High-powered US delegation coming to Ghana to discuss transnational crimes

The United States Assistant Secretary of State for International  Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) William R. Brownfield will lead a high-level delegation of U.S. federal law enforcement officials to Ghana to discuss crime in West Africa, the US State department has said.

The delegation, which is expected to arrive in the country on May 18, 2011, will have talks with Ghanaian officials to look at issues concerning security in the West African sub region.

“On May 18 Assistant Secretary Brownfield, Assistant Attorney General Breuer, and Administrator Michele M. Leonhart of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will travel to Accra, Ghana for discussions with host government officials on the West Africa Citizen Security Initiative (WACSI)”, said the US State Department in a press release on May 16, 2011 published on its website.

According to the release, WACSI uses a multifaceted approach to leverage U.S. assistance to fight transnational crime, which poses a direct threat to security, stability and good governance in West Africa.

The Information Officer at the US Embassy in Accra, Mr. Ben East has also confirmed to ghanabusinessnews.com that the delegation will be visiting Ghana.

Members of the delegation are Vicki Huddleston, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Africa; Bruce Swartz, Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Caryn Chipman Hollis, Principal Director for Counternarcotics and Global Threats, Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Others include Russell Benson, DEA Regional Director; Tracy Hannah, Deputy Director of the Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security (DHS); David Aguilar, Deputy Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, DHS; and Tracey Bardorf, Special Advisor to the Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS.

The delegation will also visit neighbouring Liberia after the Ghana visit.

By Ekow Quandzie