An Overview of
Federal Drug Control Programs
on the Southwest Border
Drug Enforcement Administration
PROGRAM SUMMARY
DEA is the lead Federal agency for the enforcement of narcotics and controlled substance laws and regulations. The agency's priority mission is the long-term immobilization of major drug trafficking organizations through the apprehension of their leaders, termination of their trafficking networks and seizure of their assets.
DEA supports the Federal drug control priorities through its programs that reduce domestic drug-related crime and violence, reduce the domestic illegal drug production and availability, and continue to target for investigation and prosecution those who illegally manufacture, traffic in, and distribute illegal drugs in the United States.
Southwest Border Initiative
On the Southwest border, DEA contributes to the Department of Justice's comprehensive interagency strategy against drug trafficking in the region: the Southwest Border Initiative. The Initiative is an integrated, coordinated law enforcement effort designed to attack the command and control structure of organized criminal enterprise operations associated with the Mexican Federation. The strategy focuses on intelligence and enforcement efforts targeting distribution systems within the United States and directs resources toward the disruption of those principal drug trafficking organizations operating across the border.
DEA, in cooperation with Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies, is focusing increased intelligence, technical resources and investigative expertise on the major Mexican drug trafficking operations responsible for smuggling vast quantities of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine across the border. Apart from this effort, DEA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also provide operational planning, intelligence and training to the Government of Mexico law enforcement authorities to strengthen their capacity to collect drug intelligence, attack production capability, conduct transshipment interdiction, investigations and asset seizures and prosecute key traffickers.
The Southwest border strategy also targets specific Mexican trafficking organizations operating across the border and attacks their command and control infrastructures wherever they operate. Current targets include the Amado Carrillo-Fuentes organizations, the Arellano-Felix Organization, the Caro Quintero organization and the Juan Garcia-Abrego Organization.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
DEA efforts along the Southwest border in FY 1996 produced significant results in that region.
- 4,342 cases;
- 5,282 arrests;
- Drug seizures: cocaine (7,711 kg); heroin (51 kg); marijuana (250,433 kg); methamphetamine (264 kg);
- 136 clandestine lab seizures;
- 227 narcotics Title III intercepts.
One major effort yielded particularly important outcomes. On May 2, 1996, DEA, in concert with over 40 Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies, successfully completed a unique operation targeting a major polydrug smuggling and distribution network with ties to Mexican and Colombian drug trafficking organizations. This organization, composed of hundreds of individuals, was smuggling cocaine and other drugs over the Mexican/U.S. border for eventual nationwide distribution and sale. From its bases of operation in cities across the country, this organization spread crime, violence and terror. Through cooperative efforts complemented by state-of-the-art technology, law enforcement personnel were able to dismantle this network -- arresting over 150 traffickers and seizing $17 million; 5,600 kilograms of cocaine and over 1,000 pounds of marijuana. Most importantly, the impact of this case is evidenced by the fact that neither the Mexican nor Colombian organizations have been able to reconstitute these distribution organizations.
Also, largely as a result of the joint efforts of Federal and Mexican law enforcement, Juan Garcia-Abrego was brought to justice in 1996.
Finally, in 1996, DEA began tracking a number of Mexican methamphetamine investigations throughout the United States and Mexico. After the preliminary review of over 60 investigations in 20 U.S. cities, DEA identified a developing organizational structure indicating the distribution of methamphetamine to various cities in the United States. Investigations in 29 U.S. cities have resulted in:
- Drugs seizures: 1,836 pounds of methamphetamine; 162 kilograms of cocaine; 949 pounds of marijuana; 11 pounds of heroin;
- Other seizures: $1,795,122 in U.S. currency and 12 laboratories;
- 316 arrests.
