Drug Control: An Overview of U.S. Counterdrug Intelligence Activities
Released: 1998-06-25T00:00:00

Letter

Background

According to Presidential Decision Directives, the Director of Central Intelligence, the President’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and others, illegal drug-trafficking is a threat to U.S. national security. The National Drug Control Strategy, issued annually by ONDCP, identifies the reduction of illegal drug use as its overall goal. The strategy links the success of this effort, in part, to the U.S. counterdrug intelligence program and makes intelligence one of the strategy’s key drug functions.

As part of the national strategy, ONDCP established five goals to reduce illegal drug use: 1. Educate and enable America’s youth to reject illegal drugs as well as alcohol and tobacco. 2. Increase the safety of America’s citizens by substantially reducing drug-related crime and violence. 3. Reduce health and social costs to the public of illegal drug use. 4. Shield America’s air, land, and sea frontiers from the drug threat. 5. Break foreign and domestic drug sources of supply.

Counterdrug intelligence plays an important role in the execution of the strategy and supports three of the strategy’s five goals—goals 2, 4, and 5. Appendix II identifies which goal each counterdrug intelligence organization supports.

In drug-trafficking investigations, interdiction activities, and efforts to dismantle major drug-trafficking organizations, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies need intelligence to understand and effectively combat the illegal drug trade. Intelligence can be used, for example, to learn about the structure, membership, finances, communications, and activities of drug-trafficking organizations as well as specific operational details of particular illegal drug-smuggling or money-laundering activities.

Oganizations That Collect and/or Produce Counterdrug Intelligence

Numerous federal, state, and local organizations collect and/or produce counterdrug intelligence. Their specific activities depend on the nature of the drug-monitoring, law enforcement, intelligence, or other counterdrug mission assigned to them. This report focuses on the federal or federally funded organizations we identified as having a principal role in collecting and/or producing counterdrug intelligence. We do, however, briefly discuss the roles of other federal organizations that contribute counterdrug intelligence information as by-products of their missions. Organizations such as the National Security Council and the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces Program, which are primarily consumers of counterdrug intelligence information, were excluded from this report.

Agencies With a Principal Counterdrug Intelligence Role

Drug-related intelligence information is gathered by two principal communities: the national foreign intelligence (including the Department of Defense (DOD)) and federal law enforcement communities. Within these 2 communities, we identified at least 22 federal or federally funded organizations spread across 5 cabinet-level departments (Justice, Treasury, Transportation, Defense, and State) and 2 cabinet-level organizations (ONDCP and the Director of Central Intelligence) whose roles include collecting and/or producing counterdrug intelligence information. The organizations having a principal role in collecting and/or producing counterdrug intelligence are as follows:

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC)

Justice-funded Regional Information Sharing System (RISS) Program

Department of the Treasury

U.S. Customs Service

Customs’ Domestic Air Interdiction Coordination Center (DAICC)

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)

Joint Interagency Task Force-East (JIATF-East)

Joint Interagency Task Force-West (JIATF-West)

Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATF-South)

Joint Task Force Six (JTF-6)

Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

National Security Agency (NSA)

National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA)

Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI)

Tactical Analysis Teams (TAT)

Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR)

Executive Office of the President/ONDCP

ONDCP-funded High Intensity Drug-Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program

Director of Central Intelligence

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Crime and Narcotics Center (CNC)

Figure 1 provides a graphic representation of federal organizations with a principal role in counterdrug intelligence.

Organizations That Also Contribute Counterdrug Information

A number of federal organizations provide counterdrug intelligence as by-products of their principal missions. For example, the Border Patrol’s principal mission is to prevent the illegal entry of aliens between U.S. ports of entry. In the course of this effort, the Border Patrol arrests illegal border crossers who may also be transporting drugs. While the quantity of drugs the Border Patrol seizes each year is significant, those seizures result from the Border Patrol’s principal mission to interdict illegal aliens—not drugs. Information about Border Patrol arrests and drug seizures is used to produce tactical and operational intelligence for the Border Patrol’s own use and dissemination to other federal organizations, such as DEA, EPIC, and the Customs Service, for investigative and intelligence purposes.

Other federal organizations that contribute counterdrug intelligence as by-products of their principal missions include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; Federal Aviation Administration; and the Bureau of Land Management.

Role of Counterdrug Intelligence Organizations

The role of counterdrug intelligence is to support both the individual organizations’ drug-monitoring, law enforcement, intelligence, or other counterdrug mission in support of the national drug control strategy. According to the strategy, the goal of the U.S. supply reduction effort is to reduce the supply of available drugs in the belief that the less available drugs are, the fewer people will use them. To help reduce the supply of drugs, efforts must be focused on acquiring intelligence concerning every link in the drug chain—from drug cultivation to production and trafficking, both domestically and abroad.

Collecting Counterdrug Intelligence Information

Many of the organizations we identified as having a principal role in counterdrug intelligence are intelligence collectors who operate either domestically or abroad or, in the case of some organizations, both. Counterdrug intelligence organizations employ human, electronic, photographic, and/or other technical means to collect intelligence information.

Domestic and/or Foreign Collection

Under existing federal statutes and executive orders, U.S. counterdrug intelligence organizations collectively are authorized to gather information regarding suspected illegal drug activities of (1) U.S. and foreign persons and organizations within the United States (domestic intelligence) and (2) foreign powers, organizations, or persons outside the United States (foreign intelligence). Generally, law enforcement organizations such as the DEA and FBI collect both domestic and foreign counterdrug intelligence information, whereas national foreign intelligence organizations such as the CIA, NSA, and DIA collect only foreign intelligence information.

Executive Order 12333, United States Intelligence Activities, places limits on agencies such as the CIA, NSA, and DIA from collecting information concerning the domestic activities of U.S. persons. Table 1 depicts the domestic and foreign collection counterdrug intelligence organizations are authorized to conduct. The table does not include those organizations that do not collect counterdrug intelligence.

There are three basic means counterdrug intelligence organizations use to collect intelligence information:

Human includes confidential informants, cooperating witnesses, and other human sources.

Electronic and/or signals includes intercepted conversations through telephone, radio, or other communication devices and noncommunication electronic emissions produced by devices such as radars.

Photographic or imagery includes imagery of objects or persons using devices as simple as a hand-held camera to more sophisticated imaging systems.

The counterdrug intelligence organizations identified in table 1 use each of these basic intelligence collection means.

Producing Counterdrug Intelligence

Most of the organizations we identified as having a principal role in counterdrug intelligence are producers rather than collectors of information. For example, NDIC, EPIC, and the JIATFs rely on information collected by other organizations to produce their intelligence products and are not collectors themselves.

Organizations produce strategic, operational, and/or tactical intelligence. There is no universally agreed upon definition among counterdrug intelligence organizations as to what constitutes strategic, operational/investigative, and tactical intelligence. For the purposes of this report, the following definitions and examples characterize the various types:

Strategic intelligence is information concerning broad drug-trafficking patterns and trends that can be used by U.S. policymakers, including department and agency heads, for strategic planning and programming purposes. Examples include information on coca leaf crop estimates; foreign country or regional drug threat assessments; broad patterns or trends in cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, or other drug production and trafficking; and information on the financial, transportation, structure, and other workings of major drug-trafficking organizations and their leadership hierarchy.

Operational/investigative intelligence is information that can be used to provide analytic support to an ongoing criminal investigation or prosecution or can be useful in resource planning, such as where to station agents to obtain evidence over a period of time. Examples include information about specific persons, organizations, facilities, or routes being investigated and/or prosecuted for illegal drug-trafficking.

Tactical intelligence is information that is of immediate use in supporting an ongoing drug investigation; positioning federal assets to monitor the activities of suspected drug traffickers; or positioning federal, state, or local law enforcement assets to interdict, seize, and/or apprehend a vehicle or other conveyance and/or person suspected of trafficking in drugs. This can include information such as the current or imminent location or mode of transportation of specific drug shipments.

Table 2 identifies the types of intelligence produced by counterdrug intelligence organizations.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

The ONDCP Director of Intelligence said that how consumers use the intelligence ultimately determines whether the intelligence is strategic, tactical, or operational. The products that the organizations included in our review produce include the following.

Threat Assessments

Reports that consolidate all known information about a specific topic in order to describe the current drug situation and, in some cases, to indicate what may occur in the future. Examples include annual assessments of the drug threat in HIDTA geographic areas and the impact of the threat in other areas, EPIC’s threat assessments on the Southwest border, EPIC domestic and worldwide threat briefs, and DEA’s assessment of the South American heroin threat.

