[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 22, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1391-E1394]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE INTRODUCTION OF THE ``WESTERN HEMISPHERE DRUG ELIMINATION ACT''

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL McCOLLUM

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 22, 1998

  Mr. McCULLUM. Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to introduce the 
``Western Hemisphere Drug Elimination Act.''
  Everyone involved in fighting to control drug use in America agrees 
that the demand side is very important. Prevention, education, 
treatment and law enforcement are all critical elements of a successful 
anti-narcotics program. But with the streets of our nation flooded with 
more cocaine and heroin at cheaper prices than at any time in our 
history no one should expect demand-side efforts to succeed until the 
supply of drugs coming into our nation from abroad is dramatically 
reduced.
  The $2.3 billion authorization bill being introduced today is 
designed to provide the resources and the direction to wage a real war 
on drugs before they get to the borders of the United States. The 
Administration plan promulgated earlier this year calls for a reduction 
of illegal narcotics flowing from overseas by 50% in ten years. This is 
totally inadequate. The plan put forth in our legislation is designed 
to cut the flow of drugs into our country by 80% within three years. It 
is the most dramatic, exhaustive, targeted effort ever conceived to 
stop the drug flow from Latin America.
  Where did the plan come from and what does it do? All of the cocaine 
entering the United States comes from Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. More 
than half the heroin entering the United States and virtually all of it 
in the eastern half comes from Colombia. While some heroin is produced 
in Mexico, Mexico is principally a transit country with drug lords who 
have negotiated wholesale purchases from Colombian drug lords and who 
smuggle the products across the Mexican/U.S. border and operate drug 
trafficking syndicates throughout much of the country. The key to our 
plan is to cut the flow of cocaine and heroin not only before it 
reaches the United States, but before it reaches Mexico. The plan and 
the specific resources authorized in this bill were developed from a 
``bottom-up'' review involving extensive input from the Department of 
Defense, State Department, Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. 
Intelligence personnel on the ground working in Columbia, Peru, 
Bolivia, and the transit zone north of there. All the key personnel who 
work this issue every day in the region believe that with the resources 
authorized in this bill and the proper leadership and direction from 
drug-fighting authorities within the Executive Branch, the flow 
of drugs out of each of the three source countries of Colombia, Peru 
and Bolivia can be cut by 80% within as little as two years, let alone 
the three contemplated in this bill. This requires the cooperation of 
the governments of the three countries, which involved officials are 
convinced is there for the asking. It requires U.S. cooperation, 
coordination and support. It does not involve U.S. military 
intervention, but it does require the Department of Defense to place a 
higher priority on anti-narcotics efforts so that key equipment, 
training, and operation and maintenance support that our military alone 
can provide are made available.

  A little over two years ago, President Fujimori of Peru instituted a 
shoot-down policy for small aircraft leaving Peru with raw coca product 
to be refined by Colombian drug lords. This was made possible by U.S. 
manned radar surveillance and intelligence information. The program has 
been remarkably successful and has resulted in a more than 40% 
reduction in coca production in Peru in that two year period. Those 
involved with the Peruvian program are convinced that with greater 
resources, especially flying time of U.S. radar equipped planes, the 
flow of coca product from Peru can be virtually eliminated and crop 
eradication and substitution programs can cut production to a trickle. 
Cocaine is refined in Bolivia as well as produced. Currently most of 
the raw product and the refined product are transported over two or 
three key highways going to and leaving Santa Cruz, Bolivia. With 
resources in this legislation, the government of Bolivia can choke off 
this trafficking and extinguish in infancy the air trafficking efforts 
which are sure to result when the ground transportation has been 
choked.
  In Colombia, the air bridge is critical, too. The refined product 
from the southern one-third of the country where it is grown and 
produced must be flown over the mountains to

[[Page E1392]]

get to the coasts to leave by boat or air or highway transportation on 
to Mexico or the United States. With the resources in this bill, the 
Colombian government can halt these air flights just as the Peruvian 
government has done. Furthermore, with the helicopters provided and 
other crop eradication enhancements, poppy crops can be totally 
eradicated and heroin production stopped almost immediately. Resources 
provided in the bill also cover what it takes to completely eradicate 
coca production in Colombia and destroy all the cocaine laboratories 
within the three year timetable envisioned.
  To accomplish these objectives requires the acquisition of numerous 
P-3 aircraft equipped with special radar and the deployment of crews 
and operational and maintenance supply lines to provide virtually 24 
hour around the clock radar coverage of the three countries in 
question. It also envisages this coverage of the Caribbean, Gulf of 
Mexico and Eastern Pacific which together with the over-the-horizon-
radar (ROTHR) coming online from Puerto Rico will enable the mapping, 
tracking and identification of all small aircraft in the region. The 
authorized new Coast Guard vessels and Customs aircraft and vessels 
will allow chase and interdiction of virtually all vessels and private 
planes identified as likely drug carrying suspects in the transit zone. 
This will fill the huge interdiction gap that has existed since 
interdiction resources in the region were cut by more than \2/3\ in 
1993. And it will allow for interdiction which does not exist at all 
today in the eastern Pacific from Colombia to Mexico and the U.S. west 
coast.

