Federal Drug Interdiction Efforts

In response to a congressional request, GAO discussed its review of federal drug interdiction efforts. GAO observed that: (1) federal interdiction efforts in recent years have focused primarily on catching drug smugglers who use privately owned aircraft and private and commercial marine vessels as conveyances; (2) movements of illegal drugs through U.S. ports-of-entry via passengers and cargo shipments have also been the object of federal interdiction efforts as part of the U.S. Customs Service's normal inspection process; (3) federal interdiction efforts have resulted in the seizure of substantial amounts of illegal drugs in the last 5 years; (4) the drug smuggling threat is dynamic in that drug smugglers respond to changes in the domestic demand for illegal drugs; and (5) the federal drug interdiction system is vulnerable to smugglers, who are adept at changing their routes so as to penetrate the U.S. border at its weakest and least defended points. GAO also observed that: (1) the military, Customs, and the Coast Guard do not maintain complete records on the amount of military support provided to the interdiction effort, the cost of this support, or the number of arrests and seizures linked to the military's contribution to this effort; and (2) Customs and the Coast Guard develop intelligence domestically, but have no authority to gather intelligence on drug shipments in foreign countries.