NCJ Number
85889
Date Published
1982
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This General Accounting Office study explores the only attempt at joint operations between the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to pursue organized crime figures engaged in large-scale drug trafficking.
Abstract
The operation began in September 1977 in three cities -- Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York -- but was beset with problems and was eventually terminated. The task forces used traditional methods of investigation, which were ineffective against high-level traffickers, and were restricted in pursuing individuals who might lead them to their targets. FBI supervisors felt that the selection of unapproachable targets was a deliberate attempt by DEA to ensure that the task force would fail. Target guidelines were revised and strained relationships between supervisors dealt with, but the program still failed, in part because agents with special skills were used only as traditional drug investigators. Final evaluations revealed that the concept of preselecting targets doomed the task forces to failure and that the idea of combining agency personnel having different investigatory methods results in broad disagreements from the start. The report reviews the FBI's expanding drug enforcement role.