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Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs
From: chugins@cup.hp.com (Chris Hugins)
Subject: U.S Anti-Drug Strategy For The Western Hemisphere, Part One
Message-ID: <Cs2Csn.JDL@cup.hp.com>
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 1994 16:07:35 GMT
[ Article crossposted from soc.culture.latin-america ]
[ Author was sgastete@u.washington.edu ]
[ Posted on 25 Jun 1994 01:05:34 GMT ]
Copyright 1994 Federal Information Systems Corporation
Federal News Service
JUNE 22, 1994, WEDNESDAY
Section: Capitol Hill Hearing
Headline: Joint Hearing Of The International Security,
International Organizations And Human Rights Subcommittee And The
Western Hemisphere Affairs Subcommittee Of The House Foreign
Affairs Committee
Subject: U.S Anti-Drug Strategy For The Western Hemisphere
Chaired By:
Representative Tom Lantos (D-Ca)
Representative Robert Torricelli (D-Nj)
Witnesses:
Robert Gelbard,
Assistant Secretary Of State For International Narcotics Matters,
Thomas Constantine,
Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration
Brian Sheridan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary Of Defense
Room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, Dc
REP. LANTOS: Before turning to our distinguished witnesses, let me
just make two observations. I identify myself in very strong
measure with the comments of my distinguished colleague and
friend, Chairman Torricelli, but I would like to observe that some
of the comments from the Republican side would make it appear that
we have had a brilliant and successful anti-drug strategy for 12
years, and suddenly in the last 18 months we have fallen down on
the job, and the record will surely not support that. The drug
problem in the United States did not begin on January 20th of
1993. Our anti-drug strategy with respect to the hemisphere did
not begin -- whatever it is -- 16 months ago -- and just as the
problem of the whole drug complex is not a partisan problem, I
would hope that my colleagues will approach it in a somewhat less
partisan fashion that what we have seen in the last few minutes.
We will ask our distinguished witnesses to make concise opening
statements.
Your prepared presentations will be entered in the record in their
entirety.
We will first hear from the assistant secretary for international
narcotics matters, the Honorable Robert Gelbard.
Mr. Secretary, the floor is yours. We appreciate your concise
approach at the outset so we can get to questions. There will be
plenty of questions.
MR. GELBARD: Thank you very much. Chairman Lantos, Chairman
Torricelli, Congressman Smith, I appreciate the opportunity to
appear before you today with Mr. Constantine and Mr. Sheridan.
Let me thank you from the outset for agreeing to reschedule this
hearing. I understand the demands on the committee's time and the
problems caused by a last-minute postponement. I hope that by the
end of today's hearing, we will all agree that we were better
served by waiting this past week.
As you requested, Mr. Chairman, I'd like to submit my full
prepared statement for the record.
REP. LANTOS: Without objection.
MR. GELBARD: Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, I want to
talk today about perceptions. I ask you to take a step back and
look at the world through the eyes of the narcotics trafficker.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look so bad, and some trends are moving
his way. In some countries, including our own, the trafficker is
once again hearing the sweet -- to him -- and misleading sounds of
debate over legalization.
In Colombia, the prosecutor-general, Gustavo Degrave (ph) has
negotiated soft deals with leaders of the Cali Cartel, sometimes
bargaining away evidence that we have provided in the process. In
Bolivia, evidence is now coming to light that the previous
government was deeply penetrated by traffickers.
Closer to home, last year the budget of every --
REP. LANTOS: May I stop you there? You say deeply penetrated. How
high was it penetrated?
MR. GELBARD: Mr. Chairman, I was ambassador to Bolivia during the
time of much of that government. Certainly members of the cabinet
-- some members of the cabinet were involved, and at my
insistence, the president of Bolivia fired the minister of the
interior, Guillermo Capobianco (ph), who was deeply involved in
accepting trafficker money, as was the head of the national
police, and we believe there are others. This is currently an
issue under investigation by the Bolivian Congress, so I would
rather not enter into any specifics on this respecting their
prerogatives.
REP. LANTOS: Thank you.
MR. GELBARD: Last year the budget of every United States
government agency dedicated to international counternarcotics was
dramatically reduced. My own bureau's budget dropped 30 percent,
with even deeper cuts to military and economic support funds
supporting our counternarcotics efforts.
We are reducing staff at several narcotics affairs sections
overseas..
This year's budget picture is no brighter. Thanks in part to the
efforts of some members of this committee, the House appropriation
for international counternarcotics restores some of last year's
cuts. The Senate bill, however, leaves us at last year's skeleton
level, well below the president's request.
Mr. Chairman, let me be blunt. I cannot do the job that you
expect of me and the secretary of state asks of me if I do not
have adequate resources. If we take another year of major funding
cuts, then something has to go. Perhaps we will slash sustainable
development programs in the Andes and close other programs
altogether. We might be forced to reduce support for eradication
programs and generally cut back our aviation support.
Unquestionably, we would have difficulty funding new programs
whether targeted against the growing United States' heroin
epidemic or against organized crime in Russia and Eastern Europe.
I do not mean to put a gun against my own head and threaten to
pull the trigger if Congress does not vote us a larger budget, but
it is important to acknowledge in advance that these sorts of cuts
will have direct and explicit consequences.
The truth is that we do have a good story to tell about
international counternarcotics programs. We are paying a price
today for some unfortunate rhetoric in the past. Efforts against
drugs are not a war that we will win in two, three or four years.
Success or failure is not tabulated on an accountant's data sheet
of arrests, seizures and current street price. The struggle
against drugs is the work of a generation, not of a statistician.
Last year, we developed a new counternarcotics strategy for the
Western Hemisphere. It addresses the twin concerns confronting
this administration and this Congress in January of 1993: the
perception that the past strategy was not working and the need to
reduce budgets. The new strategy calls for a gradual shift in
emphasis from transit interdiction to source country efforts. It
calls for us to support stronger democratic counternarcotics
institutions in source countries and to integrate counternarcotics
into global alternative development strategy. It seeks greater
involvement by international and multinational organizations and
continued efforts against entire trafficker organizations.
In short, the new strategy seeks to reinforce what we have seen
that works, coordinate and consolidate among multiple programs to
ensure efficiency, and engage international organizations that
previously had shied away from involvement in counternarcotics.
The president's new strategy called for us to use the narcotics
certification process energetically as an antidrug tool. On April
1st, the president's certification decisions put substance behind
the words. Ten of the 26 countries were denied certification or
granted it only on the basis of a vital national interest
certification. This was an honest process. These were not just
pariah nations with whom we have no serious bilateral interests.
Nigeria, Bolivia and Peru had never before received anything less
than full certification. Panama and Laos did not receive full
certification, despite serious and important U.S. concerns outside
of narcotics issues.
The president's certification decision sent a very clear signal.
Business as usual is no longer good enough. We will bear our
burden in the world-wide struggle against drugs, but we expect the
same commitment from our fellow governments. I might add that the
certification provisions, currently codified in Section 489 and
490 of the foreign Assistance Act, are scheduled to expire on
September 30th. I hope this committee will work with us to retain
this very important weapon in the struggle against drugs.
Finally, let me address the Andean narcotics issue that is
probably foremost in your minds. As you know, the United States
government has frozen assistance and intelligence sharing with
Colombia and Peru that could be used for targeting civil aircraft.
We have done so because of those government's announced policies
of firing on suspected narcotics traffickers who refuse to obey
orders to land.
REP. LANTOS: Just to get the record straight. How many actual
shoot-downs took place by the Peruvians?
MR. GELBARD: I'm not certain as to numbers. We --
MR. GELBARD: Can anyone else on the panel give us the answer? Mr.
Sheridan?
MR. SHERIDAN: I believe that we're talking in the range of three,
four, five perhaps.
REP. TORRICELLI: Mr. Chairman I'm told the answer is 31.
MR. GELBARD: But, let me ask how you're defining the --
REP. TORRICELLI: When a plane hits the ground is a shoot-down.
MR. GELBARD: The Peruvians deny that they have ever shot down an
aircraft. .
REP. TORRICELLI: Yeah. I'm told the number is 31. Even when I met
with them last it was in excess of 20.
REP. LANTOS: Mr. Constantine, do you have any entry in this
sweepstakes? --(Laughter.) .
MR. CONSTANTINE: None, whatsoever..
REP. LANTOS: Well, it would be sort of nice to have our three top
experts be prepared to answer such an unbelievably elementary
question. So let me get back to you, Secretary Gelbard --.
MR. GELBARD: Mr. Chairman --
REP. LANTOS: With this coaching from Congressman Torricelli, what
number would you --
MR. GELBARD: I -- I'm afraid I have to differ with Congressman
Torricelli's estimate. The Colombian government has told us that
since they announced their policy early this year they have not
shot down any aircraft. And the Peruvian government told us in
the course of the meetings that I held with them, when I led
delegation to both Colombia and Peru last week, they say that they
have not shot down any aircraft. They have --
REP. TORRICELLI: Mr. Chairman, if you would allow me -- what do
you expect them to say? If they admit that they're shooting down
aircraft, you suspend cooperation and sharing information with
them. Of course they're going to tell you they're not shooting
down any aircraft. But indeed when you meet with them privately
and to their own people they're giving the number of 31. It is
indeed accurate that Colombians do not acknowledge shooting down
anyone, but the Peruvians are a very different story.
MORE.
I don't know how you could expect a different answer than the one
you're receiving, given your pledge to cease operations with them
if they give you a different answer. It would be amazing if they
said anything differently.
MR. GELBARD: Well, with respect, Mr. Chairman, the Peruvian
government and the Colombian government have both made it very
clear to me that they do not intend to renounce their policy,
their stated policy of having the capability of going after
aircraft and shooting at or shooting down such aircraft. But they
still stated that they have not shot aircraft down. Now, what
they have done, and I've seen videotapes that corroborate this,
they have shot at aircraft and hit wing tips or other nonvital
parts of aircraft, and as a result, those aircraft have landed
under their own power.
REP. LANTOS: How many such incidents are we aware of where force
was used even though it was not decisive?
MR. GELBARD: We believe there are perhaps slightly more than a
dozen, perhaps around 15.
REP. LANTOS: In Peru?
MR. GELBARD: Yes.
REP. LANTOS: How about Colombia?
MR. GELBARD: As I said, I don't believe that they have shot at any
aircraft since their stated policy has been put into place earlier
this year.
MR. SHERIDAN: And let me -- if I could, Mr. Chairman, let me just
say that, when I gave a number of somewhere around five, I was
defining the issue similar to Ambassador Gelbard, which would mean
they fired at weapons but have not shot any out of the sky and
caused a crash landing. I meant that they had fired weapons at
and perhaps caused some damaged aircraft, but those aircraft
landed under their own power. And I think five, 10, somewhere in
there is the appropriate number.
REP. TORRICELLI: If we are, though, Mr. Chairman, defining this as
firing at aircraft rather than downing aircraft, then the
conclusion that the Colombians are not engaged in this is also
then not correct. (Break in audio) -- crashed after firing. They
have fired at wings and at our aircraft, just not brought them
down. .
REP. LANTOS: Congressman Smith?
REP. CHRIS SMITH (R-NJ): I'd just point out that in The Dallas
Morning News, May 14th, '94, it points out that Peru intercepted
about 75 planes last year according to the spokesman at the
embassy, and they point out that Peruvian jets haven't shot down
planes, but they have crashed in trying to evade pursuit. I mean,
we may be playing -- they may be playing a game here as the
gentleman from New Jersey pointed out. I mean, they crashed while
being pursued, perhaps with some bullets or some other coordinates
helping them to crash.
REP. LANTOS: Go ahead, Mr. Gelbard..
MR. GELBARD: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The U.S. government has
frozen assistance and intelligence-sharing with Colombia and Peru,
as I said, that could be used for targeting civil aircraft. We
have done so because of those governments' announced policies of
firing on suspected narcotics traffickers who refuse to obey
orders to land. I do not need to tell you how important these two
countries are to a successful counternarcotics strategy in the
Andes.
Indeed, with Colombia and Peru, there is no air interdiction
strategy in the Andes. We took this decision very seriously.
We did not freeze this assistance because of an interagency
dispute or because of a decision to downgrade our relations with
these two countries or as part of a general retreat on
counternarcotics. The Department of Defense and other agencies
suspended their assistance in order to review policy implications
in light of actions by Colombia and Peru. After that, an
interagency legal review led by the Department of Justice
concluded that we could not provide this assistance without risk
of violating United States criminal law.
This is not an easy issue susceptible to a sound bite solution.
There is a fundamental conflict between our long-standing policy
of maximum protection for civil aircraft in flight and our equally
long- standing policy of stopping narcotics traffickers. We
searched for a solution that would not undercut either. I spent
much of last week in almost nonstop negotiations in Bogota and
Lima seeking such a solution. A simple solution under existing
law simply was not there.
The president, as you are aware, has now made his decision,
though, on this policy. The administration will send up as soon
as possible proposed legislation that permits us to resume
intelligence- sharing and assistance to both Colombia and Peru. I
spoke this morning with officials from both governments, Colombia
and Peru, and I hope that we can announce soon interim agreements
that permit us to resume our counternarcotics cooperation even
while our legislative proposal is pending before Congress.
Mr. Chairman, I will close as I began, speaking of perceptions.
Our critics argue that we are in retreat, that we are not pursuing
an aggressive counternarcotics policy. That is not correct. We
have a new strategy and a new approach. We have signaled that we
will hold all governments to an honest certification process. We
are building on past successes. We are confronting head on the
tension between our civil aviation and counternarcotics policies..
We appreciate the support of these committees over the years for
international counternarcotics efforts. We will need it again as
we seek to resolve the conflict between U.S. criminal law and our
counternarcotics efforts, and I look forward to continue to
working with you.
REP. LANTOS: Thank you very much, Secretary Gelbard.
We'll next hear from the Honorable Thomas A. Constantine,
administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
MR. CONSTANTINE: Chairmen Lantos, Torricelli, and members of the
subcommittee, I want to thank you for this, my first opportunity
to appear before your committees and talk about DEA's role in our
international programs.
As you may know, I've been administrator of the DEA for a fairly
short period of time, a little over three months..
However, prior to taking this position, I've served in law
enforcement for 34 years, the last eight of which as
superintendent of the New York State Police.
So I have spent most of my adult life dealing with victims of
crime and have seen first-hand what happens when drug addiction
and drug problems visit communities. I also now, in my new role,
have gotten an education, learned about the international programs
that the United States government is involved in in law
enforcement, especially as it relates to drugs. It's given me a
new perspective and I think it has helped me a great deal in
understanding how that problem came to many of the communities
that I was familiar with in New York state.
I think it's important, however, that we not lose sight of the
fact that the international programs must go hand in hand with
what we're doing within the United States, and I'd like to talk
today about how our enforcement efforts link the international and
the domestic because they are intertwined and cannot be separated.
I think, like the ambassador had said, and some of the people on
the dais, we are at an important and critical stage in our
society. This problem of drugs and violent crime has built since
the mid-1960s. It has taken us 30 years to get into the present
deplorable state. It will take us a sustained period of time and
a great deal of will to get out of it. This is at a time when
resources for law enforcement and foreign assistance are very
tight. We're required to balance the need to protect citizens
from crime in our streets with our international obligations to
overseas partners in the drug fight.
For many years, DEA has been at the forefront of this nation's
effort to dismantle international drug trafficking organizations.
We will continue to aggressively pursue those traffickers who
operate around the globe. As administrator of the DEA, I intend
to continue those important global missions, keeping the following
principles as guiding our actions in the coming year.
First, we must recognize that cocaine and heroin traffic have
foreign sources and are foreign controlled, and the world's major
trafficking organizations are headquartered outside of the United
States. Other nations have international obligation to address
the issues of drug production and trafficking. DEA must and will
continue to work with the authorities in other nations to build
institutions, share intelligence and make criminal cases which
will have an impact on drug trafficking within the United States.
Simultaneously, we must enhance our domestic efforts as well,
balancing both foreign and domestic programs. We should not and
cannot put all of our strategies and resources in the
international investigative program. That doesn't mean that we
will lessen our pressure on the major traffickers in Colombia or
other parts of the hemisphere, but rather that we must increase
our attention on their surrogates who operate within the United
States.
The next most important thing I think to be talked about is heroin
as a resurrection within the global economy, not only the United
States, not only Western Europe, but every country in this world
is affected now by a new growth in heroin traffic. A large part
of that is coming from Colombia. They have developed the ability
to manufacture heroin, to bring it to the shores of the United
States and cause us an additional problem.
Let me talk a minute about the major traffickers and their
surrogates -- one foreign, one domestic..
Despite the fact that an increasing percentage of cocaine is being
shipped now to new European markets, the U.S. continues and will
continue to be the main target for shipments from the Colombian
cocaine cartels. The Cali cartel in Colombia maintains a virtual
criminal monopoly on all of the U.S. cocaine supply. This
criminal organization, headquartered in Colombia, depends on
producers in Bolivia and Peru and transporters in Mexico and other
Central American nations, and distribution systems within the
United States. It also staffs the distribution organizations in
virtually every city in the United States with Colombians who
subcontract to street organizations in these cities.
