Drug Trafficking

Four agencies--the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the U.S. Customs Service, the Defense Department, and the Office of Management and Budget--have primary responsibility for coordinating or developing narcotics detection technologies. ONDCP and Customs, however, disagree on the need for various detection technologies. These differences should be resolved as they work with other agencies to prepare a long-term technology development plan. This testimony suggests areas that should be addressed by the plan.

GAO noted that: (1) ONDCP, Customs, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Office of Management Budget (OMB) are primarily responsible for coordinating or developing narcotics detection technologies; (2) however, ONDCP and Customs have differing views on the need for various detection technologies; (3) for example, ONDCP and Customs have differing views regarding the types of technologies needed along the southwest border; (4) these differing views should be resolved as they work with other agencies in preparing a long-term technology development plan; and (5) at a minimum, the technology plan should address: (a) a methodology for transitioning technologies from development to deployment; (b) the status of the automated targeting system's development as the first line of defense against drug trafficking; (c) the best technologies for detecting drugs in empty trucks; (d) the capabilities of the high-energy X-ray system for its ability to detect narcotics concealed in fully loaded cargo containers; and (e) the possible use of explosive detection technologies for detecting drugs in a seaport environment.