ONDCP Seal
 PolicyPolicy
IV. Agency Budget Summaries

U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE


  1. RESOURCE SUMMARY

  2. METHODOLOGY

    • Customs uses the percentages below to estimate the amount of resources the agency dedicates to drug enforcement activities:

    • In some cases, the percentages listed above can be applied across the board when programs and/or budget changes can reasonably be expected to affect a broad area of the agency's programs or activities. However, in the event a program or budget change impacts a specific area within Customs, programmatic knowledge of the change will be used in determining the exact drug-related impact.

  3. PROGRAM SUMMARY

    • Titles 18 U.S.C. and 19 U.S.C. authorize the Customs Service to regulate the movement of carriers, persons, and commodities between the U.S. and other nations. It is through this statutory authority that Customs plays a key role in the overall anti-drug effort at the border. In addition, Customs has a broad grant of authority to investigate international financial crime and money laundering. Customs jurisdiction is triggered by the illegal movement of criminal funds, services, or merchandise across our national borders and is applied pursuant to the authority of the Bank Secrecy Act, Money Laundering Control Act, and other Customs laws.

    • Customs employs sophisticated targeting systems, x-ray technology, specifically configured interdiction aircraft, vessels, and detector dogs that enable Customs to successfully target, identify, and apprehend the willful violator while efficiently processing the flow of law abiding international passengers and compliant commercial cargo entering the United States.

    • Customs investigative approach which targets the "command and control" structure of a drug smuggling organization in order to disrupt its transportation cells, uses techniques such as surveillance, electronic wire intercepts, controlled deliveries, undercover operations, and money pick-ups. In addition, Customs pursues legislative initiatives and offers training designed to facilitate the work of our foreign investigative counterparts and Customs.

    • Customs is a leader in the development and application of non-intrusive detection techniques for finding illegal drugs on persons and in cargo, vehicles, mail, and luggage. With the support of the Department of Defense and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Customs is continuing to identify new technologies that will improve and facilitate the operational systems that are currently in use at our ports of entry.

    • Customs has actively supported task forces and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) operations in the past and will continue to do so in the future. In addition, Customs participates in and actively supports the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). There is a Customs OCDETF Coordinator sitting on each of the nine OCDETF Regional Advisory Boards who actively interacts with other federal law enforcement agencies, as well as Chiefs of Police and State Attorneys.

    • In support of Customs Southwest Border drug interdiction initiative, Operation HARD LINE, Customs designed an intelligence system to respond to the intelligence requirements of its field offices. The system was built around the Intelligence Collection Analysis Team (ICAT) concept. Initially established at selected sites along the Southwest border, the ICAT program now includes the entire southern tier of the U.S. from San Diego to San Juan. ICAT's maximize the full potential of intelligence sources available to the Customs Service and focus on the field development of intelligence through informants, document exploitation, and surveillance.

  4. BUDGET SUMMARY

    • The Customs drug enforcement program estimates are based on separate percentages applied to programs in Customs Salaries and Expenses; Air and Marine Operations and Maintenance; Facilities, Construction, Improvement and Related Expenses; and the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund decision units.

    1998 Program

    • In FY 1998, the Customs Service will support $606.4 million in resources to the counterdrug effort. Of the total funding, $26.9 million will support Goal 2 activities, $473.3 million will support Goal 4 activities, and $106.1 million will support Goal 5 activities. Major initiatives funded as part in FY 1998 include:

      • A total of $20 million for non-intrusive inspection systems, including high energy x-ray systems at seaports, automated targeting systems, and agamma ray inspection systems.

      • $5.0 million for vehicle and container inspection systems.

      • $9.5 million for Land Border Port Automation.

      • $8.4 million for 119 additional cargo inspectors to conduct intensive narcotics inspections.

      • $4.5 million to retrofit Customs helicopters with Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIRs).

    1999 Request

    • The FY 1999 total drug control budget request is $672.8 million and 4,789 FTE, an increase of $66.4 million and 69 FTE over FY 1998.

    Goal 2: Increase the safety of America's citizens by substantially reducing drug-related crime and violence.

    • The total drug control request for Goal 2 activities for FY 1999 is $28.8 million and 272 FTE, a net increase of $2.0 million over FY 1998.

    Goal 4: Shield America's air, land, and sea frontiers from the drug threat.

    • The total drug control request for Goal 4 activities for FY 1999 is $527.5 million and 3,987 FTE, a net increase of $54.2 million and 48 FTE over FY 1998.

    • The Customs request includes $54.0 million in drug enforcement funding for non-intrusive inspection technology for high risk ports of entry. Of the total, $41.0 million is requested for non-intrusive inspection technology for the Southwest Border, $10.0 million is requested for sea port non-intrusive technology, and $3.0 million is requested for automated targeting systems to used be used in conjunction with the sea port non-intrusive technology systems.

    Goal 5: Break foreign and domestic drug sources of supply.

    • The total drug control request for Goal 5 activities for FY 1999 is $116.4 million and 530 FTE, a net increase of $10.3 million and 21 FTE over FY 1998.

    • The FY 1999 base includes source zone activities of the Customs Air Program the FY 1999 request includes Marine Enforcement operations, intelligence operations, and high profile narcotics investigations in support of Operation Hard Line that target drug trafficking organizations.

  5. PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS

    • In FY 1996, Customs accounted for or assisted in the seizure of 86% of all the heroin, 76% of the cocaine, and 67% of the marijuana by federal law enforcement agencies.

    • Customs seized $255.3 million in monetary instruments (currency and negotiable paper) in FY 1997, most of which is related to narcotics trafficking.

    • Operation Hard Line seizures along the Southwest border were 33,106 pounds of cocaine, 597,068 pounds of marijuana, and 197 pounds of heroin.

    • Customs Air Program continued to provide valuable support to international counterdrug efforts throughout the source and transit zones. Customs aircraft deployed to South America contributed to the continued denial of the Peru to Colombia air bridge. In the Transit Zone, Customs aircraft contributed to the identification and subsequent interdiction of drug trafficking vessels which led to the seizure of 23,221 pounds of cocaine and 7,697 pounds of marijuana.

    • The Customs Marine Enforcement Program seized 31,538 pounds of cocaine, 25,040 pounds of marijuana, 39 pounds of liquid hash, as it saw the reemergence of go-fast type vessels smuggling drugs into South Florida from the Bahamas and the continuation of marine smuggling activity in Puerto Rico and on both sides of the Mexican border.

    • Installed an additional truck X-ray at Calexico and a gamma-ray system along the Southwest border.

    • In FY 1997, many field offices used the Customs Strategic Problem Solving (SPS) methodology to attack enforcement problems ranging from narcotics smuggling to the importation of unfit foodstuffs. The South Florida seaport, JFK Airport and Los Angeles Airport offices used the method to attack narcotics smuggling by internal conspiracy among port workers. These offices seized 6,500 pounds of cocaine, 31,000 pounds of marijuana, and 3 pounds of heroin as a result of their efforts.

    • In FY 1997, funds were appropriated to retrofit two additional P-3s for service with the Customs Air Program. This retrofit will be complete, and the aircraft will come into service the with Customs Service in FY 1999.