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AMERICA’S GROWING HEROIN EPIDEMIC 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, TERRORISM, 

HOMELAND SECURITY, AND INVESTIGATIONS 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

JULY 28, 2015 

Serial No. 114–45 

Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary 

( 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://judiciary.house.gov 
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY 

BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia, Chairman 

F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., 

Wisconsin 

LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

DARRELL E. ISSA, California 

J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia 

STEVE KING, Iowa 

TRENT FRANKS, Arizona 

LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas 

JIM JORDAN, Ohio 

TED POE, Texas 

JASON CHAFFETZ, Utah 

TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania 

TREY GOWDY, South Carolina 

RAU ́ L LABRADOR, Idaho 

BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas 

DOUG COLLINS, Georgia 

RON DeSANTIS, Florida 

MIMI WALTERS, California 

KEN BUCK, Colorado 

JOHN RATCLIFFE, Texas 

DAVE TROTT, Michigan 

MIKE BISHOP, Michigan 

JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan 

JERROLD NADLER, New York 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas 

STEVE COHEN, Tennessee 

HENRY C. ‘‘HANK’’ JOHNSON, JR., 

Georgia 

PEDRO R. PIERLUISI, Puerto Rico 

JUDY CHU, California 

TED DEUTCH, Florida 

LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois 

KAREN BASS, California 

CEDRIC RICHMOND, Louisiana 

SUZAN DelBENE, Washington 

HAKEEM JEFFRIES, New York 

DAVID N. CICILLINE, Rhode Island 

SCOTT PETERS, California 

SHELLEY HUSBAND, Chief of Staff & General Counsel 

PERRY APELBAUM, Minority Staff Director & Chief Counsel 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, TERRORISM, HOMELAND SECURITY, AND INVESTIGATIONS

F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., Wisconsin, Chairman 

LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas, Vice-Chairman 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia 

TED POE, Texas 

JASON CHAFFETZ, Utah 

TREY GOWDY, South Carolina 

RAU ́ L LABRADOR, Idaho 

KEN BUCK, Colorado 

MIKE BISHOP, Michigan 

SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas 

PEDRO R. PIERLUISI, Puerto Rico 

JUDY CHU, California 

LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois 

KAREN BASS, California 

CEDRIC RICHMOND, Louisiana 

CAROLINE LYNCH, Chief Counsel 

JOE GRAUPENSPERGER, Minority Counsel 
(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

JULY 28, 2015 

Page 

OPENING STATEMENTS 

The Honorable F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., a Representative in Congress 

from the State of Wisconsin, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations ................................................ 1 

The Honorable Judy Chu, a Representative in Congress from the State of 

California, and Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland 

Security, and Investigations ................................................................................ 2 

The Honorable Bob Goodlatte, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of Virginia, and Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary ................................. 24 

WITNESSES 

The Honorble Michael P. Botticelli, Director, White House Office of National 

Drug Policy Center 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 26 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 29 

John (Jack) Riley, Acting Deputy Administrator, Drug Enforcement Association 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 48 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 50 

Nancy G. Parr, Commonwealth’s Attorney, City of Chesapeake, VA 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 58 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 60 

Angela R. Pacheco, First Judicial District Attorney, Santa Fe, NM 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 76 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 78 

LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING 

Material submitted by the Honorable Judy Chu, a Representative in Congress 

from the State of California, and Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations ................................................ 4 

APPENDIX 

MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING RECORD

Questions for the Record submitted to John (Jack) Riley, Acting Deputy 

Administrator, Drug Enforcement Association .................................................. 98 

(1) 

AMERICA’S GROWING HEROIN EPIDEMIC 

TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIME, TERRORISM, HOMELAND SECURITY, AND INVESTIGATIONS

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY

Washington, DC. 

The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:06 a.m., in room 

2141, Rayburn Office Building, the Honorable F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (Chairman of the Subcommittee) presiding. 

Present: Representatives Sensenbrenner, Goodlatte, Gohmert, 

Chabot, Forbes, Poe, Gowdy, Labrador, Buck, Bishop, and Chu. 

Staff present: (Majority) Allison Halataei, Parliamentarian & 

General Counsel; Robert Parmiter, Counsel; Scott Johnson, Clerk; 

(Minority) Joe Graupensperger, Counsel; Kurt May, Counsel; Tiffany Joslyn, Counsel; and Veronica Eligan, Professional Staff Member. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. The Subcommittee will be in order. Without objection, the Chair will be authorized to declare recesses this 

morning at any time. 

We welcome our witnesses today. 

Our Nation faces a profound challenge with a growing heroin epidemic. Last year the number of heroin-related deaths in Milwaukee 

County, Wisconsin, which includes part of my district, grew by a 

shocking 72 percent, while Superior in Northwestern Wisconsin 

suffered six overdoses in 6 days this past February. Clearly, this 

is a problem that does not discriminate by race or class and transcends geography. 

Earlier this year, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy released the 2013 Drug Overdose Mortality Data from 

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data shows 

that while drug deaths related to prescription opioids has remained 

stable since 2012, the mortality rate associated with heroin increased by 39 percent, by more than triple the levels in 2012. That 

represents the third year in a row that the number of heroin 

deaths has increased nationwide. 

This past weekend the Washington Post reported the tragic story 

of a family in Maine that lost a child in nearly a second to heroin 

laced with phenotil, an opioid analgesic 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine. Heroin cut with phenotil has been responsible 

for a rash of overdoses and deaths across the country. Shockingly, 
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the fact that a particular batch of heroin has killed someone is 

often what attracts addicts to it because they know it will deliver 

an extremely potent high. 

It is obvious, then, that the solution to this problem must involve 

appropriate access to treatment, as well as enforcement. That is 

why earlier this year I introduced H.R. 953, the Comprehensive 

Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015. This legislation would take a 

number of important steps to combat the heroin epidemic. 

For example, the bill addresses the link between prescription 

opioids and heroin by requiring the Department of Health and 

Human Services to convene a task force to develop best practices 

for pain management and prescribing prescription drugs and share 

those with the appropriate authorities. The legislation also authorizes grants that provide for alternatives to incarceration for veterans, as well as those individuals with a substance use disorder, 

mental illness, or both. And finally, it would give priority to awarding grants to those states that provide civil liability protection for 

first responders, health professionals and family members administrating naloxone to counteract opioid overdoses. 

I also have introduced a bipartisan criminal justice reform act, 

the Safe Justice Act. This legislation promotes drug and substance 

abuse treatment programs over harsher sentences. We know that 

approximately 60 percent of prisoners have substance and addiction disorders, yet only 11 percent receive treatment. It is no wonder why recidivism rates are as high as they are. This is not a crisis we can simply incarcerate ourselves out of. 

The bill would authorize the use of medication-assisted treatment for the treatment of heroin and opioid dependence in the Bureau of Prisons, residential substance abuse treatment programs. 

Finally, the Safe Justice Act would offer training to Federal law 

enforcement officials to help them better identify and respond to individuals with drug and substance abuse issues. I look forward to 

hearing from the witnesses today about additional approaches to 

curb this epidemic. 

At this time, I would like to yield to the gentlewomen from California, who is the Ranking Member pro tem of this Subcommittee 

today, Ms. Chu. 

Ms. CHU. Thank you, Mr. Chair. 

Today’s hearing concerns finding the best means to respond to 

the increasing use of heroin in this country, which is tragically 

proving to be more deadly than in the past. Despite the heroic efforts of our Federal law enforcement and the DEA, the volume of 

heroin coming into this country continues to rise. Every year brings 

new records in the amounts of drugs seized at our border by interdiction programs. From 2008 to 2012, the DEA noticed a 232 percent increase in heroin seizures along America’s Southwest border. 

