To Contents
To Next Page To Publications Page
To
Home Page
ARCHIVED
To Contents
To Next Page To Publications Page
To
Home Page
|
National Drug Intelligence Center Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Drug Threat Assessment July 2003 Overview
The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) are located in the Caribbean Sea over 1,100 miles southeast of Florida. Puerto Rico is composed of the main island--measuring 110 miles by 35 miles--two populated islands, Culebra and Vieques, and other unpopulated islands. The USVI, located 45 miles east of Puerto Rico, consists of three islands: St. Thomas (where the capital city, Charlotte Amalie, is located), St. Croix, and St. John. Residents born in Puerto Rico and the USVI are U.S. citizens. The USVI is home to more than 120,000 people. Puerto Rico is larger and more populous, with more than 3.9 million residents. Puerto Rico's population is concentrated in the capital of San Juan and the surrounding cities of Bayamón, Carolina, Cataño, and Guaynabo.
Puerto Rico and the USVI are transshipment points for illicit drugs that are smuggled from source countries into the U.S. mainland as well as destination points for drugs distributed within the territories. Puerto Rico and the USVI are situated between the U.S. mainland and drug source countries such as Colombia and Peru, making them ideal gateways for the movement of illicit drugs onward to the U.S. mainland. Drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and criminal groups use commercial and private maritime vessels, commercial and private aircraft, and package delivery services to smuggle illicit drugs into and through Puerto Rico and the USVI. Large drug shipments often are offloaded in Puerto Rico and the USVI, repackaged, and stored in secluded areas until they are distributed locally or transported to the U.S. mainland. Puerto Rico and the USVI contain 11 seaports; the largest is the Port of San Juan. This port is the fourth busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere, handling more than 2 million containers annually. Other important seaports in Puerto Rico are located in Aguadilla, Fajardo, Guanica, Guayanilla, Guayama, and Ponce. The ports in Puerto Rico handled more than 27.6 million tons of domestic and foreign cargo in 2000. Approximately two-thirds of the commercial cargo entering Puerto Rico originates in countries located in Central and South America and the Caribbean. Major seaports in the USVI are located in Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, and Port Alucroix. The ports in the USVI handled more than 45.7 million tons of domestic and foreign cargo in 2000. DTOs and criminal groups often smuggle large drug shipments from source and transshipment countries into and through Puerto Rico and the USVI via commercial maritime conveyances. Containerized cargo ships, large freighters, bulk cargo ships, and commercial fishing vessels often are used to transport drug shipments directly from source countries or from transshipment countries in the Caribbean to Puerto Rico and the USVI. Drugs transported on these vessels commonly are concealed in false compartments and vessel components including fuel tanks, or they are concealed inside shipping containers among licit goods or in the walls of the container itself. These large vessels also frequently act as "motherships" in the open ocean where crew members offload drug shipments onto smaller vessels. Private maritime conveyances also are used to transport drug shipments from source and transshipment countries into and through Puerto Rico and the USVI. Go-fast boats frequently are used to transport drug shipments from drug source countries and various Caribbean islands to shore points throughout Puerto Rico and the USVI, often traveling at night to avoid detection. These vessels also are used to retrieve drug shipments from large motherships in the open sea or from small private aircraft that drop bales of drugs into the water. Private yachts and fishing vessels are used in this same manner, though to a lesser extent. Drug transporters exploit the cruise ship industry to transport drugs into and through Puerto Rico and the USVI. More than 1.3 million cruise ship passengers visited Puerto Rico in 2000, with most--1.2 million--arriving in San Juan. Over 1.7 million cruise ship passengers visited the USVI in 2000. Law enforcement officials report that couriers--which include passengers and crew members--conceal drugs internally, on their persons, and in their luggage among personal belongings when transporting drugs aboard cruise ships. Couriers aboard passenger ferries also transport illicit drugs into Puerto Rico and the USVI. Puerto Rico has one international airport--Luis Muñoz Marín San Juan International