DEA has a two-tiered approach to reducing the cocaine supply in
the United States, targeting the cartel leaders in Colombia and
trying to eliminate their surrogate operations here in the United
States. It is critical to gather enough information on the major
cartel leaders for indictments in the event they will ever be
brought to justice in the United States. However, I honestly must
tell you the opportunity to bring these drug lords to justice is
less of a possibility today than it was five years ago, when
Colombia allowed extradition to the United States. As a result,
all of the traditional law enforcement strategies that I am
familiar with, having worked organized crime cases throughout the
United States, of attacking the leaders of the criminal
enterprises cannot be implemented against the Cali cartel. They
live in luxury, virtually immune from punishment as they profit
from their enterprise.
Nevertheless, we try to operate against their money supplies,
transportation networks, chemical supplies and communications.
All of these are critical to their operation. We work closely
with most of the law enforcement agencies in the hemisphere to
achieve that.
Equally important to the DEA are the accomplishments which have a
direct effect on United States cocaine supplies in organizations
within the United States.
This is the link which I talked about, and it's well illustrated
by a case that I was involved in when I was superintendent of the
New York State Police. The Herrara family, with direction from
Cali, Colombia, operated a major cell in the major cities
throughout the country, one of which was in New York City. The
state police, the New York City police and the DEA, focused on the
organization through extensive surveillances and wiretapping, were
able to identify the principals through a series of raids.
We found out very quickly, one, that their whole organization for
the year made more money than the entire DEA budget, and that is
only one of the families operating out of Cali. All of the
decisions that are carried out in the United States are being made
in Colombia. They tell the group which phone numbers to use, when
the load is ready to move, which loads to move, how much to pay
the workers, detail the records on the salaries..
They have a family history questionnaire that means that they know
the relatives of all of the people who are working for them, many
of them illegal aliens from Colombia, which means that they cannot
testify against the principals in the organization, for fear of
loss of family or loved ones. There is a tremendous reluctance
for them to cooperate. It then moves down to the next level of
violent street gangs in the United States.
These investigations have to be played from both ends, because we
find out that many of the people are replaceable, and until such
time as we can use what I think is the appropriate strategy of
arresting, prosecuting, convicting and sentencing the principals
in these organizations, we're limited to dealing with surrogates,
which is second best. But the pressure must be kept up. We've
got to remember, it's the violent street gangs, who shoot children
in a public housing complex in Washington Heights, are in essence
part of that whole operation.
If you have any further questions about the role of DEA, I would
be glad to put them forward, and I give you my entire statement.
The only thing that I can tell you is that I believe that this
whole situation, the violent crime and drugs, has become an
intolerable situation for people in America, and it's going to
take a dramatic resolve on the part of all of us in government and
out of government, to do something about it over a sustained
period of time. We did not get into this problem overnight, and
we will not get out of it immediately, but I do think the next
five years will be extremely critical for the United States.
Thank you.
REP. LANTOS: Thank you very much.
Our final witness is Brian Sheridan, Assistant Secretary for Drug
Enforcement Policy and Support, Department of Defense. Mr.
Sheridan.
MR. SHERIDAN: Chairman Lantos, Torricelli, members of the
committee. I am pleased to be here today to discuss DOD's role on
implementing the administration's source nation strategy. There
are two quick points I'd like to make before we start with the
questioning.
First, DOD has a very strong commitment to the strategy and to our
responsibilities in South America. The Department of Defense in
1994 will spend approximately $150 million in South America, and
that comes in light of dramatic cuts to our budget in '94 of $300
million. There are three pillars to our programs in Latin America:
first, intelligence collection and analysis; second, support for
interdiction; and third, training of host nation police and
military that are engaged in counter-drug activity.
My second point is that the Department of Defense's efforts are
consistent with the national strategy. As you know, the
president's strategy called for a shift from the transit zone to
source nations.
MORE.
In implementing that strategy, DOD is shifting on the
international side of our effort from 25 percent of our efforts in
source nations to 37 percent of our efforts. So you've heard much
in the papers over the last couple weeks that DOD is seeking to
walk away from South America. The numbers speak otherwise.
Percentage of our dollars is going up, not down.
I would also note that under the leadership of the secretary of
defense over the past year, we have initiated a number of major
programs to enhance our support to South America. We have decided
to locate an over-the-horizon radar in Puerto Rico that will cost
$25 million to start up plus $13 million a year to operate.
We've decided to go (forward with ?) tracker aircraft, at a cost
of $45 million, for use in South America. That will cost $18
million a year in the out years to operate. Until the trackers
come on line and the over-the- horizon radar comes on line, we are
looking to spend about 3 to 4 million dollars a year in
cooperation with the Customs Service to help them fund their
citation tracker program in South America. And as we plan our
funding activity for '96 in the out years, we plan to
significantly enhance our support.
So DOD is engaged. We are not walking away, and we have a number
of major programs which are already in our beginning phases of
implementation. And those were the two major points I wanted to
make, and I'm ready for your questions.
REP. LANTOS: Thank you very much.
We'll begin the questioning with Chairman Torricelli.
REP. ROBERT TORRICELLI (D-NJ): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
In 1991 I went to Peru to see President Fujimori and Colombia with
President Gaviria in enormous frustration. The United States at
considerable expense had put radars on stations. We were tracking
narcotraffickers, and the Peruvian and the Colombian governments
refused to intercept. We were doing no more than intellectually
satisfying ourselves in seeing the travel routes. As time passed,
in part due to pressure from the United States Congress, the
Peruvian government changed its policy. The Colombian government
even adjusted its policy, and intercept policies began, resulting
in the fact that now, 780 flights of narcotraffickers last year
were tracked. This led to 31 tons of cocaine being seized, 101
illicit airfields of narcotraffickers being found, and 31 aircraft
in Peru being forced to the ground after receiving hostile fire
from Peruvian aircraft.
This program, just when it was beginning to work, under the
insistence of the United States Congress, after the payment from
the American taxpayers, is halted. The American people wouldn't
believe it if they hadn't seen it for themselves.
Now, what is most incredible about this, is the legal analysis is
that this is being ceased because of legal vulnerabilities of U.S.
government officials from cooperating in the program. Let's
understand what the program is. The United States government
tracks narco-traffickers bringing cocaine to the United States.
That information is merely provided to the Peruvian or Colombian
governments. They pass it to their own officials, who make their
own judgements. Peruvian aircraft tracks a narco-trafficker,
operating with no flight plan, often at night, with no lights.
The plane is approached and wing tips attempt to communicate.
There's no response. They attempt on radio communications on
multiple frequencies. There's no response. There's an effort to
lead them to an airport for a forced landing. They refuse and
attempt to evade. And then warning shots are fired. Do you
seriously believe that there is a jury in America, of any
combination of American citizens, anywhere, under those
circumstances, that would find a liability for U.S. government
officials?
Having simply for provided information on that basis? This change
of policy stands logic on its head.
Fortunately, President Clinton, having read what was now
happening, in the Defense Department, and elsewhere in his
administration, has reversed the policy. And this Congress, I am
certain, as soon as we get language from the executive, will pass
in short order legislation that is required, to allow cooperation
to continue. But the question remains, in the weeks or months
that it takes to correct this change of policy, what will happen.
Is it therefore the intention of the Pentagon not in these ensuing
weeks, despite overwhelming logic, to continue to share
information? Do we assume, in the following weeks, no further
information will continue to be shared, despite the fact that we
are now told by the Colombian government that cocaine shipments
are up 20 percent last month since the sharing of this
interdiction information has ceased?
MORE HSE FOR. AFF/GELBARD, ET AL PAGE 21 06/22/94 .
MR. GELBARD: If I may respond to that, please, I'd like to answer
in several parts. First of all, what we intend to do -- and I
have already spoken to our ambassadors in Bogota and Lima and
spoken to authorities of those two governments -- what we intend
to do is try to establish very, very quickly interim agreements
with those governments that would permit us to resume the
provision of real-time tracking data as quickly as possible, and I
would hope even before the end of this week.
REP. TORRICELLI: And what would the substance of those agreements
include?
MR. GELBARD: The substance of the agreements would be that we
would have to continue under existing law, as I mentioned in my
oral statement, continue to ask that our data not be used for the
shooting down of aircraft.
The second part of what I wanted to say is that whether we like
the law or not, it is the law. This was a law that was passed by
the Congress of the United States in 1984, certainly for other
purposes. It was for counterterrorism purposes. But because of
the way this law was drafted, it was written to cover any civil
aircraft under any circumstances.
REP. TORRICELLI: And you think it was the intention of the
Congress, of the United States government in the writing of this
law taking responsibility for the Peruvian and Colombian air
forces?
MR. GELBARD: The way the law is written -- and I have to admit I
am not a lawyer, but I have read the law repeatedly and I have
sought the advice, of course, of all the legal authorities of our
government. We have been told by the Department of Justice,
particularly including the office of legal counsel, which makes
the ultimate decisions on these issues, that this law is written
in such a way as to cover any activities and the aiding and
abetting of destruction of civil aircraft in service at any time.
REP. TORRICELLI: Let me tell you something. In all respect to my
profession, lawyers concluding that the United States government
is criminally liable for shooting down narcotraffickers because we
give information to the Peruvian and Colombian government stands
logic on its head. There isn't a jury in the world that would
find somebody liable under those circumstances. That is an
incredible interpretation of the law. Somebody would have a
better chance in the ensuing months if their child is a victim of
cocaine on an American street suing the United States government
because we had the means to track narcotraffickers, they're
appearing on a radar screen, and we refuse to give the information
to the Colombian or Peruvian government to intercept them. That
would be a better suit than attempting to hold the U.S. government
official liable because we're allowing the Colombian government to
meet their own responsibilities and independent judgment..
Does this really make sense to you?
MR. GELBARD: Congressman, it certainly didn't make sense to me
when I read it, but it is the law. And I certainly was not
prepared to be in a position of violating the United States law,
passed by our Congress, especially once I found out we were
subject to the death penalty. And the idea of pursuing policies
which --
REP. TORRICELLI: Have you gone to the authors of this legislation
to try to decipher their legislative intent?
MR. GELBARD: The Office of Legal Counsel of the Justice Department
did look at this. They have done an extensive legal opinion on
this and this was the subject of truly extensive --
REP. TORRICELLI: Mr. Gelbard, 435 members of this House voted on
that legislation. You will not find one statement in the
Congressional Record to support legislative intent. You will find
no committee hearing, you will find no author of the legislation
who would support that interpretation of the law of liability.
Not only will you find it, I suspect some lawyer in the Justice
Department who wrote this interpretation, who never did so much as
open their window to hear the outside noise, never asked anybody
whether that was anybody's legislative intent. This has been
written in a vacuum, and it is an incredible betrayal of the
American people and a fundamental national interest.
Let me -- Mr. Chairman, you've been gracious with the time. Let
me just move quickly, if I could --
MR. GELBARD: Could I just add one other point, please?
REP. TORRICELLI: Yeah, sure.
MR. GELBARD: You mentioned 1991 in Peru. Let me add, though,
another aspect of this problem. Nineteen ninety-one also marked
the year when we ceased providing economic support funds and
military assistance funds to the government of Peru, because the
Congress decided that we could not disburse such funds because of
certain conditions that were provided. So, as of today, we have
approximately $77 million in economic support funds that we have
not been able to disburse, and as a result not used to support
activities to eradicate coca through alternative development
programs, nor have we been able to provide the military assistance
that we have requested because of these actions. .
REP. TORRICELLI: Well, Mr. Gelbard, as you know, aid to Peru was
suspended for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons, much to
my great embarrassment, is that I went in that year and saw
President Fujimori and I said, "I will not be part of using
American taxpayers' money for counternarcotics operations in your
country when you get this radar information and then you won't
intercept the narco- traffickers. If you're serious about this
and you want American cooperation, shoot at the narco-
traffickers." They thought about it for a long time and they
didn't want to do it. They finally agreed, now to find out that
the United States government disagreed with this Congress and
pulls away from the cooperation when they were finally starting to
help..
MR. GELBARD: I would still like --
REP. TORRICELLI: Mr. Sheridan --
MR. GELBARD: -- very much to be able to have those funds so we
could get to the heart of the problem, which is the eradication of
coca. And I would ask for the assistance of this committee in
freeing up those funds, whether as cash transfers or as project
funds, so that we can use this to support their efforts to
eradicate coca. Because that's what gets to the heart of the
problem.
REP. TORRICELLI: Mr. Gelbard, I suspect at the moment that such
damage has been done to our cooperation with Colombia and Peru and
narco-trafficking, that if the funds are available to you, you're
going to have a hard time getting the same degree of cooperation.
These Peruvian and Colombian officials were vilified in their own
countries for allowing the United States military to fly over
their airspace, to do operations, to take information for the
United States Air Force, to do shootdown operations against narco-
traffickers. This was not good politics for Peru and Colombia,
but theyd did it. They did partially at the request of members of
this Congress, and now to have it shut off humiliates them and I
think is a setback that's going to be very difficult to reverse.
Mr. Sheridan, finally, if I could, with all due respects to the
intensive interest of the United States military in helping in
narco- trafficking interdiction, every six months for the last
four years I have had to call successive secretaries of defense
and ask that their intentions to close down these radars be
reversed. First, it was the Persian Gulf War. The radars are
needed in the Middle East. By all means, take them away. Then it
took months to get them back. And then six months later, they
were needed somewhere else.
And then six months later they wanted to close them down again.
if indeed the United States military has reached the point that
they want to help and they are committed to fight against narco-
trafficking, I will tell you there is precious little evidence of
it.
I know that members of the United States military did not join to
fight narco-traffickers. It was for other and very admirable
goals. This is a dirty and a nasty business. And I don't blame
you for not wanting to be part of it.
But a principal national security need of the United States today
is no longer the Cold War. It is narcotraffickers. And operating
these radars and keeping them there. And people, like members of
this having to call and fight to keep them on station and now to
share the information is not evidence of a strong commitment in
the fight against narco traffickers.
MR. SHERIDAN: Mr. Chairman, I can't speak to what happened during
the previous administration. I can only say that during this
administration I think the record speaks for itself in terms of
our allegation of resources. I don't know a more exact measure of
commitment than you're willingness to put dollars to it.
And as I stated in my opening comments, under this secretary of
defense we have committed to a -- (word inaudible) -- in Puerto
Rico at a cost of $25 million up front, $13 million a year the
outyears, $45 million up front, $18 a year in the outyears for
tracker aircraft, helping the customs service in the meantime at a
cost of 3 to $4 million per year to fly their tracker aircraft,
and we have significantly enhanced our support in our five-year
planning process..
I don't know what more you want from this administration.
REP. TORRICELLI: Well, Mr. Sheridan, here's what I -- here's what
I'd like.
MR. SHERIDAN: Yes.
REP. TORRICELLI: Last fall, President Gaviria of Colombia sent a
message to this committee that the radars were about to be
removed, would I call Secretary Perry's office. I did. Six
months before that, I got a call from President Gaviria the
Pentagon was going to remove the radars, would I call Secretary
Aspin. I did. A good evidence of the commitment of the military
would be to stop trying to find every excuse to get out of
Colombia, to close down the radars, to cease cooperation, and
instead, to accept this as a national priority. And the refusal to
share this information is not a good example of it being of a high
national priority.
Mr. Gelbard, finally -- I know my time has expired here -- but if
indeed we're going to have a gap now of several weeks or months
before this Congress can pass legislation which I will introduce
the moment it arrives on this Hill to correct this incredible
legal misinterpretation, why do we not now simply transfer or
lease these radars, allow the Colombians to operate them, to
separate ourselves from this alleged liability so there's no
interruption in interdiction?
As I said, Congressman, I am hoping to be able to work out
arrangements on an interim basis with the two governments involved
in the next day or two. I just spoke earlier with the Colombian
ambassador, and we may be meeting even this afternoon.
REP. TORRICELLI: Okay, well, let's leave it this way.
MR. GELBARD: But in the mean --
REP. TORRICELLI: If for any reason this cannot happen, can we then
agree that if we're going into next week, given the fact that we
are seeing a 20 percent upward spike in cocaine trafficking since
this interruption has taken place, that we can instead find more
imaginative means in the interim -- if we have to go to a lease,
if we have to go to a temporary transfer, something to separate us
from liability but continue the operations, that we will do so?
MR. GELBARD: I think the issue, even more than the ground-based
radars, though, is the airborne platforms, which we cannot
provide, but I am fully confident we will be able to work out
these interim arrangements before the end of the week.
REP. TORRICELLI: Could you -- could you comment briefly on the
allegations today in the media? It is alleged that during the
recent Colombian presidential campaign, representatives of the man
who is now to become the next president of Colombia, Ernesto
Samper, received in excess of $800,000 in campaign contributions
from the Cali cocaine cartel..
Could you comment on those allegations and the videotapes that are
now circulating giving evidence of that transfer?
MR. GELBARD: First, they are audio cassettes, or an audio
cassette.
REP. TORRICELLI: There are both.
MR. GELBARD: Second, I believe that the sums that have been
described, from the transcripts I've seen that were released in
Colombia, are actually substantially more in terms of funds that
were allegedly received.
REP. TORRICELLI: Well, one videotape has $800,000 in cash.
MR. GELBARD: Yeah, I've heard --
REP. TORRICELLI: I'm told the total number is $3.5 million.
