independence with Prime Minister Stephenson King appealing to the nation's youth to "do more" to insulate themselves against the invitations and temptations to join gangs and engage in criminal activity.
Mayers, Thomas and King have all also echoed region-wide Caribbean concern at a recent announcement by London that a British Royal Navy frigate that's been on permanent petrol in the Caribbean and intercepted several major drug tans-shipment sea trips will be withdrawn.
London says the withdrawal of the frigate is in keeping with Britain's large defense spending cuts being undertaken by the David Cameron Conservative administration.
However, the Caribbean's leaders and national security ministers have been protesting the withdrawal of the British war ship from the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, claiming it will hinder their fight against use of the Caribbean as a drugs trans-shipment zone.
With the US-Mexican border controls tightened and upgraded security at US airports and with air trafficking to Britain and other European destinations becoming more difficult of late, drug exporters have had to depend more on shipments by sea.
In the case of cocaine shipments from Latin America, well-heeled traffickers have resorted to use of submarines to get their goods from coast to coast.
In the Caricom island region, however, multi-engine speedboats, powerful motor launches, cargo vessels, passenger craft and ships – including tourist liners – are increasingly relied upon to out-run the slower, outdated, less equipped coast guard and marine police vessels of the smaller islands.
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