'Suriname is geen drugsproducerend land, maar belangrijk doorvoerland voor cocaïne naar andere delen van de wereld'Drugsgerelateerde corruptie wordt gezien als het grootste struikelblok voor harde aanpak van de grootschalige drugshandel en -doorvoer in Suriname. De regering is officieel tegen illegale drugs, maar er wordt weinig politieke wil gedemonstreerd om dit rigoreus aan te pakken, stelt het Amerikaanse ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken in een in maart 2018 gepubliceerd rapport 'International Narcotics Control Strategy Report 2018' (INCSR-2018) over drugs en witwassen (zie onderaan), zo meldt de Ware Tijd maandag 9 aprill 2018.
'Het praktische vermogen van Suriname om drugshandelaren aan te houden en te vervolgen, wordt gehinderd door drugsgerelateerde corruptie, bureaucratische obstakels en het gebrek aan financiële en materiële middelen.'
Suriname is geen drugsproducerend land, maar is een belangrijk doorvoerland voor cocaïne naar andere delen van de wereld. Aangegeven wordt dat de Container Control Unit in juli vorig jaar erin is geslaagd om een record van 1.700 kilo cocaïne te onderscheppen in de Jules Sedney Nieuwe Haven. De drugs waren bestemd voor verscheping naar Europa.
In het rapport wordt onder meer gewag gemaakt van de overheidsdiensten die belast zijn met drugsbestrijding en de overeenkomsten op dit gebied die Suriname getekend heeft met landen als Brazilië, Venezuela en Colombia.
Ook de internationale verdragen inzake drugsbestrijding waar Suriname partij bij is, worden genoemd. Verder worden ook lokale instituten, organisaties en wetgeving genoemd die gericht zijn op aanpak van drugsverslaafden.
Volgens de VS is het afgelopen jaar een toegenomen hoeveelheid cocaïne in beslag genomen in Suriname, wat mogelijk komt door een toegenomen productie in Columbia. 'Verslechterde economische omstandigheden in Suriname kunnen ook verhoogde prikkels hebben gegeven voor criminele activiteiten. Tijdens de eerste negen maanden van 2017 hebben de Surinaamse autoriteiten ongeveer 2.88 ton cocaïne in beslag genomen, 16.5 liter vloeibare cocaïne, 57.7 kg marihuana, drie kilo hasj en 393 ecstasy-tabletten.'
De tekst uit het rapport over Suriname:
INCSR 2018 Volume 1 Country Reports
262
Suriname
A. Introduction
Suriname is a transit zone for South American cocaine en route to Europe, Africa, and, to a lesser extent, the United States. Cargo containers carry most illicit drugs smuggled through Suriname,
but smaller fishing vessels also carry drugs out to sea for transfer to larger freighters. The 2016 introduction of seasonal direct commercial flights between the United States and Suriname could
create additional opportunities for drug trafficking. Suriname’s sparsely populated coastal region and isolated jungle interior, together with weak border controls and infrastructure, make illicit
drug detection and interdiction efforts difficult. There is little evidence of illicit drug production within Suriname.
B. Drug Control Accomplishments, Policies, and Trends
1. Institutional Development
The Government of Suriname is officially opposed to illicit drug trafficking, but little political will has been demonstrated to pursue vigorous enforcement. Suriname’s practical ability to
apprehend and prosecute drug traffickers remains inhibited by drug-related corruption, bureaucratic hurdles and the lack of financial and material resources. The Suriname Police Force (KPS) is responsible for the detection and combating of drug-related activities with five units having specific drug control responsibilities. The KPS Narcotics Unit investigates and arrests
individuals involved in trafficking illicit drugs, and the Narcotics Intelligence Unit (NIU) gathers intelligence related to illegal drug trafficking. At the airport, the Combating International Drug
Trafficking Unit (BID) is a 32-person team that screens airport passengers on outbound flights, and there is a police canine unit responsible for inspecting luggage.
