More extraditions is how the U.S. can best help: Drug czar

Santo Domingo.- The Presidency’sAntinarcotics adviser Wednesday said a stronger extradition policy would be howthe United States can most help Dominican Republic’s war on drug trafficking.

"Unfortunately a drug trafficker’s only fearis extradition," said Marino Vinicio Castillo (Vincho).

The official also called for a Washington-SantoDomingo pact on time served by convicts, and the ability to conduct property seizuresand forfeitures based on sentences by U.S. courts.

"The problem is that when they (drugtraffickers) leave jail they have the money to continue operating, stoking fearand violence, and that has to change."

He said if confiscation sentences occur and thoseof U.S. courts could be enforced here, the war on drugs wouldn’t need governmentfunds.

Drones

Although the official noted that the U.S. spyplanes (drones) have contributed to several significant narcotics busts, thecountry lacks a twin-turbine helicopter and night operating equipment to do abetter job against drug trafficking.

“After the squadron of Super Tucanos arrived theysolved the problem of the radar blips in the sky. However the drug is veryflexible and will accommodate to circumstances and they now bring the drug fromHaiti, where they have free range,” Castillo said in in the radio programCuentas Claras.