RBN # 12 - 6/19 - 6/20/05

[Shellbell]

Previous post drama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  No Kerin didnt take the pill I did.

[arubagirl]

mountainmac, I have not heard such an announcement,

Yay, Nativelingo is here.

[azvet]

Okay but let's go back to Day one.. or late morning of Natalee's disappearance.. first on the scene..DEA... why DEA.

The we have 12 FBI's within how long? Like we discussed the other day, FBI (was asked but 12?) goes international when there is a crime ring ("combating international and national organized crime").

So, we have DEA there before Natalee was missing and 12 FBI there after she is reported missing. I dunno but that's a pretty concrete clue right there.

Amen Cali.  I get no response when I post these kinds of thoughts, but I've had suspicions just because of the silence, confusion,  and "no comment" statements coming from interviewees on TV.

[absolut]

did the cop from south park just get a job in aruba?

Nope he already had the job. He watches the people traffiking and drug smuggling.

[TTownMike]

NativeLingo, what on earth is going on? It seems that all the doors have slammed shut, and this whole investigation has taken on a decidedly anti-American posture. Elio Nicolaas has changed his tune and reversed his field. All spokesmen are rigidly adhering to a party line, and cooperation with American law enforcement seems to be coming to an end.

Sincerely what did you expect after the ban-Aruba "folklore"?

Best way to beat the folklore is to solve the case and FIND OUR NATALEE!

[Cerulean]

Anyone have links to reliable reports of the beheading, missing person, or the 45 year old woman held by drug lords?  Any links to English language news from Aruba?

[writenow]

I, for one, do not believe that the FBI agents down there are just sitting around watching interviews and waiting for something to do.  I truly believe that they are doing plenty of investigating on their own or behind the scenes.  I truly do not believe the US would send that many agents down there to sit around twiddling their thumbs until Aruban LE asked them to test something.  There is a lot more going on down there than we are being told.  Just my theory.

well, they're each specialist in different areas, so I think they're giving the Aruban authorities a crash course in all aspects of an investigation -- from technology to surveillance to interrogation to evidence processing to crime scene processing.

from the Miami Herald

"For now, the agents -- members of the extra-territorial squad that deals with events in the Caribbean and South America -- will continue in their role as observers. Among them: an expert in evidence processing, a crimes against children specialist and a victim/witness coordinator. ''It's really up to the Aruban government what they want us to do,'' Orihuela said."

[boxopen]

As has been stated, the DEA guys were already in Aruba- for another reason.

I heard that too but I remember the DEA guy comes from Venezuela, not in Aruba.
(And I remember that due to thought at that moment: "strange public annoucement... DEA in 'Chavez' land?" - but of course I could be wrong)

[NativeLingo]

lets be real here....i am sure that many arubans(mostly citizens/regular people) care that natalee is missing........but the government is concerned about their bottomline and reputation.....

negative press   =    a problem with tourism   =   a large scale effect on the countries biggest business-tourism

AGAIN...The government is not involved.....

FYI, Please look this up: "Trias Politica"

Arubagirl..... any idea on what is happening??

[mountainmac]

Anyone have links to reliable reports of the beheading, missing person, or the 45 year old woman held by drug lords?  Any links to English language news from Aruba?

Someone on the Yahoo/Natalee forum from Aruba said they heard the beheading was unrelated to NH and that the wife had hired someone to do this to the husband....also saying the wife was Colombian. JUST POSTING WHAT I READ IN CHAT ROOM.

Edit: So, no, not a reliable report....but a report nonetheless

[JS in B'ham]

One point I wanted to make in response to those who are surprised that a body has not been found is that it apparently is not that hard to hide a body (not that I have any personal experience in that regard!).  I don't remember how long Jessica Lunsford was missing when her body was found.  But I do remember that it was found very close to her home despite the fact that the area had been repeatedly searched both by LE and volunteers.  Even then, the only reason the body was found is that the creep confessed and told them where to look.  I hope Natalee is alive, but the passage of time suggests otherwise and, based on the above, I do not take much solace in the fact that her body has not been found.

[friend of monkeys]

NativeLingo, what on earth is going on? It seems that all the doors have slammed shut, and this whole investigation has taken on a decidedly anti-American posture. Elio Nicolaas has changed his tune and reversed his field. All spokesmen are rigidly adhering to a party line, and cooperation with American law enforcement seems to be coming to an end.

elio nicolaas is probly from sint nicolaas right?

