TRANSNATIONAL crime associated with drug trafficking, corruption and violence has had a seriously adverse impact on Caribbean economic development; discouraging honest work, foreign and local investment, and misallocation of resources.

It has affected tourism and the return of Caribbean nationals to the region. It has slowed remittances, spread the corruption of government and private institutions, and caused reputational damage to the countries and governments in the region. The interception of drug shipments, the seizure of guns, and the arrest of petty criminals have been the fodder for many media headlines.

The efforts of Caribbean governments to clamp down on transnational crime are largely supported by international agencies and the United States, Great Britain and Canada, with the cooperation of other countries. Yet, in spite of the best efforts of all concerned, the problem appears to be getting worse.

More attention must be devoted to dismantling the commanding heights of crime in the Caribbean, and this means removing the white collar criminals who mastermind and manage transnational crime in the region. These criminals are supported by an institutional superstructure of crime which consists of lawyers and accountants who, under the guise of social respectability and the veneer of professional integrity, service the “dons”. These white collar criminals have permeated all institutions of Caribbean society and hold some of the most prestigious and influential posts.

Locking up more and more petty criminals, while not solving the problem of crime — because there is an almost unlimited supply of poor, desperate people who will to take the risk of criminal activity — only leaves the white collar structure of management of crime in place.

The US Government has been helping the Caribbean countries with getting rid of white collar criminals even when their governments have not asked for such help. The US has removed Allen Stafford, an American who was knighted by the Government of Antigua, and the infamous Christopher “Dudus” Coke from Jamaica. It is also pursuing the extradition of Jack Warner, former minister of national security from Trinidad and Tobago, and has charged Ambassador John Ashe of Antigua, the former chairman of the United Nations General Assembly.

In addition to actual cases being prosecuted, there are persistent questions about money laundering, tax havens, foreign contributions to political parties, and sale of citizenship in Caribbean countries. As embarrassing, are the unproven allegations about the conduct of certain other high level personalities in the region.

The Caribbean is increasingly being viewed as a region which is soft on white collar crime. The charitable interpretation of the lack of action to reduce this crime is the inadequacy of resources and capacity, but the less kind view attributes inactivity to a lack of will.

Time will show that we owe the US Government a debt of gratitude for its efforts to remove Caribbean white collar criminals. We hope they’ll continue to do more in this regard. We also call on the people and governments of the Caribbean to do more to co-operate with and complement the activities of the US to remove these criminals.