Federal Drug Law Enforcement Programs

The transit of illicit drugs and undocumented aliens across the southwestern border has been the target of law enforcement efforts. There is general agreement that Mexico is the major source of heroin reaching this country. The federal expenditures employed by the three major enforcement agencies during the period 1971 through 1976 have approximately doubled, and the number of enforcement and support personnel have increased 31 percent. Border forces interdict only a small quantity of the estimated heroin and cocaine entering the United States from Mexico; most seizures are of marihuana. Border interdiction efforts have suffered from a lack of actionable intelligence and from deficiencies in operations. A shortage of inspectors existed at four ports-of-entry visited along the border, and the only detection devices available were data from the Treasury's automated system, which is of limited value because it is primarily keyed to vehicle license numbers. Detector dogs are not used to search people, and hard narcotics which come through the ports are believed to be packaged and inserted into the human body. There is a need for an integrated federal strategy and comprehensive border control plan. GAO has recommended a single agency as the long-range solution. The priority and commitment of the Mexican Government is necessary to disrupting the production and shipment of illicit drugs.