Organizational or Individual Profiles

Reports that provide information on specific drug-trafficking organizations or individual traffickers. Organizational profiles, produced by DEA and FBI, contain information about a drug-trafficking organization’s members, associates, business interests, operations, finances, and communications. Other examples of organizational profiles include NDIC profiles of the Amezcua-Contreras Organization and Vietnamese drug-trafficking organizations. An individual’s profile would include, among other things, information on a known or suspected drug trafficker’s citizenship, aliases, residence, employment, arrest record, vehicles owned, and other assets.

Country-Specific Studies

Reports that provide information on a specific country’s drug-related activities such as coca cultivation and processing of drugs, drug abuse and treatment, drug law enforcement agencies, and treaties and conventions with the United States. Examples of country-specific studies include DEA’s studies of Mexico, El Salvador, and Bolivia and FinCEN’s advisory regarding the Colombian black market peso exchange.

Trend Publications

Reports that provide information on a specific condition over a period of time and analyze any patterns or changes in patterns that occur. While this type of report may be included as part of other products, such as threat assessments, some organizations issue separate reports on trends. Examples of trend publications are the interagency assessment of cocaine movement, FinCEN’s analysis of trends in currency flows to and from Federal Reserve banks to identify money-laundering activities, DAICC’s reports on air-smuggling patterns along the Southwest border, Customs Service reports of drug seizure activities, and EPIC’s special report on highway interdiction.

Investigative Intelligence Reports

Reports that are produced and used by organizations such as DEA, Customs, and FBI to further their investigations. Examples of investigative intelligence reports are link analyses, telephone toll analyses, and post-drug seizure analyses. A link analysis uses intelligence or information such as telephone numbers or financial transactions, acquired during an investigation or multiple investigations, to identify people, businesses, or organizations involved in drug activities and their associations. A telephone toll analysis uses telephone numbers acquired from investigative targets to identify additional drug-trafficking suspects. A post-drug seizure analysis uses items such as drugs, equipment, vehicles, shipment containers, documents, or computer records seized from suspects during search warrants and seizures to identify new drug-smuggling trends or methods used by drug traffickers.

Spot Reports

Actionable intelligence reports that facilitate U.S. law enforcement efforts to seize drugs and apprehend suspected drug traffickers. These reports include EPIC, RISS, and HIDTA-funded watch centers’ responses to queries received from federal, state, and local law enforcement for information such as database extracts on a specific subject or vehicle; JIATF and Customs lookout lists, special alerts for persons, vessels, and aircraft in their areas of responsibility; and DAICC reports on suspect aircraft making drug airdrops to vessels or vehicles within the U.S. border.

Special Reports

Include NDIC’s National Street Gang Survey; officer safety bulletins; EPIC’s reference document on concealment methods in land vehicles; and FBI and RISS charts, exhibits, and analyses prepared for presentation at trials or grand juries.

For more detailed information on individual organization counterdrug intelligence products, see appendix I.

Federal Spending for Counterdrug Intelligence Programs

The amount of federal funds spent by counterdrug intelligence organizations is difficult to determine because (1) there is no government-wide, consolidated counterdrug intelligence budget or single government source from which to determine how much organizations budget and spend on counterdrug intelligence; (2) in all but a few cases, organizations do not maintain separate budgets to account for counterdrug intelligence funding; and (3) some organizations functions serve more than one purpose, and it is therefore difficult to directly allocate costs to a particular activity such as counterdrug intelligence (e.g., law enforcement officers collect intelligence as part of their investigative activities).

ONDCP’s 1998 National Drug Control Strategy Budget Summary showed that $154.2 million was spent for counterdrug intelligence in fiscal year 1997. This total did not, however, include all spending for counterdrug intelligence for fiscal year 1997. It included money spent for counterdrug intelligence by some organizations but did not include money spent by organizations such as the Defense Department, Coast Guard, and Customs Service. According to ONDCP officials, counterdrug intelligence spending attributable to these organizations is included under the interdiction and/or investigation drug functions in the ONDCP budget summary, but is not specifically identified as intelligence.

Organizations with a principal role in collecting and/or producing counterdrug intelligence provided us with unclassified information showing that at least $295 million was spent for counterdrug intelligence in fiscal year 1997. Figure 2 shows, by cabinet-level organization, the amount and percentage of spending agencies reported to us for counterdrug intelligence programs and activities for fiscal year 1997.

The Justice, Defense, and Treasury Departments account for over 90 percent of the total estimated spending for counterdrug intelligence activities in fiscal year 1997. For individual organization funding/spending amounts for fiscal years 1995 through 1998, and, where applicable, a discussion of the methodology some organizations used to estimate counterdrug intelligence funding/spending, see appendix I.

Numbers of Personnel Assigned to Counterdrug Intelligence Activities

The number of federal personnel assigned to counterdrug intelligence collection and/or production activities is difficult to determine because in many cases organizations are not authorized and/or do not track personnel positions specifically for counterdrug intelligence activities, yet have personnel who perform counterdrug intelligence functions; there is no single governmentwide source from which to obtain information on the number of counterdrug intelligence personnel (e.g., ONDCP’s 1997 National Drug Control Strategy Budget Summary reported estimates of total counterdrug personnel resources—i.e., full-time equivalents—but did not further delineate personnel by intelligence or other key ONDCP drug function); some personnel perform functions that serve more than one purpose, and it was difficult for organization officials to determine the amount of time these people spent specifically on counterdrug intelligence duties as opposed to other duties (e.g., law enforcement officers collect intelligence as part of their investigative activities); and some intelligence personnel perform functions in support of multiple missions, and it was difficult to determine how much time they spent on counterdrug intelligence activities (e.g., Customs intelligence research specialists support Customs’ trade, fraud, and export control missions in addition to its counterdrug mission).

The organizations with a principal role in collecting and/or producing counterdrug intelligence provided us with unclassified information on the number of personnel assigned to counterdrug intelligence programs and activities. As of October 1, 1997, over 1,400 personnel collected and/or produced counterdrug intelligence. Figure 3 shows, by cabinet-level organization, the estimated number and percentage of counterdrug intelligence personnel that organizations reported to us as supporting counterdrug intelligence programs and activities as of October 1, 1997.

Justice Department (744)

Defense Department (299)

Represents 92 percent of total personnel.

The Justice, Defense, and Treasury Departments account for over 90 percent of the total estimated unclassified number of federal personnel who support counterdrug intelligence programs and activities. For more detailed information regarding each organization’s counterdrug intelligence personnel and, where applicable, a discussion of the methodology organizations used to estimate the number of counterdrug intelligence personnel assigned to their organization, see appendix I.

Agency Comments

We provided the Office of National Drug Control Policy; Departments of Defense, Justice, State, Transportation and Treasury; and the Director of Central Intelligence a copy of the draft report for their review and comment. The Departments of State and Defense and the Director of Central Intelligence responded with oral comments and the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Departments of Justice, Transportation, and Treasury provided written comments.

These agencies agreed with how the draft report portrayed their respective agencies’ counterdrug intelligence role, mission, funding, and personnel-related information. Each of the agencies provided technical comments to clarify the scope of their activities in support of U.S. counterdrug intelligence programs. Their technical comments were incorporated where appropriate.

Scope and Methodology

We identified those federal organizations that collect and/or produce counterdrug intelligence information by reviewing documents, including our prior reports and other studies, and interviewing officials at the Departments of Justice, Treasury, Transportation, State, and Defense; the Office of National Drug Control Policy; and other federal organizations. We focused our efforts on those organizations that have counterdrug intelligence as a principal role. For organizations that produce counterdrug intelligence as a by-product of their principal mission, such as the Border Patrol and Federal Aviation Administration, we reviewed documents and, in some cases, interviewed agency officials.

For the organizations included in our review, we sought descriptive data and other information from the organizations. Initially, we provided each agency with a data collection instrument seeking information on, among other things, their intelligence roles, mission, funding, personnel, and products. Later, we interviewed officials at headquarters and selected field offices of various U.S. law enforcement, Department of Defense, and other agencies to discuss their respective counterdrug intelligence programs, observe counterdrug activities and/or demonstrations of counterdrug intelligence applications and databases, and collect relevant documentation about their programs. Appendix III lists the locations we visited.

We compiled information concerning the organizations’ overall and specific counterdrug intelligence mission, statutory authority, budgets, personnel figures, and operational data. In some cases, we obtained classified information, which is not included in this report. We did not independently verify organizations’ statistical or budgetary data; however, whenever possible, we compared their data to that provided to ONDCP and contacted agencies to clarify budget or personnel data where the information appeared to be inconsistent.

