[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 5, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E752]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               BRIGADIER GENERAL FRANCISCO PATINO FONSECA

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 5, 2010

  Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, before I was elected to the U.S. 
Congress, I served as a criminal court judge for over two decades in 
Houston, Texas. I've seen up close and personally how drugs destroy 
lives, drive up crime rates and tear families apart. So when I heard 
about the good progress in the fight against drugs in Colombia, I 
decided to come down and see it for myself.
  When I hiked in the jungles and flew over the coca fields about a 
month ago, I was accompanied by Brigadier General Francisco Patino 
Fonseca. I discovered one of the main reasons for Colombia's recent 
success battling the scourge of drugs is his strong, relentless zeal to 
capture the bad guys.
  A native of Bogota and a 1981 police school graduate, Gen. Patino has 
dedicated his life to law enforcement. He has done everything from 
working for the Tisquesusa Police Department to serving as the Police 
Attache at the Embassy of Colombia in Spain.
  Gen. Patino has been decorated some 58 times in his extensive 
service. With that kind of dedication and experience, he serves the 
Colombian people well in his role as the Director of Counternarcotics 
for the Colombian National Police (DIRAN).
  And as Director, Gen. Patino has placed a new focus on human 
intelligence--bringing in more intelligence officers and tripling the 
intelligence budget. He is also committed to making sure his courageous 
team of officers have the best training in the world. The DIRAN 
training regimen is so well-respected around the world that in recent 
years over 80 students from twelve countries have attended its 
International Jungla course. The DIRAN mobile training teams have 
responded to training requests from Afghanistan, Mexico, and Ecuador.
  Their training is paying off. Working hand in hand with American 
support, the Colombian Public Forces seized more cocaine, heroin, and 
chemicals used to make cocaine in 2009 than ever before. DIRAN accounts 
for less than five percent of the Colombian National Police force but 
has been responsible for the seizures of 66 percent of the cocaine, 90 
percent of the heroin, 86 percent of the cocaine precursor chemicals 
and 63 percent of the drug labs by the entire police force.
  The war on drugs in the United States is inextricably linked to the 
war on drugs in Colombia. It is no secret that it is mostly American 
dollars that buy Colombian-grown drugs. As a Member of the U.S. 
Congress, I want to thank Gen. Patino, his officers and the good people 
of Colombia for their tremendous dedication to fighting the drug 
cartels and working with the people of the United States. After 
observing the distinguished leadership of Gen. Patino and his officers, 
I am more confident than ever that this is a war we can win together.

                          ____________________