The rate of state and local law enforcement seizures of heroin 

continue to rise as well. Still, the current level of heroin use indicates that the substance is widely available. It is now cheaper to 

acquire, and it has no geographical boundaries. 

Over 600,000 Americans use heroin, to compound the health risk 

that this poses. The heroin sold today is more potent and deadlier 

than ever before. Deaths due to overdose have risen significantly 

in the last several years. In the last reported year of 2013, 8,257 
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people died from a heroin overdose. An additional 16,235 died from 

opioids. 

Heroin overdoses in the U.S. have nearly tripled between the 

years of 2010 and 2013, according to the CDC. Deaths due to heroin overdose now exceed traffic accident deaths in the U.S. 

It is time that we acknowledge the fact that we are dealing with 

a public health care crisis driven by strong demand for opioid 

drugs. 

Where did this great demand come from? Most experts agree 

that prior to increased use of heroin, millions of Americans became 

addicted to opioid prescription drugs. The correlation is so strong 

that experts believe that 80 percent of current heroin users began 

as abusers of prescription pain killers. To complete this perfect 

storm, the price of heroin has fallen to new lows, $5 to $10 per day. 

In comparison, prescription opioids cost about $80 per day. 

For those already addicted to an opioid prescription drug, heroin 

becomes an attractive option. In response, many states are implementing drug treatment programs for those addicted to both prescription drugs and heroin. State reactions include revisiting older 

forms of treatment such as methadone maintenance, and new approaches including programs for better oversight of prescription 

medications. 

Many police departments across the country are employing the 

use of the drug naloxone, an antidote to heroin overdose to reduce 

deaths. There are now hundreds of police departments in 29 states 

that stock and administer naloxone. Naloxone administered by police is now credited with saving the lives of over 10,000 Americans 

since 1996. Police departments are also working with prosecutors’ 

offices across the country to create programs to divert users to 

treatment facilities rather than courts, detention facilities, and 

prisons. This effort supports a more permanent solution to the 

health crisis we face. It reduces crime rates and the expenses of incarceration, while allowing courts and police departments to allocate resources in a manner best suited to protecting our citizens. 

As we consider proposals to address the increased use of heroin, 

we would do well to consider the lessons of prior responses to drug 

abuse. An incarceration-forced approach has not solved this public 

health crisis. Our focus should be to eliminate impediments to delivering substance abuse treatment to those in need, reduce the 

harms posed by heroin, and educate our citizens to prevent substance addictions. 

I look forward to the discussion of this problem and the best 

ways that government can help address it. I would like to submit 

for the record a letter from the Drug Policy Alliance. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Without objection, the record will be so embellished. 

[The information referred to follows:] 
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Mr. SENSENBRENNER. I now recognize the Chairman of the full 

Committee, the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Goodlatte, for his 

opening statement. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Thank you, Chairman Sensenbrenner. 

I am pleased to be here today at this important hearing to examine the growing epidemic of heroin abuse in our Nation. 

Over the past several months, we have seen an alarming increase in both the availability and use of heroin. This has, not surprisingly, had profound and tragic consequences. Every day, it 

seems, brings new stories of overdose deaths occurring across the 

country, including in my district. Since January, there have been 

11 heroin-related overdoses in the Roanoke Valley, resulting in 

nine deaths. 

Earlier this year, the Washington Post reported that the legalization and subsequent availability of high-grade marijuana to American consumers has led Mexican drug cartels to increase the 

amounts of heroin and methamphetamine they are trafficking 

across the U.S.-Mexico border. Since 2009, heroin seizures along 

the border have nearly tripled, as law enforcement seized 2,181 

kilograms of Mexican heroin last year alone. 

These are alarming statistics. However, the grim reality is that 

they should surprise no one. Drug trafficking is an extremely profitable business, run by criminals who are interested in one thing: 

money. Given the increasing availability of marijuana in the 

United States, and the related, ongoing epidemic of heroin use, 

drug traffickers have decided to cash in on the misery of American 

citizens. 

Additionally, the Drug Enforcement Administration estimates 

that the United States has 600,000 heroin users, which is three 

times the number in 2012. Tragically, that number is expected to 

rise. That is because there are an estimated 10 million Americans 

who are currently addicted to prescription opioids, including such 

drugs as Vicodin, OxyContin, and Percocet. Once someone is addicted to a prescription opioid, the need to satisfy their addiction 

outweighs the stigma attached to heroin use. Additionally, it is far 

easier to pay $10 for a dose of heroin than $80 for an oxycodone 

tablet. 

It is no exaggeration to say that heroin use has reached epidemic 

levels across this Nation, including in my home state of Virginia. 

It is not an urban problem or a rural problem, but an American 

public health and safety problem. 

However, despite the increase in heroin and meth production, despite the ongoing heroin epidemic, despite the dramatic surge in 

deaths, and despite the clear evidence that illicit controlled substances and their purveyors pose a lethal threat to the American 

people, the Obama administration has continued to shirk its duty 

to protect this Nation from dangerous narcotics. 

I firmly believe any solution to the heroin epidemic must have 

three parts: one, discouraging the use of this dangerous, highly addictive drug; two, providing appropriate treatment to addicts; and 

three, ensuring law enforcement zealously pursues the criminals 

who bring this poison into our communities. 

I look forward to the witnesses’ testimony today. 
25 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Without objection, all Members’ opening 

statements will appear in the record at this point. 

We have a very distinguished panel today, and I will begin by 

swearing in our witnesses before introducing them. If you would, 

please, all rise. 

Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give 

to this Subcommittee is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but 

the truth, so help you God? 

Let the record reflect that all of the witnesses responded in the 

affirmative. 

The gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Forbes, has a distinguished 

witness, and I will allow him to introduce Commonwealth Attorney 

Parr at this point, and then I will introduce the next three witnesses. 

Mr. FORBES. Thank you, Chairman Sensenbrenner, for holding 

this important hearing today and inviting our distinguished guests 

to share their experiences. 

As you mentioned, one of our witnesses today is Nancy Parr, who 

served as the Commonwealth Attorney for the City of Chesapeake 

since being first elected in November 2005. During her 10 years of 

service, she has implemented new programs and promoted community outreach, in addition to carrying out the traditional role of a 

prosecutor’s office in Chesapeake. Her programs include seven 

Girls Empowerment conferences, four Boys Leadership conferences, 

seven Traveling the Road to Success multi-week programs, and five 

Playing on the Right Team basketball tournaments. 

Prior to her current role, Ms. Parr was a prosecutor in Suffolk 

for 10 years and before that had worked in Chesapeake since 1994. 

For six of those years, she also served as a Special Assistant 

United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. 

In addition to her public service, Ms. Parr is a member of many 

boards and organizations and volunteers her time to charitable organizations, including the Virginia Association of Commonwealth 

Attorneys, where she was president from 2014 to 2015; Commonwealth’s Attorney Service Council, where she was chairman from 

2014 to 2015; State Crime Commission Governor’s Task Force on 

Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse; Secure Commonwealth Panel 

Subcommittee, Justice Reinvestment Initiative Work Group; Board 

of Correctional Education; Virginia State Bar Council; Board of 

Governors for the Criminal Law Section of Virginia State Bar; Virginia’s Adult Fatality Review Team; State Child Fatality Review 

Team; Domestic Violence Advisory Committee; Boys and Girls 

Clubs of Southeast Virginia Chesapeake Division; and the Women’s 

Club of South Norfolk. 

Ms. Parr is a graduate from the University of Virginia with high 

distinction, and from T.C. Williams School of Law at the University 

of Richmond. 

Ms. Parr, thank you for accepting our invitation today, and I look 

forward to hearing your testimony as you share with the Committee more about the efforts you are championing in our district 

and my home town. 