We also requested a briefing on the activities of the Director of Central Intelligence’s Crime and CNC and information on CNC’s mission, personnel, structure, and funding. CIA’s Director of Congressional Affairs informed us that the agency would be unable to provide us with the requested information. In a subsequent meeting with staff from your Subcommittee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, we were directed to withdraw our request for personnel and funding information and limit our request to information on CNC’s roles, missions, and functions. CNC subsequently provided us a written statement of its roles, missions, and functions.

We performed our review from August 1997 through March 1998 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.

We are sending copies of this report to interested congressional committees; the U.S. Attorney General; the Secretaries of Treasury, Transportation, Defense, and State; and the Directors of ONDCP and Central Intelligence. We will make copies available to other interested parties upon request.

Please contact me at (202) 512-3504 if you or your staff have any questions concerning this report. Major contributors to this report are listed in appendix IV.

Organizations With Principal Counterdrug Intelligence Roles

Drug Enforcement Administration

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) mission is to enforce the U.S. controlled substances laws and regulations and to bring to the U.S. or any other competent criminal and civil justice system the organizations and their principal members involved in growing, manufacturing, or distributing controlled substances in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States. In addition, DEA recommends and supports nonenforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on domestic and international markets. DEA’s Intelligence Program supports its counterdrug mission and specific objectives.

DEA conducts its counterdrug activities under the authority of Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1973 and Executive Order 11727 (1973).

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

Since its establishment in 1973, DEA, in coordination with other federal, state, local, and foreign law enforcement organizations, has been responsible for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of drug-related intelligence. DEA’s intelligence efforts are overseen by its Intelligence Division. Specific units within the Intelligence Division are responsible for providing intelligence support or assessments internally on, among other things, types of illegal drugs, for example, cocaine or heroin; types of illegal activity, for example, diversion of legitimate drugs and precursor chemicals; level of illegal activity, for example, street or wholesale distributors; or major trafficking organizations or sensitive investigations. Intelligence units are located in 21 domestic field divisions and in major drug cultivation, production, and transit countries around the world. DEA also manages the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), a multiagency tactical drug intelligence center. In some of its overseas offices, DEA provides guidance to the U.S. embassies’ Tactical Analysis Teams (TAT)—Department of Defense (DOD) resources used for information and intelligence gathering.

The focus of DEA’s Intelligence Program is to provide analytical support to investigations, assist in identifying and profiling drug-trafficking organizations and methods, support efforts to target and arrest the highest levels of traffickers within those organizations, identify trafficker assets, and further criminal prosecutions of drug traffickers.

DEA manages a national narcotics intelligence system to collect and analyze tactical, operational, and strategic drug intelligence and disseminate this intelligence to all federal, state, local, and foreign antidrug agencies with a need to know. DEA collects tactical intelligence for the immediate interdiction of drug shipments; operational intelligence on organizations and individuals involved in drug-smuggling; and strategic intelligence on trafficking patterns, drug cultivation, emerging trends, and the price and purity of illicit drugs and similar data used for decision-making. Based on information obtained through investigations, as well as from other sources, DEA intelligence elements produce strategic and trend assessments to assist DEA field managers and executives in the deployment of resources. National level policymakers use these assessments in developing drug control policies and strategies. DEA collects imagery and human intelligence and conducts court-authorized electronic surveillance of individuals and organizations.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

DEA intelligence analysts develop a variety of products, which include, in part, strategic trend and analysis publications, strategic organizational profiles, country-specific studies, reports on emerging trends, and enforcement support products such as investigative reports, document analyses, telephone toll analyses, link analyses, and investigative file reviews.

Among the 1997 unclassified intelligence products DEA published were The South American Heroin Threat; Heroin: An Assessment; Changing Patterns in Nigerian Heroin Trafficking; Operation BREAKTHROUGH: Coca Cultivation & Cocaine Base Production in Peru; Europe—Ecstacy Production, Trafficking and Abuse; Money Laundering in Costa Rica; The Marijuana Trade in Colombia; Cocaine Hydrochloride Production in Bolivia; Changing Dynamics of the U.S. Cocaine Trade; and various country-specific bulletins, including ones on El Salvador, Mexico, Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, DEA’s Intelligence Program was authorized 442 intelligence research specialist positions (including those in EPIC) and approximately 300 additional special agents and support personnel, representing about 10 percent of DEA’s workforce. Of the 442 intelligence research specialists authorized, 422 were on board.

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

The El Paso Intelligence Center’s counterdrug mission is to support the field in disrupting the flow of illicit drugs at the highest trafficking level through the exchange of time-sensitive, tactical intelligence dealing principally with drug movement. EPIC provides operational assessments of drug-trafficking organizations and strategic assessments on drug movement and concealment techniques. EPIC also analyzes and disseminates information regarding drug-related currency movement.

EPIC conducts its counterdrug activities under the authority of a 1974 agreement between DEA and the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

Managed by DEA, EPIC is a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week multiagency clearinghouse for tactical intelligence and the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information related to worldwide drug movement. Although EPIC has no direct collection management authority, essential elements of intelligence are identified and provided to participating agencies, as appropriate, for collection. EPIC has a primary role to provide intelligence and law enforcement information in support of interdiction and investigative efforts against the movement of illegal drugs toward U.S. borders; over maritime and air approaches; along the nation’s interstate and state highway systems; and through its airports, bus terminals, railway stations, and commercial courier systems. EPIC responds to requests for tactical support from federal and state enforcement agencies on specific cases, links ongoing investigations, and also proactively provides enforcement-support information to preempt trafficking activities and to support interdiction. EPIC has placed special emphasis on supporting counterdrug efforts along the U.S./Mexico border by performing research and analysis of information to develop an understanding of drug movement through Mexico and across the Southwest border, and to identify the major trafficking organizations responsible for that drug movement. EPIC also emphasizes the transportation organizations approaching the United States through the Caribbean corridor.

As of October 1, 1997, the Watch Operations Section, Tactical Operations Section, and the Research and Analysis Section formed the principal EPIC units responsible for intelligence collection and analysis. An Information Management Section is responsible for the operation and management of EPIC’s communications and information systems containing multiagency data.

Watch Operations Section

The Watch Operations Section is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Separate air and maritime units are responsible for the coordination of air- and maritime-related requests received by EPIC. The General Watch has the primary responsibility for receiving requests for criminal histories and border-crossing and other information from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, conducting checks of various databases available at EPIC, and providing EPIC’s response to the requesting agencies. The General Watch is also responsible for sending “EPIC lookouts” (lookouts for persons, vehicles, or aircraft) and other alerts when requested by law enforcement agencies.

The State and Local Liaison Unit, within the Watch Operations Section, is responsible for facilitating Highway Interdiction (Operation Pipeline/Convoy) training for state and local law enforcement officers throughout North America.

Tactical Operations Section

The Tactical Operations Section is responsible for the operation and management of the Joint Information Coordination Centers (a joint EPIC, DEA, and Department of State program to assist governments in establishing an EPIC-type center in the host countries); the operation and maintenance of specialized communication collection programs; the Special Operations Unit; and the Operational Intelligence Unit. The Special Operations Unit is a 365-day watch operation that facilitates the timely flow of tactical intelligence and information worldwide. According to EPIC, among other things, this unit has the capability to access sensitive foreign-source information related to ongoing operations; monitor and coordinate undercover operations and controlled drug deliveries; and assist the interagency interdiction centers in the coordination of information and the handoff of suspect targets to law enforcement agencies. The Operational Intelligence Unit researches, analyzes, and fuses federal, state, local, and national level intelligence on the major smuggling organizations operating along the Southwest border and uses this information to produce intelligence profiles on these organizations and other investigative intelligence for use by law enforcement agencies and policymakers.

Research and Analysis Section

The Research and Analysis Section concentrates on all-source fusion of drug-smuggling information to provide smuggling assessments relative to trafficking groups, geographic areas, modes/methods of transportation/concealment, as well as trend, pattern, and statistical analysis. The Section is divided into the Domestic, Foreign, Southwest Border, and Trend Analysis Units, which capture the information and conduct the fusion, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence products relating to drug movement. For example, the Southwest Border Unit collects, fuses, and analyzes data and intelligence information collected by law enforcement along the border to produce trend and other assessments of drug-trafficking along the Southwest border. The Trend Analysis Unit develops and disseminates intelligence products on drug movement events, and changes in drug movement trends, and identifies the primary threat areas for drugs entering the United States. The Domestic Unit supports programs involved in drug and drug-related currency interdiction within the United States. The Foreign Unit concentrates primarily on drug movement to South Florida and the East Coast through the Caribbean corridor and support to interdiction programs.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

EPIC produces daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports such as the Southwest border daily, quarterly, and annual reports, the Weekly Activity Brief, the Highway Drug Interdiction Weekly Activity Report, the monthly maritime and general aviation activity reports, and the EPIC worldwide and domestic quarterly threat briefs. EPIC also produces and disseminates special publications such as reference documents on concealment methods in land vehicles, on motorcycle gangs, and fishing vessel and aircraft identification guides.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, EPIC had over 314 positions. These positions included contract personnel, staff from its federal member agencies, and two state agencies. Of the 314 positions, 69 were intelligence research specialists, of which 41 were DEA employees. Of the 69 intelligence research positions available, 58 were on board, of which 32 were DEA specialists.

