[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16913-16918]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                           ILLEGAL NARCOTICS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 1999, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) is recognized 
for 60 minutes.
  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor again to talk about the 
subject that is very important to me and to millions of Americans, 
unfortunately a subject that does not get a lot of headlines except in 
local papers; and I will refer to those, some of those headlines across 
the country tonight, and that is the subject of illegal narcotics and 
the problem of drug abuse and illegal narcotics trafficking across our 
great land.
  I come to the floor to report to the House and to the American people

[[Page 16914]]

again on this epidemic, this silent epidemic, but deadly epidemic, that 
is facing our Nation and a challenge that is facing this Congress I 
inherited from Speaker Hastert who chaired the National Security 
International Affairs Oversight Subcommittee during the last Congress 
in which I served with him, responsibility for national drug policy in 
the House of Representatives, working with the Speaker and several 
other colleagues in committees of jurisdiction, but my particular 
subcommittee assignment is chairing Criminal Justice and Drug Policy 
and Human Resources, trying to piece together our national drug policy 
and whatever efforts this Congress may take to stem this horrible 
problem, and each week I come to the floor in a 1-hour report to 
provide sort of an update on what is happening and try to get the 
message across to the Congress that drugs do destroy lives, illegal 
narcotics kill and maim, just absolutely devastate family after family 
in our land.
  In fact, last year over 14,000 Americans lost their lives to illegal 
narcotics in our country. In the last 6 or 7 years of this 
administration over 100,000 Americans and particularly our young people 
have been victims and lost their lives, more than the losses in many of 
our recent international conflicts and some of our wars. We have 
suffered these tragic losses and those are losses in lives, not to 
mention the destroyed families, the cost to this Congress, the hundreds 
of billions of dollars to support our criminal justice system to take 
care of the social problems, the lost employment and other 
opportunities that are lost with people who fall victim to the plague 
of illegal narcotics.
  I would be remiss if I did not come to the floor and reflect upon 
what has been on the minds of the Nation since last Friday evening when 
we first learned the news of JFK Junior's missing airplane and the 
whole Nation has focused its attention on this great and tragic loss; 
and it is a shame that we have lost this young man. I had an 
opportunity to meet him twice, and he provided a beautiful role model, 
handsome, young, energetic with so much potential and so much life, and 
his life lost; and it is sad that a role model coming from a family 
that has given so much to this Nation should be lost in such a tragedy.
  But again across our land every day 50 people die due to illegal 
narcotics. The toll, as I said last year, is over 14,000. Some die 
silent deaths, some more tragic deaths from drug overdoses from direct 
illegal narcotics use and abuse and tragedies.
  I had the opportunity this morning to see another great role model. 
My son who is 20 and was in Washington with me today, he and I attended 
the Langley medal award for the Apollo 11 astronauts, and we had a 
chance to talk to Neil Armstrong and to the commander of the module, 
Mr. Collins, and also Buzz Aldrin, second man on the Moon. Again, great 
role models for our Nation, tremendous heroes whose names will go down 
in history.

