Could Cuba’s Drug Position Change with US Detente?

Could Cuba's Drug Position Change with US Detente?
Written by Elise Ditta Monday, 18 January 2016

Cuba has reported minimal drug seizures in 2015, but as the Caribbean
island and the United States re-establish relations, changing political
and economic conditions may once again present opportunities for
organized crime.
In 2015, the Cuban government intercepted 104 kilos of drugs in 46
separate seizures, reported the official government newspaper La Granma.
Cocaine made up 70 percent of interdicted drugs, and marijuana 29
percent. This presents little change from 2014, when officials reported
49 seizures.
In nearly half of the cases, Cuban authorities apprehended individuals
carrying drugs concealed in suitcases or on their bodies and in ten
cases, authorities caught "drug mules" who ingested drugs to get though
controls. According to La Granma, the "majority of the offenders came
from South America." The numbers, combined with Cuba's strict controls
and drug laws, suggest that Cuba is a minor transshipment point for
illegal narcotics.
InSight Crime Analysis
Drug consumption in Cuba is minimal due to strict enforcement and
penalties for the possession of even small amounts of drugs. To put the
levels of seizures in perspective, during 11 months of 2015, Honduran
authorities seized 11,681 kilos of drugs, more than 100 times as much as
Cuba.
However, as Cuba and the U.S. re-establish relations, could more
political and economic openness on the island lead to a return to its
status as a haven for organized crime, as was the case before Fidel
Castro's 1959 seizure of power. It is difficult to obtain any
information about organized crime in Cuba beyond yearly interdiction
reports; however the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported
that Colombian cartels have been increasing trafficking through the
Caribbean to avoid stricter interdiction efforts in Mexico. Cuba is
ideally situated for maritime trafficking with just 90 miles of ocean
separating it from the U.S. mainland. It is also slowly opening up its
economy to outside investment and US dollars are greatly prized. All
this might present opportunities for transnational organized crime,
which will certainly be looking for openings.
Despite their differences, Cuba and the U.S. have worked together on
drug interdiction efforts in the past, and although neither government
has shared details on new cooperation efforts, collaboration and even
aid from the U.S. could increase. The question remains whether working
more closely together will neutralize any increase in trafficking
efforts through Cuba.

Source: Could Cuba's Drug Position Change with US Detente? -
http://www.insightcrime.org/news-briefs/could-cuba-drug-position-change-with-us-detente