  Based on the concept that ``strong fences make good neighbors,'' this 
strategy is designed to strengthen the counter-narcotics infrastructure 
in source countries and transit zones from 1999 through 2001. Such 
infrastructure will require a mix of improved intelligence, personnel, 
technology and training. The strategy envisions a series of counter-
narcotics ``fences'' drawing on human and technical intelligence 
capabilities to support drug eradication and interdiction efforts in 
Bolivia, Peru, Columbia, Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico and the 
Southwest Border region of the United States.
  The breakdown of regional initiatives is as follows:
  $430 million--Enhance overhead coverage of source zone countries 
through dedicated procurement of 10 P-3B airborne early warning 
aircraft by the U.S. Customs Air Wing (Section 101)
  $47 million--Provide operations and maintenance support for 10 P-3B 
early warning aircraft for fiscal years 2000 and 2001 (Section 101)
  $25 million--Provide personnel support for 10 P-3B early warning 
aircraft for fiscal years 2000 and 2001 (Section 101)
  $150 million--Enhance overhead coverage of source zone countries 
through dedicated procurement of 10 P-3B Slick aircraft by the U.S. 
Customs Air Wing (Section 101)
  $47 million--Provide operations and maintenance support for 10 P-3B 
Slick aircraft for fiscal years 2000 and 2001 (Section 101)
  $25 million--Provide personnel support for 10 P-3B Slick aircraft for 
fiscal years 2000 and 2001 (Section 101)
  $300 million--Establishment of an airbase to support U.S. counter 
narcotics operations in the southern Caribbean, northern South America 
and the eastern Pacific; this proposed facility would take over 
operations currently coordinated by the Howard Air Force Base in Panama 
(Section 101)
  $289 million--Construction of 6 U.S. Coast Guard Medium Endurance 
Cutters for enhanced maritime coverage of Atlantic/Caribbean and 
Eastern Pacific transit zones (Section 102)
  $40.213 million--Funds to hire DEA special agents and investigative 
support personnel for overseas assignments (Section 501)
  $15 million--Establishment of a Relocatable Over-The Horizon Radar 
(ROTHR) to provide in-depth radar coverage of eastern Pacific, southern 
Caribbean and much of South America (Section 103)
  $13.4 million--Allocate $2 million for International Law Enforcement 
Academies in Asia (+$2.4 million for operations and maintenance for 
fiscal years 2000 and 2001); $3 million for Latin America and the 
Caribbean (+$2.4 million for operations and maintenance for fiscal 
years 2000 and 2001); and $1.2 million for Africa (+$2.4 million for 
operations and maintenance for fiscal years 2000 and 2001) (Section 
401)
  $9 million--Establishment of Latin/Caribbean regional training center 
in maritime law enforcement and ports management in San Juan, Puerto 
Rico with operations and maintenance funding provided through fiscal 
year 2001. Lead agencies should be the USCG and the Customs Service 
(Section 401)
  $15 million--Establishment of an USCG International Maritime Training 
and Repair Ship to visit participating Latin and Caribbean nations on a 
rotating schedule, providing maintenance and law enforcement training, 
and to perform maintenance on participating nation assets. Will require 
refitting of a USCG buoy tender (Section 401)
  $8.67 million--Funds to support operations and maintenance for 1 USCG 
