Jesús Daniel Romero and William Acosta for Poder & Dinero and FinGurú
The Turks and Caicos Islands have become a true paradise for cocaine trafficking, facilitating the transportation of this drug as a bridge to markets in the United States and Europe. The flow of cocaine coming from Colombia that passes through these islands is controlled by organizations residing in Turks and Caicos of Haitian and Dominican origin. This problem translates into high crime rates, which could have a negative effect on tourism and the national economy.
The U.S. State Department has warned, through its website, about crime in Turks and Caicos, classifying it as level 2, which implies an increase in caution. At the same time, the State Department strongly advises Americans not to carry weapons or ammunition due to the strict rules and laws governing Turks and Caicos.
Below is a description of a common route used by planes loaded with cocaine:
1. Production in Colombia: Colombia is the world's leading coca producer, producing over 60 percent of this product, followed by Peru and Bolivia. According to the latest UNODC report, the cocaine available for organizations and transnational cartels is in optimal condition, as there is an oversupply of coca on more than 350,000 hectares, under the policies of guerrilla president Gustavo Petro, which favor this production.
2. Departure from Colombia: Once the drug is processed in Colombia, cocaine is shipped via rivers and highways from the jungle to ports and coasts, to be taken to its international destinations through Ecuador, Brazil, and Venezuela.
3. By sea and air: Specifically towards Turks and Caicos, the drug mainly departs from Venezuela by means of speedboats and aircraft to the Caribbean, particularly Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. The planes fly to Caribbean islands such as Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, taking advantage of the region’s geography and the scant aerial surveillance. The most common route is to fly over the Caribbean Sea, avoiding the airspace of countries with strict control measures. From these islands, shipments are directed to other islands, including the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. From here, the drugs are directed to other markets in the United States and Europe.
4. Final distribution: Finally, cocaine is distributed in local markets, where it is sold at exorbitant prices, generating enormous profits for the cartels and organizations involved in trafficking, while simultaneously increasing local crime.
Conclusion
The route for cocaine trafficking to the Turks and Caicos Islands involves a combination of logistical skills, corruption, and violence. Criminal organizations exploit the geographical location and lack of resources of local security forces to establish and maintain operations in the region. Turks and Caicos is simply a forced transit point for drug trafficking by the Cartel de los Soles and Nicolás Maduro. This activity highlights a serious security issue for tourism and the government in responding to this severe problem. This phenomenon not only affects the security of the islands but also has significant repercussions in the countries of origin and destination of the drug.
Credits:
1. Report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
2. U.S. State Department.
3. The Guardian.
4. BBC News.
5. El Tiempo.
6. Reuters.
Jesús Daniel Romero, originally from Venezuela, joined the U.S. Navy in 1984 and graduated with a degree in Political Science from Norfolk State University. However, it was not until 1992 that Romero became a naval intelligence officer.
He served as an ocean commander in Panama from 1996 to 1999 and later in Hawaii, where he was a China observation officer. In 2001, he was director of policy for the joint task force and led technical discussions with China, Myanmar, Cambodia, India, North Korea, and Vietnam.
After 37 years of service, Romero has been decorated by the Armed Forces, NATO, the Navy, and the Defense Service.
Romero witnessed the federal criminal case in the Eastern District of Texas against Debra Lynn Mercer-Erwin, president of Aircraft Guaranty LLC, who was responsible for supplying aircraft to Mexican and Colombian-Venezuelan cartels for transporting cocaine from Colombia to the United States. The former commander worked to dismantle these operations until August 2022.
William Acosta is the founder and CEO of Equalizer Private Investigations & Security Services Inc. He has coordinated investigations related to international drug trafficking, money laundering, and homicides in the U.S. and other countries such as Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, England, and literally all of Latin America.
William has been a police investigator in New York for 10 years, spent 2 years in the Department of the Treasury, and served 6 years in the U.S. Army with several international deployments on communications and intelligence matters.
CAREER AND EXPERIENCE
William Acosta, a veteran international investigator, coordinated multijurisdictional investigations on drug trafficking, money laundering, and homicides in the United States and other countries.
Acosta's martial arts training in taekwondo has reached the 6th dan, practicing it traditionally as a lifestyle and not just for fighting.
The transition from police work to private investigation allowed Acosta to make his own rules and choose clients after more than 20 years in the profession.
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