                              {time}  2300

  I did have a few minutes to chat with Neal Armstrong, the first man 
on the moon. Again, a great, great role model for our young people. He 
and I, in our brief chat, did discuss our dismay at trying to find a 
solution, and I salute his efforts now as a private citizen trying to 
assist us in this war on illegal narcotics in what he has done, not 
only directly, but indirectly as serving as a role model of what 
opportunity this great Nation holds for us, that those of us who can 
live a drug-free life without a life of abuse for illegal narcotics or 
addiction to illegal narcotics. But 2 beautiful people, 2 beautiful 
examples of what life can be and hold so much promise and opportunity 
for each of us. I mention both of those tonight.
  As I flew away from Washington last week, I went through the 
Baltimore airport and picked up the Baltimore Sun. I like to reflect on 
what is going on around the Nation with the problem of illegal 
narcotics. I was struck by last Friday's newspaper, the Baltimore Sun, 
on the front page. The headline, this tragic headline, They Killed Him 
Over $15. Sure enough, I read on into the paper, and let me read from 
this article a little bit about this preacher who was slain for $15 in 
a neighborhood in Baltimore that has been plagued by so many problems 
emanating from illegal narcotics. Let me just read a little bit of this 
article.
  It says, ``For generations, this thin band of forest has embraced the 
residents of Quantico and Oswego and Clausen Avenues in cool, green 
shade. But in recent years, it became a Sherwood of thieves and dope 
addicts landscaped with syringes, liquor bottles, and discarded stolen 
goods.''
  Further on in the story, it relates again how this preacher, this 
good human being, a citizen of Baltimore, was slain for $15 last week. 
It says, ``Even the presence of a police athletic league center has not 
discouraged the interlopers who lounge by the wading pool at night 
snorting heroin and littering the soccer field with empty drug vials.''
  This is Baltimore, just a few miles from our Nation's Capital. What a 
tragedy of a lost life.
  My message has been that drugs destroy lives; and in Baltimore 
indeed, drugs have destroyed lives, a great example.
  Again, from the newspaper, to bring my colleagues up to date, Mr. 
Speaker, this is an article, an Associated Press article from July 18, 
just a few days ago. In New Orleans, it says, ``Two Jefferson Parish 
residents who drove to New Orleans to buy heroin were shot and killed 
early Sunday morning in a hail of bullets, a companion who survived the 
attack told New Orleans police.'' A wonderful city; probably one of the 
most beautiful cities in America. Another city ravaged by illegal 
narcotics and the crime, the death that it brings, just a few days ago. 
Another article, another city, other lives snuffed out by illegal 
narcotics.
  This is an article that appeared again within the last 3 days, July 
17. It says, ``Discovering drug labs is part of the job for probation 
and parole officers.'' This is not Baltimore, New Orleans or New York 
or Detroit areas where we might expect it. It is Boise, Idaho. And the 
AP story reads, ``Finding people making the illegal drug 
methamphetamine is becoming a potentially dangerous fact of life for 
Idaho probation and parole officers.'' The story goes on, ``They 
increasingly are uncovering make-shift meth-looking operations in the 
course of monitoring and trying to help redirect the lives of ex-
convicts and offenders getting another chance to avoid prison.''
  The story goes on. It says, ``The State's 170 probation and parole 
officers have been involved in discovering 51 of the 85 meth labs 
busted throughout Idaho recently this year. That is up sharply from 98 
found Statewide in the entire year of 1998, 23 of them found by 
probation and parole officers. People have already been busted once,'' 
the article goes on to say, ``for using meth, and are 2 to 3 times more 
likely than other offenders to be arrested again.''
  Mr. Speaker, ``80 percent of the offenders,'' the article goes on to 
state, ``are battling addiction to meth or other substances. Right now 
it is an incredible problem. Every time we write a violation report the 
word 'meth' is somewhere in it.''
  Now, this is an article from the heartland of America from Idaho.
  We held hearings in our subcommittee; and we found evidence of meth 
production, meth epidemics in Minnesota, Iowa, Idaho, Atlanta, Georgia, 
the West Coast of the United States. Places where we would not expect 
this. What was interesting is, the source of most of the 
methamphetamine has been traced to Mexico, and I would like to just 
state for the Record and show for the Record  some bad news. Last week, 
I had some good news that the Mexicans were extraditing a murderer from 
the State of Florida, and unfortunately, this is the news on the people 
who are producing this meth, again, across our land.
  Jose de Jesus Amezcua Contreras, he is actually known as one of the 
world's largest producers and traffickers in methamphetamines and is 
the head of this organization. And unfortunately, the Mexicans, who 
fail to cooperate

[[Page 16915]]

with us except on very limited occasions, took some action that is most 
regrettable this past week.
  A judge issued an injunction Monday against a United States request 
to extradite Amezcua and gave Federal prosecutors 10 days to appeal the 
decision before setting Amezcua free. Despite overwhelming evidence, 
all Mexican drug charges have been dismissed against this individual 
who is helping to import death and destruction, whether it is Idaho, 
whether it is Minnesota, Iowa, or West Coast, or our southern States. 
Again, besides the fact that there was overwhelming evidence, all the 
Mexican charges have been dropped against him. He is still being held 
in custody, fortunately.
  Now, we have had success again with one individual, a U.S. citizen, 
who committed a horrible murder in southwest Florida being judged as 
eligible for extradition. But in fact, we have 270 some other requests 
for extradition, including this individual who is the ``meth king,'' 
who again is getting off on these charges. His brother was released 
from prison in May. The whole family, there are a series of these 
brothers, and I have shown their posters here on the House floor, 
before are all involved up to their eye balls in illegal narcotics, 
particularly the deadly meth trade.
  A Mexican appellate judge threw out trafficking charges against his 
brother, and now we see the same thing happening here with this 
individual, again with the meth and the story from Boise, Idaho.

