>> Thompson: AN ARTICLE IN THIS
WEEKEND'S "NEW YORK TIMES
MAGAZINE" DESCRIBES TOUGH
TACTICS BEING USED WITH GREATER
FREQUENCY BY THE U.S. MILITARY
TO STOP DRUG TRAFFICKING AROUND
THE WORLD.
"THE COAST GUARD'S FLOATING
GUANTANAMOS" REPORTS ON HOW
SUSPECTED DRUG SMUGGLERS ARE
BEING DETAINED AT SEA FOR WEEKS
OR EVEN MONTHS BEFORE THEY ARE
CHARGED WITH A CRIME OR APPEAR
IN AN AMERICAN COURT.
THIS HAPPENED ALMOST 700 TIMES
BETWEEN LAST SEPTEMBER AND THIS
SEPTEMBER.
"NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTER SETH
FREED WESSLER WROTE THE STORY IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE
INVESTIGATIVE FUND AT THE NATION
INSTITUTE, AND HE JOINS ME NOW
FROM BOSTON.
SO, FIRST, SETH, I WANTED YOU TO
JUST DESCRIBE TO US WHAT EXACTLY
THE COAST GUARD IS DOING.
AND YOU ALSO FEATURE THE STORY
OF A GENTLEMAN NAMED JOHNNY.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT WHAT HE EXPERIENCED?
>> WELL, THE U.S. COAST GUARD
HAS BEEN DEPLOYED DEEP INTO THE
PACIFIC OCEAN, SOMETIMES AS MANY
AS 3,000 MILES AWAY FROM THE
NEAREST U.S. PORT, TO PICK UP
SHIPMENTS OF COCAINE MOVED
BETWEEN SOUTH AMERICA-- COLOMBIA
AND ECUADOR-- AND CENTRAL
AMERICA.
AND THEY'RE PICKING UP SUSPECTED
SMUGGLERS ABOARD SMALL
SPEEDBOATS IN THE OCEAN.
AND I WRITE ABOUT A NUMBER OF
MEN WHO WERE DETAINED BY THE
COAST GUARD ABOARD U.S. SHIPS IN
INTERNATIONAL WATERS AND HELD
THERE FOR WEEKS OR MONTHS AT A
TIME IN A KIND OF DETENTION
THAT'S EXPANDING RAPIDLY IN THE
SORT OF MARITIME WAR ON DRUGS.
>> Thompson: TALK A LITTLE BIT
MORE ABOUT THE CONDITIONS THAT
THESE MEN WERE HELD IN.
>> THEY DESCRIBE CONDITIONS
WHERE THEY WERE... THEY WERE...
THEY WERE SHACKLED, OFTEN VERY
TIGHTLY IN TIGHT QUARTERS,
UNSHACKLED ONLY TO BE ALLOWED TO
USE THE BATHROOM, WHICH OFTEN
WAS ONLY A PLASTIC BUCKET ON THE
DECK OF THE SHIP, AND HELD DAY
AFTER DAY.
IN THE CASE OF JHONNY
ARCENTALES, WHO I WRITE ABOUT,
AN ECUADORAN FISHERMAN, HE WAS
HELD WITH A GROUP OF OTHER MEN
FOR 70 DAYS ABOARD A SERIES OF
COAST GUARD CUTTERS.
AND HE REALLY BELIEVED THAT HE
MIGHT DISAPPEAR.
HE HAD NO IDEA WHERE HE WAS
BEING TAKEN.
HE WAS SIMPLY BEING HELD AS THE
COAST GUARD CUTTERS WERE MOVING
AROUND THE PACIFIC, PICKING UP
MORE SUSPECTED SMUGGLERS AND
DETAINING THEM ABOARD THE SHIPS.
>> Thompson: SO, WHERE DO THESE
PEOPLE END UP?
>> WELL, IN YEARS PAST, WHEN THE
COAST GUARD HAS PICKED UP DRUGS
IN THE OCEAN, IT'S VERY OFTEN
SENT THE SMUGGLERS ON BOARD
THOSE BOATS BACK TO THEIR
COUNTRIES, BACK TO COUNTRIES
NEARBY.
BUT SINCE 2012, WHEN THE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE LAUNCHED
A PROGRAM CALLED "OPERATION
MARTILLO" WHICH REALLY HAS
FOCUSED ON TRYING TO INTERDICT
DRUGS-- COCAINE MOSTLY-- IN AND
NEAR THE TRANSIT ZONES WHEN THEY
LEAVE SOUTH AMERICA, SMUGGLERS,
SUSPECTED SMUGGLERS HAVE BEEN
BROUGHT BACK TO THE UNITED
STATES IN HUGE NUMBERS TO FACE
PROSECUTION HERE.
>> Thompson: CAN YOU TALK A
LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THE
COAST GUARD SAID TO YOU DURING
YOUR REPORTING THIS STORY?
AND WHAT'S THEIR RESPONSE?
>> WELL, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THE
COAST GUARD... THE COAST GUARD
SAYS THAT IT'S LOGISTICALLY
DIFFICULT TO OPERATE IN THE HIGH
SEAS OF THE PACIFIC, VERY FAR
AWAY FROM... FROM THE UNITED
STATES.
AND WHAT'S CLEAR IS THAT THE
INFRASTRUCTURE TO MOVE PEOPLE
MORE QUICKLY OFF OF THE BOATS IS
NOT... NOT KEPT UP AT ALL.
COAST GUARD OFFICERS I SPOKE TO,
CURRENT AND FORMER COAST GUARD
OFFICERS, THEY'RE REALLY
UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT THESE
PRACTICES.
THEY KNOW-- AND THE COAST GUARD
SAYS-- THESE SHIPS ARE NOT
EQUIPPED AS DETENTION CENTERS.
SO, INSTEAD, THEY'RE HOLDING
PEOPLE IN CONDITIONS THAT, FOR
THE DETAINEES, ARE REALLY... ARE
TERRIFYING.
>> Thompson: AND IS THERE ANY
EVIDENCE THAT THIS PRACTICE IS
STOPPING THE FLOW OF DRUGS INTO
THE U.S.?
>> WE CAN'T REALLY DRAW A LINE
BETWEEN WHAT THE U.S. COAST
GUARD IS DOING AND DRUG USE IN
THE UNITED STATES.
COCAINE USE IN PARTICULAR-- AND
WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT
COCAINE HERE-- GOES UP AND DOWN
EVEN AS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
BEING DETAINED EACH YEAR IN
RECENT YEARS HAS BEEN GOING UP
AND UP AND UP.
>> Thompson: ALL RIGHT, SETH
FREED WESSLER, THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR YOUR REPORTING.
>> THANK YOU.