Airport (SJU), which is the busiest in the Caribbean--while the USVI has two smaller commercial airports, Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix and Cyril E. King International Airport in St. Thomas. There are approximately 75 daily flights from San Juan International Airport to the continental United States, and the airport also services flights to and from Latin America and Europe. Destinations in the U.S. mainland include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York, Orlando, and Philadelphia. More than 9.4 million passengers passed through San Juan International Airport in 2001. The USVI airports serve cities in the U.S. mainland with nonstop flights and provide commuter service among many Caribbean islands. Drug transporters often smuggle drugs into and through Puerto Rico and the USVI via commercial aircraft. Millions of people travel through commercial airports in Puerto Rico and the USVI each year, providing ample opportunities to smuggle drugs. Couriers aboard commercial aircraft typically transport drugs on their persons or in their luggage, or they conceal the drugs internally. Drug transporters also use package delivery services and air cargo to smuggle drugs. Drug transporters also use private aircraft to smuggle drugs into and through Puerto Rico and the USVI. Private aircraft most frequently are used to conduct airdrops of drugs, which are then retrieved by crew members aboard maritime vessels for subsequent transportation to Puerto Rico and the USVI. Private aircraft also are used to transport drugs to airports or private airstrips in the territories, although to a much lesser extent. Drugs often are transported within Puerto Rico and the USVI via private vehicles traveling on island roadways. In Puerto Rico Highway 2 extends west from San Juan to Aguadilla and Mayagüez on the west coast, then south and east past Guayanilla to Ponce. Highway 3 extends from Carolina eastward to Fajardo, then south along the east coast and west to Guayama. Route 22 extends east to west between San Juan and Arecibo. Motorway 52 extends south from San Juan past Caguas, then southwest to Cayey, terminating at Ponce. Highway 10 extends from Arecibo on the northern coast to Ponce in the south. There are numerous smaller roads that pass through the mountainous interior of Puerto Rico. In contrast to Puerto Rico, USVI roadways are generally small, local roads. Several ethnic DTOs and criminal groups transport drugs throughout the Caribbean, and these groups frequently work together to facilitate their illicit activity. Generally, Dominican DTOs and criminal groups are the dominant transporters of drugs throughout the Caribbean, most often using maritime vessels. These DTOs and groups also use aircraft to smuggle drugs. These DTOs and criminal groups frequently transport drugs for Colombian DTOs and are paid with cash, drugs, or weapons. Colombian DTOs and Puerto Rican criminal groups also transport drugs into and through Puerto Rico and the USVI. Dominican DTOs and criminal groups, Colombian DTOs, and Puerto Rican criminal groups transport drugs from Puerto Rico and the USVI to the U.S. mainland using maritime and air conveyances. Various criminal groups and local independent dealers distribute illicit drugs in Puerto Rico and the USVI. Colombian, Dominican, and Puerto Rican criminal groups are the principal wholesale-level drug distributors in Puerto Rico, while retail distribution is dominated by heavily armed and violent Puerto Rican and Dominican criminal groups and local independent dealers. In the USVI wholesale and retail drug distribution is conducted by native Virgin Islander, Colombian, Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Arab criminal groups and local independent dealers. Retail-level drug sales occur at various locations in Puerto Rico and the USVI. In Puerto Rico drugs are sold at puntos de drogas, or drug points. These drug points are comparable to open-air drug markets on the U.S. mainland. Distributors generally sell multiple drugs at these locations. Drug points commonly are located in or near low-income public housing projects; however, some drug points are located in middle-class neighborhoods. In the USVI most drugs are sold in hand-to-hand transactions on city streets and in bars, clubs, and residences. Drug-related violent crime is common in Puerto Rico and also occurs in the USVI. According to law enforcement officials, retail drug distributors in Puerto Rico and the USVI are heavily armed and commit violent crimes including homicide to control lucrative drug markets. The Puerto Rico Police Department reported that 63 percent of the 744 murders on the island in 2001 were related to drug distribution activity. Further, approximately 70 to 80 percent of homicides involving firearms in Puerto Rico are attributed to disputes over drugs and turf. Drug abusers in the territories also commit violent crimes including robbery, burglary, carjacking, car theft, and home invasion to obtain money to support their drug habits. Federal seizure statistics indicate that cocaine, heroin, and marijuana frequently are seized in and around Puerto Rico and the USVI. According to Federal-wide Drug Seizure System (FDSS) data, federal law enforcement officials seized 22,250.9 kilograms of cocaine, 306.4 kilograms of heroin, and 1,848 kilograms of marijuana in Puerto Rico from 1999 through 2002. