Drug Control

The Defense Department (DOD) has helped bolster drug intelligence collection and increased overall understanding of the nature and scope of drug producing and trafficking organizations. Although the volume of drug-related intelligence being collected has risen, no single individual or group is directing the collection, analysis, and reporting of counternarcotics intelligence by both DOD and law enforcement agencies. Even though the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy sets priorities for intelligence functions and encourages agency cooperation regarding intelligence information, he lacks the authority to direct intelligence activities. The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency established the Counternarcotics Center to coordinate activities of the counternarcotics intelligence community. Neither the Counternarcotics Center nor DOD, however, have issued adequate guidance on the relative priority of two central but differing national objectives: (1) collecting, analyzing, and reporting information on major drug trafficking and producing organizations and (2) detecting and monitoring individual drug shipments. DOD's collection efforts do not appear to unnecessarily duplicate that of the drug law enforcement agencies, but the lack of overall guidance has resulted in duplication in the critical production phase that follows intelligence collection.

GAO found that: (1) DOD has contributed significantly to drug intelligence collection capabilities and has increased the overall understanding within the U.S. counternarcotics community of the nature and scope of drug producing and trafficking organizations; (2) although the volume of drug-related intelligence being collected has increased, no single individual or organization is directing the collection, analysis, and reporting of counternarcotics intelligence by both DOD and law enforcement agencies; (3) the Director, ONDCP, establishes priorities for intelligence functions, but does not have the authority to direct agency intelligence activities; (4) the Central Intelligence Agency established the Counternarcotics Center to coordinate activities of the counternarcotics intelligence community; (5) neither the Counternarcotics Center nor DOD has issued adequate guidance on the relative priority of collecting, analyzing, and reporting information on major drug trafficking and producing organizations and detecting and monitoring individual drug shipments; and (6) DOD collection efforts do not appear to unnecessarily duplicate those of law enforcement agencies, but the lack of overall guidance has resulted in duplication within and among DOD and law enforcement organizations in the critical production that follows intelligence collection.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

Director: Team: Phone: