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>> Thompson: AN ARTICLE IN THIS

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WEEKEND'S "NEW YORK TIMES

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MAGAZINE" DESCRIBES TOUGH

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TACTICS BEING USED WITH GREATER

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FREQUENCY BY THE U.S. MILITARY

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TO STOP DRUG TRAFFICKING AROUND

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THE WORLD.

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"THE COAST GUARD'S FLOATING

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GUANTANAMOS" REPORTS ON HOW

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SUSPECTED DRUG SMUGGLERS ARE

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BEING DETAINED AT SEA FOR WEEKS

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OR EVEN MONTHS BEFORE THEY ARE

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CHARGED WITH A CRIME OR APPEAR

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IN AN AMERICAN COURT.

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THIS HAPPENED ALMOST 700 TIMES

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BETWEEN LAST SEPTEMBER AND THIS

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SEPTEMBER.

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"NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTER SETH

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FREED WESSLER WROTE THE STORY IN

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PARTNERSHIP WITH THE

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INVESTIGATIVE FUND AT THE NATION

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INSTITUTE, AND HE JOINS ME NOW

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FROM BOSTON.

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SO, FIRST, SETH, I WANTED YOU TO

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JUST DESCRIBE TO US WHAT EXACTLY

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THE COAST GUARD IS DOING.

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AND YOU ALSO FEATURE THE STORY

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OF A GENTLEMAN NAMED JOHNNY.

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CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT

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ABOUT WHAT HE EXPERIENCED?

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>> WELL, THE U.S. COAST GUARD

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HAS BEEN DEPLOYED DEEP INTO THE

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PACIFIC OCEAN, SOMETIMES AS MANY

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AS 3,000 MILES AWAY FROM THE

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NEAREST U.S. PORT, TO PICK UP

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SHIPMENTS OF COCAINE MOVED

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BETWEEN SOUTH AMERICA-- COLOMBIA

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AND ECUADOR-- AND CENTRAL

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AMERICA.

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AND THEY'RE PICKING UP SUSPECTED

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SMUGGLERS ABOARD SMALL

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SPEEDBOATS IN THE OCEAN.

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AND I WRITE ABOUT A NUMBER OF

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MEN WHO WERE DETAINED BY THE

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COAST GUARD ABOARD U.S. SHIPS IN

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INTERNATIONAL WATERS AND HELD

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THERE FOR WEEKS OR MONTHS AT A

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TIME IN A KIND OF DETENTION

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THAT'S EXPANDING RAPIDLY IN THE

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SORT OF MARITIME WAR ON DRUGS.

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>> Thompson: TALK A LITTLE BIT

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MORE ABOUT THE CONDITIONS THAT

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THESE MEN WERE HELD IN.

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>> THEY DESCRIBE CONDITIONS

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WHERE THEY WERE... THEY WERE...

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THEY WERE SHACKLED, OFTEN VERY

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TIGHTLY IN TIGHT QUARTERS,

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UNSHACKLED ONLY TO BE ALLOWED TO

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USE THE BATHROOM, WHICH OFTEN

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WAS ONLY A PLASTIC BUCKET ON THE

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DECK OF THE SHIP, AND HELD DAY

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AFTER DAY.

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IN THE CASE OF JHONNY

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ARCENTALES, WHO I WRITE ABOUT,

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AN ECUADORAN FISHERMAN, HE WAS

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HELD WITH A GROUP OF OTHER MEN

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FOR 70 DAYS ABOARD A SERIES OF

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COAST GUARD CUTTERS.

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AND HE REALLY BELIEVED THAT HE

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MIGHT DISAPPEAR.

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HE HAD NO IDEA WHERE HE WAS

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BEING TAKEN.

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HE WAS SIMPLY BEING HELD AS THE

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COAST GUARD CUTTERS WERE MOVING

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AROUND THE PACIFIC, PICKING UP

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MORE SUSPECTED SMUGGLERS AND

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DETAINING THEM ABOARD THE SHIPS.

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>> Thompson: SO, WHERE DO THESE

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PEOPLE END UP?

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>> WELL, IN YEARS PAST, WHEN THE

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COAST GUARD HAS PICKED UP DRUGS

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IN THE OCEAN, IT'S VERY OFTEN

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SENT THE SMUGGLERS ON BOARD

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THOSE BOATS BACK TO THEIR

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COUNTRIES, BACK TO COUNTRIES

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NEARBY.

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BUT SINCE 2012, WHEN THE

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE LAUNCHED

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A PROGRAM CALLED "OPERATION

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MARTILLO" WHICH REALLY HAS

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FOCUSED ON TRYING TO INTERDICT

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DRUGS-- COCAINE MOSTLY-- IN AND

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NEAR THE TRANSIT ZONES WHEN THEY

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LEAVE SOUTH AMERICA, SMUGGLERS,

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SUSPECTED SMUGGLERS HAVE BEEN

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BROUGHT BACK TO THE UNITED

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STATES IN HUGE NUMBERS TO FACE

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PROSECUTION HERE.

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>> Thompson: CAN YOU TALK A

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LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THE

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COAST GUARD SAID TO YOU DURING

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YOUR REPORTING THIS STORY?

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AND WHAT'S THEIR RESPONSE?

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>> WELL, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THE

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COAST GUARD... THE COAST GUARD

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SAYS THAT IT'S LOGISTICALLY

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DIFFICULT TO OPERATE IN THE HIGH

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SEAS OF THE PACIFIC, VERY FAR

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AWAY FROM... FROM THE UNITED

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STATES.

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AND WHAT'S CLEAR IS THAT THE

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INFRASTRUCTURE TO MOVE PEOPLE

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MORE QUICKLY OFF OF THE BOATS IS

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NOT... NOT KEPT UP AT ALL.

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COAST GUARD OFFICERS I SPOKE TO,

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CURRENT AND FORMER COAST GUARD

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OFFICERS, THEY'RE REALLY

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UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT THESE

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PRACTICES.

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THEY KNOW-- AND THE COAST GUARD

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SAYS-- THESE SHIPS ARE NOT

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EQUIPPED AS DETENTION CENTERS.

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SO, INSTEAD, THEY'RE HOLDING

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PEOPLE IN CONDITIONS THAT, FOR

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THE DETAINEES, ARE REALLY... ARE

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TERRIFYING.

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>> Thompson: AND IS THERE ANY

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EVIDENCE THAT THIS PRACTICE IS

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STOPPING THE FLOW OF DRUGS INTO

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THE U.S.?

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>> WE CAN'T REALLY DRAW A LINE

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BETWEEN WHAT THE U.S. COAST

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GUARD IS DOING AND DRUG USE IN

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THE UNITED STATES.

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COCAINE USE IN PARTICULAR-- AND

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WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT

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COCAINE HERE-- GOES UP AND DOWN

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EVEN AS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE

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BEING DETAINED EACH YEAR IN

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RECENT YEARS HAS BEEN GOING UP

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AND UP AND UP.

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>> Thompson: ALL RIGHT, SETH

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FREED WESSLER, THANK YOU SO MUCH

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FOR YOUR REPORTING.

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>> THANK YOU.