And with that, I will yield to Chairman Sensenbrenner to introduce our other witnesses. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Thank you very much, Mr. Forbes. 
26 

First, Mr. Michael Botticelli is the Director of the National Drug 

Control Policy, where he has served since November of 2012. Previously, Mr. Botticelli served as Director of the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services at the Massachusetts Department of Public 

Health. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Siena College and 

a Master’s in Education from St. Lawrence University. 

Mr. Jack Riley is the Acting Deputy Administrator of the Drug 

Enforcement Administration. He is the highest ranking career special agent at the DEA. Prior to his appointment as the Chief of Operations, Mr. Riley served in many other leadership positions during his distinguished career at the DEA. He received a Bachelor of 

Science degree in Criminal Justice from Bradley University and a 

Master’s degree in Public Policy Administration from the University of Illinois. 

Ms. Angela Pacheco was the first woman elected to the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Her legal career has consisted primarily of criminal prosecution in which she has tried a number of 

high-profile cases. Prior to becoming an attorney, Ms. Pacheco 

worked as a social worker for 13 years in Northern New Mexico. 

She received a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from the College of 

Santa Fe, and her Juris Doctorate from the Hamline University 

School of Law. 

I would ask each of you to summarize your testimony. Without 

objection, the witnesses’ written statements will be entered into the 

record in their entirety. 

You have something with a red, yellow, and green light in front 

of each of you. I assume that you know what all of that means. 

So, Mr. Botticelli, you are first. 

TESTIMONY OF THE HONORBLE MICHAEL P. BOTTICELLI, DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG POLICY 

CENTER 

Mr. BOTTICELLI. Chairman Sensenbrenner, Chairman Goodlatte, 

Representative Chu, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you 

for the opportunity to be here today to discuss the Administration’s 

response to the epidemic of opioid abuse, particularly the rise in 

heroin use and overdose deaths. 

ONDCP produces the National Drug Control Strategy, which is 

the Administration’s primary blueprint for drug policy. The Strategy treats our Nation’s substance use problem as public health 

challenges, not just criminal justice issues. 

The stark increase in the number of people using heroin in recent years has become a significant public health issue in our country, and opioid misuse can have devastating consequences. As we 

heard, overdose deaths involving heroin have increased sharply in 

recent years. Of the 44,000 drug overdose deaths in 2013, heroin 

was involved in over 8,200, up from 5,900 in 2012. 

As communities and law enforcement struggle with an increased 

number of overdose deaths, heroin use and increasing heroin trafficking, it is important to note that the vast over-prescribing of prescription drugs and easy access to diverted opioids is fueling our 

opioid drug use problem. 

Approximately 18 billion opioid pills were dispensed in 2012. 

This is enough to give every American 18 years and older 75 pain 
27 

pills. Even though data indicate that over 95 percent of prescription opioid users do not initiate heroin use, four out of five new 

users of heroin have used prescription drugs non-medically. Given 

this relationship, we cannot develop a public health response to 

heroin use without making it part of a response to prescription 

opioid use. 

While heroin is traditionally regarded as an issue facing large 

urban areas, we are seeing a shift in the demographic of heroin 

use. Increasingly, heroin use overdose deaths and their consequences are being seen in suburban and small-town America. A 

recent CDC study shows that heroin use rates remain highest 

among males, but heroin use is doubling among women and has 

more than doubled among non-Hispanic Whites. 

We also know from this same study that past-year alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and opiate pain reliever misuse or dependence were 

each significant risk factors for heroin abuse or dependence. 

ONDCP has used its role as coordinator of the Federal drug control agencies to bolster support for substance use disorder treatment and overdose prevention efforts and coordinate a governmentwide response. In 2011, the Administration’s plan to address the 

sharp rise in prescription opioid drug misuse was released. This 

plan contains action items categorized in four categories: education 

of prescribers and patients; increased drug monitoring programs; 

proper medication disposal; and law enforcement efforts. 

Recently, the Administration convened the Congressionally-mandated Interagency Heroin Task Force, co-chaired by ONDCP and 

the Department of Justice, to more closely examine the Administration’s efforts and to devise recommendations in what more we can 

do. 

We have seen overdose from prescription opioid leveling off, but 

unfortunately this is coupled with a dramatic 39 percent increase 

in heroin-involved overdose deaths from 2012 to 2013. To address 

the overdose death issue, we have been working to increase access 

to naloxone for first responders and individuals close to those with 

opioid drug use disorders. Hand in hand with these efforts are efforts to promote Good Samaritan laws so witnesses to an overdose 

will take steps to help save lives. 

Law enforcement nationwide has risen to this challenge of the increase in opioid use and overdose deaths. They are working hand 

in hand with members of the public health community. But it is 

critically important for the medical establishment to work with us 

to meet the challenges of increasing access to treatment for individuals with opioid use disorders. Primary care physicians have an opportunity for early intervention, as do emergency department physicians, to treat substance use disorders early and to intervene before they become chronic. And it is vital that individuals with 

opioid use disorders receive evidence-based care and treatment. 

Medication-assisted treatment with FDA-approved medications, 

when combined with behavioral therapies and recovery, has shown 

to be the most effective treatment for opioid use disorders. Just 

this weekend, Secretary Burwell announced an additional $33 million in funding to states to expand the use of medication-assisted 

treatment, and an additional $100 million to fund improved access 

to care and services at community health centers nationwide. 
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HHS is also releasing guidance to states to help implement innovative approaches to substance use disorder treatments. The Administration has also proposed $99 million in the Fiscal Year 2016 

budget request over Fiscal Year 2015 for treatment and overdose 

prevention efforts. 

In addition, given the connection between injection opioid drugs 

and infectious disease transmission, public health strategies are 

necessary to prevent the further spread of infectious disease. The 

recent HIV and hepatitis C outbreak in Indiana is a stark reminder of how opioid abuse can spread other diseases, how comprehensive public health measures such as syringe services programs need to be part of the response, and how rural communities 

with limited treatment capacity may experience additional public 

health crises. 

In conclusion, we will continue to work with Congress and our 

Federal partners on the public health and public safety issues resulting from the epidemic of non-medical prescription opioid use 

and heroin use. Thank you for your time. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Botticelli follows:] 
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Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Thank you, Mr. Botticelli. 

Mr. Riley? 

TESTIMONY OF JOHN (JACK) RILEY, ACTING DEPUTY 

ADMINISTRATOR, DRUG ENFORCEMENT ASSOCIATION 

Mr. RILEY. Chairman Sensenbrenner, Chairman Goodlatte, Congressman Chu, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, 

thanks for the opportunity to discuss heroin, its use and availability, and DEA’s response. 

DEA’s single mission is enforcing the Controlled Substances Act, 

and heroin has always been a major focus of our efforts over the 

years. Sadly today, 120 Americans will die as a result of drug overdose. Heroin and prescription painkillers cause over half of those 

fatalities. Accordingly, DEA views the opioid addiction epidemic as 

really the number-one problem facing the country. 

I have been with DEA almost 30 years, and I have to tell you 

I have never seen it this bad. Heroin destroys individuals, families, 

and communities. The vast majority of the heroin abused in the 

United States is manufactured outside of our country and smuggled across our Southwest border. In recent years, we have seen an 

increase in poppy cultivation and heroin production in Mexico. As 

a result, Mexican heroin is more prevalent on our streets today, accounting for approximately half of the domestic supply. 

The role of Mexican organized crime is unprecedented, which is 

why DEA’s relationship with our Mexican counterparts and our 

presence along the border is so vital. DEA is addressing this evolving threat by targeting the highest-level traffickers and the vicious 

organizations they run. I have personally spent the bulk of my career chasing the man I consider to be the most dangerous heroin 

dealer in the world, Chapo Guzman. He and his Sinaloa Cartel 

dominate the U.S. heroin market. 

