Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has publicly ruled out any involvement by members of his cabinet or government in facilitating drug trafficking.
Skerrit made the declaration on January 6 in response to questions from journalists at a media conference regarding claims referenced in a United States indictment against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro that Caribbean politicians helped in his alleged transnational narcotics trafficking operation.
The indictment, which was unsealed following a US military operation that resulted in the capture and removal of Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, to New York, alleges that the Venezuelan first couple and their co-conspirators used drug money to pay bribes to corrupt politicians in Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico and the Caribbean to facilitate their operations.
Maduro has denied the allegations.
During an appearance before a federal judge in New York on January 5, Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty to the charges and did not apply for bail.
The indictment said unnamed politicians along the “Caribbean route” were “corrupted by cocaine traffickers, who would pay them for protection from arrest and to allow favoured traffickers to operate with impunity as they trafficked cocaine from Venezuela north towards the United States”.
Skerrit said no such activities occurred in Dominica, adding that his government has taken decisive steps to combat organised crime.
“This government has been as transparent as it would transcribe itself,” Skerrit said. “And I can say to you, without any fear of contradiction from anybody, this government has never engaged itself in any drug dealing, any illegal activities whatsoever.”
He said his government’s position on drug trafficking has been consistent.
“We can stand and say this with a very clear face and a very sincere heart. You know our position on drug trafficking. You know our position on illegal activities in the country,” he said.
Skerrit said his administration has prioritised national and regional security, arguing that no previous government in Dominica’s history has invested more in policing and security efforts.
“There is no government in the history of this country that has spent more money on police and national regional security and ensuring that this country and this region remains a very peaceful place,” he said.
He added that some of his engagement with international partners on security matters is highly sensitive and not shared publicly.
“There are a number of things that I engage myself in as prime minister with our international partners where regional security is concerned that I don’t even share with the cabinet because of their highly sensitive nature,” Skerrit said.
He said those efforts are aimed at safeguarding both Dominica and the wider region.
“I do these things because I believe it’s important for me to do so as prime minister to secure this country and to secure the region as a place that people can live and do business and visit in peace and security,” he said.
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