MR. GELBARD: Well, I think it's actually more. I think it's about
$6 million.
Obviously, this is the worst kind of information that we could
receive. We are looking into this to try to determine the
veracity of any and all of this kind of information. This, if
true, would obviously have the most serious effect on not only any
kind of bilateral relationship with that government, but obviously
would create the most serious problems in terms of fighting
counternarcotics.
But we take this extremely seriously and we are investigating this
very intensively right now.
REP. TORRICELLI: Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely
under conditions of absolute reality"
-- Shirley Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House
Chris T. Hugins (chugins@cup.hp.com)
OSSD/Cupertino Open System Lab, 47LA/P8
19447 Pruneridge Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014
Phone: 408-447-5702 Fax: 408-447-6268
=============================================================================
Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs
From: chugins@cup.hp.com (Chris Hugins)
Subject: U.S Anti-Drug Strategy For The Western Hemisphere, Part Two
Message-ID: <Cs2Ct5.JEI@cup.hp.com>
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 1994 16:07:52 GMT
[ Article crossposted from soc.culture.latin-america ]
[ Author was sgastete@u.washington.edu ]
[ Posted on 25 Jun 1994 01:06:53 GMT ]
Copyright 1994 Federal Information Systems Corporation
Federal News Service
JUNE 22, 1994, WEDNESDAY
Section: Capitol Hill Hearing
Headline: Joint Hearing Of The International Security,
International Organizations And Human Rights Subcommittee And The
Western Hemisphere Affairs Subcommittee Of The House Foreign
Affairs Committee
Subject: U.S Anti-Drug Strategy For The Western Hemisphere
Chaired By:
Representative Tom Lantos (D-Ca)
Representative Robert Torricelli (D-Nj)
Witnesses:
Robert Gelbard,
Assistant Secretary Of State For International Narcotics Matters,
Thomas Constantine,
Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration
Brian Sheridan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary Of Defense
Room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, Dc
...
REP. LANTOS: Before turning to Mr. Gilman, I'd like to just
explore a couple of issues that have been raised.
What happened on May 1 that compelled us to stop sharing
information? Why was May 1 different from April 30, April 29 or
May 2? What was the magic of that May 1 date? Secretary Gelbard?
MR. GELBARD: I'm afraid I can't answer that.
REP. LANTOS: Well somebody made the decision. Who, in your
judgment, made that decision, that on May 1 cooperation ceased? .
MR. GELBARD: The decision was made by the Department of Defense.
REP. LANTOS: Mr. Sheridan, why was the Department of Defense ready
to share information on April 30 and April 29 and April 28, and
all the proceeding months, and suddenly stopped sharing
information?
MR. SHERIDAN: There was a concern at the department, it was voiced
in the interagency some time previous to that, that we were having
problems, legal problems, with what could be done with our
information. I would disagree respectfully with Chairman
Torricelli. The assets that we provided down there were never
intended by the previous administration or this one to shoot down
aircraft. They were intended to provide information that could be
used to support ground- based end games, which the chairman I
think did describe quite accurately..
They have been successful in leading to ground operations which
have destroyed airfields and seized cocaine on the ground. They
were never intended to provide information to shoot down aircraft
in flight. And when it became apparent that the Colombians and
Peruvians wanted to do this, which was inconsistent with long-
standing U.S. policy and with agreements that we had with them, we
knew that we had a potentially large problem on our hands and we
decided that, given the ongoing nature of the discussions we were
having and the sense that we couldn't bring this to a close, that
we needed to protect DOD personnel and cease providing that while
we sort this out.
REP. LANTOS: Now, Secretary Gelbard testified a minute ago that he
has every expectation that before the end of this week, he will
work out temporary arrangements that will achieve the goal of
continuing to provide information.
Am I quoting you correctly?
MR. GELBARD: Yes, sir.
REP. LANTOS: Well, if you have the ability, Secretary Gelbard, to
make this arrangement within the next 48 hours, what prevented the
Department of State from doing this between April 27 and May 1, so
we wouldn't have had this absurdity of stopping this abruptly,
causing all of the consequences that we have been discussing, and
now having to come to us with legislation that presumably is not
needed because you will be able to arrange the desired result
without legislation?
MR. GELBARD: What I said before, Mr. Chairman, is that, given
current law, we will be seeking interim agreements with those
governments that any U.S.-provided tracking data not be used for
shooting at or shooting down aircraft. Both governments have told
me that if there is a long-term solution in sight, they are
prepared to work out shorter-term interim arrangements along these
lines.
REP. LANTOS: Well, what prevented the Department of State from
doing this two months ago?
MR. GELBARD: Because neither government was prepared, given the
lack of a change in U.S. policy at that time, to work out such
agreements because of their stated policies of shooting down or
shooting at aircraft.
REP. LANTOS: I don't understand the change in status or
attitudes..
MR. GELBARD: When I was in Bogota and Lima during the last two
weeks, we --
REP. LANTOS: No, go back to March and April. The Department of
Defense is testifying that in interagency meetings, they were
threatening to terminate this activity..
Is that accurate?
MR. GELBARD: Yes, sir.
REP. LANTOS: Is it also accurate that the Department of State was
fully aware of that?
MR. GELBARD: Yes, sir.
REP. LANTOS: So it didn't come as a surprise to you that on May 1
the Department of Defense stopped its sharing of information?
MR. GELBARD: They informed us that they would.
REP. LANTOS: How far in advance?
MR. GELBARD: I can't recall.
REP. LANTOS: Approximately.
MR. GELBARD: Several days before.
REP. LANTOS: Just several days?
Mr. Sheridan, when did DOD advise the other -- who were -- who was
it participating in the interagency discussions, in addition to
State and Defense?
MR. SHERIDAN: Most of these discussions took place -- and we have
interagency working group meetings about every two weeks, and
there's a whole cast of characters who attend those meetings.
REP. LANTOS: At that point, to the best of your recollection, did
DOD advise the others that you will cease sharing information on
May 1?
MR. SHERIDAN: On April 20, the undersecretary of defense sent a
letter to the undersecretary of state notifying him of DOD's
intention unless we receive those assurances.
REP. LANTOS: And what was the response from the Department of
State?
MR. SHERIDAN: I would yield to Ambassador Gelbard. .
REP. LANTOS: What was the response, Secretary Gelbard?
MR. GELBARD: We did not agree with their decision. We did not
send a written answer, but we did not agree with them and we told
them that.
One thing I would like to stress, though, Mr. Chairman --
REP. LANTOS: Well I still -- I still need an answer to my previous
question.
You are now telling these committees that within 48 hours you will
be able to arrange a satisfactory interim solution. Is that
correct?
MR. GELBARD: Yes, sir.
REP. LANTOS: Well, if that is the case, then my question still
stands: Why, having received a letter from the deputy secretary of
defense on April 20th, telling you that they will cease sharing
information, why did not Department of State come up with this
interim solution?
MR. GELBARD: Because those governments were not prepared, as we
saw during our visit to those two countries last week, to accept
that kind of interim solution or that kind of solution as a long-
term solution, unless there was going to be a chance in U.S.
policy. They urged us to change our policy, but at the time and
until yesterday, when the president made his decision, there was
no change in U.S. policy envisioned..
REP. LANTOS: But why was this change of policy coming about in
such a leisurely fashion?
MR. GELBARD: We have not been taking this in any leisurely
fashion. This has been examined very intensively. We have been
struggling with this issue which is a very complicated one and we
have not been happy about this in the slightest, none of us. But
this has been a serious problem and we do take the law of the
United States very seriously.
REP. LANTOS: Everybody takes the law of the United States very
seriously.
Apparently on April 30th -- was that law in effect on April 30th?
MR. GELBARD: Of course it was.
REP. LANTOS: Was it in effect on March 31?
MR. GELBARD: Yes sir.
REP. LANTOS: How 'bout last Christmas?
MR. GELBARD: Yes sir, the Congress had passed --
REP. LANTOS: How about a year ago this Easter?
MR. GELBARD: Yes sir the Congress had passed this --
REP. LANTOS: (Interrupts) -- So all of this time this law was in
effect.
MR. GELBARD: Yes sir. The Congress had passed this law in 1984.
REP. LANTOS: So for ten years between 1984 and May 1, 1994, the
law was in effect and it didn't make much difference. But
suddenly on May 1, it became an item on which this action had to
be taken by DOD.
MR. GELBARD: Let me explain two separate sets of legal issues. In
July of 1990, during the last administration, the U.S. government
did convey to the government of Colombia our concerns based on
international law that we were opposed to their using the data we
were providing them at that time for shooting down aircraft. This
is based on the Chicago convention and the Montreal conventions.
And we told them at the time -- as I said, July of 1990 -- that if
such information provided by the United States or assistance
provided by the United States were used for shooting down
aircraft, that would have serious affect on our ability to
continue to provide such assistance.
The Colombian government only changed its policy to have a stated
policy of shooting at or shooting down aircraft earlier this year
and it was based on that change in policy that there was a new
examination of the implications of that policy on international
law. In the course of this examination, the Justice Department
and the general counsels of the other departments of the executive
branch discovered these various domestic laws and after intensive
examination this spring, they came back to us very firmly and very
clearly and told us that we were not allowed to provide such
assistance.
REP. LANTOS: Colombia changed its policy only early this year.
MR. GELBARD: Yes sir.
REP. LANTOS: When did Peru change its policy?
MR. GELBARD: I believe a year ago.
REP. LANTOS: Well, why wasn't there an immediate change then?
MR. GELBARD: I can't answer that, sir.
REP. LANTOS: Congressman Gilman.
REP. GILMAN: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Your are certainly raising
some important issues..
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, you're certainly raising some important
issues.
Mr. Sheridan, it's my understanding that Section 1004 of the code
of 21 USC 1503 establishing the office of drug control policy
states that, and I quote: "The head of the national drug control
program agency shall notify the director in writing regarding any
proposed change in policies relating to the activities of such
department or agency under the national drug control program prior
to the implementation of such a change." Was the director notified
of your change? I'm talking now about the director of the
national drug control program, the Drug Czar, as we refer to him.
Had he been notified prior to the change?
MR. SHERIDAN: Well, in the interagency meetings which we discussed
there was representation from ONDCP at that meetings.
REP. GILMAN: Says that the "Agency shall notify the director in
writing regarding any proposed change in policies." Had the
director been notified, in writing, of any proposed change by the
Pentagon?
MR. SHERIDAN: Well, the --
REP. GILMAN: Can you tell us whether he was notified? I think
that only takes a yes or no answer.
MR. SHERIDAN: Well sir, it depends on what you're calling a change
in policy.
There's been a long-standing U.S. policy that we do not fire at
civil aircraft in flight, and do not support that activity.
REP. GILMAN: Then you contend, Mr. Sheridan, that by the Pentagon
directing a cessation of the sharing of intelligence was not a
change of policy? Is that what you're telling this committee? Is
that your impression, that this was not a change in policy?
MR. SHERIDAN: It was not a change in policy regarding U.S. policy
toward the treatment of civil aircraft in flight.
REP. GILMAN: The cutting off of intelligence to Colombia and Peru
was not a change in our government's policy toward Colombia and
Peru? That's an astounding response as far as I'm concerned.
What would you call it if it's not a change in policy?
MR. SHERIDAN: Well, let me just remind that it was never the
Department of Defense's intention to cease providing information.
But we had wanted and had hoped and continue to hope is that those
nations would not use out information to shoot down civil aircraft
in flight.
REP. GILMAN: Is that put down in writing someplace? That's the
first I've heard that condition.
MR. SHERIDAN: Which condition is that?
REP. MYERS: The one you just recited, that it was your hope that
you continue to give them information but that they wouldn't use
it for some purpose.
MR. SHERIDAN: Well, that was certainly understood to be DOD's
position.
REP. GILMAN: Understood by who?
MR. SHERIDAN: It was understood by all the elements of our
government that that's what we wanted.
REP. GILMAN: Mr. Sheridan, again I'm asking you, why wasn't there
a compliance with this section of the code, that any change in
policy would be provided to the director in writing? So that the
director would have an opportunity, as this statue goes out to
promptly review such proposed change and certify to the department
or agency head in writing whether such change is consistent with
our national drug control strategy?
I don't think I'm asking for a complicated response.
MR. SHERIDAN: Well, I'm not sure what you're asking me for. Was
there a letter sent? No, there was not.
REP. GILMAN: There was nothing in writing then provided to the
director?
MR. SHERIDAN: No. That's right.
REP. GILMAN: So then you're in violation of the statute. Is that
right?
MR. SHERIDAN: We did not interpret the statute that way or our
activity that way.
REP. GILMAN: Had you ever notified the director of your change in
sharing of intelligence in writing?
MR. SHERIDAN: In writing, no.
REP. GILMAN: Isn't there a task force that meets regularly on
narcotics? Do you meet with that task force?
MR. SHERIDAN: Yes, those are the working group meetings that we
discussed earlier.
REP. GILMAN: How often do you meet with the working group?
MR. SHERIDAN: Once every two weeks or as called.
REP. GILMAN: And was the drug czar present at the working group
immediately after you changed your policy or, as you say, you made
a -- I don't know what you want to call it if it's not a change of
policy -- when you differed from what you were doing in the past?
Was he present at a meeting following that May 1st decision?
MR. SHERIDAN: There were many meetings that followed that.
REP. GILMAN: Did you discuss that with the director?
MR. SHERIDAN: This was thoroughly discussed.
REP. GILMAN: And was it discussed with Mr. Gelbard's office? .
MR. SHERIDAN: We've been involved in nonstop discussions on this
issue every day since I don't know.
REP. GILMAN: Was it discussed with the DEA?
MR. SHERIDAN: Yes, DEA --
REP. GILMAN: Was there any difference in opinion amongst -- within
the task force with regard to this shifting of policy if it's not
a change in policy?
MR. SHERIDAN: You can discuss that with other members of the
interagency.
REP. GILMAN: I'm sorry. I didn't understand the response.
MR. SHERIDAN: Other members of the interagency process, I think,
could speak for themselves. I will not speak for them.
REP. GILMAN: Well, was there any difference of opinion as far as
you recall after you had made that pronouncement of a shifting of
the policy?
MR. SHERIDAN: There were a number of different -- I mean --
positions held by different agencies, but I would prefer to let
them speak for themselves.
REP. GILMAN: Well, what is your recollection? Was there a
difference of opinion expressed by those other agencies?
MR. SHERIDAN: Regarding the interpretation of international law?
REP. GILMAN: No, regarding your shifting -- the Pentagon shifting
of the policy on exchange of intelligence. I don't think I'm
making a very complicated question out of this.
MR. SHERIDAN: There were some agencies, I suppose, that agreed and
some that disagreed.
REP. GILMAN: Mr. Gelbard, were you present at any of these
meetings?
MR. GELBARD: Yes, sir. I'm the chairman of the group.
REP. GILMAN: And was there any difference of opinion with regard
to those members of the task force, the working group.
MR. GELBARD: There were differences of opinion, sir.
REP. GILMAN: And did anyone raise the question of shouldn't the
director be given a notice in writing to give him an opportunity
to respond in writing?
MR. GELBARD: Members of his staff are in attendance at all those
meetings and the issue of informing him in writing, however, did
not come up.
REP. GILMAN: Had the Congress ever been notified about that time
of the change in policy?
MR. GELBARD: Not that I'm aware of.
REP. GILMAN: When was the Congress first notified?
MR. GELBARD: I can't recall, sir.
REP. GILMAN: As I recall I guess it was a newspaper notification
is the first we received. I haven't seen any formal notification
from the task force, from the director or from your office with
regard to a -- my colleagues seem to confirm that it was a
newspaper when we first learned of the shifting of the policy. It
seems to me that the task force ought to take a look at the
statute and get back to where the Congress intended them to be
with regard to the narcotics control strategy and any change in
the strategy.
Now according to most recent -- (word inaudible) -- reports,
there's been a 30 percent decline in coco cultivation in Peru
since the last report. I understand that the upper Huallaga
production has gone down considerably because of a fungus. Maybe
we ought to make use of that fungus elsewhere. However, the
combination factors would seem to provide an ideal opportunity for
our nation and Peru to explore some new initiatives since that
irradication that's been completed by the fungus makes them now
explore new seed beds and apparantly we see a disarray in the U.S.
policy that's undermining our ability to cooperate with the
Peruvians and yet we have an opportunity now to get into these new
areas where it's going to take three to five years to provide new
growth. And with production down, with the growers more
susceptible to counter measures, I think we're missing some great
opportunities to exploit the vulnerabilities in the cultivation
production cycle that we've seen since cultivation first exploded
in the Andean region. I was one of the first promoters of putting
some money in the upper Huallaga valley -- $50 million initial
appropriation and try to irradicate and they still haven't spent
some of that money because the terrorists and the drug traffickers
control that whole valley. I'm wondering what we're doing to take
advantage of this situation where the cultivation has been reduced
substantially; they're going to have to go into new beds of
productions. What are we doing to try to take advantage of that
to see what we can do about irradicating that entire crop in that
region?
MR. GELBARD: First, we have extended all the available funds we
have to support irradication and alternative crop programs. That
is precisely why I made my plea a bit earlier to free up the $77
million in economic support funds for Peru which has still been
frozen..
