EXTRAORDINARY COOPERATION FROM T&T ON MOVING

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT OF SPAIN 000809 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CAR, INL/LP E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2016 TAGS: PREL SNAR KCRM TD SUBJECT: EXTRAORDINARY COOPERATION FROM T&T ON MOVING NARCOTRAFFICKER TO THE U.S. REF: A. PORT OF SPAIN 00800 ¶B. PARAMARIBO 00411 Classified By: CDA, Eugene P. Sweeney for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On June 29, Suriname expelled Guyanese national Roger Shaheed Khan from prison. Suriname arrested Khan for drug and weapons charges, but determined to expel him from the country after determining that he was in the country illegally and that their case against him was "insufficient." Through negotiations and close coordination among the U.S., Guyana, Suriname and T&T, Khan was routed through T&T, where T&T immigration officially determined that he did not have appropriate documentation to enter the country, even to transit to Guyana. U.S. DEA officials were waiting to execute an international arrest warrant to bring Khan to New York on drug trafficking charges. Guyana offered no objection to this course of action, which permitted the parties involved to go forward. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: The DEA office and the rest of Embassy Port of Spain's Country Team would like to acknowledge the unprecedented cooperation from the GOTT in bringing Khan, a major narcotics trafficker, to stand trial in the U.S. The Attorney General's office cut through much bureaucratic red tape to assist in Khan's arrest and extradition to the United States. T&T's actions illustrate its willingness to cooperate on reducing drug trafficking in the region, which is to both of our advantages. Post would like to appropriately recognize this cooperation, perhaps with a letter and/or phone call from President Bush to Prime Minister Manning as well as a phone call and/or letter from Attorney General Gonzales to Attorney General of T&T, John Jeremie. END COMMENT. SWEENEY