                              {time}  2310

  This dateline is Birmingham, Alabama, and again it illustrates that 
illegal narcotics, drugs, do destroy lives. This article is an 
Associated Press article within the last few days, July 16. It says, 
Birmingham, Alabama: Pacifiers, temporary tattoos and toothpicks seem 
like harmless enough items but they are also tools of the teenage drug 
trade, according to doctors and drug experts.
  The article goes on, and let me just cite part of it. Drug abuse 
doubles and even triples in the summer among children graduating from 
one school to another, he said. Children also report their first drug 
experience often comes in the summer, leading up to the move from 
elementary to middle school and from middle school to high school, 
because they feel more grown up.
  What is becoming a greater problem is also cited in this Birmingham 
article. It says, Ecstacy is a growing danger. It is a relatively new 
form of amphetamine that can give a euphoric rush in low doses and it 
often causes strokes, heart attacks and breathing problems at higher 
levels, according to this report. Here, again, in the heartland of 
America and our south Birmingham, Alabama, Ecstacy complements another 
amphetamine, compliments of some of our Mexican neighbors to the south, 
coming in in huge quantities.
  Here is a story from Albuquerque, New Mexico. It says, in less than 
18 months, a drug considered a safe way to help addicts kick heroin 
habits has been found in the bodies of more than three dozen people who 
died of drug intoxication in New Mexico. Again, this year we will 
probably set a record in excess of 14,000 deaths by illegal narcotics 
or narcotics taken in this fashion. This is a New Mexico, southwest 
area, Albuquerque a beautiful community. There were about 200 drug-
related deaths from January 1998 through mid-May of this year and 41 of 
the victims had methadone in their systems, according to the Department 
of Public Safety statistics. Again, illegal narcotics and their effect 
in one community, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Illegal drugs do destroy 
lives and have an incredible impact.
  More bad news from Mexico this week, Mr. Speaker. A Mexican appeals 
judge on Friday, according to this report, cut the 50-year prison 
sentence of Raul Salinas, the brother of Mexico's former President, by 
almost half. The Swiss Supreme Court overturned the confiscation of 
about $115 million. Now, how does the former President's brother get 
$115 million? We know it was drug-related money. We know the family was 
involved in illegal narcotics up to their eyeballs, too, like some 
others we have cited tonight.
  The money that has been held by Swiss prosecutors, this article says, 
was derived from drug trafficking.
  Mr. Salinas must still serve 27 years for the 1994 assassination of 
his former brother-in-law, a top ranking official of Mexico's ruling 
institutional revolutionary party. Here, again, bad news from Mexico; 
one of the families involved in laundering hundred of millions of 
dollars.
  I have told a story that we had testimony before our subcommittee. 
Now this is the former President's brother, Raul Salinas, but we had 
testimony by a Customs agent, and I think a fairly reputable source and 
other sources, that confirmed this, of one Mexican general most 
recently attempting to place $1.1 billion, that is $1.1 billion, I did 
not make a mistake, it is not million, it is $1.1 billion, in illegal 
drug money into legitimate investments and financial depositories in 
the United States. We know that those meetings took place. We know that 
the general, in fact, had skimmed that kind of money.
  That is an incredible story of money. We see the President's brother 
with hundreds of millions and we have Mexican generals with billions of 
dollars to place. It should raise many questions about our policy and 
the lack of action by Mexico who wants trade benefits; who wants 
financial assistance of the United States in international monetary 
markets; who wants support to be more than a developing nation, to be 
an equal, again, trading and financial partner. This is the type of 
cooperation that we get, first of all, the largest methamphetamine 
dealer in Mexico, with the charges dropped. Next we see the President's 
brother, the former President's brother, getting his charges reduced, 
and here we also have a case of a Mexican general trying to place an 
incredible amount of money and most of the investigation squashed. So 
it is a pretty sad state of affairs as it relates to Mexico.
  Now, tonight I brought a story of destruction and death from 
different cities and parts of our country, and that is just in the last 
few days. This entire problem of illegal narcotics has an impact on 
every community. In my community, in central Florida, as I have stated 
before, the recent headlines have said illegal narcotics, overdoses and 
deaths now exceed homicides. I try to substantiate what we say about 
illegal narcotics, because illegal narcotics are so glorified by 
Hollywood and by movies and videos and commentary among our young 
people.
  During our recent hearings in our subcommittee, we had in experts who 
testified about what drugs do to the human brain. I have a couple of 
illustrations here. The first one, and I hope this shows up, we talked 
about Ecstacy and how it is making its presence across the Nation and 
also among our young people.
  This is an interesting image. It is actually of two different brains. 
This is a brain scan. This is a normal brain. All of this up here is 
normal brain action. This information again was provided to us by a 
scientist. The top illustration here, and brain, belongs to an 
individual who has never used Ecstacy, and we can see how bright these 
images are. The scans are different scans of the brain from different 
directions.
  The bottom scans here belong to an individual who has used Ecstacy 
heavily for an extended period but was abstinent from drugs for at 
least 3 weeks prior to the photographs.
  Now, one can see the effect that the drug Ecstacy has had. This is a 
prolonged effect, again, of what Ecstacy does. Ecstacy is very popular 
among our young people and we heard a couple of citations here of areas 
where it is showing up across our country, where we would least expect 
it.
  It says the specific parameter being measured is the brain's ability 
to bind the chemical neuro transmitter serotonin, and that is what this 
illustration shows. Serotonin is a substance that is very critical to 
normal experiences of mood, emotion, pain and a wide variety of other 
behaviors, but again this shows what damage is done to the brain and to 
the mind with this illegal narcotic.

