Attorney General Eric Holder met Tuesday with René Préval, the president of Haiti, during his first trip to the United States following the devastating earthquake that struck the Caribbean country in January.

The primary focus of the meeting was to discuss drug trafficking, though the Attorney General also took the opportunity to express his sympathies for the recent tragedy in Haiti, according to a Justice Department spokeswoman.

Haiti is one of the main shipping points in the Caribbean for Colombian cocaine traffic, according to a Drug Enforcement Administration fact sheet on drug trafficking.

Préval also met with Secretary of State Hilary Clinton on Tuesday, and said it would be a “mistake” to rebuild Port-au-Prince as it was before the earthquake. Préval instead urged a post-quake effort to develop Haiti’s provinces, according to a report by the Voice of America.

President Obama will meet with Préval on Wednesday.

Attorney General Eric Holder and Haitian President René Préval on Tuesday (DOJ).

Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer Tuesday said that the Justice Department would aggressively prosecute instances of fraud arising from the earthquake in Haiti. He spoke to reporters at a pen-and-pad session that covered a number of topics.

“We want to send a strong message from the beginning that anyone who tries to take advantage of this horrible disaster is going to have the full force of the law brought against him/her,” Breuer said. Breuer heads the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Monday we reported that the FBI and the National Center for Disaster Fraud had created a telephone hotline to report suspected Haitian earthquake relief fraud. At today’s session with reporters, FBI Assistant Director Kevin Perkins said the hotline had already begun receiving receive calls.

“We’re trying to be out ahead of the potential fraud schemes that would come about because of Haitian relief efforts,” Perkins said.

The FBI and the National Center for Disaster Fraud have created a telephone hotline to report suspected Haitian earthquake relief fraud.

From an FBI news release:

The number is (866) 720-5721. The phone line is staffed by a live operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also e-mail information directly to disaster@leo.gov.

The NCDF was originally established to investigate, prosecute, and deter fraud in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. More than 20 federal agencies, including the FBI, participate in the center.

The FBI offered the following guidelines for making donations:

• Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages.
• Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.
• Beware of organizations with copy-cat names similar to but not exactly the same as those of reputable charities.
• Rather than following a purported link to a website, verify the legitimacy of non-profit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group’s existence and its non-profit status.
• Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files, because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
• To ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes, make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf.
• Do not be pressured into making contributions, as reputable charities do not use such tactics.
• Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions. Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.
• Avoid cash donations if possible. Pay by debit or credit card, or write a check directly to the charity. Do not make checks payable to individuals

The former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania is trying to help victims of the 7.0 earthquake that destroyed much of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, this week, The Associated Press reported today.

Mary Beth Buchanan (DOJ)

Mary Beth Buchanan, who served as U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh from 2001 until November 2009, is trying to arrange for a private plane to shuttle Haitian orphans to the United States, according to the AP. She is in contact with an immigration lawyer and has found a doctor to help care for the children, whose orphanage is in Port-Au-Prince, the AP said.

Americans Jamie McMurtie Heckman and Alison McMurtie, who live at the orphanage and hail from Pittsburgh, are trying to obtain emergency relief status for the children to come to the United States, according to the AP. The children have been living in the orphanage’s yard without any food or water since the quake struck the impoverished Caribbean nation on Tuesday, the AP said.

Buchanan did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Main Justice left on her home voicemail.

We reported in October that she is considering a bid for a House seat from Pennsylvania.