Good afternoon everybody. If i could ask everybody who is filing in to just be seated. Thank you so much. Good afternoon everybody and welcome to the American Enterprise institute. I am the Senior Vice President for foreign and defense policy studies here. And i am genuinely delighted that we have senator marco rubio here with us today to help us role out this new report. I have my props here. I feel like vanna white. It is the product of the aei working group on transnational organized crime in americas. I dont think that marco rubio needs a lot of introduction to this audience, but i am going to give you a word or two nonetheless and then hand things over and do a little bit of housekeeping. The United States senator from florida. He is a member of the committee on appropriations and the committee on Foreign Relations and he has a resume much longer that i am not going to keep reading. But to us a leader on international affairs. Somebody who our country turns to to hear where we should be going on these issue. And for us today at aei we are proud that he has been a leader on issues that are of importance to us. The report is you are going to hear a lot more about it than you are going to hear from me at this very moment. But this is a report that is a little bit different than things you usual see coming institute. Its very practical. Its very tactical. Its very focused on what we can do in the here and the now and the main reason for that is frankly, transactional organized crime is an issue that we have not spent a great deal focusing on as a country. It is at the next us of a whole series of National Security threats to our country. It degrades democracy, it degrades our National Security. It degrades our hemisphere and it introduces threats to us that otherwise would not be here. Now just in the context of what this report talks about, earlier this month two hezbollah operatives were arrested who had been scouting the panama canal. The report profiles ms13 which the Trump Administration has been going after which is an instrument for all of these disparate threats to our country that come together. So i know rojer and the senator will spend a lot of time talking about these issues. I have a housekeeping item, and i have to read it to you because i dont understand because im technologically inept. So we are going to be taking questions from the audience through an Online System today. You can feel free to submit your questions now, which causes you all to look at your phones, but feel free to submit your questions now following the senators remarks. To submit your question go to slido, just like it sounds, sfrmt slido. Com and then it will be chosen to be read on stage. I hope it works. Senator, if we can ask you to come up to the podium. The senator will give a few minutes address and sit down with Roger Noriega to take additional questions and then to take questions from the audience. [ applause ] thank you very much 37 thank you, danielle, thank you all for your kind introduction. I want to thank ambassador noriega and the other members of the working group for inviting me here today and your new report is timely and your recommendations are important for policymakers and for lawmakers such as myself in congress to weigh and to consider transactional organized crime isnt a new threat to the United States and the western hemisphere and its an increasingly dangerous one. It resides at the heart of nearly every major threat confronting the americas today, whether its the deadly Opioid Crisis and the catastrophic collapse of oilrich venezuela or debilitating Gang Violence throughout Central America which spills over into the streets of American Cities and a. I. s report continues. These crisis can be traced to criminal networks that garner billions from the Human Trafficking and extortion. While the u. S. Government has long acknowledged the threats posed by transnational organized crime, for too many years its not done enough to deal with these threats. Such neglect has led to the death and suffering of far too many people. Throughout the hemisphere and here at home. We begin with venezuela, where the maduro regime has undermined the constitution, and its imprisoned and tortured its opposition members and its killed protesters with impunity and its destroyed the economy and one of the richest countries in the world in terms of resources. Venezuela is an oil state thats also rich in farmland, by the way, and yet its corrupt and dictatorial government, and the growing transactional criminal networks are getting exposed. We see the maduro government is not just a dictatorship, its also a criminal enterprise. For example, the department imposed sanctions against venezuelan Vice President on the 13th of february of this year naming him a narcotics trafficker under the kingpin act for playing a role in trafficking. His main frontman, Jose Lopez Bello was also sanctioned. Last november, a federal court in the United States convicted two of president maduros nephews, efrain, two years ago the u. S. Justice Department Officials told the wall street journal that cabe, well lo was the head of the a drug cartel. Upon the president s nephews and the former members of the assembly are accused of being accused in transnational organized crime. Colombia, we are seeing growing concerns with the Peace Agreement with the farc. Many farc weapons remain unaccounted for and too many farc members are joining remnant groups and continuing to profit on illegal narcotics trafficking. Americas foreign assistance and military and Law Enforcement relationship with colombia must continue. Between fiscal year 2000 and fiscal year 2016 the u. S. Congress