The illegal drug trade in Aruba involves trans-shipment of
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...
and other drugs through
Aruba to the United States.
Background
Corruption in Aruba is so widespread that Claire Sterling, widely acclaimed for her works on drugs and crime, said of it: "The world's first independent mafia state emerged in 1993."
[Griffith, Ivelaw L. (1996-7), "Illicit Arms Trafficking, Corruption, and Governance in the Caribbean", ''Dickinson Journal of International Law'', p501, quoting Claire Sterling, Thieves World 21 (1994)] The Italian daily ''
Corriere della Sera'' described Aruba as "the first state to be bought by the bosses
Cosa Nostra
The Sicilian Mafia, also simply known as the Mafia and frequently referred to as Cosa nostra (, ; "our thing") by its members, is an Italian Mafia-terrorist-type organized crime syndicate and criminal society originating in the region of Sicily ...
." Between 1988 and 1992 the
Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan
The Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan () was a Mafia clan of the Cosa Nostra and held a key position in the illicit drug trade and money laundering for Cosa Nostra in the 1980s and 1990s. The Italian press baptized the clan as "The Rothschilds of the ...
was said to have acquired 60% of Aruba through investments in hotels, casinos and the election-campaign of a Prime Minister.
[Tom Blickman (1997),]
The Rothschilds of the Mafia on Aruba
, ''Transnational Organized Crime'', Vol. 3, No. 2, Summer 1997 As a result of the public outcry, Aruba's independence from the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, planned for 1996, was cancelled.
[
]
Tugboat Off Aruba Coast
The route taken by a strange tugboat that was intercepted off the coast of Aruba and found to have two tons of cocaine on board provides information regarding smuggling techniques and the present position of the Caribbean island in the drug trade. According to El Pitazo, the tugboat was halted on October 13 in the territorial seas of Aruba, one of the Dutch Antilles' islands. The five-person crew, all Venezuelans, were detained and the boat was confiscated after 2.2 tons of cocaine were discovered during an Aruban government check of the vessel. Members of the Colombian navy have scoured the boat, which left from Cartagena, with drug-sniffing dogs. Authorities claimed that the cocaine was likely brought aboard the boat in open waters and that the boat eventually vanished from radar. A cocaine smuggling boat has been discovered in Aruba's territorial seas before this year. Off the island's northern shore, officials detained a suspicious watercraft in August. About 500 kilograms of cocaine were inside.
https://insightcrime.org/news/brief/tugboat-off-aruba-coast-hides-more-than-just-cocaine/
Decline
While drug trafficking through Aruba used to be a major issue, it is much less so today. Aruba was removed from the US State Department’s list of major drug producing and transit countries in 1999. The reason for this decline is unclear
Case Study
See also
*Designer drug
A designer drug is a structural or functional analog of a controlled substance that has been designed to mimic the pharmacological effects of the original drug, while avoiding classification as illegal and/or detection in standard drug tests. D ...
*Drug liberalization
Drug liberalization is a drug policy process of decriminalizing or legalizing the use or sale of prohibited drugs. Variations of drug liberalization include: drug legalization, drug re-legalization and drug decriminalization. Proponents of drug ...
*Drug policy of the Netherlands
While recreational use, possession and trade of non-medicinal drugs described by the Opium Law are all technically illegal under Dutch law, official policy since the late 20th century has been to openly tolerate all recreational use while ...
*Legality of cannabis by country
The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and (in regards to medical) how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These ...
* Minors and the legality of cannabis
References
Aruba
Drugs in Aruba
Aruba
Aruba
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