We could use those funds right now, Congressman Gilman, precisely
for the purposes that you have cited. I agree with you 100
percent. We are missing an opportunity if we're not able to begin
those kinds of projects to take advantage of the effect of the
significant decrease in coca production in the upper Huallaga and
other parts of Peru.
Second, since we have had so little in the way of economic support
funds to help use to support eradication and alternative
development programs, but because it also makes sense, we are also
trying to get the World Bank and the InterAmerican Development
Bank engaged for the first time in alternative development
projects to help lure farmers away from growing coca and into
other kinds of pursuits. We're pursuing that aggressively and we
think we are making some good headway on that.
REP. GILMAN: Well I'm pleased to hear that you're taking a look at
that. Tell me now, we have a $37 million cut made in the House
side in the State Department's INM program in the budget for '95.
That I would imagine would have a significant impact on your work,
and yet we didn't hear anything from the administration about its
efforts to do battle with that cut or to come forward and advocate
greater funding. Have you made some efforts now to try to correct
that loss in the INM budget?
MR. GELBARD: Congressman, as I said in my opening statement, first
the decrease in fiscal year '94 from $152 million to $100 million
has hurt us enormously.
Second, while the efforts by helpful members of the House of
Representatives, such as you, have helped bring up the level to
$115 million in the House, and we continue to try to press for the
full $152 million as we did in the House and also are now trying
in the Senate, if we do not get full funding, given the more
globalized nature of this problem, particularly because of the
increasing spread of heroin trafficking, opium poppy cultivation
and the geographic increase throughout Asia and into the former
Soviet Union, we are going to have to cut back and close programs
in a number of areas. This has just had a chilling effect on us.
REP. GILMAN: I think, Mr. Gelbard -- and I appreciate your
comments about that, and we certainly want to help, I think it
would be extremely helpful if the administration would put its
shoulder behind the wheel of what you're trying to do and raise
that funding. We have too seldom heard from this administration
with regard to the need for better funding in the drug programs.
The words out there are great and the speeches are great, but the
deeds lack any support for those words..
MORE.
And I hope that you would encourage the administration to show up
on the Hill and let us know that they're fully behind what you're
seeking to do.
I'd be pleased to yield back the balance of my time. Thank you,
Mr. Chairman.
REP. LANTOS: (Off mike.) REP. WYNN (?): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Sheridan, just generally speaking, from an operational
standpoint, how do you assess the success or failure of DOD's
operations in this interdiction effort? I mean, there's obviously
a substantial loss in confidence in our ability to execute this
type of program. What's your overall assessment?
MR. SHERIDAN: Of DOD's performance in South America?
REP. WYNN (?): Yes.
MR. SHERIDAN: I would say that over the last number of years,
principally supporting the State Department's (INMF ?) efforts and
working with DEA, we have been developing the capability to
disrupt the movement of cocaine, and I think the results are
improving every year. I think my numbers indicate there were
somewhere around 130 metric tons seized in Latin America last
year, and that is significantly more than you would have found,
certainly 10 years ago --
REP. WYNN (?): Okay. You're not focusing significantly on
disruption of production, is that a safe conclusion?
MR. SHERIDAN: On production? Our efforts are designed to -- DOD's
specifically are designed to interdict the flow of either finished
cocaine or semi-finished cocaine.
REP. WYNN (?): Mr. Gelbard, my colleague jokingly suggested
perhaps we ought to use that fungus in a more systematic manner.
I think to some extent he has a point in that that's the only
thing that seems to have slowed production. Is there any
consideration of utilizing a biological technology in this way?
MR. GELBARD: Don't think it hasn't occurred to us, Congressman.
And I say this with great hesitation in front of Congressman
Torricelli, but once again, we have laws, through the Biological
Warfare Convention and U.S. statutes, which prevent us from using
what would be biological agents. We are trying --
REP. WYNN (?): Have there been any attempts to maybe focus that
question? As opposed to biological warfare, to drug interdiction,
has there been any attempt to create that kind of focus?
MR. GELBARD: We are really pressing the governments of Bolivia and
Peru on eradication attempts, because as I said earlier, this is
what really gets to the heart of the problem.
REP. WYNN (?): It seems to be working in Guatemala. What's the
problem? You have a good record, apparently, of elimination and
eradication of poppy production -- cultivation, rather, in
Guatemala. Why hasn't that been duplicated?
MR. GELBARD: First, in Guatemala, the area that was involved was
really pretty small, although indeed you're right, the eradication
efforts have been very, very effective there. Colombia, too, has
been working at eradicating opium poppies and they've eradicated
approximately 22,000 hectares, about 55,000 hectares --
REP. WYNN (?): Apparently that's not very significant.
I know we have a vote (on question ?). In Colombia, apparently
there have been allegations that some of the military units are
engaged in human rights violations. Can you comment on that?
And if so, what efforts are being made to prevent this from
happening, screening out these units or what have you?
MR. GELBARD: We have been working to assure that there is strong
end use monitoring measures for any military equipment that we
provide.
REP. WYNN (?): First of all, do you have the information on the
violations? Do they exist or not?
MR. GELBARD: We do have reports about human rights violations, and
we have been pressing the government of Colombia about this over
time. We have had lots of conversations with human rights
organizations in the United States and internationally, and we
feel that the Colombian government has been trying to improve its
systems to prevent human rights violations because they feel
strongly about it.
REP. WYNN (?): In view of the time, could you send me something a
little more comprehensive on this subject in terms of exactly what
we're doing, exactly the extent of the alleged violations, how
broad- based they are, and whether they have any official
sanction?
MR. GELBARD: Yes, Congressman, I will.
REP. WYNN (?): Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.,.
REP. TORRICELLI: Thank you. Mr. Lantos is going to return in a
moment.
However, since I may not get the chance again, let me finally just
say for myself on two issues. First, the Bush administration
certainly could be criticized for emphasizing the war against
drugs only in the growing fields of Latin America and in
interdiction while ignoring the consumption problem of the United
States. This administration must be very careful in its
considerable and commendable enthusiasm for dealing with the
narcotics problem within the United States in terms of consumption
that our efforts at interdiction are not compromised. Part of the
reason why there has been so much concern with this failure to
continue cooperation with Peru and Colombia, that it is final
evidence that our previous efforts at interdiction no longer have
considerable support. That may or may not be the case, but it is
the impression, and it clearly is causing political doubts in
Colombia and Peru and is being interpreted by the narcotraffickers
as open season, leading to precipitous increases in shipments.
It would appear to me that the concern of this committee, the
attention of the media and, I suspect, the considerable attention
of the president of the United States has led to, if not a
reversal, a correction in policy that will solve this problem. If
that is the case, I'm pleased with the hearing, it is mission
accomplished, we can get on with our business. But it is a word
to the wise that there may be an imbalance in policy.
Finally, let me say I was in Nicaragua last week and visited the
Atlantic Coast, the Mosquito Coast..
The next policy issue this administration must address is because
of our historic differences with the Sandinista military of
Nicaragua there is no communication and no cooperation. The
Atlantic coast of Nicaragua is open season for narco-traffickers.
There is not one patrol boat operating by the Nicaraguan
government on the Atlantic coast. There is no interdiction.
Narco-traffickers daily are stopping their craft along that coast
for supplies and for (rations ?) without interruption. We have to
get over the difficulties of the last decade and begin cooperating
with the Nicaraguan military, because they share some of our
interests in gaining sovereignty back over their coast.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
REP. LANTOS: Thank you very much, Chairman Torricelli.
Let me pursue the proposed legislation that I take it will be sent
up here soon.
When do you expect that legislative draft to reach the Hill,
Secretary Gelbard?
MR. GELBARD: I'm hopeful, Mr. Chairman, that it will be in the
next day or so.
REP. LANTOS: Now, let us assume that we introduce it immediately
and Chairman Torricelli and I will introduce it, assuming that it
meets our approval immediately -- let's assume that Congress acts
expeditiously and the legislation passes. What in essence will
that legislation call for?
MR. GELBARD: We're asking for a narrow change in existing U.S.
Criminal Code provisions on the use of force against civilian
aircraft. There would be an exemption from criminal liability use
of force by specifically designated foreign governments facing
national security threats from drug trafficking so long as those
countries have in place appropriate procedures to protect innocent
aircraft.
We would also exempt assistance by the United States government to
those countries. And we are doing this obviously in the context
of the very difficult conditions that we see the governments of
Colombia and Peru in right now..
REP. LANTOS: Is this legislation, proposed legislation, in any
sense in conflict with procedures and policies of international
organizations?
MR. GELBARD: At the same time, Mr. Chairman, we want to begin to
looking at changes in international conventions because there is a
feeling that they might very well -- in fact, they are in conflict
with some existing international conventions. I have already
discussed with the governments of Colombia and Peru the issue of
developing a multilateral approach to make a similar kind of
narrow exception in the international -- relevant international
conventions through the International Civil Aviation Organization.
REP. LANTOS: Well, let's assume that International Civil Aviation
Organization does not change its policies. Are we under those
circumstances prepared to go it -- go this way on a unilateral
basis?
MR. GELBARD: My understanding is that once we are able to affect
the necessary legislative changes in U.S. law, that we are
prepared to do so.
REP. LANTOS: Is this your understanding also, Mr. Sheridan?
MR. SHERIDAN: The Department of Defense will do what it's told, if
that is the intention of the president. I mean, you're talking
about a hypothetical situation, and we're not there yet. But
certainly the department is committed to the counterdrug effort
and will support the president's desire.
REP. LANTOS: Mr. Constantine, what is your view of this proposed
legislation?
MR. CONSTANTINE: Well, I've been kind of sitting here kind of
happy I wasn't either of these two for about the last hour. --
(Laughter.) .
REP. LANTOS: We decided that since this is your first appearance,
we would give you somewhat of a free ride. -- (Laughter.) .
MR. CONSTANTINE: One of the things that I think is important to
say, Congressman, is that -- to put all this stuff in perspective
-- is that this is just one part of a strategy on the part of law
enforcement or government to do something about the drug problem.
The providing of information if it can be done legally to other
countries and that they take action as necessary, that is some bit
of deterrence as to narcotics traffickers flying from Bolivia or
Peru into Colombia, and it's somewhat like -- it becomes
exacerbated when you say, "Well, we can't do anything about it."
It becomes public. It's like saying you'll never chase a drunken
driver down a road again, every drunken driver will decide to
flee. But there's a lot of other issues from the position of DEA
that I mentioned here today that we think are equally if not more
important. The eradication seems to have seized tonnage and
tonnage of cocaine, and surely if it wasn't seized, it would be
here and cause us even more problems, perhaps at a lower price.
But the price hasn't gone up, and the amount keeps increasing or
keeps becoming available.
We look at DEA as to the seizure of narcotics if possible should
be related to the making of a criminal case against all of the
principles who are involved in the process, and I think that's
where the seizure become important. And that's where the
intelligence information becomes vital to you to put it together.
My concern is -- other than this issue, which everybody has
addressed today, and I appreciate everybody's concern, it was an
education to me -- is that the principles involved in this
narcotic traffic presently are immune from sanction. As long as
they remain immune from sanction, a lot of other strategies that
we have are really less effective.
REP. LANTOS: I full agree with you, and let me ask Secretary
Gelbard, why do they remain immune from sanctions?
MR. GELBARD: I'm sorry, could you --
REP. LANTOS: Why are the principles immune from sanctions?
MR. GELBARD: You mean the drug traffickers? We are attempting and
we have had major efforts in a variety of ways to emphasize
extradition, to emphasize evidence sharing when there are either
not indictments in the United States or a prohibition on
extradition of nationals, we've made major efforts to try to help
governments develop --
REP. LANTOS: But what leverage do we have? What leverage do we
have?
MR. GELBARD: We have the ability --
REP. LANTOS: Be specific, country by country.
MR. GELBARD: I -- we have the ability on an overall basis, because
of the certification process, to impose sanctions when we feel
those governments are not cooperating fully with us. We have --
REP. LANTOS: We are -- leaving the kingpins immune certainly would
indicate that they are not cooperating with us.
MR. GELBARD: What we have been doing is trying to help those
governments develop cases --
REP. LANTOS: No, no, let me take you back to Director
Constantine's point. His main complaint -- and I suspect the
American people would overwhelming agree with him -- that we are
impotent as long as the kingpins living in these countries are
immune. Now do you agree with his basic point that they are
immune?
MR. GELBARD: No, I don't. We have -- the governments of Colombia,
Peru and Bolivia specifically have put a number of these people in
jail, there have been other instances where major traffickers have
been killed, fleeing or in other law enforcement efforts.
REP. LANTOS: Now what is the current status of the Colombian
government's efforts to negotiate a settlement with the leaders of
the Cali cartel under the surrender decree?
MR. GELBARD: We have had a major problem with their prosecutor-
general, Gustavo Degrave (ph), who is independent from the
government, and who, as we have said publicly, as we have said
privately, as we have been fighting, has been trying to avoid
serious prosecution and asset seizure of major traffickers -- from
major traffickers in the Cali cartel. As a result, we have
suspended any --
REP. LANTOS: So when you say independent, you mean independent for
what period of time, and how can that independence be curtailed?
MR. GELBARD: He has an independent term.
REP. LANTOS: When does that term end?
MR. GELBARD: I believe he has several more years, theoretically,
in office.
REP. LANTOS: And under no circumstances can he be removed --
MR. GELBARD: He can be --
REP. LANTOS: -- prior to the termination of his tenure?
MR. GELBARD: As I understand it, he can be removed by the
Colombian constitutional or supreme court.
REP. LANTOS: And has that been attempted?
MR. GELBARD: That has not yet been attempted, but has been under
discussion within Colombia. We have made very clear, both
publicly and privately, our refusal to work with him because of
his misuse of U.S.-provided assistance, his lack of seriousness
about prosecution of major drug traffickers.
REP. LANTOS: Well, and what -- what's the next step.
MR. GELBARD: And we hope that -- and we have tried to encourage
the government of Colombia, particularly there, to urge that he be
removed from his position, and we have stressed this through our
unwillingness to work with him..
We feel that President Gaviria and his government, who have very
strong records of fighting against drug trafficking, are also very
dissatisfied with his performance, and they've made that very
clear. President Gaviria has come out very strongly against him
publicly.
REP. LANTOS: How about the degree of cooperation we are getting
from Peru?
MR. GELBARD: It's a very different situation because of the fact
that the major traffickers are mostly concentrated in Colombia.
But back in January, for example, the Colombian police arrested
the leading Peruvian trafficker, they quickly deported him to
Peru, he received a life sentence, which he's currently serving,
and they are also trying to go after other major traffickers.
However, as in many of these countries, there have been serious
problems in terms of both prosecution and problems with
correction.
REP. LANTOS: Mr. Constantine, having been in the job only three
months and having a very distinguished record in the field of law
enforcement, on the basis of this very limited time frame, what
changes would you recommend in our international drug policy?
MR. CONSTANTINE: I would think that the key issue right now and
will be for the next several years is the Cali cartel because, as
the Ambassador Gelbard has said, the Colombian police at great
personal cost were very effective in dealing with the group out of
Medellin.
REP. LANTOS: Yes.
MR. CONSTANTINE: I think it was a good example for us to see how,
with the right pressure and government moving strongly against it,
how something like that can disintegrate fairly quickly. I
honestly have to tell you, even though I'm new to this job, I've
been involved in investigations with the Cali cartel since 1985 in
New York state, substantial investigations in which major
principals were indicted for criminal violations of substantial
crimes in New York state as long ago as 1989 and have never been
brought to justice. And I am concerned that there are that group
of people which account for at least 80 percent of all the cocaine
traffic in the United States and is suspected of many vicious
crimes, under the present constitution of Colombia, obviously,
will not be extradited to the United States.
The next question is, will they be brought to justice with the
appropriate sanctions in Colombia? In my three months of reading
every historic report I can, I do not see that happening, and the
analogy that I have made with people, having worked organized
crime cases, it's a little like letting John Gotti sit in Howard
Beach, Queens, and go to the Ravenite (sp) Social Club and do what
he wants to do every day, and sending all of the bookmakers and
loan-sharkers to jail, while the major principal exists immune.
And one of the things that's been effective in organized crime in
this country -- I give great credit to Bobby Kennedy, who started
all this thing -- was going after the principals, using witnesses
against them, giving people breaks, all the way up the line until
you get the major figures and send them to prison..
That, to me, would be the greatest asset that you could add to all
the present tools that you have to deal with the international
narcotics cartels that operate in the United States because it's
not that they just sit over there, they direct every minute piece
of the operation that's going on in Queens or Los Angeles or
Houston.
REP. LANTOS: Mr. Gelbard, you are the government's top foreign
policy expert in this field; you have this as your responsibility.
What in your judgment makes the Cali cartel so much more resilient
compared to the Medellin cartel?
MR. GELBARD: I think it's been much more difficult to try to
develop strong cases but at the same time, we have seen enormous
difficulties on the part of individuals in terms of developing the
political will to go after them. We have serious difficulty, as I
have mentioned before, because of Gustavo Degrave's (pp)
unwillingness to seriously approach the problem of the leadership
of the Cali cartel in a way of trying to prosecute them -- serious
cases. We have been working with the Gaviria government, as Mr.
