Word: colombia
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...year has passed since president Ernesto Samper Pizano of Colombia was first accused of taking millions of dollars for his 1994 presidential campaign from the cocaine-rich Rodriguez brothers of Cali--time enough for him to emerge as a strong and conscientious leader. A poll two weeks ago by Semana magazine gave Samper a 63% approval rating. Last week, however, all that trust came unraveled. Explosive allegations by a former close aide implicated Samper more forcefully than ever, and brought the survival of his presidency into doubt...
There are signs that when it wants to, the CIA can clean house. Fernando Botero, the defense minister of Colombia, recalls a visit four months ago by agency officials who explained that they could no longer do business indiscriminately with the Colombian military, some of whose officers have death-squad links. From now on, "liaison" would occur only with officers found to be free of corruption and human-rights violations. Despite patriotic grumbling within his government, Botero agreed, and the result has pleased him. The agency drew closer to the Colombian National Police, one of the government's cleaner outfits...
...least three killings in the U.S., he was the one who established the cartel's draconian methods of policing its own ranks. As insurance, the dealers to whom cocaine is consigned put up not only cash and property, but also human collateral -- the names and addresses of relatives in Colombia...
Perhaps. But Colombia's sentencing practices are notoriously lax. During the crackdown, the U.S. has offered Colombia only grudging praise, dwelling instead on the subject of punishment. "We look forward," says a State Department official, "to a prison sentence commensurate with the crimes Santacruz has committed, and complete forfeiture of his assets...
Even if his arrest spells the demise of the Cali cartel, few experts believe that this means an end to the business of drug trafficking in Colombia. "The Rodr?guez Orejuelas are going to fall," said William Ram?rez, a political-science professor at the National University in Bogota. "The Scorpions will fall. But there are always going to be others to replace them until you tackle consumption." That, however, is a problem the U.S. must tend to within its own borders...