PC-170 vessel for counter-drug operations (Section 102)
  $18.6 million--Funds for operations and maintenance of 2 reactivated 
USCG T-AGOS with C41 suite for detection and monitoring (Section 102)
  $9.74 million--Funds for acquisition and construction of 2 additional 
USCG T-AGOS vessels (Section 102)
  $30.39 million--Funds for acquisition and construction of 7 USCG 87-
foot Maritime Interdiction Patrol Boats (Section 102)
  $13.53 million--Funds to support operations and maintenance for 7 
USCG 87-foot Maritime Interdiction Patrol Boats (Section 102)
  $2.1 million--Funds to purchase FLIR and GPS capability for USCG 
Blackhawk helicopters (Section 501)
  $6.3 million--Funds to support increased HH-65A patrol hours for the 
USCG through fiscal year 2001 (Section 501)
  $2.49 million--Funds to support increased HC-130 patrol hours for the 
USCG through fiscal year 2001 (Section 501)
  $22.44 million--Funds to support increased USCG patrol boat hours and 
support in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific through fiscal year 
2001 (Section 501)
  $12.78 million--Funds to support installation of satellite 
communications systems on 110-foot USCG patrol boats (Section 501)
  $9 million--Funds to support installation of FLIR capability on USCG 
HU-25 maritime patrol aircraft (Section 501)
  $30 million--Funds to support USCG operations and maintenance in the 
transit zone through fiscal year 2001 (Section 501)
  $1.5 million--Funds to support increased USCG law enforcement 
training in the Caribbean and Central America (Section 501)
  $7.61 million--Funds to reactivate 3 USCG HU-25 maritime patrol 
aircraft and to support operations and maintenance through fiscal year 
2001 (Section 501)
  $8.272 million--Funds to support DEA's Merlin program (Section 501)
  $4.5 million--Funds to support DEA's intercept program (Section 501)
  $2.4 million--Funds to support DEA's Narcotics Enforcement Data 
Retrieval System (Section 501)
  $3.515 million--Support for DEA's Caribbean Initiative to purchase 
aviation and technical equipment (Section 501)
  $3 million--To purchase 1 Schweizer observation aircraft and to 
provide operations and maintenance costs through fiscal year 2001 
(Section 101)
  $6 million--To purchase 2 Schweizer observation/spray aircraft and to 
provide operations and maintenance costs through fiscal year 2001 
(Section 101)
  $12 million--To purchase 1 J-31 observation aircraft and to provide 
operations and maintenance costs through fiscal year 2001 (Section 101)
  $20 million--To fund the provision of commercial unclassified 
intelligence and imaging data using the passive coherent location 
system to regional counter-drug police forces through fiscal year 2001 
(Section 501)
  $30 million--O&M support for 10 US Customs Service Citations to be 
dedicated to the source and transit zones through fiscal year 2001 
(Section 501)
  $6 million--Funds to support the consolidation of the Defense 
Department's Joint Inter-Agency Task Forces at a site in Key West, 
Florida and to support the consolidated JIATF from fiscal year 1999 
through fiscal year 2001 (Section 501)
  $0.5 million--Funds to support ONDCP study to evaluate transfer of 
overseas interdiction and eradication activities from State/INL to the 
Drug Enforcement Administration (Section 207)
  Regional Initiatives Subtotal: $1676.95 million.
  In addition, the following are specific country initiatives: 
***HD***Colombia


