Caribbean Division Culminates Successful
Red Ribbon Week

DRC Jose Roman, Col.(Ret) Jose M. ALvarez (HIDTA), S/ A Pilot Marcelo Mendez and S/A Pilot Edward Vargas with Bayamon Military Academy staff during the school's Red Ribbon Week activity.

NOV 4 -- As part of the Caribbean Division's (CD) Red Ribbon Week activities a team of federal, military, state, and local law enforcement agencies led by the DEA visited the American Military Academy in Bayamon, Puerto Rico on Wednesday, October 27, 2004. Over 800 students from all grades, parents, teachers and school staff received briefings on drug use and abuse and prevention methods. This activity was coordinated by CD Special Agent Jose Roman, Demand Reduction Coordinator, at the request of the U.S. Attorney's Project Safe Neighborhood Community Outreach Program and the Puerto Rico-U.S. Virgin Islands High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). The DEA's Caribbean Aviation Division Unit did a fly-in static display of a DEA helicopter based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which was the highlight of the activity. Special Agent Pilots Marcelo Mendez and Edward Vargas were very busy briefing hundreds of school children on the helicopter capabilities and given the little ones a chance to "ride" on the cockpit.

Hundred of students form the Bayamon Military Academy are all smiles after their "ride" on the DEA Helicopter as part of the Red Ribbon Week activities of their school.

CD Red Ribbon Week started early on October 12, 2004 with a week long Demand Reduction/Recruitment booth at the San Patricio Mall in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Thousands of mall goers stopped by the DEA display to obtain drug prevention and recruitment information. In addition Special Agent Roberto Fajardo, CD Polygraph Examiner, and Special Agent Waldo Santiago, CD PIO and DTC, actively participated in the Ft. Buchanan U.S. Army Garrison Red Ribbon Week activities. On Thursday, October 28, 2004, S/As Fajardo and Santiago addressed over 500 students of the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools' Puerto Rico District's Antilles High School with he drug prevention message. On Friday, October 29, 2004 S/As Fajardo and Santiago addressed the members of the Ft. Buchanan civilian and military workforce on drug free workplace initiatives and community mobilization. Their efforts were recognized by Post Commander, Col. Stephen M. Ackman.