Cuba and the US dialogue about countering illegal drug trafficking

WASHINGTON. December 1st, 2015.-  The second technical meeting about illegal drug trafficking between law enforcement agencies from Cuba and the U.S., with the aim of exchanging ideas about ways of increasing bilateral cooperation in this areawas held on the U.S. capitalon December 1st, 2015.

The meeting was developed in a respectful and professional atmosphere.

The Cuban delegation was chaired by Yuri Gala, Director of Bilateral Affairs of the U.S. General Division ofthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accompanied by representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General Customs of the Republic of Cuba and officials from the Cuban Embassy in Washington. The US delegation was headed by Mark Wells, Coordinator of the State Department´s Cuba Desk. Other officials from the State Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard Service were also present at the meeting.

The delegations of both countries agreed on the importance of advancing in the bilateral cooperation in order to face this scourge and the need of endorsing official instruments to formalize the exchanges in this area to neutralize with higher efficiency the actions of drug dealers. 

Both parties agreed to continue these technical meetings and the Cuban delegation proposed to carry out the next one in the summer of 2016 in Havana City. (Cubaminrex)