appropriated more than 10 billion in aid under planned colombia and successive strategies. Peace in colombia cannot come at any cost. Farc members must be held accountable by the judicial system and colombia must extradite farc members in the United States and they should face justice here, too. In large part because of the farcs decision to come into the jungle, it is another major concern feeding skepticism about the peace deal. Coca production somebodies have increased during peace negotiations, increasing 14 1 from 20 twefrl to 2016 including a sharp rise in 2015. These developments are likely the direct result of the governments 2015 decision to end the eradication of coca plants. I personally believe it was a mistake in part as a concession to the farc to achieve a peace deal in colombia. Now the gulf clan, colombias largest drug gang, the eln and other farclike group that deals with marxist terrorist and Drug Trafficking and paramilitary groups known as bandas criminales or bacrim. It controls 70 of the cocaine production according to the police and the elm has an estimated 1500 fighters making it onefifth the size of the farcs paramilitary force. Mexico, weve had transnational organizationized crime as a problem on a staggering scale since 2006 when mexico began its big push against those cartels. Some estimate 130,000 people have been killed. Thats equal to the population of gainesville, florida. The mexican cartels are fighting to bring drugs into our country that poison and kill people a record high number of americans nearly 60,000 died last year from drugrelated deaths and of particular concern is an increase in mexican heroin and methamphetamine production and the trafficking of fentanyl manufactured in china. Unlike venezuela we have a willing partner. Since 2008, the United States congress has 2. 8 billion to combat the cartels. The fight cannot be won only with money and guns, we must also provide assistance to mexican courts and Law Enforcement any public officials. The report released by ai say 12 former mexican govern notes that at least 12 former mexican governors are accused of corruption, Money Laundering or narcotics trafficking and an astounding seven of ten crimes in mexico are not even reported. If the people do not trust their institutions from the local police to the neighborhoods and elected officials, the Mexican Government will struggle tol win this fight which is one of the reasons why i continue to work to ensure that we keep foreign assistance strong. These funds are not just going to the worlds poor and theyre going to the programs that work with other countries to bolster Law Enforcement and the rule of law and the stability of democrat see. These funds have a direct impact on the security and theyre essential this year. So what are some of the solutions and i hope well get into them some today. The first is to continue the funding of Development Aid and security programs integral it encountering Transnational Criminal Organizations in the western hemisphere. In venezuela, the trevistas are the root problem. I are in addition to ratcheting up sanctions on anyone in venezuela o proesing the people not just at the lower levels and we hope to support the venezuelan people, which is why the member of the senate Appropriations Committee im asking for promotion programs and hopefully for transitional funds so that when maduro and his cronies are removed there will be Funds Available to assist venezuela in recovering from this long nightmare. In colombia, we need to reassure the colombian people that the United States supports the implementation of all those elements of security and the that it will come with conditions. The colombian people will have democratic elections next year and well need to work with the new colombian government to ensure that the crimes committed by the farc dont go unpunished and that the victims of the farc are adequately compensated. We need to encourage areas to assume eradication of coca plants and the threat of heroin is on the rise with poppy cultivation now present in guatemala and colombia increasingly in mexico and we hope to aggressively target them as well. They must be brought to justice by fully utilizing all tools including the king pin act. Mexico, as i said earlier, we continue to support the fight against cartels while working with our partners in the Mexican Government on improving its legal system, its Law Enforcement and respect for human rights. The tide will only begin to swing against the cartels when ordinary mexicans feel like their government is there for them and have the ability to keep them safe and here at home, we must confront directly the scourge of drug abuse and dependence and the demand pressure that it create which is is a major contributor to all of these problems that i just outlined. In conclusion, as i said at the beginning i feel that our hemisphere has for far too long received too little attention. It relies in part sharing our values and creating free, stable and democratic societies that protect their people and reward their citizens with opportunities for their hard work and their entrepreneurship. In colombia, weve seen how our assistance doctor dollars with the hard work and sacrifice of the colombian people never to return on the foreign assistance investment. An excellent starting point for ensuring that the americas remains a priority i believe was found in this report today. As the report makes clear in its strong recommendations, we have a lot of work to do, but these are all things that given the proper motivation we can do. We must do, and i believe we will do and we must do so both for our neighbors and for