DEA focuses its resources on disrupting and dismantling these 

organizations, both at home and abroad. That means targeting the 

intersections between Mexican organized crime and violent urban 

gangs distributing the heroin on their behalf. The relationship between these two criminal entities can only be described as dangerous and toxic. 

Heroin can be found in virtually every corner of our country, in 

places I have never seen it before, large and small, urban and 

rural. Today, heroin is far different than it was just 5 years ago. 

It is cheaper, higher in purity, and can be smoked and snorted, 

much like powder cocaine. Unfortunately, there is no typical heroin 

addict. The problem transcends all demographic and social/economic lines. 

Knowing this drug is a source of so much violence in our communities is really what keeps me up at night. I know from experience 

the more we do to reduce drug crime, the more we will do to reduce 

all violent crime. While Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago 

Field Division, we developed a model of cooperation and collaboration that I believe is making a difference there and across the country. The Chicago Heroin Strike Force began with a shared belief 

among Federal, state, and local law enforcement, political leaders, 

community leaders, and prosecutors that together we could effectively target violent heroin organizations trafficking in heroin. 
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As a result of our efforts, seizures dramatically increased, as did 

the number of arrests and convictions of drug traffickers, primarily 

those connected to violence. We also dismantled criminal organizations responsible for the distribution of hundreds, even thousands 

of kilos of heroin and other drugs. Consequently, we made our communities safer. 

This new and innovative strategy also allows us to work to the 

street level to prevent violent crime, while at the same time to pursue the investigation into the highest level of cartel leadership, 

wherever that takes us. We are actively looking to make this a 

DEA model across the country. 

Just as we cannot separate violence from drugs, we cannot separate controlled prescription drug abuse from heroin. As a result, 

DEA has established highly effective tactical diversion squads 

across the country, 66 in total, as part of the commitment to target 

the critical nexus between the diversion of prescription drugs and 

heroin. Indeed, we are taking steps to remove unwanted, unneeded 

and expired prescription drugs from medicine cabinets. In fact, on 

September 26, 2015, DEA will host its 10th national take-back initiative. 

I know firsthand these threats are an urgent challenge and a 

danger to the communities and the lives of our citizens, but law enforcement is not the sole answer. Prevention, treatment, education 

and awareness are critical to our success. Everybody plays a role 

in this problem, from parents, community leaders, educators, faithbased organizations, coaches and athletics, and the medical community. This is a marathon, not a sprint, but together we will 

produce the results you seek and the American people demand. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Riley follows:] 
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Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Thank you, Mr. Riley. 

Ms. Parr? 

TESTIMONY OF NANCY G. PARR, COMMONWEALTH’S 

ATTORNEY, CITY OF CHESAPEAKE, VA 

Ms. PARR. Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, I appreciate the opportunity to be here today and to speak to you. 

For the past 12 to 18 months, I have learned a great deal about 

drug overdose deaths, prescription and illegal drugs, and part of 

that is because I serve on the State Child Fatality Review Team 

and we are reviewing poisonings of our youth, and that includes 

narcotics, and also with a number of adult overdose deaths in my 

city. 

For the past 30 years as a prosecutor, I have learned a lot about 

distributing drugs, and I have learned about simply possessing 

drugs. There is a difference. There is a big difference. 

For the past 30 years as a prosecutor, I have learned a lot about 

property crimes, public safety, and what victims of crimes and lawabiding citizens expect and deserve from their local law enforcement and from their state law enforcement. 

I appreciate the hold that drugs have on some people. We may 

all have family or friends, or friends who have children who are addicted to either prescription drugs or heroin or cocaine. I appreciate 

the pain that they experience for what they go through. And I appreciate that very few people who are addicted to drugs or to anything can break the cycle of addiction by themselves and alone. But 

I also know that many of them die alone. 

And I also know that we all want to save lives. 

Users, whether they are incarcerated or not, should have access 

to good, affordable treatment. Dealers should be incarcerated. Store 

owners should not have their merchandise stolen by addicts who 

are in there stealing to support their habit. Law-abiding citizens 

should be able to live peacefully in their homes and in their neighborhoods without dealers servicing their clients on the street corners, in the parking lots, or in the house next door. And they 

should also not be subject to being in the middle of the crossfire 

when the wars break out amongst the gangs and the drug dealers 

over who is going to run what street corner or what street. We 

have innocent people being shot and killed throughout this country 

because of drug dealers engaging in gunfire. 

The generations before us did not find a way to stop drug use 

or abuse, and I don’t think anybody realistically thinks that this 

generation is going to do so either. But we can all work together 

to diminish the devastation of the impact of the drugs. 

Now, all of the disciplines involved in this have to be at the table 

because I am a prosecutor, I am not a therapist. I don’t know what 

therapies work. I can listen and I can learn. So we all have to be 

at the table. 

The comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act I support very 

strongly, and I have permission from the National District Attorneys Association to state that the Association supports it also because of the three important things: the connection between prescription drugs and heroin use; alternative evidence-based programs for incarcerated veterans; substance abuse and mental 
59 

health. They often go hand in hand together. And grants for money 

for naloxone for local law enforcement. 

There are five components that I see, and each one serves a very 

valid purpose: prevention, intervention, treatment, diversion, and 

incarceration. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Parr follows:] 
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Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Thank you very much. 

Ms. Pacheco? 

TESTIMONY OF ANGELA R. PACHECO, FIRST JUDICIAL 

DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SANTA FE, NM 

Ms. PACHECO. Good morning, Chairman Sensenbrenner and 

Members of the Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear today. My name is Angela Pacheco, and I am the elected DA 

for the First Judicial District in New Mexico. I am here to talk to 

you about hope. 

As a prosecutor, every day I make dozens of decisions that impact someone’s life. I could sit here and tell you all the horrors associated with drug use, but as an elected official who is constantly 

being bombarded with the ills of society on a daily basis, wouldn’t 

you rather hear about giving someone hope? 

Our community, like so many, has experienced the ravages of 

heroin addiction for years. As a prosecutor, I have personally prosecuted three generations of families addicted to heroin and associated crimes. Every day in the courtroom, we see the same individuals addicted to opiates, day in and day out, who are released from 

custody and told to obey all laws and stay clean, with little to no 

treatment. And, of course, in 2 weeks, when they report to their 

probation officer, they will be given a urine specimen cup, told to 

provide a urine sample, the sample will test positive for opiates, 

then the person will be arrested, placed in custody, go back to the 

court, then is released from custody, told to obey all laws, stay 

clean, and the cycle continues. 

We all know that the person is addicted to heroin. Of course, 

they will test positive. Just because someone tells them or orders 

them to stop using, do you really think that is going to last very 

long? Anyone that has ever raised children knows firsthand that 

you can’t make someone do something unless they want to. The 

definition of insanity is we keep repeating the same mistakes over 

and over and expect a different result. That is madness. 

So in 2014, Santa Fe became the second city in the Nation after 

the City of Seattle to implement a Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, referred to as LEAD, for low-level drug offenders. 

Our LEAD program is community policing at its best. A police officer on the streets knows his or her community. Who better than 

a police officer to divert someone into a program? 

Let me tell you how LEAD works. A police officer is called to a 

local grocery store on a shoplifting call where he encounters Mary, 

a known heroin addict that he has arrested several times before. 

Instead of booking and arresting her, he offers her the LEAD program. The agreement he makes with Mary is that she must complete the LEAD application process within 72 hours. If she does, 

the officer will not file criminal charges on the shoplifting at the 

grocery store. If she agrees, the officer then contacts a LEAD case 

manager and arranges for the two to meet. The case manager asks 

Mary, ‘‘What can I do to help you? What do you need?’’ Then the 

two of them develop an action plan. They start with what are her 

basic needs. For example, she may need housing, child care, assistance in filling out a job application or a GED registration, whatever 

it takes to get her life back. 
77 

Remember, Mary has been through the system and has lost everything due to her addiction to heroin—friends, family, and children. 