[Dallas Also]

I wonder how the three guys enjoyed their first day in prison today?

p.s. - shout out to mbhs05!

[kirbysquirrel]

Somewhere in the hundreds of pages I have read in the past 3 weeks, I think I remember that when the chaperone called to say that Natalee was missing, the rest of the group flew on home and this one person stayed behind to wait to see if she turned up.  Someone in AL knew this DEA agent who was flying to Aruba for some reason at the same time and contacted the agent who contacted the chaperone upon his arrival in Aruba that day and gave some suggestions for how to proceed.  Don't think the agent's involvement had anything to do with Natalee and may have even been there for pleasure, etc.  I got the distict impression the agent was a connection to the Twitty's and was the earliest contact there with the chaperone before the family even arrived.

This may not be accurate but I am pretty sure this is what I read.

Kirby

[SPSII]

This is very long but worth reading. It's in regards to the theory of drug smuggling, etc. in Aruba. This comes from the US Department of Justice Webiste:

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/intel/03014/03014.html#aruba

Aruba

The Caribbean island of Aruba was politically separated from the Netherlands Antilles in 1996, becoming an autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands the same year. Located only 20 miles off the coast of Venezuela, Aruba serves as a transshipment point for illicit drugs—primarily cocaine from South America.

Smugglers generally move large loads of cocaine into Aruba on fishing vessels, private yachts, and go-fast boats. They also move drugs out of Aruba inside maritime containerized cargo and airfreight. Drug trafficking organizations continue to exploit Aruba’s air and sea links to the continental United States, South America, Europe, Puerto Rico, and other Caribbean nations. Most of the cocaine transiting Aruba is destined for European markets—primarily the Netherlands.

Aruba has large free-zone facilities (areas that allow goods to be held and then re-shipped elsewhere without paying an import or duty tax), which provide opportunities for bulk shipments of cocaine to transit the area without the scrutiny of local officials. Cocaine shipments in containerized cargo increasingly are transiting the area, specifically through the free zone. The free-zone facilities on Aruba are conducive to transshipments, not only of drugs, but also chemicals used in illicit manufacture of drugs. Some firms in the free zone are suspected of involvement in money laundering.

Couriers on commercial flights and cruise ships smuggle small (usually from 1- to 10-kilogram) amounts of cocaine and, to a lesser extent, heroin, into and out of Aruba, either concealed in their luggage or taped to their bodies. Commercial air couriers, sometimes swallow up to 1 kilogram of cocaine or heroin per trip. Drug couriers easily blend into the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit Aruba each year.

The proximity of Aruba to South America, a high standard of living in Aruba, and an underdeveloped law enforcement infrastructure make the country an attractive meeting place for South American, European, and U.S. drug traffickers. Colombian traffickers play a major role in the shipments of cocaine and heroin that transit the island, having forged trafficking relationships with local Arubans. In the past, some airline employees and cruise-ship personnel have smuggled drugs through Aruba.

Aruba plays a significant role as an offshore center for drug-related money laundering. Money laundering organizations are well established on Aruba and enjoy protection from considerable bank secrecy laws and a stable currency. The organizations use Aruba’s offshore banking and incorporation systems, free-zone areas, and resort/casino complexes to transfer and to launder drug proceeds. Although money laundering was made illegal in 1999, the legislation requires a provable underlying crime with a penalty of at least 4 years. The Government of Aruba also has an asset-seizure law that allows for seizure at the time of arrest to prevent criminals from moving assets prior to conviction.

The Government of Aruba has recently issued several decrees on money laundering that include increased oversight of casinos and insurance companies. The Government of Aruba also is in the process of instituting reporting requirements for cross-border currency movements in excess of 20,000 Aruban florins (approximately US$11,200). Aruba has a Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), known as the Meldpunt Ongebruikelijke Transacties (MOT), and is a member of the Egmont Group, 5 an international group of FIUs.

Aruba is not a source country for any of the chemicals used in illicit drug production and has no specific legislation controlling essential chemicals. Difficulties abound when attempting to gauge the levels of chemical transshipment through Aruba, as most chemicals legally pass through Aruba’s Free Trade Zone—an area in which local law enforcement has limited oversight due to local regulations and manpower shortages. The reporting of chemicals transiting the island is strictly voluntary.

