Other Presidential Documents Colombian combined maritime interdiction patrols. Also in September, U.S. and Colombian authorities reached an accommodation concerning the volume of evidence required by Colombian prosecutors and other evi- dentiary concerns. GOC efforts have also focused on drug trafficking by air. The percentage of successful Colombian Air Force (FAC) interdiction attempts has in- creased from 25 percent in 1997 to nearly 40 percent in 1999. At the same time, the number of suspicious aircraft which radar has detected flying to or from Colombia has fallen from 23\177 in \177997 to fewer than \17700 in \177999. The CNP's civil aviation registration program inspected 343 aircraft in 1999, seizing 50 of these for violations. The aerial eradication program succeeded in treating more than 50,000 hectares of illicit crops in \177999, although totals were less than last year's record level. The CNP also had a strong year in terms of seizures, totaling 30 metric tons of cocaine hydrochloride and base, \17740 metric tons of coca leaf, and 644 kilos of heroin, morphine and opium. The level of cooperation between the Colombian military and police con- tinued to improve in \177999. Information sharing advanced to a higher level with the inclusion of both military and CNP personnel at the }oint Intel- ligence Center (}IC), while interdiction and eradication efforts both received a boost with the creation of the new counter-drug battalion. Created to work hand-in-glove with the CNP's anti-drug units, the battalion will pro- vide the police with needed support as operations move into high-risk, coca-rich areas such as Putumayo Department. In November, the GOC extradited alleged heroin trafficker }aime Orlando Lara Nausa, the first Colombian citizen extradited to the United States in nine years. Behind the very public leadership of President Pastrana, Colom- bian officials proceeded despite drug traffickers' attempted legal roadblocks and bombings possibly linked to the extraditions. This commitment dem- onstrated the GOC's willingness to send drug traffickers to justice in the United States regardless of citizenship. GOC officials also enacted important institutional changes in \177999. The National }udicial Police Council adopted a unified training curriculum and made it mandatory for all Colombian investigators after }anuary 2000. For the first time, all Colombian law enforcement investigators will receive the same training. Overall, Colombian counter-drug efforts continued to improve in 1999, demonstrating the true commitment of the Pastrana administration to co- operate fully with the United States in combating the illegal traffic in drugs. Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a significant transit country for South Amer- ican drugs, mostly cocaine, moving to the United States. Drugs are trans- ported into the Dominican Republic by air, sea, and across the land border with Haiti. They are then moved onward by air and sea to Puerto Rico and mainland United States. During \177999, the Government of the Dominican Republic (GODR) contin- ued to cooperate fully with the USG on counter-drug goals and objectives. 365
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