[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