Torres: So be it if needed

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres is supporting a petition to designate the CNMI as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, or HIDTA, if it becomes a medium toward the eradication of drug trafficking in the Commonwealth.

In press conference last week, Torres said he is in support of Senate President Arnold I. Palacios’ (R-Saipan) petition to include the CNMI as one of several HIDTA designations across the U.S. Palacios in a June 8, 2018 letter to White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Michael Botticelli requests that the NMI be designated as a HIDTA.

The U.S. Congress created the HIDTA program through the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. The program since its inception has designated at least one HIDTA in every state, including U.S. territories Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Torres in his statement noted that while he supports the HIDTA designation of the CNMI, he asks that the CNMI refrain from complacency even with the existence of the NMI Drug Court.

“…We have to acknowledge that there are drugs here and we have done well in tracking those drugs [along with the] treatment that comes after,” said Torres. “If [HIDTA designation] is what it takes to enhance this even more, then yes we should apply for [HIDTA designation], but we should not be complacent.”

He said that the prevention and interception of drug trafficking activities in the NMI should remain a priority, and noted that he has been looking to secure an X-ray for the Department of Public Safety and the Division of Customs under the Department of Finance.

“If it takes me to [designate the CNMI as a HIDTA] so we can avail of grants, then we should—we should always put a priority on drug [trafficking prevention],” he said.

Each HIDTA receives a base amount of funding ranging from $3.1 million to $14.6 million each year to support anti-drug trafficking initiatives and drug rehabilitation initiatives for the region.

According to Palacios’ letter the HIDTA designation of the CNMI facilitates greater cooperation and sharing of information between local and federal law enforcement agencies, as those under the program receive multiagency assistance ranging from enforcement initiatives involving investigation, interdiction, and prosecution, to drug use prevention and treatment initiatives.

Torres said he wanted to reinforce the borders to stop the drugs from entering the NMI.

“When you put so much money on the border, you put less [drugs on the streets] because we are already covering this end. It is easier for us to stop it at the mouth [border] that in the body [villages, community]. If we stop 80 percent on the border, then we only have 20 percent to worry about,” he said.