U.S. Department
of StateU.S. Department
of State
SURINAME
I. Summary
Suriname is an increasingly important transshipment point for
narcotics shipped from Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia to the
Netherlands and the US. Traffickers conduct clandestine landings
at airstrips outside the capital city of Paramaribo and in
Suriname's densely forested interior. At one airstrip, police
seized more than one ton of cocaine in 1996 from a small aircraft
piloted by three Colombians and one Venezuelan. Authorities
identified about $1.7 million in illicit proceeds in Suriname,
and are vigilant towards increased signs of money laundering. But
police corruption and fear of trafficker intimidation hinder law
enforcement activities. Surinamese police seized more than 1.4 mt
of cocaine and almost 30 kgs of heroin in 1996, a dramatic
increase from the 1995 figure of 63 kgs of cocaine and no
recorded seizures of heroin.
A new president, Jules Wijdenbosch, was elected and took
office in September. His coalition government is closely linked
to former military strongman Desi Bouterse. A close associate of
Bouterse, Etienne Boerenveen, was convicted of conspiracy to
import narcotics to the US and served five years in US prisons.
He currently occupies a high level position in Suriname's
Ministry of Defense.
The Government of Suriname (SG) is a party to the 1988 UN
Convention, but has not enacted legislation incorporating the
provisions of the Convention into its domestic law.
II. Status of Country.
Brazilian, Venezuelan and Colombian narcotics trafficking
organizations are developing infrastructure to use Suriname as a
transshipment point. Traffickers build clandestine airstrips
located outside the capital of Paramaribo to enable small
aircraft to refuel and transport one-half to one-ton loads of
cocaine from neighboring countries through Suriname to the US.
Traffickers also conduct 200-500 kgs airdrops of cocaine on the
Suriname river. The cocaine is then retrieved by smugglers who
primarily use go-fast boats. Shipments of 500-1,000 kgs are also
reportedly brought to Suriname from Brazil by river. The drugs
are transported out of Suriname by couriers on international
flights to Europe, and in air and maritime shipments of frozen
fish, timber and other exports. Traffickers also conceal drugs in
storage areas on cargo ships which are off-loaded before the
ships arrive at ports of destination.
Precursor chemical trafficking, primarily in acetone, is a
developing problem. There are unconfirmed reports of cocaine
processing laboratories operating within Suriname's borders.
Suriname has not enacted chemical control laws or identified a
list of controlled precursor and essential chemicals.
Suriname has a marijuana cultivation problem that is a domestic concern. Construction of luxurious homes and other real estate, as well as car dealerships and other businesses in Suriname with little business to support such operations, suggests an increased money laundering problem.
III. Country Actions Against Drugs in 1996
Policy Initiatives. Draft comprehensive
antinarcotic legislation that would implement the 1988 UN
Convention has made virtually no progress in the legislature.
Recent SG statements recognizing the need to address the domestic
abuse and transhipment problem have had little to no effect on
these growing problems to date. Suriname developed a Drug Master
Plan in 1995, but did not complete an implementation plan that
year or in 1996. Newly inaugurated President Wijdenbosch called
for a DEA presence in Suriname in 1996.
Accomplishments. The Surinamese Narcotics
Brigade seized 1,200 kgs of cocaine from a small aircraft that
landed on a clandestine airstrip outside Paramaribo. Major media
attention focussed on the seizure and a press conference
accompanied a public burning of the illicit drugs. Authorities
identified and seized almost $2 million in narcotics proceeds.
Suriname lacks laws on asset forfeiture and money laundering.
Whether the government will use seized assets to finance law
enforcement efforts is not clear.
Surinamese Narcotics Brigade police participated in
USG-sponsored law enforcement training courses. The Narcotics
Brigade and the USG share information to detect and dismantle
international narcotics trafficking organizations in Suriname.
Law Enforcement Efforts. The USG sponsored a
two-week Basic Narcotic Drug Enforcement course, well attended by
the members of Suriname's Narcotics Brigade. The Surinamese
Narcotics Brigade is underfunded and understaffed, composed of
about 18 members, down from 21 members in 1995. The Brigade lacks
equipment as basic as telephones. The Brigade and the Police
Criminal Intelligence Unit are housed in the same building,
encouraging some degree of coordination between the two units.
However, much more support from the SG is necessary to enable the
Narcotics Brigade to carry out its mission. Certain SG officials
have indicated that they are interested in participating in a
DEA-sponsored Special Investigative Unit (SIU) with USG
assistance.