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Caribbean Division reported seizures in the USVI from FY2000 through FY2002 totaling 3,114.2 kilograms of cocaine, 2.6 kilograms of heroin, and 494.3 kilograms of marijuana. The Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported seizures totaling 31,180 kilograms of cocaine, 101 kilograms of heroin, and 5,047 kilograms of marijuana from fiscal year (FY) 1999 through FY2001 in Puerto Rico and the USVI. In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Greater Antilles Section reported seizing 4,673 kilograms of cocaine, 0 kilograms of heroin, and 9,657 kilograms of marijuana in FY2001. Some of the CBP and USCG seizures may be reflected in the FDSS data. The percentage of federal sentences that were drug-related in Puerto Rico was significantly higher than the national percentage in FY2001. According to U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) data, 68.0 percent of federal sentences in Puerto Rico were drug-related in FY2001 compared with 41.2 percent nationwide. Of the drug-related federal sentences in Puerto Rico, 77.7 percent resulted from powdered or crack cocaine offenses compared with 42.5 percent nationwide. The percentage of federal sentences that were drug-related in the USVI was significantly lower than the national percentage in FY2001. According to USSC data, 16.0 percent of federal sentences in the USVI were drug-related in FY2001 compared with 41.2 percent nationwide. The majority (86.6%) of drug-related federal sentences in the USVI in FY2001 resulted from powdered or crack cocaine offenses. Most individuals treated for drug abuse in Puerto Rico are adult males. According to the Mental Health and Anti-Addiction Services Administration of Puerto Rico (MHAASA), a total of 10,835 individuals received treatment for substance abuse from 2000 to 2001, and adult males accounted for 88 percent of the total. Individuals 25 to 34 years of age accounted for more treatment admissions than any other age group. In Puerto Rico a large percentage of substance abuse treatment admissions are for alcohol abuse; however, 23.4 percent of male treatment patients were admitted for marijuana abuse, followed closely by heroin (23.0%) and cocaine (14.3%). Among females, heroin accounted for 20.0 percent of treatment admissions, followed by marijuana (16.3%) and cocaine (9.9%). Drug abuse treatment data were not available for the USVI.
The financial impact on Puerto Rico's government from substance abuse-related costs is substantial. In 1998, the most recent year for which data are available, Puerto Rican officials spent nearly $900 million on substance abuse-related programs in areas including justice, education, health, child/family assistance, mental health/developmental disabilities, and public safety. This figure amounted to 6.2 percent of the total expenditures for the commonwealth. When factoring in the cost of lost productivity and nongovernmental expenses by private social services, estimates for total substance abuse-related costs are even higher. Money laundering poses a serious threat to Puerto Rico and, to a lesser extent, the USVI. The threat is so high in Puerto Rico that it was designated a High Intensity Financial Crime Area (HIFCA) in 2000. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has reported that banks and other financial institutions in Puerto Rico filed more than 1,000 Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) in 2000; this was more than three times the number of SARs filed in 1999. Money launderers in Puerto Rico and the USVI launder illicit drug proceeds using various methods including structuring bank deposits and money order purchases to avoid reporting requirements; using money services businesses such as money remittance, money exchange, and check cashing firms; using casinos in Puerto Rico; and smuggling bulk currency. Money launderers make use of other techniques as well, such as commingling drug proceeds with funds generated by legitimate businesses and purchasing assets including real estate and vehicles.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
End of page.