                   Focused opium eradication strategy

  $72 million--To fund the purchase of 6 UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters 
for the Colombian National Police (Section 201)


                   Enhanced coca eradication strategy

  $70 million--To fund conversion kits for 50 UH-1H helos (at $1.4 
million per kit) for conversion into Superhueys (Section 201)
  $18 million--To sustain support of Colombian National Police (CNP) 
helicopters and fixed wing fleet for eradication purposes through 
fiscal year 2001 (Section 201)
  $6 million--For minigun systems for CNP aircraft through fiscal year 
2001 (Section 201)
  $2 million--For the purchase of CNP DC-3 transport aircraft (Section 
201)


                              Other needs

  $15 million--For start-up and operations costs associated with USAID 
alternative development programs in Guaviare, Putumayo, and Caqueta 
Departments (Section 301)
  $6 million--To fund 5 riverine operations maintenance platforms for 
the Colombian Army through fiscal year 2001 (Section 201)

[[Page E1393]]

  $18 million--To fund operations and maintenance for overhead coverage 
in Colombia through fiscal year 2001 (Section 101)
  $1.25 million--For concertina wire and tunneling detection systems at 
CNP's La Picota prison (Section 201)
  Colombia Subtotal: $208.25 million. ***HD***Bolivia
  $7 million--Procurement of 2 mobile X-ray machines with maintenance 
support along Chapare highway (Section 203)
  $15 million--Enhance USAID alternative development programs in 
Chapare and Yungas Regions (Section 301)
  $6 million--To fund operations and maintenance for overhead coverage 
in Bolivia through fiscal year 2001 (Section 101)
  $3 million--Air operations support for Bolivian Red Devils through 
fiscal year 2001 (Section 203)
  $3 million--Riverine operations support for Bolivian Blue Devils 
through fiscal year 2001 (Section 203)
  $3 million--Coca eradication programs through fiscal year 2001 
(Section 203)
  Bolivia Subtotal: $37 million.
  $150 million--To enhance USAID alternative development program in 
Ucayali, Apurimac and Huallaga Valley Regions through fiscal year 2001 
(Section 301)
  $18 million--To fund operations and maintenance for overhead coverage 
in Peru through fiscal year 2001 (Section 101)
  $1.5 million--To support multinational riverine and small boat 
maintenance training program for Peru, Venezuela, Brazil and Colombia 
in Iquitos, Peru (Section 202)
  $5 million--To establish a third site at Puerto Maldonado to support 
counter-narcotics airbridge and riverine missions through fiscal year 
2001 (Section 202)
  Peru Subtotal: $174.5 million.***HD***Ecuador
  $3.0 million--To fund build-up in local Coast Guard and port control 
in Guayaquil and Esmeraldas with assistance from the Customs Service 
and the US Coast Guard (Section 402)
  $1.5 million--To provide assistance for enhanced precursor chemical 
control projects (Section 205)
  Ecuador Subtotal: $4.5 million.***HD***Brazil
  $3 million--to enhance support to Brazilian Federal Police Training 
Center through fiscal year 2001 (Section 402)
  Brazil Subtotal: $3.0 million.***HD***Venezuela
  $3.0 million--To support funding for joint National Guard (GN)/
Judicial Technical Police (PTJ) Counterdrug Intelligence Center through 
fiscal year 2001 (Section 402)
  Venezuela Subtotal: $3.0 million.***HD***Panama
  $3.0 million--Locate surplus USCG/USN assets to strengthen Panamanian 
Coast Guard (SMN) to adequately patrol Atlantic and Pacific Coasts 
through fiscal year 2001 (Section 402)
  Panama Subtotal: $3.0 million.***HD***Haiti & Dominican Republic
  $3.0 million--Enhance ``Frontier Lance'' operations and maintenance 
(now just 2 USCG cutters, 4 Patrol boats, 1 C-130, 2 helos) by 
positioning additional USCG and USN assets at Barahona, Dominican 
Republic and Cayes, Haiti (Section 501)
  $1.5 million--Fund build-up in local Coast Guard and port control in 
Haiti and Dominican Republic through fiscal year 2001 (Section 402)
  Haiti/Dominican Republic Subtotal: $4.5 million.***HD***Central 
America
  $36 million--Fund build-up in local Coast Guard and port control in 
Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua 
through fiscal year 2001 (Section 402)
  Central America Subtotal: $36.0 million.***HD***Mexico


                   Focused opium eradication strategy

  $18 million--To purchase 6 Bell 212 (high-altitude capable helos) 
under Mexican Attorney General to be specifically dedicated for 
Mexico's opium eradication program in Guerrero, Jalisco and Sinaloa 
through fiscal year 2001 (Section 204)


                    Enhanced Rule of Law Initiatives

  $6 million--To fund exchanges for Mexican judges, prosecutors and 
police through the US Department of Justice (Section 402)
  Mexico Subtotal: $24.0 million.***HD***Bahamas and Cuba


             Enhanced Maritime End-Game/Go Fast Initiative

  $3.2 million--FLIR + GPS capability for 3 USCG and DEA Blackhawk 
helicopters (Section 501)
  $13.5 million (including $9 million for O&M)--Restoration of aerostat 
coverage at Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas (Section 103)
  $0.9 million--Establishment of ground-based radar coverage at 
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for fiscal years 1999 through 2001 (Section 103)
  $3.0 million--Procurement of intelligent acoustic detection buoys in 
Florida Straits and Bahama Banks and operations and maintenance costs 
through fiscal year 2001 (Section 501)
  $2.1 million--Procurement of nonlethal technology program against 
GoFast Boat Threat (Section 501)
  $0.5 million--Funds to support operations and maintenance costs for 
10 10-meter RHIB Interceptor Fastboats (Section 102)
  Bahamas and Cuba Subtotal: $23.20 million.***HD***Caribbean and 
Eastern Pacific Regional Coverage
  $100 million--To fund operations and maintenance for overhead 
coverage in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific regions through fiscal 
year 2001 (Section 101)
  Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Subtotal: $100 million.
  STRATEGY TOTAL: $2297.9 million.

