United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office General Government Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1998-07-31 monographic deposited born digital 35 p. GA 1.13:GGD-98-175 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-175 P0b002ee180390b5c f:gg98175 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-175 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-175 GGD-98-175 Customs administration Narcotics Smuggling Drug trafficking International trade Inspection Law enforcement Internal controls Freight transportation operations Trucking operations Customs Service Line Release System Otay Mesa (CA) Laredo (TX) Nogales (AZ) Customs Service Three Tier Targeting Program Customs Service Carrier Initiative Program Customs Service Automated Targeting System Customs Service Prefile Program Letter Report GGD Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Custom Service's drug-enforcement operations along the Southwest border of the United States, focusing on: (1) Customs' low-risk, cargo entry programs in use at three ports on the Southwest border--Otay Mesa, CA; Laredo, TX; and Nogales, AZ; (2) the results of GAO's evaluation of internal controls over the Line Release Program; and (3) the processes used to assess the risk of narcotics smuggling in other cargo entry programs.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) to balance the objectives of facilitating trade through ports and interdicting illegal drugs being smuggled into the United States, Customs has initiated and encouraged its ports to use several programs to identify and separate low-risk shipments from those with apparently higher smuggling risk; (2) the Line Release Program was designed to expedite cargo shipments that Customs determined to be repetitive, high volume, and low risk for narcotics smuggling; (3) in 1996, Customs implemented the Carrier Initiative Program; this program required that the Line Release shipments across the Southwest border be transported by Customs-approved carriers and driven by Customs-approved drivers; (4) after the Carrier Initiative Program was implemented, the number of Southwest border Line Release shipments dropped significantly; (5) GAO identified internal control weaknesses in one or more of the processes used at each of the three ports it visited to screen Line Release applicants for entry into the program; (6) these weaknesses included: (a) lack of specific criteria for determining applicant eligibility at two of the three ports; (b) incomplete documentation of the screening and review of applicants at two of the three ports; and (c) lack of documentation of supervisory review and approval of decisions; (7) in May 1998, Customs representatives from northern and southern land-border cargo ports approved draft Line Release volume and compliance eligibility criteria for program applicants and draft recertification standards for program participants; (8) the Three Tier Targeting Program--a method of targeting high-risk shipments for narcotics inspection--was being used at the three Southwest border ports that GAO visited; (9) according to officials at the three ports GAO reviewed, the Three Tier program had two operational problems that contributed to their loss of confidence in the program's ability to distinguish high- from low-risk shipments; (10) one new targeting method--the Automated Targeting System--is being pilot tested at Laredo; (11) used in conjunction with the Prefile Program, this system is designed to enable port officials to identify and direct inspectional attention to high-risk shipments; (12) the Automated Targeting System, which automatically assesses shipment entry information for known smuggling indicators, is designed to enable inspectors to target high-risk shipments more efficiently; and (13) Customs is in the process of evaluating the Automated Targeting System for expansion to other land-border cargo ports. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-175/html/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-175.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-175/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-175.pdf GAO/GGD-98-175 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-98-175 Letter Report GAO/GGD-98-175; Customs Service Drug Interdiction: Internal Control Weaknesses and Other Concerns With Low-Risk Cargo Entry Programs; Customs administration Narcotics Smuggling Drug trafficking International trade Inspection Law enforcement Internal controls Freight transportation operations Trucking operations Customs Service Line Release System Otay Mesa (CA) Laredo (TX) Nogales (AZ) Customs Service Three Tier Targeting Program Customs Service Carrier Initiative Program Customs Service Automated Targeting System Customs Service Prefile Program