[[Page 16916]]

  I have another scientific chart here. Let me just pull off this 
information card. This chart shows what methamphetamine does to the 
brain. This was presented to our subcommittee in a hearing last month. 
It should be very clear evidence not only that drugs destroy lives but 
also damage the body and the mind.

                              {time}  2320

  This was presented by scientists who completed this study, and the 
photograph demonstrates the long lasting effects that drugs have on the 
brain.
  The brighter colors in here, this shows a normal brain, and it shows 
the substance of dopamine, which has a binding capacity. Dopamine 
function is critical to emotional regulation, and it is involved in the 
normal experience of pleasure and involved in controlling an 
individual's motor function.
  The scan on this side, the left here, is a nondrug user. The second 
scan going down here is a chronic methamphetamine abuser who was drug 
free for 3 years prior to the taking of the image. The third scan, this 
scan right here, is a chronic meth abuser who was drug free for 3 years 
prior to the image.
  Now, the last brain scan, the very last brain scan here is of an 
individual newly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's 
disease is a disease known to deplete dopamine.
  My colleagues can see exactly what is happening to the brain of an 
individual who uses meth. Meth is one of the biggest problems, and I 
cited city after city, in the heartland of America and now almost in 
every community.
  This is what methamphetamine does to one's brain. This is scientific 
evidence. This is not something we made up in our political 
deliberations. This is scientific evidence, both of these presented to 
our subcommittee and what these illegal narcotics do to the brains of 
individuals.
  We can talk about treatment, and we can talk about trying to help 
these people, but once one has destroyed these brain functions through 
habitual misuse of methamphetamine or ecstacies or other illegal 
narcotics, this is what we end up. It is a very serious situation.
  Unfortunately, drugs have been glorified. Ecstacy is now glorified. 
Meth is a popular drug. Both of these drugs are primarily used by our 
young people. We see more and more tragic deaths by our young people 
and abuse, and not only abuse, but, again, the deadly effects and the 
long-term effects of these illegal narcotics.
  That brings me to the subject of the other drug of plague of the 
United States, and there is no question about that; that is heroin. 
Heroin deaths, as I said, in my community are epidemic. We have had the 
police chief of Plano, Texas, we have had law enforcement, individuals 
from Police Chiefs Association, the National Narcotics Association all 
testify about the incredible supply of heroin coming into this country.
  Now, the heroin that is coming into the country, too, our testimony 
has indicated and proven is not of the purity levels of the heroin of 
the 1970s or the 1980s. This stuff is 60, 70 percent pure. We know 
exactly where the heroin is coming from, and it is a very deadly 
heroin. It is coming from South America. As I have said before, if we 
put this chart up, in 1993, there would be almost no heroin coming from 
South America.
  I am going to talk a little bit about the source of heroin and this 
heroin. We know, in fact, that the heroin is coming from South America, 
because it can be traced scientifically. Just like the shots I showed 
my colleagues of the brain scans, scientifically, we can tell how 
brains are affected by the chemicals and show exactly what takes place, 
we can test, and our DEA agents can test, heroin and trace it almost to 
the field that it came from.
  So we know that heroin taken and seized in the United States, we know 
75 percent comes from South America. Again, in 1993, the beginning of 
this administration, almost no heroin came from there. Most of it came 
from the Southwest Asia and Southeast Asia. And Mexico is now a double-
digit heroin producer. It produced a little bit of black tar heroin. 