Constantine says, with very good success against the Medellin
cartel. These people are indeed slicker. They have operated in a
very different way and they have tried to create the image of
kinder, gentler drug traffickers.
In point of fact, there's still tremendous violence, many murders
and this is not a gentle group of people. But we need strong
political will on the part of the law enforcement authorities in
Colombia to continue to go after them. We've seen it in the
Colombian police in the past, we certainly have seen it in the
Gaviria administration. We want to work with them and maintain
that kind of international cooperation but it's awfully difficult
when the individual charged with the prosecutions of these people
either won't do it or provides them with nothing more than slaps
on the wrist and no asset siezure.
REP. LANTOS: Is it your judgment that the government is doing
everything it can to get rid of him?
MR. GELBARD: I feel quite confident that President Gaviria's
government has tried to be very effective on this and they are
very frustrated, extremely frustrated.
REP. LANTOS: That's not a good enough answer for me. What do you
mean by frustrated?
MR. GELBARD: Under their system, they do not have the ability to
remove him. As I said earlier, he has to be removed by the
courts.
MORE.
REP. LANTOS: And the courts are intimidated.
MR. GELBARD: For whatever reasons --
REP. LANTOS: Well, what's your judgment? I mean, this is not an
unusual question. I mean, if the courts have the legal right to
remove the obstacle in the way of getting at the kingpins of the
drug world, then why don't the courts do it?
MR. GELBARD: I really don't --
REP. LANTOS: They're either paid off or they're intimidated. So,
which of the two is the answer?
MR. GELBARD: Mr. Chairman, I really don't know the answer to that,
but I am still hopeful that DeGrave (sp) will be removed from his
position.
REP. LANTOS: Well, what is your hunch? Are they intimidated or
are they paid off?
MR. GELBARD: I'd rather not answer that in open session.
REP. LANTOS: Well, we will have a closed session on this whole
subject because the answers, frankly, are simply unacceptable to
the American people; that this nightmare of the drug epidemic
continues because an individual in Colombia is unwilling to
prosecute the kingpins of this giant international conspiracy.
Mr. Manzullo?
REP. MANZULLO: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Constantine -- Constantine, forgive me -- do you have enough
DEA agents?
MR. CONSTANTINE: You mean overall?
REP. MANZULLO: That's correct.
MR. CONSTANTINE: Well, I mean, that's a very tough question. I've
run police departments now for almost nine or ten years, and there
was never enough troopers, there's never enough agents, there's
never enough people from the FBI.
I think that the difficulty started three years ago when there was
gradually, I think in 1991, there was a freezing of budgets, then
successively it started to become more difficult --
REP. MANZULLO: Can I race you three years ahead to now, because
the administration is cutting the DEA budget by $2 million. That
obviously will have some impact on the hiring of DEA agents. It's
a very simple question. I mean, at this point -- and I know
you've been on the job a very short period of time -- do you feel
you have enough DEA agents to carry out your program of
interdiction?
MR. CONSTANTINE: I'd have to say at this stage of the game that if
we could maintain ourselves at full strength, that we'd be able to
meet most of the missions. But I also have to tell you -- and I'm
going to be very honest with you -- as the heroin targets start to
explode underneath us everywhere, that means that you have to look
down the road and say, gee, all that I have to do right now, with
all of the assets -- and they are not infinite, I mean they are
finite resources, and the problems are becoming infinite, so you
try to --
REP. MANZULLO: You're short of agents.
MR. CONSTANTINE: At this point in time we're about 130 over what
has become a reduced target. I've heard on the markup on the
bills in both houses that that may very well be corrected..
REP. MANZULLO: So what's your answer?
MR. CONSTANTINE: Well, I --
REP. MANZULLO: Are you short of agents to adequately --
MR. CONSTANTINE: I can't give you the exact number of agents --
REP. MANZULLO: But you're short, is that correct?
MR. CONSTANTINE: Presently we're 130 or 140 over the target. It's
less than existed in 1991. But there's a reduced appropriation
for the target figure --
REP. MANZULLO: No, I -- I want to lay aside all appropriations and
all the congressional legalese and all this -- all this stuff --
and ask you, as a professional police officer, and you've been in
this a long, long time and understand the issue, do you feel as of
this date that you have enough DEA agents to adequately do the
job?
MR. CONSTANTINE: No.
REP. MANZULLO: Okay. And this is at the same time that the
administration is seeking $2 million less than your old DEA budget
-- overall DEA budget?
MR. CONSTANTINE: I'm not sure that's the figure, though,
Congressman. I mean, I would have to check that.
REP. MANZULLO: Has the president -- is the president seeking more
funding so you can have more DEA agents?
MR. CONSTANTINE: I think the budget was hold harmless this year.
There was 10 less DEA agents in the budget.
REP. MANZULLO: How many do you need, Mr. Constantine?
MR. CONSTANTINE: Oh, I mean, I would --
REP. MANZULLO: Do you have any idea?
MR. CONSTANTINE: It would be an unreasonable figure if I gave it
to you right now, because --.
REP. MANZULLO: Be unreasonable, because we --
MR. CONSTANTINE: Oh, wow.
REP. MANZULLO: -- you know --
MR. CONSTANTINE: People accuse me of that often, but I kind of --
REP. MANZULLO: That's not the case, because we're obviously here
because we feel there have been cutbacks in --
MR. CONSTANTINE: You presently have 3,500 sworn personnel for DEA
covering all of the domestic United States and 53 foreign offices.
You know, you could rise up to a number of 7,000 or 8,000. But I
think there comes a point in time where all of us say, look, this
is the amount of money that we can afford to put into something.
I've dealt with these types of issues back in New York State
before I came here. Because there's other people, there's people
who need rehabilitation, there's prevention programs, there's a
balance to all of these things.
As I said, I'm pretty sure correctly, in the beginning, if held
harmless at the figures for 1991, I think DEA could be very
effective in the role that we have to play.
REP. MANZULLO: But the reason I'm asking these questions is that
the President's overall request for drug control through various
programs is $13.2 billion.
That's 1.1 billion more than the 12.1 billion enacted for fiscal
year 1994. The administration is seeking increased funds in five
areas -- drug prevention, up $448 million; drug treatment, up $360
million; drug-related criminal justice spending, up $227 million;
international programs, up $76 million; drug-related research --
whatever that is -- up $27 million. And the White House requested
reductions in two areas: interdiction, down $94 million; anti-drug
intelligence programs, down $600,000.
I think that's the reason why we're having this hearing today,
because people in the United States Congress and the people in
America believe that there is an insincere effort on the part of
the Clinton administration to adequately stop the flow of drugs
into this country.
REP. LANTOS: If my friend will yield to me, I think this is an
appalling and totally inaccurate, unfair statement..
To accuse the administration, any American administration, of
having an insincere effort to fighting the war against drugs is
simply not worthy of a member of this body.
REP. MANZULLO: Well, I --
REP. LANTOS: And I truly believe my good friend does not -- cannot
mean what he has just said. Partisanship has a role in political
debate, but to accuse either this administration or the previous
administration of a lack of sincerity in fighting the drug war is
not one of them.
REP. MANZULLO: Well, I will stand by my ground on that, Mr.
Chairman. I appreciate your interjection of your thought in here,
but when it comes -- apparently when it comes to interdiction,
there is no emphasis by this administration. And that's borne out
by the fact of the request made by the administration itself. I
can only state to you that's how we feel. There are many members
of Congress that feel there's been a lack of emphasis on
interdiction, and that's why my question to you was sincere,
because you're in a position where you know how short you are.
And there are many members that feel that the DEA needs more help
and want to take and channel resources from other areas into
interdiction.
So I would stand by my ground that there's a lack of sincerity in
trying to interdict the drugs, as borne out by this whole issue
with the AWACS. Thank you.
MR. GELBARD: Mr. Chairman, if I might --
REP. LANTOS: Please.
MR. GELBARD: -- respond to that briefly. As I said in my opening
statement, Congressman, the president's strategy concentrates on
maintaining very strong interdiction capabilities and very strong
law enforcement capabilities. What we have been doing because of
the serious budgetary problems with which the administration is
faced have been trying to look for the most efficient ways of
pursuing these interdiction and law enforcement efforts. And as a
result, the president's Western Hemisphere strategy calls for a
gradual shift away from the so-called transit zone interdiction
area to really trying to concentrate more on the source countries
and stopping it at the source. That's a much more effective way
than trying to catch it just before it enters our borders. We
still feel that is important, too, but we are trying to shift the
funds more in the direction of the source countries, where we feel
we can stop it with much greater efficiency and cost
effectiveness.
MR. CONSTANTINE: I would also add, if I could, sir, that the
administration's request this year is 9 percent over the '94
actual. And so, as far as we are concerned, the ball is in your
court, and we will see what the Congress does with the president's
request. But given the budgetary environment that we are in, a 9
percent increase over '94 I think is a substantial commitment on
the part of the administration.
I would also note that 59 percent of our spending is still on
supply reduction.
So this notion that, you know, while there is an increased
emphasis on drug treatment and so on, that this administration is
not committed to supply reduction is imply not so. Sixty cents of
every dollar spent is still on the supply reduction side. As
Ambassador Gelbard indicated, what we're doing is just -- on the
international side -- making some adjustments..
I would also note that international spending is up 22 percent in
this Clinton administration's '95 budget request. So if we want
to start looking at the numbers, let's look at all of them, and I
think we do pretty well.
REP. LANTOS: Congressman Mica?
REP. MICA: Well I -- you know, I just have tremendous problems
with this the -- you know, we're talking about interdiction,
they're cutting off intelligence to Peru and Colombia. I mean,
that's what really precipitated everything going on here. And
when Mr. Gilman was trying to ask a question -- you know, it's
apparent to us that when the drug czar, for example, his funding
was cut, I believe, by 73 percent, with a massive layoff in his
office -- that there are members of Congress that are deeply
concerned because we're hearing from the folks back home, and I
don't want to use that same word again. But I would expect you
gentlemen to get in there and try to scrap more for what little
federal dollars are left on discretionary spending in areas of
cutting off drugs. I mean --
MR. GELBARD (?): Congressman, we've been trying to do this, and we
have been spending a great deal of our time trying to press for
the request that went to the Congress in the fiscal year '95
budget. As I said earlier, my budget was reduced by a third in
fiscal year '94. We requested $150 million, we received $100
million. I'm afraid the same thing is happening for fiscal year
'95. The amounts of money we have available to support
eradication programs and development to lure the farmers away from
growing coca has diminished enormously. We simply have no funds
right now, as I responded to Congressman Gilman, to help the
Peruvian government in its efforts to eradicate coca. Now we're
encouraging them to look elsewhere, particularly through the
development banks, and we're creating an opening there. But we've
got serious problems with simply a lack of availability of cash
from what we've requested.
REP. LANTOS: We'll be in recess for 10 minutes and then resume
with Mr. Mica.
(Sounds gavel.) .
END OF COVERAGE
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely
under conditions of absolute reality"
-- Shirley Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House
Chris T. Hugins (chugins@cup.hp.com)
OSSD/Cupertino Open System Lab, 47LA/P8
19447 Pruneridge Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014
Phone: 408-447-5702 Fax: 408-447-6268
=============================================================================
Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs
From: chugins@cup.hp.com (Chris Hugins)
Subject: Defense Department's Counterdrug Support Programs
Message-ID: <Cs2CtJ.JFH@cup.hp.com>
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 1994 16:08:07 GMT
[ Article crossposted from soc.culture.latin-america ]
[ Author was sgastete@u.washington.edu ]
[ Posted on 25 Jun 1994 06:00:35 GMT ]
Copyright 1994 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.
Federal Document Clearing House Congressional Testimony
June 22, 1994, Wednesday
Section: Capitol Hill Hearing Testimony
Headline: Testimony June 22, 1994 Brian Sheridan Deputy Asistant
Secretary Of Defense Department Of Defense House Foreign
Affairs/International Security, International Organizations And
Human Rights Anti-Drug Strategy In The Western Hemisphere
Statement Of
Brian E. Sheridan
Deputy Assistant Secretary Of Defense For
Drug Enforcement Policy And Support
At A Hearing Before The
Subcommittee On International Security, International
Organizations, And Human Rights And The Subcommittee
On Western Hemisphere Affairs House Committee On Foreign
Affairs
June 22, 1994
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:
I am pleased to have this opportunity to discuss the Defense
Department's counterdrug support programs with you today. During
the last year DOD has significantly restructured its counterdrug
policy in order to maximize its support of the President's
National Drug Control Strategy within existing fiscal guidance.
I would like to give you an overview of the new DOD counterdrug
policy and programs, among which are activities that support
source nation counterdrug efforts in the Andean region.
First, I would like to touch on some of the realities that
have been brought home very clearly to me in the year that I have
been the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Drug
Enforcement Policy and Support. Foremost among these is the
enormity of the drug problem facing our Nation. Although the
scourge of drug use has been displaced in the headlines in recent
years, it is not hard to see that the issues that have moved to
the forefront of public concern - crime and healthcare - are
integrally connected to the problem of drug use. While we, as a
nation, have had some success in past years at decreasing the
casual use of drugs, hardcore use continues unabated and, worse
still, recent surveys indicate that our young may be increasing
their use of drugs. Drug-related crime continues to plague our
streets. We all see the tragic effects on the individuals whose
lives are destroyed by drug use or drug-related violence, and we
all feel the resulting strain on our local communities and our
criminal justice and healthcare systems. The numbers are
striking: 2.7 million Americans are chronic hardcore users;
10,000 Americans die because of drugs annually; and, illegal drug
use drains our economy of tens of billions of dollars each year.
In addition to the horrors inflicted by drugs in our own
country, drug trafficking continues to threaten the integrity of
Latin American democracies. Narcotraffickers have repeatedly used
violence and corruption to try to undermine the legislatures,
judiciaries, militaries, and police in Latin America. In
Colombia alone, hundreds of innocent citizens have been killed
and thousands injured by the drug cartels. Furthermore, there
has been insufficient attention given to the ecological harms
inflicted by the cultivation and processing of illegal drugs.
Slash and burn farming techniques have been used to increase the
production of coca and poppies, and the runoff of large
quantities of precursor chemicals used to manufacture cocaine is
polluting the environment.
Given the complexity of the issues surrounding drug use, I
have become convinced that there is a need for increased dialogue
among the Defense Department, Congress, and the American people
about the role of DOD in the counterdrug effort. When the
Defense Department was drafted into the counterdrug effort in
1989, many people held out the hope that military involvement was
the answer to our Nation's drug problem; the term "drug war"
misleadingly implied that, with a concerted effort, the military
could engage the enemy and bring victory. We must recognize that
illicit drug use is a deepseated social problem which, like the
problems of crime and inner-city poverty, will have to be
addressed by all Americans over the long- term. As the
President's recently announced National Drug Control Strategy
indicates, the Federal counterdrug effort should involve multiple
agencies cooperating to address the drug issue simultaneously on
a variety of fronts. The Defense Department, with its unique
assets and capabilities, has a critical, but supporting, role to
play in that effort. Any assessment of DOD's contribution should
be made in this context, and with an eye toward incremental
progress.
It is my belief that through effective strategic planning,
and increased dialogue with the Congress and other Federal
counterdrug agencies, we can better articulate reasonable
expectations for the wide variety of counterdrug programs
executed by DOD. Given that more than three times as much coca
is currently produced than is needed to satisfy the U.S. demand
for cocaine, it is not realistic to expect Federal supply
reduction efforts to significantly limit the availability of
cocaine in the near-term. There are, however, a number of goals
that coordinated Federal efforts can be expected to achieve,
including: disrupting the cocaine cartels, raising the costs of
drug trafficking, and denying traffickers their preferred methods
and routes, in particular the ability to fly directly into
Florida and over the Southwest border. The Defense Department
has contributed to significant successes in these areas. In
1993, DOD support activities led directly to the seizure of over
100 metric tons of cocaine that would otherwise have ended up on
U.S. streets, and thereby denied traffickers the associated
profits.
During the last year I have taken a number of steps to more
aggressively manage DOD's counterdrug programs and resources
which previously had grown at an explosive rate. As you know,
the DOD counterdrug budget rose from $380 million to $1.1 billion
between Fiscal Years 1989 and 1993. Last summer, at my
suggestion, the Department initiated an internal Comprehensive
Review of DOD counterdrug activities that was conducted by a team
consisting of representatives of the Office of the Secretary of
Defense, the Joint Staff, and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
The Review Team evaluated the operational impact and cost-
effectiveness of each of DOD's 170 counterdrug projects with
respect to National objectives, and recommended $135 million in
cuts to specific programs which were deemed of limited
operational impact. When the DOD counterdrug budget was
significantly reduced in the FY 94 Appropriation process, rather
than allocate the undistributed reductions across the board, we
directed cuts based on the findings of the Comprehensive Review.
