Three Saipan schools join anti-drug campaign

The U. S. Attorney’s Office partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Guam National Guard Counterdrug Program, the CNMI Department of Public Safety, the CNMI Division of Customs, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to bring the Red Ribbon Week message to Saipan yesterday.

For the first time ever, over 160 students from Garapan Elementary School, over 200 students from Hopwood Junior High School and about 100 students from Saipan Southern High School received the Red Ribbon message yesterday.

U. S. Attorney Alicia A.G. Limtiaco was joined by CNMI Customs director Jesus Muna, DPS officers Nick Leon Guerrero and Antonio Kaipat, and ATF special agent John Quintanilla to make the presentations.

Red Ribbons were passed to the students in attendance.

Special appreciation is given to Education Commissioner Rita Sablan and her principals and staff, for their coordination of the schools receiving the presentations. These three presentations are the first of many school outreaches that will be conducted during Red Ribbon Week in the future.

The Red Ribbon Campaign was started when drug traffickers in Mexico City murdered Kiki Camarena, a DEA agent, in 1985. His friends, family and co-workers wanted to remember Kiki by wearing red ribbons. This began the continuing tradition and displaying of Red Ribbons as a symbol of intolerance toward the use of drugs. The mission of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a unified and visible commitment for the creation of a drug-free America.

This congressionally recognized program is commemorated nationwide on Oct. 23 – 31. In Guam, Red Ribbon Week activities are spread out throughout the month of October and the Red Ribbon Week Committee includes local agencies, private and non-profit organizations, local and federal agencies, and the military.

This year the Red Ribbon Committee visited schools in Guam, every day in October. Some of the activities were a poster contest, a rap/poetry contest and a school gate contest. A community outreach was also held at the Micronesia Mall. Several mayors helped coordinate and participated in the Red Ribbon Waves that were held in northern, southern and central Guam.

Limtiaco and local CNMI and federal partners would like to see the Red Ribbon Week commemorated in the Northern Mariana Islands starting with the three schools who received the presentations yesterday. If you would like to become a partner and join the Red Ribbon Committee in the CNMI, contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at salome.blas@usdoj.gov. (USAO)