Counterdrug Intelligence Spending

Funding amounts for EPIC are included in funding totals in DEA’s profile.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is charged with investigating all violations of federal laws, except those that have been assigned by legislation to other agencies. The FBI also has concurrent jurisdiction with the Drug Enforcement Administration for enforcement of federal criminal drug laws. The FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division is responsible for overseeing FBI counterdrug efforts. Its Criminal Intelligence Program’s counterdrug mission is to identify existing and emerging criminal organizations involved in narcotics trafficking.

The FBI’s field office criminal intelligence squads’ counterdrug mission is to provide timely, useful, and accurate strategic, operational, and tactical organizational intelligence in an effort to facilitate the disruption and dismantling of major criminal organizations impacting field office and regional territories.

The FBI conducts its counterdrug activities under 21 U.S.C. 871, 876, 881, and 1504; 18 U.S.C. 1961 and 3052; and 28 U.S.C. 533-535.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

The FBI primarily collects intelligence information from human sources to help disrupt and dismantle drug organizations and prosecute their leaders. Its human intelligence sources include informants, cooperating witnesses, and information obtained through undercover operations. Some of these sources may reside in other countries. The Bureau also conducts court-authorized electronic surveillance to penetrate sophisticated drug-trafficking organizations and frequently obtains photographic intelligence to help it plan enforcement actions.

As of October 1, 1997, the FBI had criminal intelligence squads in 13 of its 56 field offices and supported joint counterdrug intelligence efforts, such as the Southwest Border Project (a DEA, FBI, and Customs Service effort to identify, in part, the command and control structures of major Mexican drug-trafficking organizations) and the Dominant Chronicle Project (an FBI/Defense Intelligence Agency led foreign document/information exploitation initiative that supports the U.S. counterdrug efforts via multiagency sharing of comprehensive analytical reports derived from documents seized by foreign law enforcement agencies).

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

The types of intelligence products produced by FBI intelligence squads include threat assessments, organization intelligence profiles (includes information on, among other things, an organization’s members, associates, businesses, operations, finances, and communications); telephone toll analyses; and post-seizure analyses of documents or other evidence seized during an investigation.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, the Criminal Investigative Division’s Intelligence Section had a total of 95 authorized positions, of which 88 personnel were on board. Forty eight of the 95 authorized positions were intelligence research specialists, of which 36 were on board. The field divisions had on-board 353 intelligence research specialists, including 159 who were in the criminal intelligence squads. In addition, the Southwest Border Project and Interagency Dominant Chronicle had a total of 12 intelligence research specialists.

Counterdrug Intelligence Spending

No estimate was provided for 1995.

National Drug Intelligence Center

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

NDIC’s mission is to coordinate and consolidate strategic organizational drug intelligence from national security and law enforcement agencies, in order to produce requested assessments and analyses regarding the structure, membership, finances, communication, transportation, logistics, and other activities of drug-trafficking organizations. The scope of its mission is worldwide drug-trafficking, with emphasis on the domestic arena. Furthermore, NDIC is to provide strategic counterdrug threat assessments for the nation’s policymakers and executives, including the Attorney General, the Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the Director of Central Intelligence.

NDIC conducts its counterdrug activities under the statutory authority of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal year 1993, Public Law 102-396, section 9078, 106 Stat. 1876, 1919 (1992). Also, Attorney General Order No. 2059-96, dated October 29, 1996, which formalized NDIC’s organization within the Department of Justice and conveyed its charter.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

NDIC provides strategic counterdrug intelligence support to the federal law enforcement and intelligence community agencies tasked with counterdrug missions. NDIC’s primary role is to provide these agencies with assessments and analyses of drug-trafficking organizations, emerging trends and patterns, and the national threat posed by the drug trade. In addition, NDIC disseminates nonoperational information on the drug trade to nonfederal law enforcement agencies.

NDIC’s, Intelligence Division is comprised, in part, of three Strategic Organizational Intelligence Branches—the primary analytical units—which are organized by geographic and subject matter areas. The Strategic Organizational Intelligence Branches analyze multisource drug intelligence to provide a strategic overview of the trafficking organizations that impact on the United States, a specific region or a metropolitan area under study.

On a smaller scale, the Intelligence Division also contains a Document Exploitation Branch comprised of two teams which are deployed when requested by federal law enforcement agencies to review documentary and computerized evidence obtained from significant drug-trafficking organizations. When deployed, team members collect and analyze seized documents and transfer this information electronically to NDIC for analysis to develop new investigative leads. In addition, information discovered through document exploitation is provided to the requesting field agents to support their investigations and, if permitted, is placed in NDIC’s main data system for subsequent strategic analyses.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

NDIC’s Intelligence Division produces all-source strategic assessments including: (1) baseline assessments—broad-ranging studies that focus on a specific drug issue, trend, or subject. Examples of unclassified baseline assessments include Effects of D-Methamphetamine, The Dominican Threat: A Strategic Assessment of Dominican Drug-Trafficking, Mexican Methamphetamine Organizational Trends and Patterns, and Domestic Cannabis: Indoor Cultivation Operations. (2) strategic organizational drug intelligence—all-source assessments of specific drug trafficking organizations, unclassified examples of this type of product include Mexican Methamphetamine Organizational Profile of the Amezcua-Contreras Organization and Vietnamese Drug-Trafficking Organizations. (3) special projects—strategic assessments that do not fit the criteria above, for example National Street Gang Survey Report, Colombian Money Laundering Volume Three, and Clandestine Laboratory Operators.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, NDIC was authorized 257 positions, of which 221 personnel were on-board. Of those on-board, 77 were detailed, on a reimbursable basis, from 11 participating agencies. Of NDIC’s total personnel, the Director of NDIC had designated 117 positions for intelligence analysts, of which 97 analysts were on-board.

Counterdrug Intelligence Spending

Regional Information Sharing Systems Program

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

The mission of the Justice-funded Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Program is to enhance the ability of state and local criminal justice agencies to identify, target, and remove criminal conspiracies and activities spanning jurisdictional boundaries.

The Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance conducts the RISS Program under the statutory authority of 42 U.S.C. 3796 h.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

The RISS Program is a federally funded effort representing the only nationwide, multijurisdictional criminal intelligence sharing system operated by and for state and local law enforcement agencies. Through the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Justice Department provides grants to six regionally based RISS projects: the Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center, the Middle Atlantic-Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network, the New England State Police Information Network, the Regional Organized Crime Information Center, Rocky Mountain Information Network, and the Western States Information Network. Each RISS project comprises about 350 to 1,100 federal, state, and local criminal justice and regulatory agencies within the project’s mutually exclusive service area. About 75 percent of the total RISS members nationwide are from local law enforcement agencies. Federal agencies that participate include FBI, DEA, and Customs Service field offices and NDIC. Collectively, the RISS program operates in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. Although each project sets its own priorities, five of the six RISS projects focus heavily on narcotics-related crime and one, the Western States Information Network, focuses exclusively on narcotics.

Each project is required to provide information sharing, analysis, and communications services to support investigative and prosecutorial efforts of member agencies addressing multijurisdictional offenses and conspiracies. Each project has an information sharing center and analytical unit that form the principal sections responsible for counterdrug intelligence production and analyses. Each center maintains an automated pointer index system to assist member agencies in sharing information regarding known or suspected criminals or criminal organizations. All six centers are electronically connected through the RISSNET wide area network to allow for nationwide information sharing. Each center responds to requests for information from its member agencies, such as running queries of various law enforcement databases to determine if other law enforcement agencies are investigating a particular suspect or organization. In addition, each project has an analytical unit that provides services to member agencies to support particular cases, such as telephone toll analyses or financial analyses, as well as broader analyses of criminal activities/groups and investigative trends.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

The type, number, and subject matter of counterdrug intelligence products provided by RISS projects to member agencies vary by location based on the size and resources of the project and the priorities set by its policy board. Examples of RISS products are responses to requests for information, such as database extracts on a single subject (i.e., individual or organization) from law enforcement and other databases; telephone toll, link, and event flow analyses to support particular investigations; organizational or individual profiles that provide information and analyses of organizations or individual traffickers operating in the project’s service area; investigative trend reports; analyses for charts and exhibits for trials or grand juries; and monthly/quarterly bulletins regarding enforcement issues, including counterdrug intelligence issues.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

Federal counterdrug intelligence personnel that participate in the program through their federal agency field office’s membership in the RISS projects are included in their respective parent agency’s personnel estimates.

