<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1665753268709,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"0000017f-e2f4-de00-a7ff-e7fff8030000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1665753268709,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"0000017f-e2f4-de00-a7ff-e7fff8030000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_65696554", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1117050"} }); ","_id":"00000183-d6a1-da74-a1bf-deb1af000000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedPerhaps more than any administration in recent history, the Biden administration has prioritized the release of American citizens arbitrarily detained overseas. Countries such as Russia, Afghanistan, Iran, and Venezuela have increasingly resorted to arresting and holding American citizens as political bargaining chips in furtherance of their own national interests.
In the last four months, the Biden administration has secured the release of multiple U.S. citizens after years of failed attempts. First, in May 2022, Moscow released Trevor Reed, a former U.S. Marine imprisoned in Russia for nearly three years after being accused of assaulting police officers in Moscow. In return, the Biden administration commuted the sentence of Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving a 20-year prison term for conspiring to import more than $100 million of cocaine into the United States.
AS AID SUPPORT DROPS OFF, AFGHAN ALLIES SUFFER
Then, in September 2022, the Taliban freed Mark Frerichs, a U.S. citizen wrongly detained in Afghanistan for more than 2 1/2 years. In exchange, the Biden administration released Bashir Noorzai, a prolific Afghan heroin trafficker also known as the “Pablo Escobar of heroin.” At the time of his arrest in 2005, Noorzai was considered one of the biggest drug traffickers in the world, and a close confidant of Mullah Muhammad Omar, the Taliban’s supreme leader.
Two weeks later, the Venezuelan government announced the release of seven Americans, including five oil executives held for nearly five years. This time, the Biden administration returned two of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s nephews, who were convicted of conspiring to smuggle more than 800 kilograms of cocaine into the U.S.
These are undeniably good news stories, especially for the victims and their families, who, through no fault of their own, were caught in the middle of a high-stakes game of realpolitik. They deserve a hero’s welcome for what they endured.
But securing their release was not without costs. Although well-intentioned, trading some of the world’s most dangerous criminals for innocent civilians sets a dangerous precedent that could lead to more abductions and frustrate the pursuit of justice.
While the Biden administration recently issued an executive order to help raise the costs of hostage-taking and wrongful detention, America’s adversaries are not bound by the same legal, political, and moral constraints. They continue to view these actions as “low risk, high reward.”
The U.S. must redouble its efforts to deter this activity and secure the release of Americans being held overseas but in doing so, must avoid incentivizing bad behavior by giving up too much. In the end, foreign terrorist organizations, criminal groups, and other malicious actors cannot be left thinking, “It worked!”
Aside from the obvious moral hazard, releasing convicted criminals also undermines the rule of law. These were legitimately “bad guys” that sought to harm the U.S. Releasing them, although for a righteous cause, is a decidedly unjust outcome, particularly for their victims and those who dedicated their lives to bring them to justice.
And of course, there’s the risk of recidivism. It’s too soon to know whether these people will seek to reconstitute their illicit networks and return to a “life of crime.” However, given their provenance in the global drug trade — Noorzai received a hero’s welcome from Taliban fighters upon arrival in Kabul — it seems likely they will continue to work against American interests.
Commenting on these exchanges, President Joe Biden acknowledged these were “difficult decisions” that were “not taken lightly.” As the Biden administration continues its work to bring more Americans home, it must carefully consider the broader impact of these decisions, especially on drug trafficking. Last year, more than 108,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses, the highest number on record, and transnational organized crime remains a significant threat to the safety and security of the U.S.
These are indeed difficult decisions. Any future negotiations must endeavor to balance these impossible trade-offs. American lives hang in the balance.
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Jim Crotty is an associate vice president at The Cohen Group, a strategic advisory firm based in Washington, D.C. He is the former deputy chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration.
