Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 313, the Drug Trafficking Safe Harbor Elimination Act of 2011, introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) and me, closes a loophole in Federal law. Drug traffickers are currently exempt from prosecution in the United States when they conspire to traffic drugs outside of the United States. This bill clarifies Congress' intent that the drug trafficking conspiracy statute should be given extraterritorial application. A Federal criminal case demonstrates how the loophole is being exploited. In 1998 two individuals conspired with members of a large Colombian drug trafficking organization and a Saudi Arabian prince. The goal of the conspiracy was to traffic 2,000 kilograms of cocaine, worth over $100 million, from South America to Europe. Several meetings among the coconspirators occurred in Miami, Florida, and elsewhere around the world. Specifically while in Miami, they planned in detail to purchase the cocaine in Colombia and ship it to Europe for distribution. The prince used his royal jet under the cover of diplomatic immunity to transport the cocaine from Venezuela to Paris, France. Although part of the cocaine was seized by law enforcement authorities in France and Spain, about 1,000 kilograms of cocaine were distributed and sold in the Netherlands, Italy, and elsewhere in Europe.…”