LEAD has a case management committee that meets every 2 

weeks to discuss Mary’s progress. The committee consists of police 

officers, prosecutors, public defenders, case managers, and therapists. Everyone is given an opportunity to provide input on Mary’s 

progress. Everyone is in agreement that Mary will slip and there 

will be missteps, but Mary will have a safety net of individuals 

ready to support her. 

Our LEAD program isn’t for everyone, but it is a start for a number of reasons. It is about understanding that an opiate addiction 

is truly a public health issue and not a criminal matter. It is about 

recognizing that a person with an opiate addiction is a person, not 

just another statistic, not another criminal defendant for me to 

prosecute, but someone whose life does matter. 

The twin purposes of LEAD are to save money and time. Also 

but more importantly, LEAD is about saving lives. LEAD is about 

empowering the person and giving them hope. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Pacheco follows:] 
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Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Thank you very much. 

We will begin questions under the 5-minute rule, and I will yield 

myself 5 minutes to ask the first series of questions. 

Ms. Pacheco, I agree with you that merely throwing somebody in 

jail and then having them come out and probably go back to the 

bad ways that got them to jail in the first place is something that 

ought to be addressed. Can you give me an estimate of the recidivism rate of those who have gone through the LEAD program and 

graduated and ended up finding out—everybody finds out that it 

didn’t work? 

Ms. PACHECO. Certainly. Mr. Chairman, Santa Fe’s program has 

been in existence for 1 year and, as such, we don’t have the kind 

of statistical data that, let’s say, Seattle does. Seattle has shown 

that in their program—and Santa Fe is modeled after it—the recidivism is—I want to make sure I have the correct number for 

you. I had it marked here for you. I am sorry, sir. It would be 80 

percent less, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. It is 80 percent less than the recidivism 

rate before the program started in Seattle? 

Ms. PACHECO. Correct. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Well, let me say that I think this is probably the most important thing that we ought to look at, because as 

demand goes down, the profits that are made by the dealers go 

down as well, and we can talk about saving lives and giving people 

hope. In my home community in Southeastern Wisconsin, we have 

had a rash of deaths as a result of heroin overdose. Attorney General Brad Schimel of Wisconsin last week convened a task force to 

try to deal with this both from a law enforcement as well as a 

treatment and rehabilitation standpoint, and the bill that I introduced with other Members of the Committee was made at the suggestion of Governor Walker. 

What advice would any of you give to the Attorney General of 

Wisconsin on how to deal with the task force that he has convened 

so that it can be effective, and why don’t you start, Mr. Botticelli? 

Mr. BOTTICELLI. One of the areas that I think you have heard 

today—and we have been working with many, many states and Attorneys General in terms of helping with state responses to that. 

I think the overall goal is that this has to be a comprehensive response, that people know, quite honestly, that it is a multi-dimensional problem that needs a multi-pronged approach. So prevention, treatment, recovery support services, as well as a role for our 

local law enforcement too in terms of not about incarcerating people with addiction but going after the supply of drugs that are on 

our streets that are fueling this epidemic. So it really needs to be 

a multi-pronged approach. 

As you mentioned, as I think many local law enforcement people 

are understanding the fact that they can’t arrest their way out of 

this problem, and that they also have a role in terms of reducing 

overdoses. So we have really been, I think, amazed in terms of local 

law enforcement’s rise to the call in terms of preventing overdoses. 

But this is really a multi-dimensional issue here that requires a 

comprehensive response. Everybody, as Mr. Riley talked about, has 

a role here. So whether that is law enforcement, the public health 

community, faith leaders, it is about bringing people together, look-
86 

ing at the evidence about what is effective, and implementing those 

responses. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Ms. Parr, do you have anything to add to 

what Mr. Botticelli has said? 

Ms. PARR. Well, Mr. Chairman, I am serving on the Governor’s 

Task Force on Prescription Drug Overdose, and I can say that one 

of the good things and the reason I think this task force is working 

and the implementation plan has been published is that there are 

so many different aspects. We have pharmacists, we have medical 

doctors, we have mental health treatment providers, we have law 

enforcement, we have state police, local police, sheriffs. The Federal Government has a representative there. We are all represented there, and it has been broken down into a treatment 

workgroup, a law enforcement workgroup, education, and also more 

specific on disposal, safe disposal of the prescription drugs. So the 

broad spectrum, and then breaking down into specific workgroups 

I think has produced a very good plan. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Thank you very much. My time is up. 

The gentlewoman from California, Ms. Chu. 

Ms. CHU. Yes. Ms. Pacheco, I am so impressed by the LEAD program. Could you describe how the LEAD program has affected police and community relations in Santa Fe and what role the community involvement plays in LEAD, as well as what cost savings 

have been realized by implementing this program? 

Ms. PACHECO. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ms. Chu. Initially, 

Santa Fe had a series of meetings by all community members for 

about 9 months. We did a needs assessment. Everybody was involved—private business, law enforcement, mental health workers—and we were able to put together the LEAD program. 

The LEAD program consists of a consortium of individuals, 

Santa Fe County, the City of Santa Fe, Santa Fe Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office. All of us get together and we have combined resources, manpower. We have public funding, we have private funding, and we 

get together, and I guess what I would really like to say is it is 

really wonderful to see how the police officers have responded to 

this. 

The police officers on the streets are the ones who originally 

came to us and said we need to do something, we are sick and tired 

of arresting the same people, we have nothing we can give them, 

and for us it has been very gratifying to see the response by the 

police department. 

Then the other thing that has been very gratifying to us in reference to the program has been that we have seen many young 

women with children, and we had not anticipated that. So we are 

also able to provide services to the children, and we really at first 

had not taken that into consideration. So what we are able to do 

now is provide services to an entire family, and we have found that 

to be very gratifying. 

Ms. CHU. Thank you. 

Mr. Riley, there have been numerous cases across the country 

where individuals who suffer chronic pain have faced challenges 

getting their properly prescribed pain medication. I understand 

that drug stores have been tightening the rules after the DEA has 
87 

imposed record fines on pharmacies based on allegations that they 

weren’t scrutinizing questionable prescriptions. 

I believe a careful balance has to be struck between attacking 

prescription drug abuse while not preventing legitimate patients 

from accessing pain medications. That is why I am a co-sponsor of 

H.R. 471, which is the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug 

Enforcement Act, which passed the House in April. 

So, Mr. Riley, what steps is the DEA taking to ensure that patients are getting legitimate prescriptions for drug abuse, and how 

do you respond to comments that the DEA’s actions to stop prescription drug abuse are causing an increase in the heroin abuse 

problem? 

Mr. RILEY. Thank you, ma’am. I too share the concern on this. 

We are so concerned about patient access at every step, and we 

want to ensure that a legitimate health care provider has access 

to adequate medication for their patients. 

One of the biggest ways that we are doing that now is our relationship with the industry. There are approximately 1.5 million 

registrants. Of those, about 900,000 are physicians. By obviously 

communicating back and forth with them and making sure that 

they understand what we are seeing across the country and trends 

of addiction and abuse has really brought them in and what we 

strive to do to make them our allies. 

So our education of how they view the problem is really important, and clearly we want to listen from the registrants so it is a 

two-way street. If you look at, for instance, what occurred in Florida with the pill mill situation of several years ago where literally 

you had a storefront, a small strip mall with several hundred people lined up around the block at 6 a.m. waiting for it to open to 

obtain obviously illegal prescriptions, in those situations, ma’am, 

we move very quickly to cut that off. 

Of the 1.5 million registrants, obviously the vast majority are law 

abiding, but the ones that choose to break the law we take very seriously. But what we really strive for is patient access, safe and accessible medication. 

