Drug Control

Mexico is now the main route used by South American drug traffickers to bring cocaine into the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration reports that two-thirds of the cocaine smuggled into the United States during 1990--an estimated 350 metric tons--was channeled through Mexico. The United States and Mexico started up the Northern Border Response Force Program in 1990 to interdict South American drug traffickers and make northern Mexico an unattractive staging area for U.S.-bound cocaine shipments. The United States has provided nearly $40 million in direct assistance for the program so far. This report examines (1) the status of the program, (2) problems encountered in implementing the program, and (3) future plans to expand drug interdiction activities in Mexico and neighboring Latin American countries.

GAO found that: (1) although the NBRF program has experienced initial success in seizing large amounts of cocaine and assets, the program has not affected the majority of drug trafficking through Mexico due to an inability to effectively combine helicopters and self-contained mobile operating bases; (2) NBRF cannot accurately assess its effect on drug trafficking into the United States because it lacks evaluation standards; (3) although NBRF is designed to patrol the Mexico-Texas border, its area of interdiction responsibility has increased throughout Mexico because drug traffickers have adapted and altered their drug trafficking patterns; (4) NBRF has not established any of the required seven mobile helicopter bases, tested the operational feasibility of self-contained mobile operating sites, or made full use of its helicopter fleet; (5) NBRF implementation delays and setbacks due to prolonged transfer agreement negotiations, complexities in the defense supply system, and the precedence of other U.S. priorities have resulted in Mexico receiving only 60 percent of its authorized program assistance; (6) NBRF operational problems have included limited use of its assets, communication problems, aerial coverage gaps, and shortages of qualified pilots and mechanics; (7) the United States and Mexico have planned to expand NBRF to include land and maritime interdiction capabilities, but total expansion costs are not known; and (8) the Drug Enforcement Administration has planned to expand its interdiction activities to include Guatemala and other Latin American countries, but individual country sovereignty and communication problems need to be addressed.

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.

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