Now it is producing much more. This is where heroin is coming from.
  Now, again, I tell my colleagues who are listening about what illegal 
narcotics do from a scientific standpoint. From a personal standpoint, 
again, I bring out these charts. I have only showed these photographs 
one other time on the House floor. But, Mr. Speaker, I bring these 
photographs here again to the floor because there is so much 
glorification of ecstacy, methamphetamine that is so popular, and 
heroin, which is on the rampage.
  Heroin is now, among our teenagers, and actually since 1993, listen 
to these statistics, there has been an 875 percent increase in teenage 
use of heroin. That is this incredible supply that is coming in from 
South America.
  I am holding this up. I am holding this up. This is one of my 
constituents from Central Florida, a young man in his twenties, and 
this is how he ended up. This is the shot that was taken by the police 
that the mother allowed for me to bring here and show to the House of 
Representatives.
  The next photograph that I have of him is just a horrible photograph. 
I really hate to show this, but I want my colleagues and others to see 
what illegal narcotics do. Now, this heroin that is coming in, this is 
what it did to the young person. If anyone thinks that illegal 
narcotics are glamorous and that the experience of illegal narcotics is 
something that should be praised and glorified, they should look at the 
body of this young man. I do not like to hold this up for too long. But 
I want my colleagues to know what heroin does to the individual.
  Heroin is ingested in the body. There is a time, usually within 30 
seconds, where the drug hits the nervous system. A warm sensation 
overcomes the user, and there is euphoria and relaxation as a result. 
The user begins to feel the effects on the respiratory system breaking 
down, and the user's breathing becomes labored.
  What my colleagues saw in this photograph of this young man from 
Central Florida is what took place. The respiratory system breaks down, 
and the breathing becomes very slow. The corresponding drop in body 
temperature begins, and the heart beat becomes irregular.
  If the user is, at this point, conscience, this is the stage where 
fear grips the individual. Soon the body is demanding more oxygen, and 
the user's respiratory system cannot accommodate the growing need. 
Fluid begins to enter the lungs, and this is the beginning of the 
drowning stage. Sometimes during this phase, blood vessels and 
capillaries begin to rupture. My colleagues saw the face of a young man 
who died a horrible death.
  This is how thousands and thousands of our young people are dying, 
some of them silently, some of them we just read in an obituary page.

                              {time}  2330

  This is how this young man died. And the photograph, as I said, was 
released to me by the mother, the photograph taken by the sheriff's 
department. She wanted the House of Representatives and the American 
people to see the inglorious effects of heroin and illegal narcotics on 
her precious son, who she loved so much.
  As evidenced by the photograph that I showed here, the blood on the 
face of the heroin user is the result of blood vessels rupturing. 
Entering into the final stage, the user is now in great distress and 
experiences severe pain throughout the thoracic region, much like a 
heart attack. The user's head is splitting with pain. The amount of 
fluid in the lungs has increased and the user is now in excruciating 
pain and begins to drown as his or her lungs fill with fluid. At this 
time the user becomes unconscious, begins seizures and death is slow 
but inevitable.
  Unfortunately, the picture that I showed here tonight is a picture 
that is repeated dozens and dozens and dozens of times in central 
Florida. We have had more than four dozen heroin deaths, and most of 
them by young people in central Florida. Each of these individuals died 
a death similar to what I described here, and they ended up in a human 
tragedy displayed as I showed in this photograph; a horrible

[[Page 16917]]

end. And again leaving behind a loved one; this young person that was a 
son or a daughter, loved by parents, brothers or other family members.
  I only showed that photograph of this young man with the permission 
of the mother and the sheriff's department. This mother is so 
courageous. And other mothers have banded together in central Florida 
and they have produced a film with our local sheriff in Orange County, 
Sheriff Barry, who has done a tremendous job working with the victims' 
families in producing a tape, and it shows these photographs and others 
that are much more graphic than I could show on the floor of the House 
today, about how their young people met their demise through illegal 
narcotics, and particularly heroin.
  So tonight I bring a very clear scientific message about Ecstacy, 
about methamphetamines, what it does to an individual's brains, and 
about the effect of heroin and the tragedy. The heroin again that is 
out there is not the heroin that was of the low purity levels of a 
decade ago. This is deadly, deadly heroin.
  Again, we know where that heroin is coming from. The sad part about 
all this is that we, in fact, did not have heroin coming in in this 
quantity some 6 or 7 years ago. Almost all of this is a new phenomena, 
and some of it can be very directly related to the policies of the 
Clinton administration, unfortunately.
  It is my hope that we can turn that around. Today, I would like to 
cite a story about where this heroin is coming from. Most of it is 
grown in Colombia, but I would like to cite a story by Robert Novak, a 
very talented columnist who writes for The Washington Post, and he 
wrote this in yesterday's column. He says, ``As critics feared, the 
peacetime initiative crafted by President Pastrana, and encouraged by 
the Clinton administration, is a disaster.''
  Now, we have to go even further back than this article cites, and we 
will talk about the Clinton policy of 1993, when this President took 
over and how we got to all this heroin being produced in Colombia, but 
Robert Novak cites quite correctly that the current policy, backed by 
the Clinton administration, is a disaster.
  He goes on to cite, and let me quote his story, ``Colombia is the 
first western hemispheric state falling under the control of guerrillas 
financed by international drug trade, but it remains a State Department 
back water. While the United States is committed to the Balkan ethnic 
wars, Colombia's priority has always been low.''
  That is unfortunately true. And I would like to cite some of the 
history of what has taken place with this administration, and it has 
been one poor policy compounded by another. I was elected to the 
Congress and took office in January of 1993. This administration took 
office and this President in January of 1993 also. From the very 
beginning bad decisions were made by this President and this 
administration relating to Colombia, and I would like to cite some of 
them.
  The very first one, and I bring to the floor evidence, and this is 
the committee on which I serve, The Committee on Government Reform, the 
ranking minority member at the time, the Republicans were in the 
minority in 1994, and I also wrote to the then drug czar Lee Brown, who 
was President Clinton's first drug czar. We wrote to him saying that 
the policy was wrong, and this is an August 25 letter in response to 
our request to have a change in United States policy adopted by the 
Clinton administration relating to sharing information with Colombia, 
with Peru, and with Bolivia and other countries that involved going 
after and shooting down, in some cases, illegal narcotics traffickers.
  A liberal attorney, who I understand went from the Justice Department 
over into the Clinton administration's DOD, came up with a ruling that 
we could not share information. This was the beginning of a bad policy 
that led to the production of both heroin and cocaine in Colombia in 
the quantity that we see coming out of there today. In 1994, we knew 
this was the wrong policy. We asked the other side to change this.
  In fact, at the Conference of the Americas we met with President 
Clinton, and I remember that meeting very well, many Members 
challenging his policy that Mr. Lake, his adviser, I believe, was aware 
of. The President said he was not. But we ended up changing our law to 
change the Clinton policy that did not allow us to provide this 
information to go after drug traffickers. And here are the letters 
dating from 1994 on that policy.
  What happened with that policy, in fact, was that during the Bush 
administration the United States shared real-time intelligence with 
Peru and other countries in an effort to allow them to force down drug-
carrying aircraft so that illegal cargoes could be seized. This was 
primarily done through ground-based radars and surveillance systems.
  On May 1, 1994, again to cite the history of this, the Clinton 
administration stopped this program due to a legal interpretation and, 
again, lacking this real-time intelligence, the highly effective 
program was essentially blinded.