Ms. CHU. Thank you. 

I yield back. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. The gentlewoman’s time has expired. 

The gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Goodlatte. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. Riley, the map you brought paints a distressing picture. It 

suggests that drug trafficking organizations, especially the Sinaloa 

Cartel, have infiltrated our Nation to a pretty frightening degree 

and have partnered with street gangs in this country to pedal their 

drugs. In many ways, it is a national security issue. What is the 

DEA doing to address that particular problem? 

Mr. RILEY. Thank you, sir. That is my primary, biggest concern, 

having seen this change. This map that you are looking at would 

have been vastly different just 5 years ago. The role of heroin, the 

toxic business relationship that has evolved in virtually every corner of this country between urban street gangs and Mexican cartels 

is frightening to me. It is what keeps me up at night. 

What we are doing better than we have ever done, sir, is connecting the dots. I can tell you that Chapo Guzman, for one, counts 
88 

and plans on the fact that cops don’t talk to cops, that the good 

guys aren’t sharing information, and I can assure you we are doing 

that better now. 

So our ability to attack organizations and their tentacles as they 

begin to spread across the country has never been better. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Are these drug trafficking organizations by their 

nature violent? 

Mr. RILEY. There is no doubt in my mind, having done this job 

in cities across the country for 30 years, I have never seen violence 

connected to trafficking—— 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Are these the people you are targeting? 

Mr. RILEY. Many of them are parts of organizations that are extremely violent. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. How many drug possession offenders, meaning 

those who possess only enough for personal use, does the DEA 

refer for Federal prosecution? 

Mr. RILEY. In my experience, virtually none. Our goal is to attack 

the highest levels possible so that we can really hurt the organization from start to finish. With our limited resources, sir, that is the 

most effective way for us to make a difference across the country. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Let me turn to Ms. Parr and Ms. Pacheco and 

ask a similar question. 

Ms. Parr, is violence regularly associated with drug trafficking 

and distribution? 

Ms. PARR. Mr. Chair, yes, I would definitely agree with that 

statement. We have seen in Chesapeake, which is a very safe community, our shootings are mainly between gangs who are fighting 

over turf, where they are going to sell their drugs. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. What kind of violence do you see associated 

with heroin use and distribution? 

Ms. PARR. With heroin use? 

Mr. GOODLATTE. And distribution. 

Ms. PARR. With the heroin use, the violence is not so much. It 

is more the property crimes for heroin users because they are stealing to support their habits. We have seen an increase in prostitution in Chesapeake because that is the way some women are making the money to support their habits. 

As far as distributing the heroin, again that would be the gun 

battles that are on our city streets and in our neighborhoods that 

expose innocent people to the gunfire. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Does it extend into gang violence over turf? 

Ms. PARR. Yes. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Sales territory, if you will? 

Ms. PARR. Yes. We have gangs in Chesapeake, in all areas of 

Chesapeake. We have over 300 square miles, and there is a lot of 

turf to fight over, and when they see an opening, they are going 

to go there. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. And is there a nexus between heroin trafficking 

and other criminal acts by these drug organizations or gangs? 

Ms. PARR. Yes, sir. Whenever you have the trafficking, the drug 

trafficking, then you are also going to see an increase in the prostitution that is coming into the area, and also robberies. I mean, 

we have gang members robbing other gang members, drug dealers 

robbing and shooting other gang members. 
89 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Thank you. 

Ms. Pacheco, do you want to respond to the same? Is violence 

regularly associated with drug trafficking and distribution? 

Ms. PACHECO. Yes, sir, it is, and it has become worse. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. And what kind of violence do you see in New 

Mexico? 

Ms. PACHECO. There have been many shootings. 

We have had a few executions as a result over trafficking. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Do you have the same problem with the nexus 

between gangs and the drug organizations? The gangs are their 

local sales organizations, if you will, for the Sinaloa Cartel and 

other drug distribution organizations? 

Ms. PACHECO. We definitely are aware of the fact, because we are 

a border state. We definitely see heroin coming in from Mexico fairly frequently, especially in Northern New Mexico. I couldn’t say 

specifically which cartel it is associated with, but we definitely see 

a lot of drugs coming in from the border, sir. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Thank you very much. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Thank you very much. 

The other gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Forbes. 

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Chairman, thank you. 

Ms. Pacheco, we are looking at these programs to stop recidivism. Did your organization or have you done any studies to look 

across the country at the faith-based programs that have worked 

incredibly successfully in trying to stop recidivism? Have you all 

done an analysis of that? And specifically, have we looked at their 

success rates and also impediments that we are now putting in 

front of them to stop them from doing some of the work that they 

are doing? Did you all make any kind of investigation of that? 

Ms. PACHECO. Not really, sir. This is—LEAD is a fairly new concept and there really isn’t another model to compare it to. 

Mr. FORBES. The only thing I would say is this. Oftentimes, we 

love to create new wheels and reinvent the wheel, but we have had 

some incredibly successful programs around the country that we 

have put one impediment after the other to them doing a complimentary role with what you are doing. At some point in time, 

we need to take a look at that and analyze that. 

Mr. Riley, let me ask you this question, following up on the 

Chairman’s statement. You know, we have had testimony in here 

that today if we look across the country, the gang membership in 

this country would equal the fourth largest army in the world. And 

we have also had testimony—and this is both Administrations, not 

a push on just one—that in some of the most violent gangs that 

are serving as these networks, that at least 85 percent of them are 

coming in here illegally. So they are bypassing any prevention programs or anything that we are doing, getting into these gangs. It 

shocked us the other day to find out the Secretary of Homeland Security didn’t even know if we were asking people if they were members of violent gangs before we released them. 

Do you have any connectivity as to just how important those 

gangs are in this distribution process? 

Mr. RILEY. Sir, I think they have become almost crucial to the 

Mexican cartels. Speaking just for Chicago and the Midwest, there 
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are over 150,000 documented street gang members. Largely they 

make their living from putting drugs on the street, supplied by the 

cartels. Heroin is now their drug of choice, and the way that they 

regulate themselves, sir, is by the barrel of a gun. 

So this is an enormity in terms of what we are seeing across the 

country, and it is extremely toxic. And that is why it is really important for law enforcement to be involved, to attack the organizations, not just what is occurring on the street. Obviously, we will 

work with our state and local counterparts to intervene in violent 

acts, but to make sure that the integrity of those cases are worked 

to the highest level so that we can have an impact on the organization itself and the community. 

Mr. FORBES. And this Committee has worked to do that. Chairman Sensenbrenner actually got some pretty sophisticated gang 

legislation out of here. Unfortunately, it got bogged down in the 

Senate and we couldn’t see it come out. 

Ms. Parr, let me ask you and Mr. Riley this question. On July 

14th, five individuals from Portsmouth and Chesapeake were arrested on Federal conspiracy charges of manufacturing, distributing and possession with intent to distribute heroin as part of an 

investigation led by the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office and Chesapeake 

Police Department. According to court documents obtained by a 

local news channel, the investigation involved 75 kilograms of heroin sold between 2013 and 2015. 

To put that in perspective, that is equivalent to over 2 million 

doses, which is enough to give everyone in Hampton Roads a high 

off of heroin. 

With that said, can you give us any details about those arrests, 

or more particularly the level of coordination between local, state, 

and Federal Governments? And were there any barriers that you 

would suggest were problematic that we could work on eliminating 

for you? 

Ms. PARR. Mr. Chair, that recent arrest I think is a prime and 

great example of the cooperation that we have in South Hampton 

Roads, particularly between Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and 

the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the DEA, and FBI. We have worked together quite well on many cases. 

In this case, I did not see any obstacles as everybody was fully 

aware of what was going on as far as the investigation was going, 

and it was very well organized as to the execution of the search 

warrants. 

