United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office National Security and International Affairs Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1997-02-27 monographic deposited born digital 52 p. GA 1.13:NSIAD-97-75 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-75 P0b002ee180371def f:ns97075 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-75 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-75 NSIAD-97-75 Drugs Drug trafficking Smuggling International relations Law enforcement International cooperation Developing countries Political corruption Strategic planning National Counterdrug Enforcement Research and Development Program Burma Pakistan Thailand Mexico Colombia Peru National Drug Control Strategy Laos Afghanistan Bolivia UN International Drug Control Program Letter Report NSIAD Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO summarized the findings from its previous work on international drug control and interdiction efforts, focusing on: (1) the effectiveness of U.S. efforts to combat drug production and the movement of drugs into the United States; (2) obstacles to implementation of U.S. drug control efforts; and (3) suggestions to improve the operational effectiveness of the U.S. international drug control efforts.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) despite long-standing efforts and expenditures of billions of dollars, illegal drugs still flood the United States; (2) although these efforts have resulted in some successes, including the arrest of traffickers and the eradication, seizure, and disruption in the transport of illegal drugs, they have not materially reduced the availability of drugs; (3) a key reason for U.S. counternarcotics programs' lack of success is that international drug-trafficking organizations have become sophisticated, multi-billion dollar industries that quickly adapt to new U.S. drug control efforts; (4) as success is achieved in one area, the drug-trafficking organizations change tactics, thwarting U.S. efforts; (5) other significant, long-standing obstacles also impede U.S. and drug-producing and transit countries' drug control efforts; (6) in the drug-producing and transit countries, counternarcotics control efforts are constrained by competing economic and political policies, inadequate laws, limited resources and institutional capabilities, and internal problems such as terrorism and civil unrest; (7) moreover, drug traffickers are increasingly resourceful in corrupting the countries' institutions; (8) U.S. efforts have been hampered by competing U.S. foreign policy objectives, organizational and operational limitations, difficulty in obtaining bilateral and multilateral support for U.S. drug control efforts, inconsistency in the funding for U.S. international drug-control efforts, and the lack of ways to tell whether or how well counternarcotics efforts are contributing to the goals and objectives of the national drug control strategy, which results in an inability to prioritize the use of limited resources; (9) there is no panacea for resolving all of the problems associated with illegal drug trafficking; (10) however, a multiyear plan that describes where, when, and how U.S. agencies intend to apply resources would provide a more consistent approach; (11) this plan should include performance measures and long-term funding needs linked to the goals and objectives of the international drug control strategy; (12) the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) should, at least annually, review the plan and make appropriate adjustments; (13) with this multiyear plan, program managers and policymakers can make more-informed decisions on prioritiz* https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-75/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-75.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-75/pdf/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-75.pdf GAO/NSIAD-97-75 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-97-75 Letter Report GAO/NSIAD-97-75; Drug Control: Long-Standing Problems Hinder U.S. International Efforts; Drugs Drug trafficking Smuggling International relations Law enforcement International cooperation Developing countries Political corruption Strategic planning National Counterdrug Enforcement Research and Development Program Burma Pakistan Thailand Mexico Colombia Peru National Drug Control Strategy Laos Afghanistan Bolivia UN International Drug Control Program Public Law 103-62