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

Among its many missions to prevent contraband from entering or exiting the United States, the Customs Service is the lead agency for interdicting drugs being smuggled into the United States and its territories by land, sea, or air. The Customs Service’s primary counterdrug intelligence mission is to support Customs’ drug enforcement elements (i.e., inspectors and investigators) in their interdiction and investigation efforts.

The Customs Service conducts its counterdrug activities under the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, and certain provisions of titles 18 and 19 of the U.S. Code, including 18 U.S.C. 545 and 19 U.S.C. 1401, 1497, 1584, 1589a, 1590, and 1595a. In addition, by Memorandum of Understanding dated August 8, 1994, between DEA and the Customs Service, cross-designated special agents of Customs can conduct certain investigations under 21 U.S.C. 801-904 and 21 U.S.C. 951-971.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

Customs’ Intelligence and Communications Division at headquarters has primary responsibility for intelligence analysis, operation, and Intelligence Community liaison for Customs, including functional oversight over all Customs intelligence assets at headquarters and in the field. The division’s counterdrug role is to produce tactical, operational, and strategic intelligence regarding drug-smuggling individuals, organizations, transportation networks, and patterns and trends. The division provides its products to Customs’ enforcement elements and executive management as well as to other agencies with drug enforcement or intelligence responsibilities. The division’s major operational subdivisions are the Intelligence Analysis Branch, Operations Branch, and Program and Policy Evaluation Branch.

Intelligence Analysis Branch

The Intelligence Analysis Branch is responsible for monitoring and analyzing the Intelligence Community’s reports and integrating them with Customs and other law enforcement-generated intelligence to produce strategic, operational, and tactical intelligence, including specific narcotics enforcement leads, and disseminating it to Customs enforcement elements and executive management. In addition, this branch provides Customs’ input to multiagency analytical products, participates as Customs’ representative in interagency intelligence forums, and coordinates Customs’ national level collection programs by maintaining direct working relationships with its counterparts in other intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

Operations Branch

The Operations Branch is divided into the Intelligence Support Group and Tactical Intelligence Group. The Intelligence Support Group is responsible for the operations of the watch office and special compartmentalized intelligence facility for receipt, control, handling, and sanitization of classified intelligence from other organizations. The Tactical Intelligence Group oversees the operations of certain operational collection elements. In addition, the Branch provides intelligence support to Customs’ air interdiction efforts (i.e., the Domestic Air Interdiction Center and the Customs National Aviation Center).

Program and Policy Evaluation Branch

The Program and Policy Evaluation Branch is responsible for Customs’ liaison with the Intelligence Community and coordination with the Treasury Department. In addition, this branch is responsible for developing and maintaining Customs’ internal operational guidelines, such as its intelligence policy initiatives and requirements.

Customs’ intelligence assets in the field include five Area Intelligence Units, special-agent-in-charge (SAC) intelligence units, 17 Intelligence Collection and Analysis Teams, and various multi-agency efforts. Customs’ Area Intelligence Units in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, New Orleans, and Miami are to provide intelligence support services to all of Customs’ enforcement efforts in their regions, including narcotics. These units produce tactical, operational, and strategic products for their regions, including direct case support to criminal investigators, as needed. In addition, intelligence resources are assigned directly to the SACs of each Customs field office. These resources primarily are to provide case support to enforcement groups. Customs’ Intelligence Collection and Analysis Teams provide tactical intelligence to inspectors regarding smuggling activities at their respective ports of entry. These teams’ intelligence is provided to headquarters for fusion with national-level intelligence and further dissemination, as appropriate. Customs relies on DEA and the Intelligence Community for foreign counterdrug intelligence.

In addition, Customs provides intelligence assets for various multiagency counterdrug intelligence and/or enforcement efforts, including the Customs-led Combined Agency Border Intelligence Network, which generates unsolicited investigative leads to appropriate agencies regarding nontraditional alien drug-smuggling suspects. In addition, Customs provides intelligence assets to the South Florida Blue Lightning Operations Center, which supports the Blue Lightning Strike Force in addressing drug-smuggling in the southeast. The Center assists in identifying and developing organizational targets for joint investigation by Strike Force members and provides tactical and operational intelligence to support Strike Force operations. Customs intelligence personnel are also assigned to EPIC and the Joint Interagency Task Force East (JIATF-East).

Customs’ in-house collection capability is heavily weighted towards human intelligence, which largely comes from Customs inspectors and investigators who obtain information during their normal interdiction and investigation activities. Inspectors and investigators collect photographic intelligence. Investigators also conduct court-authorized electronic surveillance of individuals and organizations suspected of drug-trafficking. In addition, Customs operates intelligence collection programs that provide tactical and operational intelligence to assist Customs in its enforcement and regulatory missions, including counterdrugs.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

Customs intelligence analysts develop a variety of intelligence products regarding drug-smuggling individuals, organizations, transportation networks, and patterns and trends to further their investigations and seizures and generate other investigative and interdiction targets. Types of counterdrug intelligence products produced by Customs analysts at headquarters and/or field units include investigative support products, such as link and post seizure analyses; threat assessments; trend reports on drug-smuggling and seizure activities and methods; profiles of drug-smuggling organizations; and actionable intelligence reports and narcotics enforcement leads that facilitate the interdiction of drug shipments and/or apprehension of drug traffickers.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, Customs was authorized 382 intelligence research specialist positions of which 309 were filled. Customs’ Intelligence and Communication Division estimated that 196 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions (63 percent) represented the proportion of duties that its 309 on-board intelligence research specialists dedicated to counterdrug activities.

Counterdrug Intelligence Spending

No estimates were provided for fiscal years 1995, 1996, and 1998.

Domestic Air Interdiction Coordination Center

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

Customs’ Domestic Air Interdiction Coordination Center’s (DAICC) counterdrug mission is to detect drug-smuggling aircraft entering the United States and coordinate their apprehension with appropriate counterdrug enforcement agencies.

The DAICC’s counterdrug intelligence activities are conducted under the Customs Service’s statutory authority (i.e., the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, and certain provisions of U.S.C. 18 and 19), particularly 19 U.S.C. 1590, which addresses smuggling by air.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

The DAICC represents Customs’ primary detection and monitoring effort. Using a wide variety of civilian and military ground-based radars, tethered aerostat radars, airborne reconnaissance aircraft, and other detection assets, DAICC conducts 24-hour surveillance along the entire southern border of the United States, Puerto Rico, and into the Caribbean. When suspect aircraft are observed crossing the U.S. border, the Center orders the launch of appropriate Customs interdiction aircraft and coordinates apprehension of drug traffickers with the appropriate law enforcement agencies. The Center receives intelligence from the JIATFs and others regarding suspect aircraft entering its area of responsibility. In addition, JIATF-East relies on the Center to sort aircraft as they depart source and transit nations to identify suspect drug-smuggling aircraft coming toward the eastern United States.

The DAICC’s Intelligence Branch provides tactical and operational intelligence support regarding air interdiction and enforcement operations to the Center’s director, staff, and radar operations and to other Customs units and agencies in the counterdrug community, such as DOD. The Branch analyzes radar-tracking data of suspected drug-trafficking aircraft crossing or landing short of the U.S. border or making drug airdrops to vessels or vehicles within the U.S. border. The Branch collects and analyzes these tracking data as well as spot reports from various federal, state, and local enforcement agencies and concerned citizens regarding suspicious private aircraft and/or suspected drug-smuggling via private aircraft. Its analyses are provided in usable drug air intelligence formats to appropriate DAICC and Customs officials and other agencies.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

The types of intelligence products produced by the DAICC’s Intelligence Branch include briefings; spot reports; daily intelligence reports; short landing notifications (i.e., reports of suspect aircraft landings short of the U.S. southwest border); trend publications, such as reports on air-smuggling patterns in certain southwest border areas; and other products to support the interdiction of private aircraft drug smugglers. The Center also produces strategic intelligence in the form of an annual air threat assessment.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, DAICC was authorized nine intelligence research specialist positions, of which eight were filled. These personnel are included in the personnel totals for the Customs Service.

