Modern drug war now wages in cyberspace

Caymen Net NewsOn 25 January 2006, Jerome Harris – Special Agent with the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), based in Puerto Rico – said millions of dollars are moving around the world via the Internet and, “these are the kind of investigations we have to become involved with.”

Mr Harris – who is Caribbean Field Director and as such, in charge of officers based in many countries throughout the Caribbean – was speaking to his fellow delegates on the first day of the Pre-IDEC (International Drug Enforcement Conference) being held at the Marriott Hotel on Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman.

He was making reference to the fact that years ago when IDEC was formed, the world was a lot different.

However, over the last 22 years “NAFTA, Outsourcing, and a number of other factors have been driven by the development in global communication.”

He said that with an additional 2.5 billion people “showing up on the scene” over the period, the use of the Internet to facilitate the “cashless” movement of “millions of dollars” has grown.

Mr Harris made the statement about the use of electronic territories of the Internet, World-wide Web and other cyberspaces in the drug trade against the background of one of the targets of IDEC groups during the period leading up to the upcoming IDEC XXIV Conference, which is the sharing of information about suspicious money movements.

The IDEC XXIV is to be held in Montreal, Canada from 8-12 May 2006.

Mr Harris went on to give an indication of the sizeable amount of virtually invisible money that had to accompany trading in huge amounts of drugs when he spoke of the size and popularity of methamphetamine use in the US.

“Methamphetamine use is ripping the very heart out of our country,” he said. Mr Harris referred to IDEC’s growth and how it reflected its importance globally. He said that when the group started there were approximately eight member-countries as part of a working group. “Since its inception, IDEC has grown from a regional to a global forum, with approximately fifty-four member countries and 27 observer countries,” he added.

In opening the Conference H.E The Governor of the Cayman Islands, Stuart Jack, said that even though Cayman had a low crime rate by international standards, “there is crime here.”

Linking criminal activity to drugs he said that crime, “including recent criminal activity, is in one way or the other, drug related.”

Mr Jack said that at the local level, Customs, the Police, the Government and all related agencies would “make every possible effort” in the fight against criminal activity. He added, however, that apart from addressing “criminals we have here” we have to address those sitting around our shores.

“To the extent that we recognize this, we are also conscious of the international component in relation to ganja and cocaine coming from overseas,” Mr Jack noted.

He linked this overseas component of the drug trade to the importance of the 23-year-old IDEC group and the cooperation amongst countries on the matter.

Mr Jack acknowledged the contribution Derek Haines made to the group for many years.

Mr Haines has the distinction of working in the field of narco-crime through IDEC, on behalf of the Cayman Islands, since 1995. At that time, Cayman had Observer status with the Conference.

Mr Haines had actually worked with the Conference since 1994 from another territory. He moved Cayman from Observer to Membership status in 1997, and has been the IDEC representative ever since. Mr Haines also has the distinction of being IDEC Secretary for 11 years.

Also extending kudos to Mr Haines for his work on behalf of the Cayman Islands in Drug Enforcement was Police Commissioner Stuart Kernohan.

“I echo the Governor’s thanks to Derek for organizing this event,” said Mr Kernohan.

At this Pre-IDEC Conference for the Caribbean group – attended by some 40 delegates – topics included bi- and multi-lateral intelligence-led operations and targets.

David Schudel and John Faris of Cayman Forensic Laboratory led discussions on Forensic Science and Drug Investigations. There was also a presentation from an Intelligence Analyst.

This group was meeting against the background that at the last international Conference – IDEC XXIII – each working group selected regional targets in three areas.

These areas were international drug trafficking organizations, money laundering organizations, and diverters of essential and precursor chemicals.

Each regional working group set goals, developed a work plan, identified resources and responsibilities, and developed plans to overcome weaknesses and constraints.

The majority of the IDEC agenda is devoted to working group sessions where senior-level drug law enforcement officials identify common targets based on intelligence and coordinate regional and global attacks on these targets.

According to Mr Harris, delegates in attendance at the this 25-26 January 2006 should “walk away from the Conference working smarter.”
Membership in IDEC is by country and this list now includes Afghanistan, Israel, Antigua and Barbuda, Italy, Argentina, Jamaica, Aruba, Korea, Australia, Malaysia, Bahamas, Mexico, Barbados, New Zealand, Belize, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Nigeria, Brazil, Pakistan, Canada, Panama, Cayman Islands, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Colombia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Costa Rica, St. Lucia, Curacao, St. Vincent, Dominica, South Africa, Dominican Republic, Spain, Ecuador, Suriname, El Salvador, Thailand, France, The Philippines, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, Guatemala, Turkey, Guyana, Turks and Caicos, Haiti, United States, Honduras, Uruguay, India and Venezuela. Observer countries are Austria, Netherlands Antilles, Bulgaria, Poland, China, Romania, Denmark, Russia, Egypt, St. Maarten, Germany, Singapore, Ghana, Switzerland, Greece, Tajikistan, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Japan, United Kingdom, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Netherlands.