As a result, twenty-four programs that had been found to be of
insufficient utility have been terminated. The level of funding
for numerous other programs was decreased in favor of more cost-
effective alternatives, while bringing the Department's
activities in line with the priorities of the National Drug
Control Strategy. This restructuring, which I will describe in
more detail in a moment, has been implemented in FY 94 and is
still being refined. The Department recommends continuing this
strategy and programmatic initiative which is reflected in the FY
95 budget request. As a mechanism for analyzing the results of
the restructuring, and in order to ensure that the level of
accountability for DOD counterdrug expenditures continues to
rise, I have established a working group of experts, with members
from relevant divisions under the Office of the Secretary of
Defense, the Joint Staff, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, to
serve as a quasi-Board of Directors for DOD counterdrug
activities. This group will review counterdrug program
effectiveness on an ongoing basis, and consider additional policy
initiatives. I will now more specifically describe the policy
and programs that DOD is implementing.
Background
As you are aware, DOD was given a number of counterdrug
responsibilities in 1989. Specifically, DOD was:
(1) assigned the lead role in the detection and monitoring of the
air and maritime transport of illegal drugs;
(2) tasked to integrate the command, control, communications, and
tactical intelligence counterdrug assets of Federal agencies;
and,
(3) directed to approve and fund Governor's State Plans for
National Guard counterdrug support efforts in each of the 54
states and territories.
DOD has effectively executed and continues to execute each of
these missions, developing an integrated DOD counterdrug program
involving the operational activities of five supported CINCS.
These activities have been in support of U.S. and Host Nation law
enforcement agencies; DOD personnel have not engaged in direct
law enforcement activities such as arrests and seizures.
Impetus for Refocusing DOD Counterdrug Policy
Despite the combined efforts of DOD and the other Federal
agencies with counterdrug responsibilities, the flow of cocaine
and other illegal drugs into the U.S. continues to constitute a
critical threat to National security. The Clinton Administration
has clearly articulated a multifaceted strategy for addressing
the myriad of problems associated with illicit drug use. In both
the Interim National Drug Control Strategy and the recently
released 1994 National Drug Control Strategy, President Clinton
has called for an integrated Federal effort with increased drug
education, prevention and treatment, as well as renewed
commitment to supply reduction activities. Domestically, supply
reduction efforts are to give priority to the High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Areas (HIDTA's) and are to be supported by increased
funding for community policing. With respect to international
supply reduction, the new National Strategy directs a controlled
shift in emphasis from the transit zone to the source nations of
Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru.
In response to the new Presidential direction from the
National Strategy, and incorporating the findings of our internal
Comprehensive Review, the Department of Defense issued new
counterdrug policy guidance in October, 1993. Signed by then
Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Perry, the new guidance
refocused DOD counterdrug policy around five strategic elements:
(1) support to cocaine source nations;
(2) intelligence support targeted toward dismantling cartels;
(3) detection and monitoring of the transport of illegal drugs;
(4) support to domestic drug law enforcement agencies,
emphasizing the Southwest border and other High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Areas (HIDTA's); and
(5) demand reduction. .1 will discuss the plans and objectives
within each of these five strategic elements in a moment.
It should be noted that while cocaine consumption continues
to pose the greatest drug problem in the United States, and
continues to be the top priority of the National Drug Control
Strategy, the increasing supply and purity of heroin in the U.S.
warrants increased attention. Colombia's role as a supplier of
heroin in the Western Hemisphere is growing, and there are
increasing reports of opium cultivation in Peru. DOD is
committed to assisting increased law enforcement efforts aimed at
heroin kingpins and their organizations. However, in light of
the fragmented and complex nature of the heroin industry, any
support provided by DOD must be applied judiciously. DOD is
currently involved in an interagency process to review and
strengthen our international heroin strategy which will result in
recommendations submitted to the President for approval this
year.
New DOD Counterdrug Policy
1) Source Nation Support - The new National Strategy calls
for increased support to those nations that demonstrate the
political will to combat narcotrafficking. Specifically, DOD
will focus its supporting efforts in the Andean countries of
Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru. Support will be aimed at
strengthening the democratic institutions in these nations,
encouraging national resolve and regional cooperation, and
further developing air sovereignty and ground-based endgame
(effective arrest and prosecution) capabilities with the
objective of moving these nations toward self-sustaining
counterdrug programs. DOD will achieve these goals by providing,
to the extent feasible and effective, consistent with law,
training and operational support to source nation police and
military units with counterdrug responsibilities through
deployments funded by security assistance or counterdrug funding
-- primarily by utilizing authority under Section 1004 of the FY
91 National Defense Authorization Act as amended, and Sections
517 and 506(2)(A) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 as
amended. All source nation activities will be accomplished in
cooperation with the Host Nations, and under the auspices of the
U.S. State Department. As in the past, DOD personnel will be
prohibited from engaging in, or accompanying Host Nation forces
on, law enforcement operations.
The Department understands the need for vigilant sensitivity
to the danger of human rights abuses in the Andean region. For
this reason all DOD training of Host Nation forces includes a
human rights component. Furthermore, the Defense Department, in
coordination with the State Department's Bureau of International
Narcotics Matters, has established standard operating procedures
for end use monitoring of U.S.supplied equipment. Additionally,
DOD has strengthened its end use monitoring practices by
requiring all Department personnel who deploy to the field to
verify the presence and use of U.S. supplied equipment at the
unit or site they are visiting.
In the last year U.S. efforts to bolster the political will
and the enforcement capabilities of source nations have yielded
encouraging results. One of the largest Peruvian drug
traffickers, Demitrio Chavez Penaherra, aka "Vaticanon, was
arrested in Colombia and expelled to Peru where he was prosecuted
for narcotrafficking and treason; he is now serving a 30 year
sentence. Moreover, the end of the eighteen-month pursuit of
Pablo Escobar marked the demise of the once dominant Medellin
cartel. Additionally, the government of Bolivia, in joint
operations with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA),
dismantled four major cocaine trafficking organizations in 1993.
No one is under any illusions that fighting drug traffic in the
Andes is less complicated than it has ever been, but we should
look to these recent successes as reasons for hope, and for
lessons about what types of programs work.
In addition to the DOD programs that directly assist source
nation counterdrug efforts, a number of the programs which I'll
describe below as part of other strategic elements of the DOD
counterdrug policy also support U.S. objectives in the Andean
region. It is important to understand that the DOD counterdrug
policy is designed to support the multifaceted approach directed
by the National Drug Control to exert pressure on the drug trade
from a variety of angles simultaneously.
2) Dismantling the Cartels - Among the most cost-effective
contributions which DOD can make to cooperative counterdrug
efforts is bringing its intelligence capabilities to projects
that target trafficking organizations. DOD is enhancing its
support of the DEA's Kingpin Strategy and the Counterdrug
Community's Kingpin Linear Approach which are specifically
designed to dismantle the cocaine cartels and the cocaine
business. DOD is also enhancing support to drug law enforcement
agencies through the use of Section 1004 authority to provide
translator and intelligence analyst support, and by expanding
intelligence gathering and sharing programs. Additionally, the
FY 95 budget request reflects DOD's funding for the National Drug
Intelligence Center (NDIC).
3) Detection and Monitoring of the Transport of Illegal Drugs
- DOD will support domestic law enforcement and host nation
detection and monitoring efforts by:
(a) emphasizing activities in the cocaine source countries of
Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru;
(b) streamlining activities in the transit zone (the region
between the source countries and the U.S. border region), with
detection and monitoring efforts focused toward intelligencecued
operations that directly support the Kingpin Linear Approach and
source country and arrival zone operations; and
(c) refocusing activities in the U.S. to emphasize the cocaine
threat at critical border locations.
The use of more cost-effective technologies (such as
relocatable- over-the-horizonradars (ROTHRs), and refitted TAGOS
Radar Picket ships), in place of some of the more costly ship
steaming and flying done in the past, is allowing DOD to maintain
a robust and flexible detection and monitoring capability in the
transit zone. The ROTHR operating in Chesapeake, Virginia, since
early 1993 has provided promising results. The addition of a
second ROTHR, scheduled to be operational in FY 95, will render
more complete coverage of the transit area. Additionally, in FY
95 we hope to begin site preparation for a ROTHR in Puerto Rico
that will improve coverage of the source nation area.
4) Direct Support to Domestic Drug Law Enforcement Agencies
(DLEAs)-Emphasizing the Southwest Border and other High Intensity
Drug Trafficking Areas DOD will continue to directly support
domestic DLEAs through:
(a) a Detailee program that provides intelligence analysts,
translators, and support personnel;
(b) a program implementing Section 1004 of the National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) of Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991, as
amended, that provides transportation, maintenance, equipment
upgrades and other forms of support;
(c) a program implementing Section 1208 of the NDAA that provides
excess DOD equipment to Federal, State and local DLEAS through
four regional logistical support offices; and
(d) the Governors' State Counterdrug Plans that use the National
Guard to support DLEAs and drug demand reduction activities.
DOD is developing comprehensive prioritization plans for
requirements submitted under these programs, emphasizing the
importance of efforts at the Southwest border and other High
Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas. If allowed by Congress, the
Department will increase funding support for the Section 1004-
program. In addition, DOD will continue to support Federal
counterdrug law enforcement agencies in addressing multi-agency
counterdrug command, control, communications, and technical
intelligence problems. DOD is also aggressively pursuing a
research and development program for cargo container inspection
systems. The technologies being explored utilize very
sophisticated X-ray and nuclear techniques and will be
demonstrated at testbed sites in Otay Mesa, California, Tacoma,
Washington, and at relocatable systems testbeds on the Southwest
border.
5) Demand Reduction - All Military Department and Defense
Agency drug testing and education programs will be continued,
with an emphasis placed on increased regionalization, automation,
and consolidation of testing. Additionally, DOD will continue the
community outreach demand reduction pilot program directed by the
FY 93 Defense Authorization Act. As part of the pilot study,
each of the Military Departments and the National Guard are
running programs which use military personnel as role models and
target at-risk youth. We are currently reviewing the efficacy of
these programs, and a report and accompanying recommendations
will be sent to Congress this fall.
These five strategic elements form the basis for a focused
DOD counterdrug program which directly supports the National Drug
Control Strategy. It is within this framework that we evaluate
the efficacy of each of our many different projects. As
discussed earlier, the reductions in the Department's FY 94
counterdrug budget were distributed in accordance with the
findings of the Comprehensive Review; this was done with an eye
toward achieving a balance among the five strategic areas that
reflects the priorities of the National Strategy. The following
charts show, by strategic area, how the budget distribution has
evolved to fit the new policy guidance, with continuing
refinements in the FY 95 request.
Conclusion
In summary, the Department's restructured counterdrug policy
is well defined and directly supports the National Drug Control
Strategy. In the last year DOD has significantly improved
program management, and efforts to further enhance program
effectiveness and increase accountability are underway. The
Administration's budget request for FY 1995 Defense Department
counterdrug activities represents 7% of the Federal counterdrug
budget. At that funding level DOD will be able to continue to
provide meaningful assistance to overburdened Federal, State, and
local law enforcement agencies, and crucial support to fragile
democracies in Latin America.
There can be no doubt of the harm illicit drugs inflict.
While DOD does not have a "silver bullet" that could end the drug
problem quickly, it does have unique talents and assets to bring
to the interagency counterdrug effort. Internationally, DOD is
engaged in operations that significantly strengthen the ability
of foreign governments, particularly those in the Andean region,
to arrest and prosecute drug traffickers. Domestically, the
results of DOD counterdrug programs - from providing excess
equipment to State police, to funding National Guard demand
reduction programs for at risk youth, to detailing intelligence
analysts to Federal agencies to prepare evidence for successful
criminal prosecutions - impact communities around the country
every day.
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely
under conditions of absolute reality"
-- Shirley Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House
Chris T. Hugins (chugins@cup.hp.com)
OSSD/Cupertino Open System Lab, 47LA/P8
19447 Pruneridge Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014
Phone: 408-447-5702 Fax: 408-447-6268
=============================================================================
Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs
From: chugins@cup.hp.com (Chris Hugins)
Subject: Department of State's Response to the Latin American Narcotics Threat
Message-ID: <Cs2Ctz.JG8@cup.hp.com>
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 1994 16:08:23 GMT
[ Article crossposted from soc.culture.latin-america ]
[ Author was sgastete@u.washington.edu ]
[ Posted on 25 Jun 1994 06:03:59 GMT ]
Copyright 1994 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.
Federal Document Clearing House Congressional Testimony
June 22, 1994, Wednesday
Section: Capitol Hill Hearing Testimony
Headline: Testimony June 22, 1994 Robert Gelbard Assistant
Secretary Of State Department Of State House Foreign
Affairs/International Security, International Organizations And
Human Rights Anti-Drug Strategy In The Western Hemisphere
Statement Of Assistant Secretary Of State
For International Narcotics Matters
Robert Gelbard
Before The
House Foreign Affairs Committee
June 22, 1994 -
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:
I appreciate the opportunity to discuss with you today the
Department of State's response to the Latin American narcotics
threat including our 1994 International Narcotics Control
Strategy Report (INCSR) and the President's certification
decisions that were based on it. As you have requested, I will
also discuss the President's counternarcotics strategy for the
Western Hemisphere, including efforts to safeguard human rights,
and our FY 1995 budget request. The 1994 INCSR is this
Administration's first full public assessment of the global drug
threat, and the President's April 1 certification underscores
this Administration's response to that threat. The message is
clear. President Clinton's approach to international drug
control can be capsulized in five words': no more business as
usual.
Mr. Chairman, let there be no doubts: the Administration
takes the problems of drug abuse and trafficking seriously. We
are reminded daily by stories from Colombia, Mexico, Russia, and
virtually every American community that the global narcotics
trade is an insidious threat to America's domestic and foreign
interests. It is an increasingly dangerous threat to democracy
and sustainable development abroad, undermining the cornerstones
of our policies to make America more secure and competitive in
today's world. The effects on American society if we fail to
address the narcotics problem abroad will be direct and
unambiguous: more addiction, crime, violence, disease, and
poverty.
Assessment of the Narcotics Trade: Volatile but Vulnerable
My first task after confirmation as the Assistant Secretary
for International Narcotics Matters (INM) in November 1993 was to
take a fresh look at the dimensions and implications of the
foreign narcotics threat. President Clinton had just issued his
counternarcotics directive instructing us to support those
countries that demonstrate the political will and commitment to
attack the drug problem. He also instructed the Department of
State to apply stringent standards in the Congressionally-
mandated certification process, a process that can result in the
denial of assistance to countries that do not cooperate fully
with the United States in counternarcotics or take adequate steps
on their own. I have since traveled to Latin America, Asia, and
Europe to talk with my counterparts, assess their efforts, and
see our programs at work.
My assessment is that the international narcotics trade is
extremely volatile and continues to pose a grave danger to our
foreign and domestic interests. The major international drug
syndicates continue to target the U.S. market despite our
intensified enforcement efforts in recent years. They are
diversifying into other drugs and criminal activities, and are
expanding their operations and markets to regions where political
control is weak. We need greater international cooperation to
overcome this threat. There are opportunities for advancing this
objective, but current levels of cooperation and commitment are
uneven at best.
Focusing on Latin America, let me comment first on the
cocaine situation. We made important gains last year, but they
could be short-lived without stronger action by Colombia,
Bolivia, and Peru. The good news: coca leaf production fell by
20 percent, the first decline that we have ever recorded.
Virtually all of the reduction, however, occurred in Peru's
Huallaga Valley as a consequence of a major fungus epidemic,
declining soil fertility, and counternarcotics pressure on
trafficker operations. Producers are already moving to restore
supplies. Coca cultivation increased in Colombia and Bolivia,
and Peruvian growers are responding to the disease by shifting
cultivation to new areas.
Latin American governments made important breakthroughs in
attacking the cartels. Pablo Escobar--the last of Colombia's
Medellin kingpins--is dead. His demise occurred not only because
of outstanding work by the Colombian security forces, but also
because, in the end, he had nowhere to flee--international
concern had made him a virtual prisoner in his own country.
"Vaticano," Peru's most notorious kingpin, was arrested in
Colombia, expelled to Peru, and is now serving a lengthy
sentence.
Colombia's Cali cartel is meanwhile working hard to implement
a legal and political strategy to thwart prosecutions by U.S. and
Colombian authorities. They are seeking lenient plea bargain
arrangements with Colombia's independent prosecutor and, even
worse, trying to manipulate ambiguities in the revised Colombian
criminal procedures that could be used to avoid punishment for
serious drug crimes. We have sent a strong message to Colombia's
President-elect Ernesto Samper that the crackdown on the Cali
cartel must not falter if Colombia wants to sustain close
relations with the United States.
As pressure mounts on kingpins elsewhere, I predict that they
will shift tactics to follow the pattern set by the Colombian
cartel. That is, they will move from simply trying to bribe or
intimidate key officials to a more comprehensive strategy aimed
at permanently crippling the counternarcotics capabilities of the
judicial and enforcement institutions. There is one sure way to
thwart this tactic--building stronger democratic counternarcotics
institutions in key Latin American drug-producing and -transit
countries.
Latin America also poses an expanding heroin threat to the
United States. There is good news in Mexico and Guatemala.
Mexican production, the traditional threat, is being held in
check through eradication and related enforcement programs. The
Government of Mexico is accomplishing this on its own, having
assumed in 1993 full responsibility for funding and managing the
$20 million a year narcotics control program the State Department
formerly administered there. INM's eradication program has also
virtually eliminated poppy cultivation in Guatemala. Colombia's
burgeoning heroin trade, however, offsets these accomplishments
and presents us with one of our most dangerous drug control
challenges. Seeking to diversify operations, Colombia's cocaine
traffickers have moved rapidly into opium and heroin production.
