Internal Controls
Drug Enforcement Administration's Use of Forfeited Personal Property Gao ID: GGD-87-20 December 10, 1986In response to a congressional request, GAO: (1) evaluated the adequacy of controls governing the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) conversion of forfeited personal property to official government use; and (2) determined whether the Dallas DEA office had adhered to DEA policies and procedures in converting forfeited personal property to government use.
GAO found that: (1) the Dallas office converted about $14,000 of seized personal property for government use that was inconsistent with DEA policy; (2) the Dallas office provided little assurance that it had not converted the property for inappropriate government use; (3) DEA has not adequately defined the operational value of forfeited personal property; and (4) DEA did not require field managers to justify the need for personal property they converted to government use.