ONDCP Mum on Tagliaventi Arrest

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police

Monday, 14 May 2012 02:30

By Alex Holder

Antigua St John's - Director of the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Policy (ONDCP) Lieutenant Colonel Edward Croft has said while Antigua and Barbuda has maintained an active partnership with the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and a number of other entities on cases of suspicion, the absence of concrete evidence restricts his office from making any public pronouncements on active cases like that of local businessman Dante Tagliaventi, who was arrested overseas on Thursday on drug-related charges.

The businessman is known. renowned locally for his Heritage Quay businesses, Timeless Treasures and Millennium, which were closed, and Luxury Brands, which is to close its doors sometime this month.

The ONDCP director said he has not been briefed on the matter, but would be looking into it. He did however label the incident as "sensitive" and of a "serious" nature.

"Based on the sensitivity of the issue, I would have to withhold (an official comment) at this time until I have more facts on the situation," Lieutenant Colonel Croft said.

Caribarena questioned the anti-drug and money-laundering head about whether his office had any inclination from private or public sources of Tagliaventi or any other local businessperson's potential involvement in drugs or money laundering, which has either sparked an investigation or has led to charges and an eventual conviction in, or outside of Antigua.

But the Lieutenant Colonel declined to comment. He also withheld responses on whether his office or any other branch of local law enforcement had any interest in Tagliaventi for crimes in Antigua and Barbuda drugs or otherwise.

The ONDCP head has however gone on record as saying that the suspicion, especially of a prominent businessperson, needs to be handled with the utmost caution, since in the absence of charges and possibly a conviction, the individual's character and potential business operations could be seriously jeopardized.

"That would be very unfair for me to make a commit on suspicion on anyone. Because that could cause a discredit that individual or entity if I am not able to bring proof. It would not be fair to express suspicion and you are negatively affected, then I have no evidence and I am not able to prove anything in court. Hence me saying it would not be fair for me to do that at this time," Lieutenant Colonel Croft said.

He added, "Unless we have the evidence it is nothing for anyone to be aware of until we are able to do what we need to do to bring them to justice."

Tagliaventi was accused in 2004, with nine other men, of allegedly trafficking 500 kilos of cocaine. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Canada had intercepted the load. An extradition request was made for him by the Canadian authorities, but was withdrawn in 2007.

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