The Government of Colombia, with our help, is responding with a
crop eradication program, but it still faces an uphill struggle.
It is more important than ever that we integrate our
narcotics control policies with other foreign policy objectives
in Latin America. This need comes at a time of unprecedented
movement toward democracy and economic reform in the region:
military control has given way to civilian rule in country after
country; participatory democracy is flourishing; corruption is
under attack; and trade, investment, and economic growth are
moving forward.
But all of this is jeopardized if the narcotics trade is not
controlled. Trafficker corruption and intimidation can turn
legislatures, judiciaries, police, the media, and other
democratic institutions into mere facades that provide cover for
drug operations. The ability of traffickers to push Colombia to
the brink of political chaos prior to its 1990 presidential
elections and the virtually unobstructed influence they had at
the highest levels of Panama's government before Operation Just
Cause underscore the magnitude of this threat. Such situations
are not only disastrous for host nations, they make it impossible
for us to pursue important security, trade, commercial, and other
regional and bilateral relations.
New opportunities for counternarcotics progress are emerging
in Latin America. Thanks to our leadership, governments are
increasingly aware of the political, economic, and social threat
drug trafficking poses to their societies. Democratic, market-
oriented governments will be especially responsive. They are
more likely to recognize the adverse effects of the drug trade
and to have the political will and commitment to respond. Too
many governments, however, continue to underestimate the risks
and, consequently, are not taking sufficient steps on their own
to address them. Through a combination of sticks, carrots, and
new initiatives, our strategy is designed to encourage and help
them take these steps.
Mr. Chairman, this was the global context on which we based
our certification recommendations to the President--and on which
he made the final decisions--developed our Western Hemisphere
strategy, and drafted our budget. These actions underscore the
promise I made when I accepted this job: there would be no more
business as usual on international narcotics policy. I meant it.
In fact, I would not be in this position today if I did not
believe it. We will be holding countries that receive our
antidrug assistance increasingly accountable for their
counternarcotics performance.
Certification: No More Business as Usual
One area where the President's new policy has had a strong
impact is certification. The Foreign Assistance Act requires
that each year the President identify the major drug-producing
and drug-transit countries and determine whether they have fully
cooperated with the United States or taken adequate steps on
their own-in narcotics control. The United States must cut off
most foreign assistance to those countries that are not certified
and vote against their requests for loans from multilateral
development banks. For countries found not to be fully
cooperating or taking adequate steps on their own, the President
may grant a national interest certification if the vital
interests of the United States require continued provision of
foreign assistance.
On April 1, in accordance with the requirements of the
Foreign Assistance Act, the President issued his 1994
certification determination. This year's certifications are the
toughest ever. Ten of 26 countries were either not certified or
granted only a vital national interest certification. More
countries than ever have been placed in these categories. This
is double the number so categorized every year since 1990. Among
these are not just "pariah" nations, but also countries with
which we have strong bilateral interests.
Three countries--Nigeria, Bolivia, and Peru--had never
received anything less than full certification. Nigeria was
denied certification for failing to take satisfactory action to
curb blatant corruption and trafficking. Bolivia and Peru did
not meet the requirements for "full" certification primarily
because their efforts to attack coca cultivation were
insufficient, but they were granted vital national interest
certifications.
Two countries--Panama and Laos--each of which had been denied
certification before but had been fully certified in recent
years, received vital national interest certifications. Panama
has failed to address squarely its role in international money
laundering, the most critical drug control problem in that
country. Laos has not moved actively to establish its special
police counternarcotics unit, nor did it sustain pressure--after
successive years of decline--to reduce opium poppy cultivation in
1993.
Of the remaining five countries, we gave a vital national
interest certification to Lebanon, because it is in our vital
interest that Lebanon continue to receive assistance aimed at
promoting economic and political stability, and to Afghanistan.
To deny certification to Afghanistan would undermine progress
toward political stability which is essential for
counternarcotics efforts. We continued to deny certification to
Burma, Iran, and Syria.
These were difficult decisions. They took into account a
number of important U.S. foreign policy interests. Judging from
their public reactions, some countries were clearly surprised.
They apparently thought that performing at the previous year's
levels would be sufficient. This is not what the law requires
and they know it. Some may have thought they could impress us by
stepping up efforts against less critical targets. Not so. We
will not accept progress by a country against marginal targets as
a substitute for neglecting the key drug issue. If a country is
a money laundering center, we will expect progress against this
problem; increased arrests of low-level couriers will not be
sufficient.
Countries that were fully certified should not relax. It is
no more in their interests to relax their counternarcotics
efforts than it is ours. Fully certified countries must continue
to strengthen and improve their drug control programs. The goal
of our "no more business as usual to approach is progress, not
status quo. In making our recommendations to the President, we
intend to continue strictly applying the statutory standards for
certification.
The fact that the President decided not to grant full
certification to so many countries--several for the first time--
sends powerful narcotics control messages to foreign and domestic
audiences alike:
International narcotics control is a key foreign policy
concern that the U.S. will put ahead of other bilateral interests
if necessary.
We will no longer accept weak excuses for inaction; countries
know what we expect.
We expect concrete results. After years of supplying
assistance and building institutions, we now expect key countries
to be more responsible for their own antidrug programs.
We are going to cut waste from global drug control programs.
If assistance is not being used effectively, it will be shifted
elsewhere.
Many countries where we have important narcotics bilateral
interests will be electing new governments soon; these new
governments should realize that narcotics control is at the top
of our agenda.
We do not seek to embarrass governments. We do not want to
force them to adopt our standards. But we want certification to
be an effective tool for securing greater international narcotics
control and cooperation. I believe it will be. In fact, I have
a simple message for the governments of the world, the American
people, and the Congress: narcotics certification is an honest
process.
We obviously would prefer to make substantive progress
through cooperative relationships rather than impose sanctions
owing to a lack of cooperation. Nevertheless, this certification
decision has given our international counternarcotics policy
greater credibility. It is important to sustain this momentum.
I have begun exploring, in Washington and at posts abroad,
improved ways of keeping the attention of key drug countries
focused on achieving concrete narcotics control goals. We are in
the process of making demarches to these countries, highlighting
critical areas of performance during the current certification
cycle. I welcome a dialogue with this Committee on how the
Legislative and Executive Branches can make the certification
process more effective.
A final point concerning certification legislation. As you
are aware, if Congress does not act by September 1994, important
provisions of the International Narcotics Control Act of 1992
will expire, eliminating several important improvements that have
helped make certification a more effective counternarcotics tool.
These improvements, codified in Sections 489 and 490 of the
Foreign Assistance Act, have greatly improved the scope,
objectivity, and efficiency of the drug reporting and
certification processes. Before the deadline, we would like to
see Congress retain these sections with only a few minor language
changes we hope to provide soon to the Committee.
Improved Strategy: Sharper Focus, Better Tactics
The Administration is making new use of these instruments
because it has a new international narcotics control strategy and
policy. Both were developed to find a better and more cost-
effective long-term solution to our drug problem and to ensure
that our foreign counternarcotics objectives are integrated with
our broader foreign policy goals of promoting democracy,
sustainable development, and security around the world. Allow me
to highlight the key elements of that strategy.
First, we will support the development of stronger democratic
counternarcotics institutions in countries that demonstrate a
commitment to narcotics control. This is critical for convincing
host governments to shoulder more of the drug control burden.
Strong and accountable institutions are the foundation for an
effective policy; they are essential for successful operations.
The stronger the institutions, and the more responsive they are
to public concerns and respectful of the rule of law, the less
likely they are to succumb to the corrosive influence of narco-
corruption and intimidation. We will put more emphasis on the
cocaine source countries where the political and economic stakes
are potentially higher and the trade is potentially more
vulnerable.
Strengthening the institutional base starts with enacting
good drug control laws and then building the judicial,
enforcement, and penal organizations to enforce them. This must
include building respect for the rule of law and human rights.
Administration of justice programs that serve both ourbroader
democracy-building and our drug control objectives will be a
major part of this effort. So too will be training and, in some
countries, support to the military, with emphasis in both cases
on human rights. Other important elements include public
awareness and demand-reduction programs to alleviate the adverse
social effects of the drug trade and to build public support for
antidrug programs.
Second, we will integrate our antidrug efforts with
sustainable development programs, focusing on both macro and
micro objectives. Strengthening the economies of key drug-
producing and -transit countries creates economic alternatives to
narcotics production and trafficking and increases the resources
host nations can devote to narcotics control. Macro objectives
are aimed at broad-based growth that expands income and
employment alternatives throughout the economy and include such
measures as balance of payments supports and other programs to
generate foreign trade and investment. micro objectives--
targeted in and outside drug-producing areas--are important for
ensuring that small producers have viable alternatives for
narcotics crops. Such projects also help to facilitate
eradication and other enforcement efforts by extending government
authority and presence into drug-producing areas.
Third, we will seek to involve multilateral and regional
organizations in our counternarcotics programs and objectives.
Multilateral organizations can complement our institution-
building and sustainable development initiatives, operate where
our access is limited, and attract additional international
donors to the antidrug effort. We will increase support to our
traditional UN partner--the United Nations Drug Control Program
(UNDCP)--and will continue to urge greater involvement by other
UN agencies such as UNICEF and UNDP. We have recently undertaken
the first-ever initiatives to engage international financial
institutions and multilateral development banks in the
counternarcotics effort. INM and AID have already held many
meetings with the leadership of the World Bank and the Inter-
American Development Bank to discuss how their programs can
contribute to eliminating illicit coca cultivation in Bolivia and
Peru. We will be coordinating with them more closely to ensure
that their programs complement our counternarcotics and
sustainable development objectives in host nations.
Our fourth objective is to achieve more effective law
enforcement operations against the kingpins and their
organizations--a goal supported by institution-building and
sustainable development initiatives which enhance the political
will and ability of host nations to move in this direction.
Although we have yet to see appropriately aggressive prosecution
on significant kingpins in Colombia, recent enforcement
operations in Colombia and other countries convince us that the
kingpins and their organizations are now vulnerable to increased
and enhanced host nation enforcement efforts. The institutional
building blocks, USG support, and commitment are already in place
to be more aggressive on this front. We intend to encourage
greater regional and international cooperation, tougher action on
chemical and money controls, adoption and implementation of
aggressive and comprehensive asset forfeiture legislation,
extraditions, and other measures to weaken the major
organizations, and apprehend, convict, and incarcerate for
appropriately severe terms of imprisonment, their leaders.
Targeting the leadership of the cartels and their vast ill-gotten
fortunes disrupts their entire organization, makes narcotics
trafficking less profitable, and blunts the effects of corruption
and intimidation, the most dangerous drug-related threats to
democratic political systems.
Success will depend on securing the commitment of foreign
governments to set their drug enforcement sights on the kingpins.
It will be achieved through good intelligence and police work and
not necessarily through the constant application of high-cost
technology as has been the case with interdiction.
Human Rights
I am aware of how the human rights issue is connected to the
narcotics control assistance we provide to foreign police and
military units. Fortunately, we have rarely found human rights
abuses in our counter-narcotics programs, but we remain
concerned. As I have already emphasized, a major thrust of our
institution-building initiatives is to strengthen respect for
human rights. Accordingly, we have established several
mechanisms to minimize the potential for violations and to
identify them and take corrective actions quickly when they
occur.
In Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, U.S. Embassies screen
individuals for counternarcotics training, target assistance
specifically for antidrug units, and monitor ongoing operations
for possible abuses. We are in the process of establishing
mechanisms to screen units prior to delivering counternarcotic's
assistance. Meanwhile, I work closely with the Department's
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor to monitor and
respond to allegations of human rights abuses by government
forces that may receive funding, training, or other support from
U.S. Government counternarcotics programs. Assistant Secretary
Shattuck and I co-chair an interagency working group to address
these problems and recently agreed to instruct our military group
in Colombia to add more aggressive human rights monitoring to its
end- use-monitoring mission for equipment and assistance provided
to the Colombian military. INM recently discussed our Colombia
initiatives with Amnesty International representatives. Our
Embassies in Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru have human rights
working groups that mirror our efforts in Washington to identify
and resolve human rights abuses. In addition, AID programs that
advance drug control objectives, such as justice system reform in
Colombia and Bolivia, also include mechanisms to protect human
rights.
The bottom line is that our counternarcotics assistance can
be a powerful force in advancing, rather than retarding, human
rights objectives in the hemisphere. Our training and oversight
help instill respect for human rights and professionalism among
police and military commanders in the host countries, a fact
underscored by the virtual absence of confirmed human rights
violations by counternarcotics forces. Moreover, it is through
the provision of assistance that we can conduct end use
monitoring and in that way keep an eye on the human rights
performance of these forces. Indeed, in many ways, the narcotics
kingpins, whom these commanders and their forces are trying to
subdue, pose a far more fundamental threat to human rights. This
is evident in the way narco-traffickers have terrorized the
press, corrupted local police forces, and paralyzed the
judiciary. We will remain vigilant, but I believe that a
withdrawal of our counternarcotics support could be a setback for
human rights.
Budget Support
Mr. Chairman, the President's counternarcotics strategy
recognizes that we must operate within tight budgets. This is
why it stresses the need to concentrate resources and pursue
operations more efficiently and effectively than in the past.
INM, with its program focus on institution-building and long
experience in the source countries, developed its FY 1995
counternarcotics budget request for $232 million with these
principles in mind.
Let me assure you that we have used fiscal restraint in
planning our programs. Our FY 95 request reflects a new
consolidated budget that includes for the first time the
traditional INM account ($152 million) as well as funds that were
formerly provided through counternarcotics economic (ESF) and
military (FMF) security assistance and International Military
Education and Training (IMET) accounts. Of the $232 million
total, approximately $205 million is for Latin American and
Caribbean programs. The $232 million is less than what we had
requested in FY 94 and over $100 million less than what we
received in FY 93.
The House recently voted out an appropriations bill that
frankly jeopardizes our programs and policy. The traditional INM
account was broken out and cut to $115 million, marginally more
than last year. The Senate Appropriations Committee reported out
last week an INM budget of only $100 million. Cuts in our
overall request for economic and military assistance are likely
to force us to reduce further our counternarcotics assistance.
We are surviving on our drastically reduced FY 94 budget by
drawing on the prior-year pipeline, deferring upgrades and
improvements, and seeking augmentations from ONDCP and DoD. We
have cut most overseas programs to the core. A continuation at
the $115 million level will have serious consequences.
Scaling back source country programs: INM will be faced with
reducing its plans for sustainable development initiatives in
Bolivia and Peru, weakening our efforts to strengthen the
political and economic underpinnings for their counternarcotics
commitment and performance. We would curb aviation support to
the Andes, causing large cutbacks in police operations.
Closing programs: we would make deep cuts in transit country
programs, possibly closing some operations completely. Judicial
enhancement, intelligence collection and sharing, and
interdiction operations would suffer.
Stopping eradication initiatives At $115 million, we will not
be able to sustain the recent momentum that has overcome major
hurdles in winning greater host nation commitment to eradication.
Colombia will not be able to keep pace with poppy production and
will have to delay its new coca eradication efforts. Setbacks in
Colombia will cause recent progress to strengthen the political
will of the governments of Bolivia and Peru to falter.
Gutting aviation support:. We are abiding by Congress's
wishes that we get out of the air force business. We have
already reduced our air wing from 62 to 48 aircraft. The budget
cuts, however, would force us to make deeper reductions than
planned, forcing us to either mothball aircraft or turn them over
to host countries before they are fully capable of receiving or
maintaining them.
Diverting funds from other Priorities: To save what we can of
the Andean programs, we would have to divert funding from other
priority programs such as international heroin control and our
new initiatives to address the organized crime threats from the
former Soviet Union and elsewhere.
I do not mean to sound alarmist, but I do mean to inform the
Committee that a $115 million budget will have practical
consequences for U.S. international counternarcotics efforts.
Conclusion
Mr. Chairman, I do not pretend that there is an easy solution
to the global narcotics problem. I am here to say, however, that
the stakes in terms of America's security and welfare are too
high for us to abandon"or disengage from the international
narcotics control effort. The President has altered our
approach. The increasingly dangerous nature of the threat, new
opportunities, and current funding realities require it. our new
approach does more than sustain pressure; it attacks at the
criminal, economic, and political heart of the trade and raises
the stakes against those who oppose or obstruct our efforts. We
have built this strategy on lessons learned. We have enough
evidence to know that it can work if given time and support, and
that the consequences are dire if it is allowed to fail.
I look forward to working closely with the Members of this
Committee on our counternarcotics objectives and seek your
support in ensuring that we have adequate funds to meet these
objectives. We must avoid making cuts that will starve the
President's strategy to death in its first year and leave the
United States without a coherent, supportable international
narcotics control strategy.
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely
under conditions of absolute reality"
-- Shirley Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House
Chris T. Hugins (chugins@cup.hp.com)
OSSD/Cupertino Open System Lab, 47LA/P8
19447 Pruneridge Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014
Phone: 408-447-5702 Fax: 408-447-6268
=============================================================================
Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs
From: chugins@cup.hp.com (Chris Hugins)
Subject: Programs of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the Americas
Message-ID: <Cs2Cus.JH6@cup.hp.com>
Date: Mon, 27 Jun 1994 16:08:51 GMT
[ Article crossposted from soc.culture.latin-america ]
[ Author was sgastete@u.washington.edu ]
[ Posted on 25 Jun 1994 06:07:09 GMT ]
Copyright 1994 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.