                              {time}  2340

  It was the beginning of a bad policy in South America that led to 
this tremendous change in the production of illegal narcotics and the 
incredible volume of heroin and cocaine coming from Colombia.
  Additionally, this mistake by the Clinton administration was 
compounded and we researched this just to show again the fact that one 
mistake was compounded by another. In 1996, and the Republicans had 
taken over the House of Representatives. I might add, from 1993 in 
January through 1995 when Lee Brown was the director of drug policy, 
our national drug policy, there was only one real hearing held, and it 
was less than an hour, on our national drug policy and that was only 
after a request which I circulated and signed by over 130 colleagues 
for a review of the administration's policy, but one hearing on this 
subject during an entire 2-year period as the Clinton administration 
dismantled the war on drugs.
  The further dismantling of the efforts to stop illegal narcotics in 
South America and in particular in Colombia came repeatedly in 1994 and 
1995. In 1995, Republicans took over the House with the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Gilman) from the Committee on International Relations who 
has chaired the committee since. I have communications requesting back 
to early 1996 that this administration provide assistance, arms, 
helicopters, equipment, resources to Colombia because of what we were 
seeing in the increase in production of heroin and cocaine in that 
country. Every request, and I have page after page, every letter that 
we submitted requesting that attention be given to this problem was 
ignored, in fact blocked by the other side of the aisle and this 
administration.
  I brought with me tonight additional evidence of how we got ourselves 
into this situation. Having taken over the Congress, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Hastert), who chaired the National Security International 
Affairs subcommittee, held dozens and dozens of hearings on this 
subject trying to get the administration to move on what was going to 
take place and what was taking place in Colombia. Hearing before the 
National Security Subcommittee, July 9, 1997, International Drug 
Control Policy, Colombia, the title. Oversight of United States 
Counternarcotics Assistance to Colombia. Ignored. This one held July 9, 
1997, ignored. February 14, 1997, ignored. Colombian Heroin Crisis, 
June 24, 1998, ignored. Hearing on United States Narcotics Policy 
Towards Colombia, ignored. Regional Conflict, Colombia's Insurgency and 
Prospects for a Peaceful Resolution, hearing ignored, August 5, 1998. 
Here is a markup dealing with the same subjects, March 26, 1998. 
Antidrug Effort in the Americas, a Mid-Term Report, hearing conducted 
again. United States Counternarcotics Policy Towards Colombia March 
31st, 1998, another hearing ignored. Hearing before the International 
Relations Committee, the U.S. Annual Drug Certification where contrary 
to recommendations of the House of Representatives,

[[Page 16918]]

