Crime in Aruba

Just some articles and links to crime in Aruba that is supposed to be non-existant. Some of them, mind you, are a few years old, therefore may not apply, but should at least clear up the myth that there is no crime in Aruba.
The Evening Standard (London, England); 4/1/2004
A BARBER who was unmasked as Britain’s biggest ever crack cocaine dealer was behind bars today and facing a lengthy jail term – but police are still trying to trace his missing millions.
Evidence from around the world suggests Lincoln White created an international drugs empire, amassing a [pounds sterling]170 million fortune.
White, who told the court he was a “freelance barber”, imported the cocaine from Panama, Mexico, Aruba, and Grenada before turning it into crack at Tulloch’s flat.

Crack in Aruba? Gee, what a surprise
Caribbean Update : INCREASE IN CRIME.(Aruba crime in tourist areas)(International Pages)(Legal Beat)(Brief Article) @ HighBeam Research
Caribbean Update
December 01, 2001
There has been an increase in crime in Aruba, reports the U.S. State Dept. (Nov. 9, 2001),which notes: “Although strolling downtown or in other tourist areas after dark used to be generally safe, Americans should note that there has been a sharp rise in armed robberies.
Newspapers report these incidents as being mostly drug related. There have been incidents of theft from hotel rooms. Petty crime and credit card fraud continues to be a problem.”
Copyright 2001
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AP Worldstream
03-26-2004
Dateline: ORANJESTAD, Aruba
Authorities have detained four Dutch marines on drug-smuggling suspicions, sending two back to the Netherlands and keeping two in custody in Aruba while the military investigates, a spokeswoman said Friday.
The four suspects, who have not been identified by name, were low-ranking marines serving in a 200-strong military presence at the Savanega base in this Dutch Caribbean territory, spokeswoman Lt. Melanie van de Haak said.
They were detained March 17 during raids at their homes in Aruba, and “had been suspects during an ongoing investigation,” she said.
I came across several links related to the casinos in Aruba and the Gambino crime family. The mob in casinos? Tell me it isn’t so. Do a google search for more info on that one.

AP Worldstream
03-08-2004
Dateline: AMSTERDAM, Netherlands
A majority of the people imprisoned in the Netherlands are foreigners or immigrants, the Central Bureau for Statistics said Monday.
At the end of September 2003, 55 percent of the Dutch prison population was born abroad, compared with 50 percent 10 years ago, the government agency said.
The increase could reflect the drive in recent years to crack down on crime, especially drug offenses.
The overall number of people in prison rose by 7 percent to around 13,000 from September 2002, the statistics office said.
Around 9 percent of prisoners are from Suriname, the former Dutch colony, and an additional 9 percent from the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, both Dutch possessions in the Caribbean. Moroccans comprise 7 percent and Turks 5 percent.
About 2 percent of prisoners are illegal immigrants awaiting deportation. That figure does not include the 46,000 asylum seekers detained in dormitory-like “deportation centers” while their applications are processed.
Of the 1,600 prisoners serving a sentence of longer than four years, 70 percent were convicted of violent crimes and 25 percent of drug offenses. The Netherlands is believed to be one of the world’s largest producers of the synthetic party drug Ecstasy, and a gateway for cocaine traffic through Europe.
Copyright 2004, AP News All Rights Reserved