MEGAN THOMPSON:

An article in this weekend's New York Times Magazine describes tough tactics being used with greater frequency by the U.S. military to stop drug trafficking around the world. 'The Coast Guard's floating Guantanamo' reports on how suspected drug smugglers are being detained at sea for weeks or even months before they are charged with a crime or appear in an American court. This happened almost 700 times between last September and this September. New York Times reporter Seth Freed Wessler wrote the story in partnership with the Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute and he joins me now from Boston. So first Seth I wanted you to just describe to us what exactly the Coast Guard is doing. You also feature the story of a gentleman named Jhonny Arcentales – can you tell us a little bit about what he experienced?