Counterdrug Intelligence Spending

DAICC spending is included in the Customs Services’ $14.4 million estimate of counterdrug spending for fiscal year 1997.

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) mission is to support and strengthen domestic and international anti money-laundering efforts and to foster interagency and global cooperation to that end through information collection, analysis, and sharing; technical assistance; and innovative and cost-effective implementation of Treasury authorities.

FinCEN acts as a link among the law enforcement, financial, and regulatory communities and serves as the nation’s central point for broad-based intelligence and information sharing related to money-laundering and other financial crimes. FinCEN uses counter-money-laundering laws, such as the Bank Secrecy Act, to require reporting and record-keeping by banks and other financial institutions. This record-keeping preserves a financial trail for investigators to follow as they track criminals and their assets. FinCEN provides assistance to federal, state, local, and international agencies engaged in money-laundering prevention and enforcement; an estimated 50 percent of its efforts support counterdrug investigations.

FinCEN conducts its activities under the statutory authority of the Bank Secrecy Act (P.L. 91-508, titles I and II (1970)) codified, as amended, in sections of titles 12, 18, and 31 U.S.C.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

FinCEN primarily provides both operational and strategic analyses to support law enforcement efforts, including counterdrug intelligence efforts. FinCEN’s operational support is designed to provide information and leads on criminal organizations and activities that are under investigation by law enforcement agencies. This support is tailored to individual requests and may range from a basic search of databases on a single subject to detailed, in-depth analysis of the financial aspects of major criminal organizations. Occasionally, FinCEN is also asked to provide time-sensitive tactical support, such as responding to a request for a search of certain databases in support of an imminent arrest. Analysts also provide information through FinCEN’s Artificial Intelligence System on previously undetected possible criminal organizations and activities. FinCEN’s strategic analysis involves collecting, processing, analyzing, and developing intelligence on the emerging trends, patterns, and issues related to the proceeds of illicit activities.

As of October 1, 1997, the Office of Investigative Support and Office of Research and Analysis formed the principal FinCEN units that produce intelligence products in support of counterdrug enforcement efforts. The Office of Investigative Support serves as the initial contact point for requests for investigative support from law enforcement agencies and oversees the operations center and Artificial Intelligence Unit. The Office of Research and Analysis identifies, analyzes, and reports on trends, patterns, and fluctuations in currency movements and actual as well as potential money-laundering activity.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

Using financial, commercial, and law enforcement databases, FinCEN provides various intelligence products that support counterdrug enforcement efforts, including database extracts regarding the financial transactions of a single drug-trafficking subject or detailed, in-depth analyses of financial aspects of major drug-trafficking organizations; self-generated or requested investigative leads developed from its Artificial Intelligence System, such as potential subjects (individuals or organizations) involved in counterdrug-related money-laundering; and reports on emerging trends, patterns, and issues related to money-laundering, such as currency movements to and from federal banks; regional threat assessments to support state-level anti money-laundering legislative efforts; and reports/advisories on country-specific money-laundering threats or other issues.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, FinCEN estimated that 90 of its total authorized positions and 83 of its total personnel on board were engaged in counterdrug-related support. These estimates include 45 authorized intelligence analyst positions and 32 on-board intelligence analysts. These figures are based on FinCEN’s estimate that about 50 percent of its resources are engaged in counterdrug-related support.

Counterdrug Intelligence Spending

No estimate was provided for 1995.

U.S. Coast Guard

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

The U.S. Coast Guard is the lead agency for maritime law enforcement. It collects air and maritime intelligence to support illegal alien migration, maritime safety, fisheries violations, and counterdrug operations at the operational level. Its intelligence collection programs include domestic and foreign human, signals, and imagery intelligence sources.

The Coast Guard conducts its counterdrug operations under the statutory authority of 14 U.S.C. 2, 14 U.S.C. 89, 14 U.S.C. 93 (e), and 14 U.S.C. 143.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

The Coast Guard produces tactical, operational, and strategic counterdrug intelligence information to support Coast Guard operations. The Coast Guard interfaces with the Crime and Narcotics Center; the El Paso Intelligence Center; the National Drug Intelligence Center; DEA Intelligence; U.S. Customs Service Intelligence; Joint Interagency Task Forces East and West; and foreign, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

Coast Guard Intelligence Coordination Center

The Coast Guard Intelligence Coordination Center provides strategic intelligence support to Coast Guard commands and missions. The Center is divided into four sections: the Watch, Imagery Exploitation, Analysis, and Collections Management sections.

The Watch Section is an all-source, 24-hour-a-day operation that provides indications and warning information and serves as a focal point between the Coast Guard and national intelligence centers and law enforcement agencies for substantive level issue coordination.

The Imagery Exploitation Section provides tactical and strategic imagery information to support Coast Guard commands and missions and JIATFs East and West.

The Analysis Section provides strategic and warning intelligence information to Coast Guard commanders.

The Collection Management Section submits Coast Guard intelligence requirements to the Intelligence Community and disseminates proactive and reactive all-source intelligence information to Coast Guard units.

Area Intelligence Divisions

The Coast Guard has two Area Intelligence Divisions which provide operational intelligence in support of all Coast Guard missions including counterdrug operations. The Atlantic Area Intelligence Division, located in Portsmouth, Virginia provides intelligence support to the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, Atlantic Maritime Defense Zone, and Fifth Coast Guard Division. The Pacific Area Intelligence Division, in Alameda, California provides intelligence support toto the Coast Guard Pacific Area, Pacific Maritime Defense Zone, and the Eleventh Coast Guard District.

Maritime Intelligence Center

The Maritime Intelligence Center in Miami, Florida serves as the intelligence office for the Seventh Coast Guard District and provides tactical intelligence support of counterdrug, illegal alien migration, and national security missions.

Coast Guard Law Enforcement Support Team

The Law Enforcement Support Team is an Atlantic Area command located in Miami, Florida which collects tactical intelligence information in support of Coast Guard operations throughout the Atlantic Area, but primarily in support of counterdrug operations in the Caribbean.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

The Coast Guard’s intelligence offices provide tailored Coast Guard specific counterdrug intelligence such as threat assessments; lookout lists, which are special alerts for persons and vessels; post-seizure reports; spot reports; intelligence briefings; and daily and weekly intelligence summaries. The Coast Guard also provides input to the counterdrug community’s cocaine flow assessment.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, the Coast Guard had 108 FTE staff assigned to counterdrug intelligence activities. Of these, 75 FTE are assigned to Coast Guard locations, and 33 were detailed to other organizations. Staffing levels are calculated on a FTE basis because counterdrug intelligence is only one of the missions of Coast Guard Intelligence personnel.

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

Joint Task Force Six’s (JTF-6) mission is to provide effective title 10 domestic counterdrug operational, intelligence, engineer, and general support as requested by law enforcement agencies.

JTF-6 conducts its counterdrug activities under the statutory and other authority of Oct. 15, 1989 Forces Command (FORSCOM) Operational Order: National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) fiscal year 1990; NDAA fiscal year 1991; NDAA fiscal year 1993; Chief Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction 3710.01 of May 28, 1993; DOD Guidance of Oct. 28, 1993; FORSCOM Counterdrug Employment Guidance of Feb. 14, 1994; FORSCOM Limited Delegation of Authority of Aug. 17, 1994; FORSCOM Message of Aug. 1, 1995; FORSCOM Delegation of Authority of Apr. 16, 1996; and Atlantic Command Message JTF-6 Command Relationship of Apr. 9, 1997.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

The Intelligence Directorate at JTF-6 provides tactical and operational intelligence in direct support of the command, drug law enforcement agencies, and DOD counterdrug operators in the continental United States. The Directorate comprises three divisions that provide intelligence information for DOD military forces (title 10) conducting counterdrug support missions. These are the Operations Support, Tactical Support, and the Training and Assessment Divisions.

The Operations Support Division has three branches: the Collection Management, Foreign Analysis, and Special Security Office branches. The Collection Management Branch supports strategic and tactical collection initiatives; mapping, charting, and geodesy support; and imagery/photo support. The Foreign Analysis Branch provides intelligence to the Commander on subjects such as cross border drug-smuggling methods, transportation modes, and potential drug-smuggling routes to advise drug law enforcement agencies on the best use and positioning of DOD units in counterdrug support operations. The Special Security Office provides secure communications for the Intelligence Directorate.

The Tactical Support Division is responsible for developing preparatory products for specific terrain, potential threats, and Force Protection intelligence to ensure the security and safety of title 10 forces on approved counterdrug support missions. The Division also produces specialized intelligence products such as narcotics recognition and booby trap recognition guides for title 10 forces and local drug law enforcement agencies. The Division conducts liaison activities with federal, state, and local drug law enforcement agencies.

