NCJ Number
111630
Date Published
1983
Length
589 pages
Annotation
Testimony before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Government Information, Justice, and Agriculture of the Committee on Government Operations pertains to progress in Federal drug interdiction efforts on U.S. Southern borders and current plans for cooperation between the Customs Service and the U.S. military to improve such interdiction efforts.
Abstract
The proposed plan includes the deployment of a second radar balloon, in addition to the one at Cudjoe Key, at Patrick Air Force Base at Cape Canaveral, Fla., to assist in detecting low-flying planes smuggling drugs over documented trafficking routes. Other radar enhancements include expanded Federal Aviation Administration radar at Grand Turk Island, a third balloon to provide additional coverage for the Bahamas, and radar installations on oil drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed radar net would monitor the entire Southern border of the United States. Equipment additions under the proposed plan involve the loan of military equipment and skilled personnel to the Customs Service for drug interdiction efforts. These include the loan of the Navy's Lockheed Electra, the Air Force's F-15 radars, the Army's C-12 interceptor aircraft, and the Army's Blackhawk helicopters. The cost of the overall proposal would be approximately $12-14 million annually. Testimony by representatives of the Congress, the military, Federal agencies, and local law enforcement supports the proposal. Letters, written statements, and subcommittee correspondence.