Trump Identifies 22 Nations As Major Drug Producing, Trading Locations - White House

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2020) US President Donald Trump in an executive determination identified 22 countries as major producers or transit corridors of illicit drugs.

"By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 706(1) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003, I hereby identify the following countries as major drug transit or major illicit drug producing countries," Trump said in the determination on Wednesday.

The president then listed the nations of Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela in his memorandum.

"The reason countries are placed on the list is the combination of geographic, commercial, and economic factors that allow drugs to transit or be produced, even if a government has engaged in robust and diligent narcotics control measures," Trump said.

US operations targeting the illicit drug trade in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific this year with 22 international allies led to the seizure of more than 80 metric tons of cocaine and other dangerous drugs, depriving transnational criminal organizations of more than $1.8 billion in profits, Trump added.