Report: U.S. Distracted from Cocaine ProblemNovember 30, 2005
Research Summary
A government report that notes an increase in international cocaine seizures also states that competing priorities, such as the war on terror, have distracted the U.S. from the battle against cocaine smuggling, the Associated Press reported Nov. 29.The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said that "in-transit" cocaine seizures rose 68 percent between 2000 and 2004, but the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina could undo any progress made by U.S. law enforcement.
The report also says that the number of U.S. cocaine users remains stable at about 2 million, and that more drug seizures may reflect more supply in the pipeline.
The GAO said that the Coast Guard is increasingly hampered by lack of resources in interdicting drugs. The Pentagon cited "war-fighting requirements" as the reason for fewer anti-drug flights, while the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged that "unforeseen events such as Hurricane Katrina relief efforts may temporarily impact asset availability."
"We need to be more effective and better prepared because these are routes that not only move illicit drugs today, but can easily move other more dangerous commodities such as terrorists in the future," said Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) who commissioned the GAO study.
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