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 1999-07-29 monographic deposited born digital 12 p. GA 1.13:T-GGD-99-149 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-99-149 P0b002ee1803a0d24 f:gg99149t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-99-149 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-99-149 T-GGD-99-149 Drug trafficking International relations Narcotics Performance measures Strategic planning Law enforcement Federal/state relations Interagency relations Organized crime National policies National Drug Control Strategy DEA Mobile Enforcement Team Program DOJ Violent Crime Reduction Program DEA Kingpin Strategy DEA Linear Approach Program DEA Linkage Approach Program DEA State and Local Task Force Program DOJ Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program Testimony GGD High demand for illegal drugs in the United States has persisted throughout the 1990s, as has the flow of illegal drugs into this country. The cost of illegal drug use in this country has been pegged at about $110 billion annually, including lost jobs and productivity, health problems, and economic hardships to families. Also, many violent crimes are drug related. Funding for federal drug control efforts has risen by nearly 50 percent during the 1990s, reaching about $18 billion in fiscal year 1999. Funding for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) nearly doubled, from $806 million in 1990 to about $1.5 billion in 1999. DEA staff grew from 6,000 in 1990 to 8,400 in 1998. During the 1990s, DEA strengthened many of its operations. The agency began to work more closely with state and local law enforcement and help combat drug-related violent crime in local communities. DEA intercepted the communications of drug trafficking groups at home and abroad in order to target their leaders and dismantle their operations. DEA began to participate in two interagency programs to investigate major drug trafficking groups in Latin America and Asia. DEA also changed its foreign operations by screening and training special foreign policy units to combat drug trafficking in key foreign countries. DEA has major responsibilities under the Office of National Drug Control Policy's national drug control strategy for reducing the drug supply. However, DEA has yet to develop measurable performance targets for its programs and initiatives that are consistent with those adopted for the national strategy. Consequently, it is difficult to assess how successful DEA's programs have been in reducing the supply of illegal drugs into the United States. This testimony summarizes the July 1999 report, GAO/GGD-99-108. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-99-149/html/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-99-149.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-99-149/pdf/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-99-149.pdf GAO/T-GGD-99-149 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-99-149 Testimony GAO/T-GGD-99-149; Drug Control: DEA's Strategies and Operations in the 1990s; Drug trafficking International relations Narcotics Performance measures Strategic planning Law enforcement Federal/state relations Interagency relations Organized crime National policies National Drug Control Strategy DEA Mobile Enforcement Team Program DOJ Violent Crime Reduction Program DEA Kingpin Strategy DEA Linear Approach Program DEA Linkage Approach Program DEA State and Local Task Force Program DOJ Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program Public Law 103-322 Public Law 104-208