NCJ Number
153236
Date Published
1979
Length
85 pages
Annotation
Testimony pertains to H.R. 3036, which is a bill to extend for three fiscal years the authorization of appropriations for the administration of the Controlled Substances Act.
Abstract
The statement of Peter B. Bensinger, the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), sets forth the DEA's mission to enforce the drug laws of the United States and to bring to justice those individuals and organizations that violate those laws. Important components of the DEA operation are the enforcement, regulatory, and support programs. The testimony encompasses the Foreign Cooperative Investigations Program, the domestic enforcement program, compliance and regulatory affairs, the intelligence program, and training. A focus of some of the questioning is the conspiracy technique of investigation. Through testimony and defendant information, as well as specific surveillance of individuals by DEA agents and testimony, the DEA can build a conspiracy with the U.S. attorney's offices throughout the Nation, linking individual dealers to major international heroin distribution rings. Conspiracy statutes are such that an individual who conspired to cause illegal acts is as guilty as the person who sells the heroin. Other questions pertain to enforcement activities regarding specific illegal drugs. Data on DEA activities are provided.