NCJ Number
128470
Date Published
1986
Length
105 pages
Annotation
This is the report on the U.S. House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control's study mission to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, conducted from August 3 through August 19, 1985.
Abstract
In each country, the committee inspected drug production, trafficking problems, drug abuse, and efforts by the U.S. State Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration to assist the governments in the region in countering the drug problem. The countries visited constitute the source of all the cocaine and coca paste and 70 percent of the marijuana entering the United States. The committee found that the production and traffic of coca and cocaine in Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia and efforts by traffickers to smuggle cocaine internationally has led the narcotic traffickers in those countries to establish alliances and networks with criminals in Ecuador, Brazil, and Argentina to further expand their operations. The committee was impressed by the efforts of the governments of all the visited countries to find ways to combat this aggressive criminal enterprise. The committee recommends the development of a cooperative strategy to progressively eliminate illicit coca while suppressing the illicit manufacture and trafficking of coca paste and cocaine. Ways must also be found to help Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay prevent their territories from developing as drug production and trafficking centers through intensified technical assistance and operational support.