WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has identified India along with 20 other nations as major drug transit or illicit drug-producing countries and asserted that his administration is taking the fight to criminal organisations engaged in narcotics substances and their enablers on an unprecedented scale.
In his presidential determination, Trump also designated Bolivia and the regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela as having failed demonstrably during the previous 12 months to adhere to their obligations under international counter-narcotics agreements.
“A country's presence on the foregoing list is not necessarily a reflection of its government''s counter-narcotics efforts or level of cooperation with the United States,” Trump said.
He said countries such as Afghanistan, India, The Bahamas, Belize, Burma, Colombia, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic among others are a major drug transit or illicit drug producing nations.
Trump alleged that the most complicit kingpin in this Hemisphere is the Venezuelan dictator, Nicolas Maduro.
“In Colombia, President Ivan Duque and his government remain strong partners of the United States, and Colombian police and military forces have shown great bravery and commitment by targeting high-level drug traffickers, interdicting drug shipments, and manually eradicating coca,” he said.
Nevertheless, coca cultivation and cocaine production remain at unacceptably high levels, Trump added.
Trump expressed concern that coca cultivation and cocaine production remain near historical highs in Peru, another longstanding US ally.
“Peru is a valued law enforcement partner of the US and has demonstrated continuous commitment to fighting all aspects of the drug trade," he said.
He said Mexico must also clearly demonstrate its commitment to dismantling the cartels and their criminal enterprises and do more to protect the lives of Mexican and American citizens threatened by these groups.
“The Mexican government should acknowledge the alarming trend of fentanyl production inside its territory,” he said.