Gloria: NDIC report not surprising
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The National Drug Intelligence Center report that painted a very dismal image of CNMI’s drug problems did not come as a surprise to House Health and Welfare Committee vice chair Gloria DLC. Cabrera. The congresswoman, who formerly served as counselor for persons battling substance abuse, acknowledged that the problem has been around for years, beginning in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the illicit drugs first entered local communities and brought with it social ills. “So has the problem always been there? Did it go away and is now just resurfacing? And should we as a community be surprised that this issue is now just resurfacing? I think not,” Cabrera stated. The lawmaker likened drug abuse problems and its impact on any society as no different than a live volcano. “At times it is dormant with no signs of its destructive potential. From time to time, it erupts, sometimes with a minimal but somewhat destructive force on its surrounding environment. And on occasion, it will release its fury in the form of a major eruption that kills all living organisms that dares to cross its path,” stated the committee chairwoman. The NDIC, an arm of the U.S. Department of Justice, stated in its Northern Marianas Drug Threat Assessment that the increasing availability of crystal methamphetamine and marijuana on the islands, coupled with large intelligence gaps on the local illegal drug situation, make for a significant threat to the Commonwealth. Recalling the earliest presence of illicit drugs in the community, Cabrera said the new social culture started driving people to commit criminal activities that often resulted in arrest and imprisonment. This, she continued, gave rise to more tragedy in that families were torn apart and babies were being born predisposed to a life of values that revolved around this social culture. The CNMI’s geographic location, among other factors, has primed it as a target for the proliferation of the prohibited drugs, Cabrera said. “Because of our strategic location to Asia and the nature of the types of drugs being smuggled and sold in the CNMI, it is questionable whether even if we are armed with the best of resources, we can effectively and fully eradicate this problem here in the CNMI,” she aired. But the Saipan lawmaker said there is hope if the CNMI starts reinvesting its limited resources to enhancing local infrastructures, public safety and developing effective education and prevention programs. Cabrera cited the need to enhance local statutes in penalizing those caught distributing prohibited drugs, and tightening immigration policies to crackdown and prevent members of organized crimes or drug dealers from entering the Commonwealth. “Drug abuse and drug trafficking is a community-wide problem that requires everyone’s effort if we are going to make a difference. Acting Gov. Diego T. Benavente, for his part, views the latest NDIC report as “disturbing” and “another black eye” for the Commonwealth, although he expressed confidence that local enforcement agencies are very much capable of addressing the situation. The lieutenant governor said that in his meetings with authorities from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Public Safety, he has always stressed more enforcement as key to putting a stop to the proliferation of drug use in the islands. The NDIC report revealed that organized Asian crime syndicates engaged in drug distribution and money laundering have penetrated the CNMI and are exacerbating the situation by allowing them easy access to underground banking systems. The organization also stated in its report that most illicit drugs in the CNMI are smuggled in for local distribution. It quoted law enforcement officials as saying that illicit drugs, particularly crystal methamphetamine, are smuggled from Asia, Hawaii, and the U.S. mainland to the islands. Drugs smuggled into the CNMI are often transported via couriers aboard commercial aircraft and in air cargo. Individuals in the CNMI also use maritime vessels and package delivery services to smuggle small quantities of illicit drugs into the CNMI for their personal use, it added. The report particularly highlighted the significant threat of crystal methamphetamine or ice to the CNMI, as well as indications of the drug’s increasing availability. Potential violence related to the distribution of ice was cited as a concern, “particularly as organized criminal groups that distribute the drug become more entrenched.” NDIC said that drug distribution and abuse have precipitated an increase in the commission of crimes including assault, burglary, robbery, extortion, and murder. More : saipantribune.com |