[[Page E1394]]

                       SENATE COMMITTEE MEETINGS

  Title IV of Senate Resolution 4, agreed to by the Senate on February 
4, 1977, calls for establishment of a system for a computerized 
schedule of all meetings and hearings of Senate committees, 
subcommittees, joint committees, and committees of conference. This 
title requires all such committees to notify the Office of the Senate 
Daily Digest--designated by the Rules Committee--of the time, place, 
and purpose of the meetings, when scheduled, and any cancellations or 
changes in the meetings as they occur.
  As an additional procedure along with the computerization of this 
information, the Office of the Senate Daily Digest will prepare this 
information for printing in the Extensions of Remarks section of the 
Congressional Record on Monday and Wednesday of each week.
  Meetings scheduled for Thursday, July 23, 1998, may be found in the 
Daily Digest of today's Record.

                           MEETINGS SCHEDULED

                                JULY 27
     1:00 p.m.
       Special on Aging
         To hold hearings to examine allegations of neglect in 
           certain California nursing homes and the overall 
           infrastructure that regulates these homes.
                                                            SH-216

                                JULY 28
     9:30 a.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
         To hold hearings on the nominations of Ritajean Hartung 
           Butterworth, of Washington, and Diane D. Blair, of 
           Arkansas, each to be a Member of the Board of Directors 
           of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; to be 
           followed by hearings to examine why cable rates 
           continue to increase.
                                                            SR-253
       Energy and Natural Resources
         To hold hearings to examine the March 31, 1998 Government 
           Accounting Office report on the Forest Service, 
           focusing on Alaska region operating costs.
                                                            SD-366
     10:00 a.m.
       Labor and Human Resources
         To hold hearings to examine the science of addiction and 
           options for substance abuse treatment.
                                                            SD-430
       Special on Aging
         To continue hearings to examine allegations of neglect in 
           certain California nursing homes and the overall 
           infrastructure that regulates these homes.
                                                            SH-216

                                JULY 29
     9:00 a.m.
       Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
         To hold oversight hearings on the Department of 
           Agriculture's progress in consolidating and downsizing 
           its opearations.
                                                            SR-332
     9:30 a.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
         Business meeting, to consider pending calendar business.
                                                            SR-253
       Energy and Natural Resources
         Business meeting, to consider pending calendar business.
                                                            SD-366
       Judiciary
         To hold hearings on S. 1554, to provide for relief from 
           excessive punitive damage awards in cases involving 
           primarily financial loss by establishing rules for 
           proportionality between the amount of punitive damages 
           and the amount of economic loss.
                                                            SD-226
       Labor and Human Resources
         Business meeting, to mark up S. 1380, Charter Schools 
           Expansion Act, and S. 2213, Education Flexibility 
           Amendments of 1998.
                                                            SD-430
     10:00 a.m.
       Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
         Business meeting, to mark up S. 1405, to provide for 
           improved monetary policy and regulatory reform in 
           financial institution management and activities, to 
           streamline financial regulatory agency actions, and to 
           provide for improved consumer credit disclosure.
                                                            SD-538
       Governmental Affairs
         To hold hearings on S. 2161, to provide Government-wide 
           accounting of regulatory costs and benefits, and S. 
           1675, to establish a Congressional Office of Regulatory 
           Analysis.
                                                            SD-342
     2:00 p.m.
       Governmental Affairs
       International Security, Proliferation and Federal Services 
           Subcommittee
         To hold hearings to examine the satellite export 
           licensing process.
                                                            SD-342
       Judiciary
       Immigration Subcommittee
         To hold oversight hearings on enforcement activities of 
           the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Department 
           of Justice.
                                                            SD-226

                                JULY 30
     9:00 a.m.
       Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
         To hold hearings to review a recent concept release by 
           the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on over-the-
           counter derivatives, and on related proposals by the 
           Treasury Department, the Board of Governors of the 
           Federal Reserve System, and the Securities and Exchange 
           Commission.
                                                            SD-106
     9:30 a.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
       Communications Subcommittee
         To hold hearings to examine international satellite 
           reform.
                                                            SR-253
       Judiciary
         Business meeting, to consider pending calendar business.
                                                            SD-226

                              SEPTEMBER 2
     9:30 a.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
         To hold hearings to examine the impact of United States 
           satellite technology transfer to China.
                                                            SR-253

                              SEPTEMBER 10
     9:30 a.m.
       Commerce, Science, and Transportation
       Communications Subcommittee
         To resume hearings to examine international satellite 
           reform.
                                                            SR-253

                               OCTOBER 6
     9:30 a.m.
       Veterans' Affairs
         To hold joint hearings with the House Committee on 
           Veterans Affairs on the legislative recommendations of 
           the American Legion.
                                               345 Cannon Building