Bill Nelson: “It has been 5 years since four Americans disappeared in the jungles of Colombia while helping that country's Government…”

“It has been 5 years since four Americans disappeared in the jungles of Colombia while helping that country's Government fight its war against narcoterrorism. Five years ago yesterday, a single-engine plane carrying these Americans lost engine power and crashed into the jungle. One of those Americans and a Colombian colleague were brutally executed by the terrorist group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, commonly known as FARC. The remaining three--Keith Stansell, Thomas Howes, and Goncalves--were taken hostage by the FARC and have since languished in the Colombian jungle prison, where they are held despite repeated appeals for their freedom. Fortunately, we think, through recent news crews, that those Americans are still alive. They are being held somewhere in an undisclosed location in the jungle along with untold numbers of other hostages. These men were involved in our decades-long struggle against drugs that are polluting our children's minds and the lawlessness in Colombia. Their sacrifice and those of their families--and most of those families live in Florida--is all too real. We can't forget them. That is why I am making these remarks after this 5-long-years' anniversary that occurred yesterday. Last year, I introduced a resolution condemning the FARC for its use of hostage taking and drug cultivation to visit terror upon peaceful people.”