You did state the amount of heroin and the money that they 

were making off of this. One thing I would like to point out, 

though, is that in one of those homes where there was a search 

warrant executed in Suffolk, there were many children in that 

home, and the information is that $50,000 was counted every other 

day in that house with those children there because of the heroin 

sales, and that heroin was cut and prepared on the dinner table. 

I think that when we look at that and we look at the children who 

were exposed to this, we have got to do something. 

Mr. FORBES. Thank you. My time has expired, but I can talk to 

you another time about that. 

I yield back. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Thank you. 
91 

The gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Gowdy. 

Mr. GOWDY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Special Agent Riley, I want to thank you for your service and 

bring to your attention the excellent work of the DEA agents in the 

upstate of South Carolina who are a credit to your agency. 

I am not very good with math, which means I am in the right 

line of work, so I need you to help me a little bit. I think that it 

takes 28 grams of cocaine base to trigger the mandatory minimum, 

the 5-year mandatory minimum? 

Mr. RILEY. I believe that is true. 

Mr. GOWDY. And 28 grams of base would be roughly equivalent 

to 112 dosage units, I believe, assuming .25 grams for a dosage 

unit. So to get 5 years mandatory minimum in prison, you need 

112 dosage units of cocaine base or crack cocaine. 

Mr. RILEY. Yes, sir. 

Mr. GOWDY. All right. And it takes 500 grams of powder to reach 

that same 5-year mandatory minimum, which would be about 500 

dosage units, because it is about a gram a dosage unit when you 

are dealing with powder. 

Mr. RILEY. Yes, sir. 

Mr. GOWDY. Now, heroin, it takes 100 grams, I believe, of heroin 

to reach that same threshold, but that is 3,000 dosage units. So 

why could you go to prison for 5 years for 112 dosage units of crack 

cocaine, but 3,000 dosage units of heroin is what it takes to trigger 

that 5-year mandatory minimum? That just seems absurd to me. 

Mr. RILEY. Well, clearly, on the law enforcement side, we are 

cops. 

Mr. GOWDY. Right. 

Mr. RILEY. We are doing the best we can with the laws that are 

currently out there. 

Mr. GOWDY. You are, which is why, when there is a discussion 

about reforming mandatory minimums, it is important to hear from 

law enforcement officers. 

One thing we could do is just equalize what it takes to trigger 

a mandatory minimum. I mean, if you are having a problem with 

heroin and it requires 3,000 dosage units to reach that 5-year 

threshold, but it only takes 100 dosage units of crack cocaine, it is 

pretty easy even for me to see that one thing that could be done 

with respect to heroin. 

I know folks, everybody in Congress doesn’t like mandatory minimums. Most folks in law enforcement like them, but everybody in 

Congress doesn’t like them. But I want to ask you this: How many 

folks are serving Federal prison sentences for simple possession of 

a drug? 

Mr. RILEY. I have been doing this for 30 years, and I can tell you, 

nobody as a result of my investigations. 

Mr. GOWDY. Yes, I couldn’t find any either. I haven’t done it as 

long as you. I couldn’t find anybody sitting in a Federal prison for 

simple possession of a controlled substance. 

How about—here is another phrase I hear from time to time— 

low-level, non-violent drug offenders? How many of those did you 

target for investigation when you were a DEA agent? 

Mr. RILEY. None, sir. 
92 

Mr. GOWDY. Right. DEA wouldn’t target low-level, non-violent 

drug offenders. They would go to the state prosecutor, right? 

Mr. RILEY. No, sir. We would go after the largest traffickers we 

could identify and the largest organizations. 

Mr. GOWDY. Right. So this mythology that our Federal prisons 

are full of low-level, non-violent offenders, the statistics and your 

30 years in law enforcement simply just doesn’t bear that out, do 

they? 

Mr. RILEY. Not based off the investigations that I was involved 

in. 

Mr. GOWDY. I have a colleague who was a prosecutor in a former 

life, Joe E. Kennedy from Massachusetts, a very conscientious colleague from the very first day he set foot in Congress, who shared 

with us his concern about the heroin epidemic, and he wanted and 

has asked in the past about the interconnectivity, the relationship 

between prescription drugs and heroin. Who can speak to that on 

behalf of my colleague, Mr. Kennedy, who raises a pretty good 

question? 

Mr. BOTTICELLI. And I think it is a real concern here that, as we 

talked about before, four-fifths of the new users to heroin started 

using prescription pain medication, and because of some of the economics of what it costs to buy a prescription pain medication on the 

street versus how cheap pure heroin is, we see that transition. I 

think this is where intervention and treatment and diminishing the 

vast over-prescribing of prescription pain medication that is happening right now is particularly important in terms of our efforts. 

Mr. GOWDY. Quickly; I have 25 seconds. Drug court, tremendous 

believer in drug court, saw lives changed. But heroin is hard to get 

off. In fact, it was the hardest drug for folks to quit back in my 

previous job. So what do we need to do with heroin to make it 

where more folks are getting off of it through drug courts? 

Mr. BOTTICELLI. Coincidentally, I just spoke this morning at the 

National Association of Drug Court Professionals, 5,000 people 

from across the country who are literally saving lives by giving people a second chance, by giving them good care and treatment with 

accountability. 

Part of what we know to be effective, particularly for people with 

heroin use, is that medications, when combined with other therapies, become critically important, and the evidence that people with 

opiate addiction or prescription drug addiction without medications 

fail a significant portion of the time. 

So we have actually been working with our treatment programs, 

with our drug courts, and using our Federal resources to support 

increased access to these medications as part of a comprehensive 

strategy in terms of what we know to be the most effective treatment for people with opioid use disorders. 

Mr. GOWDY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. The gentleman’s time has expired. 

The gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Bishop. 

Mr. BISHOP. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you to the panel. 

I appreciate your testimony today on this very important issue. 

As a former local prosecutor myself, I had an opportunity to prosecute many drug-related offenses. But I can tell you, in my experience, I never saw this level of heroin in the marketplace. It is trou-
93 

bling, especially as I have school-age children and I hear too many 

stories. It is very disconcerting for a parent and someone like me 

who is in elected government looking for solutions, and I appreciate 

your willingness to be a part of the solution-making process. 

I recently met with a group of local law enforcement officers, my 

local county sheriffs and several others, to talk about the issue. 

Sheriff Bouchard, and also our sheriff in Livingston County, and 

the statistics that they shared are alarming, and they have piqued 

my interest, and I want to do whatever I can to be a part of the 

solution. 

In Livingston County, they had 34 heroin overdoses that resulted 

in deaths last year alone. In Oakland County, they used to have 

between 40 and 45 heroin-related overdoses per year. But last year, 

over the past 2 years I should say, that number has increased to 

an average of 200. In Ingham County, the other county that I represent, which includes the capital of our state, Lansing, they had 

28 heroin-related deaths last year. That is a number that has increased every year exponentially. 

So I would agree that this issue is one that deserves our immediate attention, and I want to thank the Chairman of this Committee, the main Committee, Chairman Goodlatte, and the Chairman of the Subcommittee for raising these issues and making sure 

that we identify these as primary concerns and that we do whatever we can to address them. 

But, Director, I would like to start with you, if I could. It is clear 

from what I am hearing in my district that this issue cuts across 

all kinds of demographic lines. What are we doing to ensure that 

the response to this epidemic is comprehensive and holistic? Are we 

engaging with these local leaders, local law enforcement? When I 

was a local prosecutor, we had all kinds of collaborative efforts between local law enforcement and DEA, and I appreciate your comments about drug courts and alternative sentencing that is available. Can you share with us a little bit more about what you are 

doing? 

