From: [S--Y--A] at [SUVM.SYR.EDU] (Sergio Rivera)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs,soc.culture.colombia,soc.culture.bolivia
Subject: Drug cartels as sophisticated as corporations
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 95 14:07:02 LCL

                   Copyright 1995 Agence France Presse
                          Agence France Presse
                    March 1, 1995 14:03 Eastern Time
 
HEADLINE: Drug cartels as sophisticated as corporations: State Department
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
 
The world's drug cartels rival corporations in their use of
sophisticated business techniques and have eluded most efforts to
wipe them out, said the State Department in a study released
Wednesday.
 
President Bill Clinton was scheduled to speak about the
department's study later Wednesday and announce which countries
are not cooperating in the war on drugs. Some countries may be
targeted with economic sanctions.
 
"1994 was not a banner year for global counter-narcotics
cooperation and progress," the department said in its annual
evaluation of world drug trade.
 
"The principal drug trafficking organizations did a brisk business
in cocaine and heroin," the department said in "International
Narcotics Control Strategy Report."
 
"They demonstrated an unprecedented degree of sophistication,
rivaling that of the world's great multinational corporations,"
the report said.
 
It cited a cocaine trafficking operation in Brazil run by Russians
using Ghanaian and Nigerian couriers to move the drug through West
Africa to Europe and the United States.
 
Colombia, the world's leading cocaine producer, turned in only a
"lackluster" anti-drug effort last year, the report said.
 
"Weak legislation, corruption and inefficiency hampered efforts to
bring mid- and high-level narcotics traffickers to justice," the
report said.
 
"No drug-related assets were forfeited, while already lenient
sentences were further reduced pursuant to automatic sentencing
reductions."
 
However, congressional sources predicted Clinton would not impose
sanctions against Colombia, where traffickers control about 80
percent of the world's cocaine trade.
 
Bolivia also was described as providing half-hearted cooperation,
but Peru and Panama won praise from officials.