The Training and Assessment Division provides training to drug law enforcement agencies on intelligence processes and threat assessment development and conducts comprehensive studies of HIDTA intelligence architectures to assist in determining the most effective and productive intelligence structure.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

JTF-6 issues intelligence estimate reports, which provide information necessary for the planning of counterdrug operations by JTF-6 personnel and deploying title 10 forces. Intelligence estimates include information such as the drug-trafficking threat in the area, methods of operation, geographic and hydrographic features of the area, hazards to counterdrug forces, and probable courses of action. JTF-6 produces terrain analysis guides; intelligence handouts such as A Reference Guide to Mexican Military Vehicles, Weapons and Equipment; imagery reports; vulnerability assessments; and special products such as the Aircraft Recognition Guide and the Booby Trap Guide for Cannabis Missions.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, 53 staff were assigned to the Directorate of Intelligence at JTF-6. There are 5 management, 1 planning, 5 security, and 42 analytical personnel.

Joint Interagency Task Force East

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

The Joint Interagency Task Force East’s (JIATF-East) mission is to plan, conduct, and direct interagency detection, monitoring, and sorting operations of air and maritime drug-smuggling activities within its area of responsibility. JIATF-East provides tactical and operational intelligence information on these activities to national apprehending authorities or international law enforcement agencies to maximize the disruption of drug transshipments within the transit zone in their area of responsibility of the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Eastern Pacific oceans.

JIATF-East conducts its counterdrug intelligence activities under the statutory authority of the National Interdiction Command and Control Plan dated October 9, 1997.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

JIATF-East conducts intelligence fusion activities necessary to support its internal operations, the operational forces under its tactical control, and support for law enforcement activities in its area of responsibility.

The JIATF-East Intelligence Directorate is divided into the Collections Management and Operational Intelligence Divisions. Although not a subordinate element, the Cryptologic Services Group supports the Intelligence Directorate in the all-source fusion and analysis process.

The Collections Management Division develops and manages all-source intelligence collection programs to support the detection and monitoring mission. The Division also manages an imagery cell, which is responsible for imagery exploitation supporting the Watch and Tactical Support Branches.

The Operational Intelligence Division is the analytical component of the Intelligence Directorate and is divided into five branches: Watch; Tactical Support; Trends; Estimates and Special Projects; Information Management; and Tactical Analysis Teams and Liaison Officers (TAT/LNO). The TAT/LNO Branch is responsible for managing remote analytical elements in locations throughout the JIATF-East area of responsibility. These elements support JIATF-East and in-country drug law enforcement operations.

The Cryptologic Services Group is a representative of the National Security Agency and provides signals intelligence support directly to the Director, JIATF-East.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

JIATF-East counterdrug intelligence products include analyts, which are abbreviated analyses of specific topics; daily intelligence summaries; spot reports; quarterly threat assessments; and monthly priority vessel lists.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, JIATF-East had 76 staff assigned to its Intelligence Directorate. There were 33 analysts, 12 watch personnel, 18 security and 3 collection management personnel, 3 liaison officers, and 7 administrative support staff.

Joint Interagency Task Force West

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

The Joint Interagency Task Force West’s (JIATF-West) mission is to apply DOD-unique resources to conduct detection and monitoring operations and to support efforts of law enforcement agencies and country teams to disrupt international drug-trafficking throughout the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility.

JIATF-West conducts its counterdrug intelligence activities under the statutory authority of 10 U.S.C. section 371; the Defense Authorization Act of fiscal year 1991, as amended; PDD 35; PDD 14; PDD 44; the National Interdiction Command and Control Plan of 1994; and the National Drug Control Strategy.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

JIATF-West provides all-source tactical and operational intelligence support to operational assets, law enforcement agencies, and the Director, JIATF-West. The Intelligence Directorate at JIATF-West has three major branches: the Operations Intelligence, Collections, and Analysis branches.

The Operations Intelligence Branch provides direct intelligence support to detection and monitoring forces operating under JIATF-West control.

The Collections Branch conducts coordination to employ theater and national collection assets to fill counterdrug intelligence requirements as identified by JIATF-West analysts and law enforcement agencies.

The Analysis Branch consists of three teams which are organized geographically based upon the drug-trafficking threat in the Pacific Command area of operations. These three teams are the Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, and Latin American teams. The Southeast and Southwest Asia teams are primarily focused on heroin movement to the United States, with a secondary focus on cannabis and methamphetamine trafficking. The Latin American team focuses on cocaine, particularly as it impacts the Eastern Pacific area of responsibility. All three teams fuse all-source intelligence in support of specific law enforcement case requirements and identify intelligence gaps and requirements. In addition, they deploy in support of Country teams and DEA offices throughout Asia.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

The Intelligence Directorate at JIATF-West develops and disseminates tactical and operational studies to law enforcement agencies, the counterdrug intelligence community and country teams as appropriate. The Directorate also develops products based on standing requirements including counterdrug intelligence updates, target studies, and various country and regional assessments. The Directorate also disseminates time-sensitive, all-source fused intelligence in the form of advisories, and analyts to forces operating under their tactical control as well as other interested organizations. Other products include telephone toll analyses, link charts and data bases to support specific case requirements and law enforcement agencies.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, JIATF-West had 33 of the 38 authorized positions filled in its Intelligence Directorate. There were 19 analysts, 6 watch personnel, 4 management and administrative staff, and 4 collection managers.

Counterdrug Intelligence Spending

Joint Interagency Task Force South

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

The Joint Interagency Task Force South’s (JIATF-South) mission is to execute national counterdrug policy by supporting U.S. federal agencies and participating nations counterdrug efforts to deter, degrade, and disrupt the production and transshipment of illegal drugs within the JIATF-South area of responsibility, which includes the land mass of South America.

JIATF-South conducts its counterdrug intelligence activities under the statutory authority of 10 U.S.C. section 124.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

While the JIATF-South was designated as a JIATF, it did not have a formally approved JIATF organization structure until March 16, 1998. Before then, it had been operating as a part of the operations group at the U.S. Southern Command.

The JIATF-South Intelligence Directorate provides tactical and operational intelligence support to the JIATF-South counterdrug mission. The Intelligence Directorate conducts an analysis of source zone illicit drug targets and is responsible for integrating the efforts of several nations in the counterdrug effort.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

JIATF-South products include daily and weekly intelligence summaries and forecasts, monthly reports on TAT activities, briefings to JIATF-South operational elements, The Quarterly Source Region Cocaine Movement Assessment, and a link analysis of drug-trafficking organizations.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, the JIATF-South Intelligence Directorate had 19 personnel assigned of the 35 authorized. There were 17 analysts and 2 management personnel.

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) Counterdrug Division’s mission focuses on detecting and monitoring illicit drug activities in the transit zone (from the shore of the source country to the U.S. shore). The division satisfies goals 4 and 5 of the counterdrug strategy, with emphasis placed on detection and monitoring activities.

ONI conducts its counterdrug intelligence activities under the statutory authority of 10 U.S.C. sections 124 and 371, et seq.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

The Counterdrug Division provides strategic and tactical maritime intelligence primarily to federal law enforcement and DOD counterdrug agencies. With the exception of the staff assigned to the Coast Guard Intelligence Coordination Center or detailed to other organizations, all of ONI’s counterdrug intelligence analysts are assigned to the Counterdrug Division of the Civil Maritime Analysis Department.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

ONI provides reports and access to maritime databases that support law enforcement’s interdiction efforts. For example, ONI produces Hidden Compartments, which provides information, photographs, and plans for various concealment methods on known smuggling vessels, and the Maritime Drug Smuggler’s Handbook, which provides information on smuggling groups and their associated vessels. ONI also maintains a database on ships over 100 gross tons and recently began maintaining a section of the database on vessels under 100 gross tons, as these vessels are most often used in drug-smuggling. ONI also provides extensive on-scene maritime intelligence support to Latin America Tactical Analysis Teams and regional law enforcement agencies that are working cases involving international maritime drug transshipments.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, 27 of the 29 authorized intelligence positions in the ONI Counterdrug Division were filled. Four were imagery analysts who worked at the Coast Guard Intelligence Coordination Center, 1 person was assigned to the Director if Central Intelligence Crime and Narcotics Center, 1 was assigned to the El Paso Intelligence Center, and the 21 remaining staff worked at ONI.

