The US Department of State has released the 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) on Money Laundering and Financial Crimes and Drug and Chemical Control. With the exception of Monserrat, Anguilla, Bermuda and Turks and Caicos Islands all CARICOM countries were categorized as “Jurisdictions of Primary Concern”.

Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, has called parts of the report “misleading” and “incorrect” after the document reported that Antigua and Barbuda’s CIP program is “among the most lax in the world…and vulnerable to political interference.” As well as an alleged $US8M bride from Brazilian company Odebrecht.

Concerning the CARICOM islands, the report highlighted the presence of gaming companies, lack of transparency of information of beneficial ownership, rare materials black markets, drug trafficking, smuggling and deficiencies in the CIP/CBI programs.

See Report here: https://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2017/index.htm

See Antigua Comments: http://antiguaobserver.com/pm-rebuffs-us-report/