In July 2017, the U.S.-funded, UN-sponsored Container Control Unit at the Terminal of Nieuw Haven (Port of Paramaribo) assisted Surinamese authorities in detecting and seizing a record of
1.7 metric tons of cocaine in a shipping container destined for Europe. The Unit’s operating protocol requires permission and oversight of Surinamese Customs authorities.
Suriname installed an automated biometrics border control system for travelers at points of entry in 2013 and amended the criminal code to allow DNA as evidence in 2014. The National Assembly approved the “Acquisition and Sentence Transfer Enforcement” law in October 2016.
This legislation is meant to establish the conditions under which a sentence issued by a foreign court would be applied within Suriname, as well as the conditions involved in applying the verdicts of Surinamese courts abroad.
Suriname is a party to the Inter-American Convention against Corruption and Migrant Smuggling and the Inter-American Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. Since 1976, Suriname has shared drug-related information with the Netherlands as part of a mutual legal assistance agreement among former Dutch colonies to exchange crime-related data. In 1999, the United States and Suriname completed a comprehensive bilateral maritime counternarcotics enforcement agreement that remains in force. Suriname has also signed bilateral agreements to combat drug trafficking with Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia.
2. Supply Reduction
Suriname is not a source country for illegal drugs or precursor chemicals, but it continues to be used as a transshipment point for illicit drugs. During 2017, there was an increase in the volume
of drugs seized in the country, which may be due to increased drug production in Colombia.
Worsening economic conditions in Suriname may also have produced increased incentives for criminal activity. During the first nine months of 2017, Surinamese authorities seized approximately 2.88 metric tons of cocaine; 16.5 liters of liquid cocaine; 57.6 kilograms (kg) of marijuana; three kg of hashish; and 393 MDMA (ecstasy) tablets.
3. Public Information, Prevention, and Treatment
Illicit drug use is relatively rare in Suriname, with marijuana being the primary drug consumed locally. There is one free, government-run detoxification center; other treatment centers are run by non-governmental organizations. In 2014, law-makers adopted new legislation allowing treatment for drug addiction as an alternative to criminal sentencing. As recently as October
2017, implementing protocols for this legislation were still being drafted.
In 2017, the police launched a three-week information campaign to increase awareness of the dangers of drugs and trafficking drugs. The program was in response to an increase in December 2016 of youth bringing packages to the postal service that contained drugs. The majority of individuals did not know the contents of packages nor the person who gave them the packages.
After two years of inactivity, in 2017 the government appointed new members for the National Antidrug Board (NAR). The board is responsible for coordinating all outreach efforts on drug
use by both government and nongovernment organizations. The board is also partially responsible for drafting the National Drugs Master Plan and National Drug Prevention Plan.
4. Corruption
The National Parliament passed an Anti-corruption law in September 2017. The law requires additional implementing rules to be created by state decree and the naming of one or more specialized prosecutors for corruption cases. Corruption pervades many government offices in Suriname, but local criminal investigations of alleged corrupt acts are rare and local prosecutions even rarer.
President Desire Bouterse and Member of Parliament Ronnie Brunswijk have been convicted of drug trafficking in absentia in separate court cases in the Netherlands and France.
Dino Bouterse, son of President Desire Bouterse, was sentenced in March 2015 to prison in New York for drug smuggling and other crimes.
C. National Goals, Bilateral Cooperation, and U.S. Policy Initiatives
The United States supports a range of efforts designed to address crime and violence in Suriname, primarily through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI). CBSI is a security partnership between the United States and Caribbean nations that seeks to substantially reduce illicit trafficking, advance public safety and citizen security, and promote justice.
CBSI support to Suriname includes training and equipment, primarily to the KPS and justice sector actors, to prevent and interdict drug trafficking, enhance maritime law enforcement capabilities, combat money laundering, and support at-risk youth programs.
D. Conclusion
Suriname continues to be a transit country for illicit drugs originating in South America. The United States encourages the Government of Suriname to combat corruption and take further
steps to increase the effectiveness of drug interdiction efforts within the country, as well as subsequent investigations and prosecutions.
Hieronder het volledig rapport:
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