There is no cooperation between the military and the police.
Suriname's military generally does not cooperate with the
Narcotics Brigade or with any other nation in antinarcotics
efforts. Overall relations between these two forces appear to be
worsening. Suriname's Military Police are seeking to oversee the
control of visa entries, a police function, at the airport.
Further, the Military Intelligence Unit seeks to control the
leadership of the Civilian and Police Intelligence Units. The
presence of the USG-supported Joint Information Coordination
Center (JICC), a database to track trafficker movements, was
intended to improve cooperation among these three agencies, and
to encourage them to jointly support a counternarcotics mission.
More vigorous efforts are needed to generate cooperation to
improve interdiction.
Money Laundering. Local traffickers are
apparently using restaurants and supermarkets to launder illicit
proceeds. So-called "near banking" institutions may
also be involved in money laundering. These institutions pay
investors excessive rates of interest and are not regulated by
the Central Bank. Anecdotal evidence indicates that local cocaine
traffickers purchased professional soccer teams in Suriname to
help launder money. The Central Bank has some regulations against
money laundering, but proposed legislation has not moved forward.
Corruption. Members of the Military Police
have been arrested in the US and the Netherlands in recent years
for narcotics smuggling violations. Some military personnel
stationed at the airport have been reported in collusion with
narcotics couriers who use commercial airlines to transport
narcotics to the Netherlands and the US. Corruption in the
military, the Customs police and other law enforcement agencies
hinders effective counternarcotics efforts.
Agreements and Treaties. The Government of
Suriname has ratified the 1988 UN Convention, but has no laws in
place to implement it. Venezuela and Suriname have formed a
bilateral antidrug commission. The US-Netherlands 1889
extradition treaty, extended to Suriname in 1904, remains in
force.
Cultivation/Production. Except for small
amounts of marijuana, grown mainly for domestic consumption,
Suriname is not a major cultivator or producer of illicit drugs.
Drug Flow/Transit. International narcotics
traffickers from Colombia and Bolivia ship cocaine primarily by
air through Venezuela to clandestine airstrips outside the
capital city of Paramaribo. There, traffickers refuel and
transport illicit drugs to neighboring Caribbean countries for
onward transport to the US and Europe. Traffickers reportedly
transport cocaine shipments weighing up to 1,000 kgs from Brazil
by river. Shipments weighing as much as 500 kgs are airdropped
into Suriname's rivers by small aircraft, and then retrieved
primarily by go-fast boats. Once in Suriname, the drugs are
shipped north to the US and Europe by large cargo shipments or by
various airline passengers acting as couriers. In 1996, USG
authorities learned that drug traffickers in Suriname were
developing a distribution cell in the US. The increase in
clandestine airstrips, increased narcotic seizures and
identification of almost $2 million in seized assets have
highlighted the need for the SG to strengthen its efforts to
address the public health and safety threat created by drug
trafficking activities.
Demand reduction. The SG has reported a
marked increase in crack cocaine addicts. Suriname's police
commissioner participated in a seminar on drug use and the
judicial system in the US, and instituted a drug education
program aimed at Suriname's youth.
IV. U.S. Policy Initiatives and Programs.
Suriname developed a Master Drug Plan with UNDCP assistance in
1995. However, without laws to implement that plan, as well as to
implement the 1988 UN Convention, Suriname is vulnerable to
traffickers who exploit the nation's lack of antidrug laws. USG
law enforcement agencies visit Suriname on roughly a quarterly
basis to assist in identifying and dismantling narcotics
trafficking organizations.
Surinamese police participated in a USG-sponsored training
course in drug enforcement. The SG has demonstrated an interest
in creating an effective border interdiction program.
Bilateral Cooperation. The USG and the SG
have a bilateral counternarcotics agreement. Through this
agreement, Surinamese officials participate in counternarcotics
training courses. On a case-by-case basis, the Narcotics Brigade
has arrested suspects or mounted investigations when provided
with specific narcotics-related information. Quarterly liaison
visits by USG law enforcement agencies help the Narcotics Brigade
improve its drug control efforts.
Road Ahead. The USG continues to urge the SG to enact and enforce laws that would implement the 1988 UN Convention, to which Suriname is a party. Until the SG makes progress in establishing the legal framework needed to address trafficking and money laundering activities, the USG will sustain only limited cooperation, primarily in law enforcement liaison visits and counternarcotics training efforts, with the SG. The USG will also be monitoring the SG's progress on implementing the JICC, and on establishing and implementing a Master Drug Plan.