ourselves. So i thank you for the chance to make these introductory remarks and i look forward to the session of answering questions and hopefully learning more about the way forward from you and hopefully youll have insight to offer in that regard, as well. Thank you. [ applause ] let me just, as a reminder to submit questions for consideration. Please go to slido. Com, slido. Com and enter the code aeido. Com where you will be prompted to answer a question. Thank you very much for coming. Thank you. I must say your remarks summarized this problem in a very efficient, effective way and it really demonstrates your commitment on this issue. You are in the United States senate where i used to work as a staffer and the senate Foreign Relations committee and the subcommittee chairman for the western hemisphere and a member of the Intel Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee which makes you my new best friend as we go after these important issues. I forgot to turn the mike on. Did i turn it on . I know that one was on. How did it work even though i had it off . The work we presented here makes use of a couple of areas and the use of the symmetrical tools and as a way of getting at king pings and also to identify where their assets are and freeze those assets. These are extraordinarily important in terms of the narc onarco kingpins and they as what the Justice Department called the biggest cocaine producer in the world didnt make a profit because they dont have any money and what they can carry in a knapp sack and theyre between 2 billion and 10 billion. How would you react to the idea that an initiative that insists that the u. S. Executive branch goes after these things targets as priorities to seize those assets and maybe if necessary, new legislation to give them the authority to repatriate that money to colombia or stolen assets to venezuela. I think a lot of the framework for that already exists in the current law. I think its a matter of approximately see and direct, and ordering our instruction treasury and all of the other elements to our National Power to identify where these funds are being placed and to use our influence over the world Banking System to gain access to these funds and not to keep them to ourselves, but rather to send them to these countries and to fund their efforts and also to make clear to transnational groups that the world Banking System is not their background. That they will not be allowed to continue to use it to launder their funds and to hide away the illgotten gains and i do think its an important tool that should be applied or can be applieded and i just know from limited experience, ive been here for six and a half years that many of these agencies it isnt going to happen unless theyre specifically directed to do as a policy initiative and its one of the strongest recommendations of the report that i hope can turn into a directive for policymakers. Regarding colombia, its a one of the most important issues were struggling with is the colombian with the the insurgency and lending this group that hasnt denounced renounced the armed conflict, but has not renounced its marxist objectives and how do we how can we best assist them in this process as we endeavor not to save the Peace Process is to save colombia from this criminality. Colombia is a republic and its leaders are responsive to the people of colombia. As a partner its our job to make them could that we will continue to contribute to these efforts that took a nation on the verge of collapse of being a failed state and brought it to a point of relative prosperity or security for a significant period of time and i think were prepared to continue to endeavor in that regard. What i dont think we can allow and this is as an american senator and someone who needs to answer the people of florida and the people of the country to how their taxpayer money is being spent is that in any of those funds would unfairly benefit the farc, we want to make sure that our funds are being sure that the systems are set up so victims are compensated and not through American Funds and we want to make sure there isnt the creation by these courts whereby people who partnered with us are unfairly put on trial and treated like criminals themselves and we certainly want to make sure that none of the funds on the american taxpayer that we still designate as a terrorist group and many of those leaders are still wanted for extradition and upwards of 60 for crimes committed against the citizens. As long as were fair, frank, direct and to the point well have an opportunity to work with the Santos Administration and whatever succeeds this administration in colombia. And the absence of that, i think, unfortunately, if in fact our dollars are not producing results there could be real challenges to continuing our partnership in this regard, and to me, this is not just about preserving our relationship. Its about ensuring that were getting results from it that we can justify that the american taxpayer at a time when there is an effort to reduce u. S. Foreign engagement in the world both direct and indirect. The president just made some took some steps regarding u. S. Policy toward cuba and engagement with the cuban regime and one of the things that the Obama Administration was proud of was this socalled antidrug cooperation with the castro government and we were told by the administration in private briefings that that sort of thing would continue how would you assess the value of that kind of cooperation . How would you assure it is used for our essential National Security interests. Im sorry with the cuban regime and an antidrug area because theyre in the transi