Secret Service Operations in the Caribbean Region
CSPAN is showing yesterday's hearing by the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security on the Role and Operations of the United States Secret Service. In that hearing, Pedro Pierluis, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico to the United States Congress, raised with Mark Sullivan, the Director of the Secret Service, the issue of drug trafficking and money laundering in the Caribbean.
Mr. Pierluis commented that the US Government spends a great deal of effort on the Mexican border and noted that the southernmost US border region is PR and USVI.
Director Sullivan could provide no detail but said he would provide specifics to the Committee's staff regarding activities in the Caribbean. Could be interesting reading.
Bill Clinton designated the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico a High Intensity Drug Traffic Area and the US had funded since then HIDTA offices in the VI as well as PR. They are a combination of all of the agencies working under one roof. Many times you see drug busts that happen they they are involved in. It may not have specifically state so.
there was that nice Beneteau 55(?) the DEA intercepted a few months ago with a bunch of cocaine. I think it's still at the Independent boatyard.
As we've read in the papers recently, counterfeiting is a problem in this region.
One of the reasons is that MANY Caribbean countries use the dollar as an unofficial currency, are tourist dollars float through the region. A lack of familiarity with the currency and lack of banking oversights and protections make this region of intense concern for the Secret Service, who are technically known as "Treasury Agents" ...and are mostly involved with protecting the money supply, not the President.
- 4 Forums
- 32.9 K Topics
- 272.5 K Posts
- 199 Online
- 42.4 K Members