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Drug Control: U.S. Interdiction Efforts in the Caribbean Decline

NSIAD-96-119 Published: Apr 17, 1996. Publicly Released: May 16, 1996.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed drug trafficking activities in the Caribbean, focusing on: (1) the activities' nature in the transit zone, particularly in the Eastern Caribbean; (2) host nation impediments to an effective regional control strategy; (3) U.S. agencies' capabilities to interdict drug trafficking throughout the Caribbean transit zone; and (4) federal agency planning, coordination, and implementation of U.S. interdiction efforts.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Office of National Drug Control Policy The Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy, should develop a regional action plan focused on the Caribbean part of the transit zone to fully implement the U.S. policy for cocaine in the western hemisphere. At a minimum, the plan should determine resources and staffing needed and delineate a comprehensive strategy to improve host nation capabilities and commitment to counternarcotics interdiction.
Closed – Implemented
ONDCP has not developed a regional action plan focused on the Caribbean part of the transit zone, determined resources and staffing needed, or delineated a comprehensive strategy to improve host nation capabilities and commitment to interdiction. In January 1998, ONDCP issued performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of the national drug control strategy's goals. Although these measures include some broad quantifiable targets and benchmarks, the measures are not Caribbean-specific, do not include resource requirements, and only generally address host nation capabilities and commitment. According to an ONDCP official, the annual strategy and the accompanying performance measures are the administration's overall plan for activities in the Caribbean and some of the performance measures relate to the entire transit zone area (of which the Caribbean is a part), but ONDCP has no plans to narrow the measures or develop a regional action plan focused on the Caribbean.

Full Report

Full Report (46 pages)

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Topics

Justice and Law Enforcement
Budget cutsCivic actionDrug traffickingFederal aid to foreign countriesForeign governmentsForeign policiesInteragency relationsInternational cooperationLaw enforcementNarcoticsPolitical corruption