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

The Tactical Analysis Teams’ (TAT) mission is to serve as conduits for timely, geographically focused tactical and operational counterdrug intelligence analyses for U.S. embassy country teams, DOD theater staff, host nations, and U.S. law enforcement agencies. TATs analyze foreign intelligence products for use in support of counterdrug detection, monitoring, and interdiction in Central America and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The U.S. Southern Command and JIATF-East provide oversight management, but TAT staff work under the operational control of the Deputy Chief of Mission and receive day-to-day guidance from the DEA’s country attache.

The TATs conduct their counterdrug intelligence activities under the statutory authority of 10 U.S.C. 371 (c), 10 U.S.C. 373 (1), 10 U.S.C. 374 (b)(2)(D), and Secretary of Defense/Atlantic Command deployment orders.

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

TATs are organized differently at the individual embassies they support and provide fused operational intelligence support for host nation interdiction of air and maritime narcotics shipments and processing (airdrops, coastal and offshore deliveries, at-sea transshipments, clandestine airstrips, laboratory locations, and cache sites).

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

The TATs do not provide products. Instead, they fuse information from a variety of sources into a collective database. When operational information is needed, intelligence extracts are produced from the database and are passed to the various embassy agencies.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, 42 personnel were stationed at 13 TATs in embassies in Mexico and South America.

Counterdrug Intelligence Spending

About $2 million a year that is spent by TAT personnel at other embassies is funded under the JIATF-South Intelligence Directorate budget and is not included in the table.

Department of State

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

The mission of the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is to assist foreign governments in eradicating narcotics crops, destroying illicit laboratories, training interdiction personnel, and developing education programs to counter drug abuse. The Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) produces finished intelligence analyses primarily for the Secretary of State and her principal advisers as well as for other senior Washington policymakers. It also participates in a number of Intelligence Community-wide activities, including assessments and estimates.

The State Department conducts its counterdrug activities under 22 U.S.C. 2651, which establishes the State Department, and sections 481 and 482 of the Foreign Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. 2291).

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

Within INR, the Office of Analysis for Terrorism, Narcotics, and Crime provides briefings and analyses related to illicit narcotics to Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement and senior Department personnel. The Office analyzes news articles, foreign service reports, and intelligence products. While the Department of State is not formally engaged in intelligence collection, diplomatic reporting provides human intelligence that is available not only to the Office of Analysis for Terrorism, Narcotics, and Crime but also to other intelligence consumers. INR’s six regional analysis offices occasionally produce finished intelligence on drug-related issues, generally dealing with the counterdrug policies of foreign governments.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

The Office of Analysis for Terrorism, Narcotics, and Crime prepares finished intelligence analyses for The Secretary’s Morning Intelligence Summary as well as ad hoc memoranda and spot reports to specific senior Department policymakers. The Office also participates in the preparation of the International Narcotics Strategy Report used in the annual drug “certification” exercise.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

As of October 1, 1997, the State Department had three full-time intelligence research specialists for narcotics analysis.

High Intensity Drug-Trafficking Area Program

Mission and Statutory or Other Authority

The High Intensity Drug-Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program’s counterdrug intelligence mission is to facilitate the flow of intelligence among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

ONDCP conducts this program under the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, as amended (P.L. 100-690, Nov. 18, 1988).

Counterdrug Intelligence Organization and Role

As of October 1, 1997, the Director of the ONDCP had designated 17 areas as the most critical drug-trafficking areas of the United States. Funded by ONDCP, the HIDTA Program attempts to reduce drug-trafficking in the United States by developing partnerships among local, state, and federal drug-control agencies in the designated areas and creating systems for them to coordinate their efforts. Program guidance requires that each HIDTA develop a regional intelligence unit to provide for event and criminal subject deconfliction, ad hoc post-drug seizure analysis, collocated access to major databases, access to regional intelligence, and collection of trend and pattern data.

As of October 1, 1997, all 17 HIDTAs had intelligence units in various stages of development. Most HIDTAs have one regional intelligence unit to provide intelligence and information-sharing services. Some HIDTAs have more than one intelligence unit that together makes up the HIDTA intelligence initiative for that area. For example, the Los Angeles HIDTA intelligence initiative includes (1) the Los Angeles Joint Drug Intelligence Group, which conducts strategic and operational intelligence analyses; (2) the Los Angeles County Regional Criminal Information Clearinghouse, which provides 24-hour deconfliction and tactical intelligence services and operational analyses; and (3) the Inland Narcotics Clearinghouse, which primarily provides intelligence support to enforcement efforts in its designated geographic area within the overall HIDTA.

In addition to the intelligence units, each HIDTA is required to develop joint drug task force enforcement efforts, focusing on the most significant international, national, regional and local drug-trafficking and drug money-laundering organizations operating in its area. These task forces, as well as the participating federal, state, and local enforcement agencies, play a principal role in counterdrug intelligence collection efforts at the HIDTAs. HIDTA task forces and participating law enforcement officers collect human and photographic intelligence and conduct court-authorized electronic surveillance of individuals and organizations suspected of illegal drug activities during their normal enforcement activities.

Counterdrug Intelligence Products

The types of intelligence products produced by many HIDTA intelligence units include responses to queries received from HIDTA task forces and federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies within their areas, such as information obtained and/or analyzed from their search of various law enforcement and commercial databases; organizational or individual profiles that provide information on specific drug organizations or individual traffickers; telephone toll and other link analyses; post-drug seizure analyses; annual assessments of the drug threat in their areas and how that threat may impact other areas; officer bulletins regarding particular counterdrug enforcement issues; monthly intelligence summaries; and analyses, such as charts and graphics, prepared for presentation at trials or grand juries.

Counterdrug Intelligence Personnel

Federal counterdrug intelligence personnel that participate in the HIDTA program are included in their respective parent agency’s personnel estimates.

Counterdrug Intelligence Spending

No amounts were provided for 1995 and 1996.

National Drug Control Strategy Goals Supported by Counterdrug Intelligence Organizations

ONDCP has established five goals to reduce illegal drug use: 1. Educate and enable America’s youth to reject illegal drugs as well as alcohol and tobacco. 2. Increase the safety of America’s citizens by substantially reducing drug-related crime and violence. 3. Reduce health and social costs to the public of illegal drug use. 4. Shield America’s air, land, and sea frontiers from the drug threat. 5. Break foreign and domestic drug sources of supply.

Three of the strategy’s five goals—goals 2, 4, and 5—are supported by counterdrug intelligence, which plays an important role in the execution of the strategy. The following table identifies which goal each counterdrug intelligence organization supports.

Legend: X indicates the 1997 National Drug Control Strategy goals supported by each counterdrug intelligence organization’s efforts.

Organizations Visited During This Review

- Headquarters, Washington, D.C. - Special Operations Division, Newington, Va. - El Paso Intelligence Center, El Paso, Tex. - El Paso District Office, El Paso, Tex. - San Diego Division, San Diego, Calif. - Headquarters, Washington, D.C. - Field Office, El Paso, Tex. - Headquarters, Johnstown, Penn. - Headquarters, Washington, D.C. - Border Patrol - El Paso Sector, El Paso, Tex. - San Diego Sector, San Diego, Calif. - Headquarters, Washington, D.C. - El Paso SAC Office, El Paso, Tex. - Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry, El Paso, Tex. - San Diego SAC Office, San Diego, Calif. - Otay Mesa Cargo Facility, Otay Mesa, Calif. - Domestic Air Interdiction Coordination Center, Riverside, Calif.

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Washington, D.C. - Headquarters, Washington, D.C. - Intelligence Coordination Center, Suitland, Md. - Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

Office of Drug Enforcement Policy and Support, Washington, D.C. Joint Task Force Six, El Paso, Tex. Joint Interagency Task Force East, Key West, Fla. Joint Interagency Task Force West, Alameda, Calif. - Counterdrug Analysis Directorate, Crystal City, Va. - Headquarters, Fort Meade, Md. - Office of Naval Intelligence - Counterdrug Analysis Division, Suitland, Md.

National Imagery and Mapping Agency - Transnational Issues Division - Counterdrug Branch, Crystal City, Va. - Headquarters, Washington, D.C. - Bureau of Intelligence and Research - Office of Analysis for Terrorism, Narcotics, and Crime, Washington, D.C.

Office of National Drug Control Policy - Headquarters, Washington, D.C. - Los Angeles High Intensity Drug-Trafficking Area, Los Angeles, Calif. - Southwest Border High Intensity Drug-Trafficking Area, San Diego, Calif. - West Texas High Intensity Drug-Trafficking Area Partnership, El Paso Tex.

Major Contributors to This Report

National Security and International Affairs Division, Washington, D.C.

General Government Division, Washington, D.C.

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