The Aruba Organized Crime Unit, a small investigative team of the Aruba Police, or Politie, has responsibility for investigating large-scale drug trafficking crimes. The Coast Guard of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba (CGNAA) is responsible for maritime drug interdictions around Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. The Governments of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba have agreed to work more closely with the other coast guards operating in the region in order to present a united front against drug trafficking. The CGNAA has its own Criminal Intelligence Division (CID) which is separate from the Politie. However, due to Dutch law, unless the CGNAA can demonstrate that a given vessel is either coming from or going to territorial waters of the Netherlands Antilles or Aruba, any drug law enforcement, other than an administrative boarding, is considered illegal. Dutch investigators also support law enforcement investigations in the Netherlands Antilles.

Cocaine, heroin, and marijuana are readily available in Aruba. Wholesale amounts of cocaine sell for from US$3,800 to US$4,500 per kilogram among drug traffickers; heroin sells for about US$23,000 per kilogram; and marijuana sells for about US$2,000 per kilogram. These low prices suggest a heavy flow of drugs into Aruba. According to Aruban statistics, an estimated 14 percent of Arubans regularly use illicit drugs.

Aruba serves as one of two forward operating locations (FOLs) in the Caribbean for U.S. counterdrug aircraft. The FOL, located at Queen Beatrix Airport near Oranjestad, provides a landing and servicing area for counterdrug detection and monitoring missions in the region. The United States and Aruba do not have a formal maritime law enforcement agreement.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands, including Aruba, is party to the 1988 U.N. Drug Convention, a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), 6 and has an MLAT agreement with the United States. The United States–Netherlands extradition treaty of 1980 extends to the Government of Aruba, and provides for the extradition of nationals. Aruba also has criminal procedure code that allows for the extradition of Aruban nationals, subject to their serving any sentences imposed in Aruba. In addition, Aruba is a member of the CFATF.

[air23ac]

i know there is seperation of goverment and law enforcement.......but we all know there is behind the scene/under the table influence

[TTownMike]

I'm sorry, ya'll..I dont wanna stir the pot here and get anybody all miffed at me, but this is the most bizarre case I have ever heard of....

The "false confession"
A small island that turns up NOTHING..
A reporter that claims he has a lead he is following...then...nothing..
The 3 brought in, let go, brought in again and arrested...

The list goes on and on and on.....I have seen some great Arubian people on here...I am not against them..at all...however, this seems wayyyyyy too "phrucked" up to me..... These LE officials have sincerely screwed this up..WE here on Monkeys, could fly down and have more than they have thus far..

I totally agree
Kerin just took sleep meds.

No Shell...I am here.   I was monitoring my tickle page, hanging out waiting for the old man to post something.

LOL!  Be very careful!

[arubagirl]

Native, I think this goes in cycles. They're nice to us, they're not nice, nice, not nice.

Oh, you meant about the case? Nothing new. I thought that CSS was going to have 2x 24 on today, but nothing.

45 year old woman being held by drug lords? All righty then.

[Louise]

Two things:

THe policeman while insensitive and a doofus is a regular guy caught in the glare of the US press. I think we are used to the media circus, the questions, the intrusiveness, but Arubans aren't.

This is a sleepy island ffull of tourists, booze, casinos and beaches. Now this and in the context of suspicions of transnational crime as a background. The pressure is enormous and while some officials may be covering, we don't know that.

It is not fair to expect them to release all they know, it really isn't. And I think stuff is happening but you cannot make these boys talk short of torture and they are not going to do that.

I have been to many islands over the last 25 years. It is hard to understand that the islandeers I know have pride and are reserved, very. When you push them, they balk. Not because they are bad but because that is their way. They don't spill their guts, go on Jerry Springer and blab like we do.

[katya]

Okay but let's go back to Day one.. or late morning of Natalee's disappearance.. first on the scene..DEA... why DEA.

The we have 12 FBI's within how long? Like we discussed the other day, FBI (was asked but 12?) goes international when there is a crime ring ("combating international and national organized crime").

So, we have DEA there before Natalee was missing and 12 FBI there after she is reported missing. I dunno but that's a pretty concrete clue right there.

DEA are stationed on Aruba and have been working with the Aruba govt since 2001. Aruba has a FOLS base and has cooperated very freely with DEA. Probably the DEA agents are well known to the Aruban plice.