the President decertified Colombia and then almost jokingly certified 
Mexico as cooperating in the drug war, keeping away from Colombia the 
resources.
  Now, there could not be more evidence of a failed policy and again 
the source of illegal narcotics than what I have cited here tonight. 
The response now and the problem is that Colombia is completely out of 
control.
  I brought to the floor tonight a GAO report, General Accounting 
Office report, Narcotics Threat From Colombia Continues to Grow. How 
many reports, how many more hearings do we need? And I hear again this 
comment about the drug war has been a failure. Mr. Speaker, the only 
thing that has happened with the drug war is that this administration 
has destroyed the war on drugs.
  This is the evidence. In 1993, we see this huge dent in 
international, this is the source country funding, it went in fact from 
$660 million down to less than half as a result of the Clinton and 
Democratic-controlled Congress. Interdiction funding decreased 37 
percent. International funding, the part that stops drugs at their 
source most effectively, decreased 53 percent. You might say, well, 
what happened to treatment during this period of time? That increased 
30 percent. And that was during the time that they had a full majority 
in the House, the other side, and controlled also the White House.
  Actually if you look at this chart, it goes up quite a bit in 1998 
and 1999. Most folks are now reporting that Colombia is our third 
largest aid recipient. Well, that is as a result of this Republican 
administration of Congress and particularly the leadership of the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert) who last year tried to get us 
back to the 1991 levels in funding.
  The interesting thing is that news accounts say that Colombia is the 
third largest recipient of aid after Israel and after Egypt. The fact 
is only a few million dollars have even gotten into the pipeline after 
repeated requests. It is my understanding that they only have two 
operating Huey helicopters in all of Colombia. Some are on the way that 
this new Republican majority provided, but still ammunition supplies 
and most of the $300 million that we funded last year still to this day 
has not gotten to Colombia. It is interesting that this week, this past 
week with the situation deteriorating and the situation getting worse, 
more drugs coming in, more guerilla Marxist activity, more loss of 
lives, there is more loss of lives in Colombia than there ever was in 
Kosovo or in that area where we have sent our troops and resources. 
Some 35,000 people killed, thousands and thousands of police, Supreme 
Court justices, Members of Congress, elected officials throughout 
Colombia have been killed. Almost 1 million refugees in Colombia as a 
result of the narcotics trafficking. In this report that came out that 
I cited, this report from the GAO says that last year we reported that 
Colombia was restricted from receiving some narcotics, counternarcotics 
assistance as a result of the President's decision to decertify 
Colombia in 1996 and 1997.
  And it says, ``This restriction was lifted in 1998,'' but the fact is 
that money, those supplies, still have not gotten there.
  It is interesting that this past week, the administration has said 
that they were going to reinstitute an information-sharing policy with 
Colombia. Now that the country has nearly been taken over by guerillas 
and rebels, now that thousands have been killed, we are going to 
information-share. That is the latest news this week. Then just within 
the last few days, the administration has come forward with a new 
policy towards Colombia. They advocated through the National Drug Czar, 
Barry McCaffrey, that we appropriate $1 billion in the next 2 years to 
aid Colombia.
  It is incredible that after years of very direct failed policies, 
years after very direct stopping of assistance, resources, helicopters, 
any type of aid to combat illegal narcotics, it is incredible that even 
after this Republican majority in Congress has provided the resources 
through appropriations and through specific legislative initiatives 
that this administration still does not have those funds there, that 
now that we have a full-blown crisis, there are reports now that the 
crisis in Colombia is so critical that it may destabilize the whole 
South American region.

                              {time}  2350

  Colombia now has insurgents going across the border in many of its 
neighboring countries and should be of concern in Panama where the 
United States is getting kicked out and has also been blocked from 
conducting any further forward operating locations for surveillance in 
that, from that country or in that area which begin in our former base 
at Howard Air Force Base. All that was closed down May 1. So here we 
have Colombia exploding with guerrilla activity, here we have our bases 
closed, the United States kicked out of Panama and trying to put the 
pieces to the puzzle back together.
  But tonight my major point is that we have an eruption of illegal 
narcotics across this country with methamphetamine coming through 
Mexico again because of the failed policy of this Congress and this 
administration. We have illegal narcotics now in unbelievable 
quantities coming from Colombia, we have a disastrous situation in 
Colombia confirmed by the most recent studies and reports that we have 
received, and by almost every news account, again an incredible 
disruption of that society and, in fact, that whole part of the western 
hemisphere.
  And all this can be directly linked to United States policy in 
ignoring hearing after hearing by the new majority in Congress, request 
after request by the new majority in Congress, legislative initiatives 
being blocked, money and funds that we sent to this region to deal with 
this problem diverted, as this report also cites by GAO to Kosovo and 
to other regions, and now we have again the source, and stop and think 
of this:
  Fourteen thousand deaths, thousands and thousands of heroin deaths. 
We can trace that heroin, that death, back to the fields in Colombia. 
Three quarters of the heroin comes from Colombia, three quarters now 
according again to this report, according to the DEA signature reports. 
A failed policy of this administration has resulted in that death and 
destruction; there is no question about it.
  I mention the deaths. We have now incarcerated in our prisons across 
our land more than 1.8 million Americans; 60-70 percent of them I am 
told in our State prisons and jails are there because of illegal 
narcotics. Stop and think now, 60-70 percent of those folks that are in 
our prisons, those drugs came from Colombia. Six-7 years ago there was 
almost no heroin produced in Colombia. Six-7 years ago there was almost 
no production of coca in Colombia. We have been able to get aid to Peru 
and to Bolivia re-started again by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Hastert) who is now Speaker of the House in the past 2 years, and those 
are very successful programs, 50 and 60 percent reduction. We see less 
cocaine than we see heroin because we can stop it at its source.
  So tonight we have got to learn by the mistakes of the past, we have 
got to pay attention to the facts and the evidence. We hopefully will 
not repeat those mistakes, and we will do a better job in stopping 
drugs at their source.

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