Mr. BOTTICELLI. Sure. I think we obviously acknowledge the fact 

of why we can have a Federal response. Really, it is state and local 

responses where the rubber meets the road. It is an obligation of 

our office to make sure that states and locals have the resources 

that they need to be able to do the work and to identify the issues 

and to work collaboratively at the state and local level. 

So we have a number of initiatives. In addition to Federal treatment funding, we also support through our high-intensity drug 

trafficking areas, which our counties designated as drug trafficking 

areas to work with state and local law enforcement to share intelligence, to go after cases. Many of them are focused on heroin 

issues. And I will say that many of our programs are also continuing to support prevention and education programs as well. So 

they try to work across the spectrum. 

Our office also supports what is called drug-free community programs, and these are programs and grants to support communitybased, locally-driven prevention programs at the local level, because every community looks different, but every community needs 

to have all of the key players on board as part of the solution. 
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So we really acknowledge and try to continue to support state 

and local efforts because we know that we can do as much as we 

can at the Federal level, but it also requires state and local partnership to make it really real. 

Mr. BISHOP. Thank you, sir. 

Mr. Riley, in your testimony, you didn’t make reference to this 

but I am wondering if you can share with me legalization of marijuana at the local and state level. Can you tell us how that is influencing these markets and whether or not that has led to the increase in heroin in our country, and if it has shifted the focus away 

from marijuana and we are focused now on methamphetamine, 

heroin, and other types of drugs? 

Mr. RILEY. Well, I think it goes to really the market genius of 

the cartels in particular. They have seen, and I do believe they 

have seen the spread of prescription drug abuse, and they know 

that at some point that availability does cease. Thus begins that 

long road to heroin, and we have seen that across the country. So 

I believe it is much as it was 10 years ago when we were battling 

methamphetamine. With the help of Congress, we were able to legislate primary precursors out, pseudo-ephedrine and ephedrine, 

and we saw a drastic reduction in the amount of domestic laboratories. 

However, the cartels recognized that there still was a tremendous addiction issue. So, what did they do? They were able to 

produce methamphetamine in 50- and 100-pound cooks and provide 

that to the areas in which previously had been supported domestically. So as I look at this problem, sir, I think it truly is battling 

the new face of organized crime, and I am so glad the Committee 

recognized what has been troubling me for a while, the connection 

between domestic street gangs and the cartels. It truly is the new 

face of organized crime as I see it in this country, and law enforcement needs to be fluid enough to adapt to attack that relationship, 

because by doing that we can solve violence on the street but at 

the same time attack the organizations that are responsible for all 

the drugs. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. The gentleman’s time has expired. 

The gentleman from Idaho, Mr. Labrador. 

Mr. LABRADOR. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I would like to thank all the witnesses for being here today and 

for your important testimony on the rise of heroin use across the 

United States. 

One area of particular concern that I have that I would like to 

address is the expanded population of heroin users. Mr. Riley, in 

your written testimony you mention that in 2013 169,000 people 

over the age of 12 used heroin for the first time within the past 

year, with the average age of first-time users at around 25 years 

old. You also cited data that indicated that of those heroin initiates, as they are called, 86 percent of them were prior prescription 

drug users. 

I understand that your agency is developing a task force to confront the use, abuse, and trafficking of heroin in America, but what 

specifically is being done to address the rise in addiction from prescription drugs? 
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Mr. RILEY. Well, sir, I think what we are doing today is important. Awareness is really important. Prior to leaving Chicago, I attended a meeting about 2 years before I departed and there were 

about 100 concerned people in the room. I attended that same 

meeting 3 years later and there were over 2,000 people concerned 

with the whole heroin issue, and unfortunately many of them were 

parents. What strikes me most is many of these parents had no 

idea their kids—and I am talking high school-age kids—were involved with prescription drug abuse which led to heroin, and many 

of them didn’t find out until they were on their way to the emergency room. 

So law enforcement attacking the organizations, sir, is crucial, 

and that is what we do around the clock. And I have to tell you, 

we are doing great work. But the awareness of everybody in the 

community to this issue is really going to strengthen us as we go 

after these organizations. 

So when we look across the board to parents, educators, community leaders, faith-based practitioners, everybody plays a role. 

While we will do our job going after the bad guys, we can’t do it 

alone. We need the help of everybody, especially parents. 

Mr. LABRADOR. Excellent. I understand many of these users are 

initially receiving prescription drugs through legitimate means, 

leading to an increase in usage among traditionally untouched populations. What does the agency propose for addressing the fundamental problem of addiction? 

Mr. RILEY. Well, clearly we are working with a variety of different agencies to try to get the word out. Also, one of the problems 

we faced—and again, it is an awareness issue—is today’s heroin on 

the street is being smoked and snorted initially. So initially, gone 

is the fear of AIDS or hepatitis because of a needle. So we are seeing a lot younger people try heroin almost as a recreational drug. 

The statistics show that they eventually will go to needle use, but 

I think it does have a lot to do with why we are seeing younger 

and younger addicts. 

Mr. LABRADOR. Mr. Botticelli? 

Mr. BOTTICELLI. Congressman, if I could add to those comments. 

To your point, focusing on the prescription drug problem is a top 

priority. First and foremost, we really need to reign in over-prescribing of prescription pain medication. Our office has proposed 

mandatory continuing medical education for every prescriber. 

Again, we want a balanced approach. We want to make sure people 

are getting appropriate pain medication. We don’t want the pendulum to swing to the other way, and that is why we want to make 

sure that every prescriber has at least some minimum education 

about safe prescribing practices. 

We know that about 70 percent of people who start misusing 

them are getting them free from friends and family, and that is 

why Federal and local take-back programs to get the drugs out of 

people’s homes becomes equally important. 

We have also been promoting prescription drug monitoring programs that allow physicians to check databases to see if someone 

might be going from doctor to doctor to be able to intervene at that 

point, as well as law enforcement responses. We just got briefed by 

the DEA in terms of a huge takedown in terms of bad doctors and 
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bad practices in the south. So we know that this needs a holistic 

response. 

Mr. LABRADOR. Thank you very much. 

Ms. Pacheco, you also mentioned the need for sentencing reform 

to address low-level, non-violent offenders who end up in jail with 

mandatory minimum sentences with no alternative for addressing 

their problems. I agree that mandatory minimums have proven destructive in addressing drug crimes and have resulted in wasting 

valuable resources. In your view, what is the best alternative for 

addressing addiction and the causes of drug abuse, given your experiences where drug addiction abuse is pervasive within the culture? 

Ms. PACHECO. I have been doing this for many, many years, sir, 

and it always comes down to resources and money for drug treatment. But we see over and over the same people in and out, in and 

out, without appropriate resources. New Mexico, as you know, is 

one of the poorer states. We don’t have the type of tax base to provide services. But a program like LEAD, for example, it is pre-arrest, pre-booking that shows it can save us money, and that money 

then can go into treatment and the wrap-around services that 

many of these individuals need, because that is kind of where it is 

at. 

Someone who is in the cycle of addiction, they need as much support as possible, and that is kind of what we are doing. We are 

transferring resources from the back end to the front end to help 

them and to keep them out of the system, sir. 

Mr. LABRADOR. Thank you. 

Mr. SENSENBRENNER. The time of the gentleman has expired. 

This concludes today’s hearing, and thanks to our witnesses for 

attending. 

Without objection, all Members will have 5 legislative days to 

submit additional written questions for the witnesses and additional materials for the record. 

And without objection, the hearing is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 11:21 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.] 
(97) 

A P P E N D I X 

MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING RECORD
98 

*The Committee had not received a response to these questions at the time this hearing 

record was finalized and submitted for printing on November 17, 2015. 

Questions for the Record submitted to John (Jack) Riley, 

Acting Deputy Administrator, Drug Enforcement Association* 
99 
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