Federal Document Clearing House Congressional Testimony
June 22, 1994, Wednesday
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
HEADLINE: TESTIMONY JUNE 22, 1994 THOMAS CONSTANTINE
ADMINISTRATOR DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION HOUSE FOREIGN
AFFAIRS/INTERNATIONAL SECURITY, INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND
HUMAN RIGHTS ANTI-DRUG STRATEGY IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE
Statement of
Thomas A. Constantine
Administrator
The Drug Enforcement Administration
United States Department of Justice
for
House Foreign Affairs Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Concerning
International Narcotic Control Programs
June 22, 1994
Chairmen Torricelli and Lantos, Members of the Subcommittees:
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to
discuss the programs of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
in this hemisphere. I appreciate this chance to speak about some
of the important challenges we face in our international
programs.
I have been the Administrator of DEA for three months now,
and in that short time I have recognized the need for us to put
the international programs into a better perspective in relation
to our overall domestic drug enforcement effort. I think we
frequently lose sight of how our international programs go hand
in hand with what we are doing within our borders, and today I'd
like to talk about some important cases and DEA efforts which
link the international and domestic aspects of our drug control
mission.
Violent crime has changed the face of America during the past
decade. You cannot turn on the evening news without hearing
reports of gun violence or vicious crimes against innocent
children. Neighborhoods are no longer safe; even where I come
from in upstate New York, many people will not leave their homes
after dark, or walk down the street to buy a loaf of bread. The
links between drugs and violent crime is sometimes overlooked,
but it is real and still a central issue for us to deal with.
Before 1985, violent crime was actually decreasing after a
significant increase during the sixties and seventies. The
appearance of crack cocaine in 1985 dramatically changed the
landscape of crime and the criminal justice system in our
country. This drug, as you know, spawned violence and addiction,
tragedies we are living with every day.
My assessment is that our current violent crime wave will
remain with us for the foreseeable future. Demographics for the
coming decades indicate that by the year 2005, the number of
young people aged 15-19 will increase by 25 percent. Because
young men aged 1824 are twice as likely to commit crimes as men
over 25, we could continue to see significant rates of violent
crime well into the next century. We must break the cycle of
drug trafficking and drug abuse if we are to survive this crime
wave.
I think we can do that, but it will require us --- the
American people and our government --- to establish sound
policies and to stick with them for the long haul. This will
require both domestic and international efforts which are built
upon programs that work and have shown results.
For many years, DEA has been at the forefront of this
nation's efforts to dismantle international drug trafficking
organizations. We will continue to aggressively pursue
traffickers who operate around the globe. As Administrator, I
intend to continue DEA's important global mission, keeping the
following principles as guiding our actions in the coming years:
First, that we must recognize that cocaine and heroin have
foreign sources and the world's major trafficking organizations
are headquartered in foreign countries. Other nations have
international obligations to address the issues of drug
production and trafficking. DEA will continue to work with the
authorities in other nations to build institutions, share
intelligence and make cases which have an impact on drug
trafficking in the United States. Concurrently, we will enhance
our domestic efforts, as well, balancing both foreign and
domestic programs. That however, does not mean that we are
lessening our pressure on the ma or traffickers in Colombia,
Bolivia and Peru, but rather, that we will increase our
attention on the surrogates that operate within our borders.
Second, that resources for international programs must be
dedicated intelligently and strategically, allowing DEA the
flexibility to act quickly as new threats and opportunities
arise.
Third, that we have an obligation to the American people to
enhance the quality of life in our communities across the nation.
DEA has a major role to play in removing violent traffickers, who
have a direct link to the degradation of life in our communities,
from neighborhoods, and reducing the amount of drugs trafficked
in our cities and towns.
Fourth, that heroin is a major concern to us, and
international and domestic programs must be developed to address
this problem before it becomes any more serious.
I intend to use these principles to formulate DEA's
contribution to the international strategy, articulated in
Presidential Decision Directive 14, which was signed by President
Clinton last November. This Directive states that "the United
States will treat as a serious national security threat the
operations of international criminal syndicates" and will assist
those nations demonstrating the political will necessary to fight
narcotics trafficking. I'd like to take a few minutes to discuss
with you some developments which have led to these assumptions.
Major Traffickers and their Surrogates: Despite the fact that
an increasing percentage of cocaine is being shipped to new
European markets, the U.S. continues to be the main target for
shipments from the Colombian cocaine cartels. The Cali cartel
maintains a lock on much of the U.S. cocaine supply. This
organization, headquartered in Colombia, depends on cocaine
producers and transporters in Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, other
Central American nations, and the United States. It also staffs
distribution organizations in the major cities of the United
States with Colombians who subcontract with street organizations
in these cities. DEA has a two-tiered approach to reducing the
cocaine supply in the U.S. : targeting the cartel leaders in
Colombia and eliminating their surrogates' operations in the
United States.
It is critical to gather enough information on the major
cartel leaders for indictments in the event that they will be
brought to justice in the U.S. That, however, is less of a
possibility today than it was prior to Colombian constitutional
prohibition on the extradition of nationals. Nevertheless, DEA
continues to put pressure on the cartels by interfering with
their money supplies, transportation networks, chemical supplies
and communications --- all the means that are critical to their
operations. During the past year, DEA, working with other U.S.
agencies and with counterparts in Andean and Central American
nations, made significant inroads into the cocaine trade in this
hemisphere. Some of these include:
Medellin cartel leaders were either jailed or killed. Pablo
Escobar and Juan Camilo ZAPATA-Vasquez were killed in shootouts
with the Colombian National Police. Fabio OCHOA was sentenced to
an eight year prison term.
A major Peruvian trafficker, Demetrio CHAVEZ-Penaherrera (aka
VATICANO) was arrested in Cali and expelled to Peru where he is
now serving a thirty year prison sentence.
Julio Fabio URDINOLA-Grajales, the brother of Ivan Urdinola,
one of Colombia's major money launderers, surrendered to
Colombian authorities in March.
On September 2, 1993, Jaime Garcia-Garcia, whose organization
provided major transportation services for a number of major
Colombian traffickers, was arrested by Colombian authorities; he
is presently incarcerated. Prior to his arrest, in June 1993, one
of Garcia's former associates Joaquin Guzman-Loera, was arrested
in Guatemala on the El Salvador border.
Seizures included major loads in Guatemala (6.6 MT), Mexico
(33.1 MD, OPBAT (2.2 MT) and Peru (8,900 kg).
Several other former leaders of the Medellin cartel remain
incarcerated.
Of equal importance to DEA are accomplishments which have a
direct effect on U.S. cocaine supplies and operations within our
borders. Most cases have both international and domestic
elements, and many could not have been undertaken successfully
without the involvement of our overseas offices. A few examples:
A New York-based Dominican Ramon Valasquez was transporting
Colombian cocaine through Mexico into New York. An informant
arranged to transport 1,000 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico thru
Texas into New York. The cocaine was delivered back to
Colombians in New York, where it was seized. Valasquez worked
with Mexican transporters, Colombians in New York and Mexicans in
Texas.
A Colombian cocaine trafficker/money launderer who imported
cocaine from Colombia to Mexico to New Jersey, used car
dealerships in both Los Angeles and Phoenix, Arizona to
facilitate distribution. In June 1992, 800 kilograms of cocaine
transported in a R.V. was seized in Phoenix, Arizona, and 8
individuals were arrested. The Colombian trafficker is currently
a fugitive.
DEA/Tucson targeted a Mexican transportation group based in
Agua Prieta Sonora, Mexico. This group transported Colombian
cocaine and Mexican marijuana. A six-month wiretap investigation,
which monitored 19 telephones and intercepted radio mobile
telephone communications, resulted in the indictment of 108
defendants in the U.S. and Mexico, as well as the seizure of
4,000 pounds of marijuana, 200 kilograms of cocaine, and $3.5
million in assets.
DEA/Houston targeted Colombians and Mexicans transporting
Colombian cocaine into Houston. The organization utilized
"trapped" vehicles, which were loaded with cocaine in Colombia
and driven through Guatemala and Mexico and into Texas. The money
was smuggled back to Colombia in the same fashion. The cocaine
smuggled into Houston was further distributed in New York,
Chicago and Louisiana.
In November, 1993, as a result of a lookout placed by the
Santiago, Chile Country Office, the Newark Field Division of DEA
seized 606 kilograms of cocaine from containers shipped from
Chile.
Through wire intercepts, pen registers and surveillance,
earlier this month (June 1-2), DEA seized 150 kilograms of
cocaine, $600,000 and numerous documents connected to a cocaine
trafficking organization related to Ivan Urdinola and other major
traffickers in Miami, New York and Houston. 32 people were
arrested, including a cell manager for the Houston area. Prior
enforcement action taken in this investigation in Miami, Houston,
and New York resulted in the arrest of over 18 suspects, and the
seizure of 5 pounds of Colombian heroin, nearly 1,470 kilograms
of cocaine, and over $15 million.
DEA depends heavily on the use of court-ordered wiretaps to
intercept conversations in pursuit of making cases against the
cartel members. These Title 3's are costly and manpower
intensive since most of the conversations are in Spanish and must
be translated into English. Last year, Title 3's agency-wide
cost over $14 million; this year's cost is projected to be about
$17 million.
A major Nigerian heroin trafficking organization was
documented in August 1993 with the arrest of two Nigerians in
Bangkok, Thailand. Extradition proceedings are pending against
each of these individuals, who face heroin importation charges in
New Jersey. This investigation also developed intelligence that
led to indictments in the Northern District of California,
District of Florida, and District of Minnesota for separate multi-
kilogram importations of heroin into the United States.
Additional intelligence and evidence to support prosecutions of
American- based members of this organization in the Eastern and
Northern District of New York was also developed. The
investigation confirmed that this Nigerian trafficking
organization operated in Southeast Asia, utilized New Jersey
based West Africans, and imported multiple kilograms of heroin
annually into the United States. The organization utilized
international monetary transfers to facilitate this importation
and to disburse the proceeds. In addition, the organization was
also responsible for supplying secondary distribution
organizations operating in the Northeast, Middle Atlantic and
Midwest areas of the United States.
The intemational-domestic links between major cocaine
organizations and the street-level drug trade in the United
States are well illustrated by a case I'm familiar with from my
days as Superintendent of the New York State Police. The Herrera
family, with direction from Cali, Colombia, operated a cell in
New York City. The cell head was Helmer Herrera, brother of the
cartel head. (The Herrera organization's annual profits were
three times those of DEA's yearly budget.) All decisions carried
out in the United States were made in Colombia --which phone
numbers to use, which loads to move, what to pay workers.
Detailed records on salaries, family history of workers and
consignments of cocaine were kept. This was the cocaine which
ended up in the suburbs of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut,
the cocaine which was ultimately distributed by violent street
gangs. DEA, working with the New York State Police, dismantled
this cell and seized records, computer disks and money. 100
arrests were made, 22 of which were principal defendants. After
a disruption of several months, another cell resumed operations
and there was no ultimate reduction in cocaine supplies in New
York.
What this case proves is the fact that both ends of the
cocaine trade must be vigorously pursued. Players on both ends
are replaceable, and the pressure must be kept up at the high,
middle and low ends of the trade. While Pacho Herrera heads the
arm of the cocaine organization doing part of the cocaine
business in New York City, it is the violent street gangs who
shoot children in the public housing complex in Washington
Heights. It's critical to get them off the street too.
We are at an important junction in our drug strategy. At a
time when resources for law enforcement and foreign assistance
programs are tight, we are having to balance the need to protect
Americans from crime in our streets with our international
obligations to our overseas partners in the drug fight. As the
Administrator of DEA, I am reviewing both our domestic and
international programs to determine how we can make better use of
our resources. I expect that with the advice and input of DEA's
senior management, we will be streamlining some of our
international efforts in order to ensure that our programs
contribute to the overall drug strategy which has both domestic
and international components.
The Need to Balance International and Domestic Programs:
Building on the premise that we must balance our domestic
enforcement programs and our international efforts, I would like
to discuss some of the obstacles we must overcome to be
successful in our international programs. The reality is that
major traffickers have intimidated or subomed various police and
government officials, enabling them to continue operating. There
are limits on what the United States can expect foreign nations
to do, given the fact that many of these nations do not control
large areas where drug production and trafficking take place. We
have more leverage in some places than in others; in a country
like Burma, the source of most of the world's opium, we have
almost none. We cannot influence Colombia's Constitutional
Court, which recently held that possession and use of small
amounts of certain drugs are constitutionally protected in
Colombia, nor can we control government officials who advocate
more liberal drug policies in Colombia. We can, and do, use the
Presidential certification process to send strong signals to
other nations to comply with their international obligations to
reduce drug production and trafficking, and in some cases, the
message is heard loud and clear. The President's decision not to
certify Nigeria has certainly gotten that government's attention.
International programs are an important component of our
overall strategy which must be viewed through the prism of
reality. We must not abandon or significantly scale back these
programs. But, we cannot expect them to solve our drug problem
or eliminate drug trafficking and abuse from our nation.
DEA will absolutely continue to support institution building
in other nations as we implement the President's directive.
Working with the Colombian National Police, we have been able to
help them enhance their law enforcement operations aimed against
production and transportation networks in more remote regions of
Colombia. We have also been able to increase the Bolivian
Government's capabilities in managing, assessing and
disseminating drug intelligence information. DEA has been
instrumental in improving the ability of law enforcement
organizations in Mexico, El Salvador and Argentina, to cite some
examples. Regarding DEA programs, such as Snowcap, we will
ensure that the role of DEA is to train and provide liaison with
host-country enforcement organizations. As host countries
gradually become more sophisticated and capable in their law
enforcement programs, there will be less of a need for DEA to
play a direct operational role. During 1993, 2,383 officers from
45 countries have been trained in basic and advanced drug
enforcement by DEA. Of particular note is our work with
officials from the Newly Independent States whose nations are now
confronting a serious drug problem. Later this month, I will be
traveling with FBI Director Freeh and (State) INM Assistant
Secretary Robert Gelbard to Russia and several Eastern European
countries to assess their needs as these countries address crime
and drugs.
I have asked DEA's top management to take a look at our
international programs, including Operation Snowcap, and report
back to me on whether these programs should continue as currently
structured. I believe that our commitments to some of these
programs should not be limitless, given budget and staffing
realities. DEA will continue to participate as a full partner in
our international programs, but we need to be more conscious of
costs and results than we have in the past.
Heroin: I am deeply concerned about the increased
availability and dramatically increased purity in heroin in the
United States. Worldwide production of opium rose from 2,580
metric tons in 1988 to 3,699 metric tons in 1993. Most of this
production occurred in Afghanistan and Burma, where the central
government does not control the growing areas. In addition,
analysis of data from DEA's Domestic Monitor Program shows street-
level purity continuing to rise. Heroin purity in the United
States has increased from 3.6 percent in 1980 to 37 percent in
1992. With the increase in heroin availability and purity
levels, we have also seen a continued rise in the number of
heroin-related emergency room drug abuse episodes, especially in
Seattle, Newark and San Francisco.
Of special concern is the fact that traffickers in Colombia
are cultivating opium and producing heroin. Despite the
Colombian government's herbicidal eradication program, there are
about 20,000 hectares of opium under cultivation. This makes
Colombia the world's third largest source of opium poppy. From
an enforcement standpoint, we are also concerned because Colombia
has in place sophisticated trafficking networks which could
readily diversify into heroin trafficking.
During the coming months, DEA, as part of the
Administration's review of heroin programs, will be developing
heroin strategies to address the myriad heroin threats from
Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, Nigerian traffickers and the
Colombian organizations now producing and trafficking heroin. We
must vigorously confront this threat by focusing the operational
resources of all international intelligence and law enforcement
agencies on attacking the infrastructure and leadership of these
trafficking organizations. We must identify and attack the
weaknesses in these organizations and disrupt their financial
operations, as well as arrest, prosecute and imprison those
responsible. This will take a concerted effort by the
international community to address this renewed threat from an
old enemy.
Flexibility to meet new opportunities and threats: DEA must
remain flexible and innovative in addressing the challenges posed
by international drug traffickers. In order to respond fully to
both the domestic and international aspects of the drug problem,
we must have the necessary resources required to address this
national threat. These international drug organizations are well-
financed, with connections throughout the United States and
abroad. Therefore, DEA must be in a position to move quickly to
address emerging threats after having identified opportunities
for meaningful actions.
In closing, I again want to thank the Chairmen for this
opportunity to discuss DEA's international programs with you
today. I know that the coming months hold much challenge for me
personally and for DEA as an agency. I will be happy to answer
any questions you, or others on the Committee may have.
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"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely
under conditions of absolute reality"
-- Shirley Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House
Chris T. Hugins (chugins@cup.hp.com)
OSSD/Cupertino Open System Lab, 47LA/P8
19447 Pruneridge Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014
Phone: 408-447-5702 Fax: 408-447-6268