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DEA
Congressional Testimony [print
friendly page] Statement
of Congressman Hutchinson,
Members of the Subcommittee: I am pleased to have the opportunity to appear
before you today to discuss the growing dangers that methamphetamine trafficking,
use and abuse, and the spread of clandestine drug laboratories, pose to
the citizens of our country. It is fair to say that methamphetamine is
one of the most significant law enforcement and social issues facing our
nation today, and it has affected specific regions of the country in a
dramatic fashion. Methamphetamine trafficking
and use have increased exponentially over the past six years, and my testimony
today will provide the subcommittee with information on how, where and
why this has occurred, and how federal law enforcement is working with
state and local partners across the nation to address the methamphetamine
problem. While methamphetamine
is not an entirely new problem in the United States, about six years ago
an upsurge in methamphetamine trafficking and abuse began taking hold
in many regions of the nation, starting on the West Coast, and rapidly
expanding into the Midwest and, to a lesser extent, the Southeastern United
States. DEA statistics indicate that in 1993, DEA seized a total of 218
methamphetamine labs. Current DEA statistics indicate that in 1999, DEA
alone seized 1,948 clandestine laboratories and that the total number
of laboratories seized by Federal, state and local law enforcement officers
nationwide was over 6,400. Since 1994, the Midwestern
United States has experienced a significant increase in the use and availability
of methamphetamine. DEA New Orleans continues to confront a dual methamphetamine
problem: not only is methamphetamine transported into the New Orleans
Division by organized criminal drug trafficking groups operating from
California and the Southwest border, but methamphetamine is produced in
hundreds of local clandestine laboratories by loose-knit networks of individuals.
These clandestine laboratories represent a substantial health and safety
threat to communities. The toxic, and often highly flammable, chemicals
used in the manufacturing process pose a threat to law enforcement and
emergency response personnel, as well as the general public. Fires and
explosions are a constant threat in this type of environment. Traffickers
often dispose of chemicals improperly, creating environmental problems
that require expensive clean up. DEA nationwide methamphetamine
arrests in 1999 totaled 8,783. Of those, 327 methamphetamine arrests were
made in Arkansas. Nationwide methamphetamine seizures have increased significantly
since 1995, according to information from DEA's database. In Arkansas,
methamphetamine seizures increased six-fold from 1995 through 1997. After
a slight decline in 1998, preliminary data from 1999 indicates that methamphetamine
seizures have surpassed prior levels. DEA reports of methamphetamine seizures
indicate a 37 percent increase for Calendar Year 1999, which is considerably
higher than the nationwide increase of 11.6 percent. More than 99% of
the 6,400 clandestine laboratories seized nationwide in 1999 were producing
methamphetamine. The National Clandestine Laboratory Database, which became
operational in January 1999, serves as a clearinghouse for all federal,
state, and local clandestine laboratory seizures. The El Paso Intelligence
Center (EPIC) reports that a total of 284 clandestine laboratories were
seized in Arkansas during Calendar Year 1999. It is important to note,
however, that according to the Arkansas State Crime Lab, more than 540
methamphetamine labs were seized in Arkansas during calendar year 1999.
This figure is up from their report of 428 seized during the previous
year. Reporting discrepancies between the Arkansas State Crime Lab and
EPIC will most likely decrease as the national reporting system develops
fully. The production capability
of most of the local clandestine labs is usually in the range of two to
four ounces per process. DEA Little Rock has initiated several investigations
regarding the sale and distribution of bulk quantities of pseudoephedrine
tablets by local businesses to lab operators for the production of methamphetamine.
Pseudoephedrine is an essential precursor chemical for the production
of methamphetamine. Most of the small
clandestine laboratories manufacture methamphetamine using the sodium
ammonia or "Nazi" method. The "Nazi" formula of methamphetamine production
utilizes ephedrine /pseudoephedrine reduction, as well as sodium or lithium
metal, and other dangerous chemicals such as anhydrous ammonia in the
process. Sodium metal is an extreme fire hazard, and will ignite upon
contact with water. This production technique has spread throughout the
Midwest and accounts for 20% of the total methamphetamine labs seized
by DEA. While methamphetamine
seizures in Arkansas increased significantly since 1995, DEA New Orleans
reports that the availability of methamphetamine in the state has remained
relatively constant over the past two years. Methamphetamine sells for
$1,200 per ounce and $18,000 per kilogram. Historically, the
suppliers of methamphetamine throughout the United States have been outlaw
motorcycle gangs and numerous other independent trafficking groups. Although
these groups continue to produce and distribute methamphetamine, organized
crime polydrug trafficking groups operating from Mexico and California
dominate wholesale methamphetamine trafficking in the United States. Over
the past few years, these groups have revolutionized the production of
this drug by operating large-scale laboratories in Mexico and the United
States that are capable of producing unprecedented quantities of methamphetamine.
The groups have saturated the western U.S. market with this product, increasingly
moving the product to markets in the eastern United States. Recent information
suggests that Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, most notably the Hells Angels and
the Bandidos, are producing their own methamphetamine rather than relying
upon California-and Mexico-based organizations. This is primarily due
to the decreased purity of the methamphetamine supplied by the California-and
Mexico-based organizations. The violence associated
with methamphetamine trafficking and use has also produced a collateral
impact on the crime statistics of communities across the U.S. Methamphetamine-related
violence usually results from the user under the influence of the drug;
users who committed violent acts to obtain money or more of the drug;
and distributors who used violence in the course of conducting their illicit
business. Television viewers nationwide recall watching live footage of
a paranoid methamphetamine addict who stole a tank from a National Guard
armory and went on a car crushing rampage in the San Diego area. Another
methamphetamine addict in New Mexico beheaded his son after experiencing
hallucinations in which he believed his son was Satan. Every community
with a methamphetamine abuse problem has experienced violence in some
form or another. However, most commonly, this violence routinely presents
itself in the form of domestic violence. International Organized Crime Groups Based in Mexico Today, there are
two major forces fueling the methamphetamine trade within the United States:
first, the well-organized methamphetamine manufacturing and trafficking
groups based in Mexico; and second, a widely scattered series of local
methamphetamine producers, predominantly based in rural areas around the
country. Traffickers based
in Mexico have had a long history of involvement in poly-drug production
and smuggling. For years, these powerful and violent groups produced and
smuggled marijuana and heroin into the United States, dominating the heroin
trade in the Southwest and Midwest regions of the nation. During the early
1990's, the Cali drug mafia reached an accommodation with trafficking
groups based in Mexico who agreed to transport multi-ton quantities of
cocaine into the United States. At first, transporters from Mexico were
paid in cash, but eventually they negotiated to be paid in cocaine, which
they distributed themselves within the United States. This series of changes
in the cocaine trade, along with the arrest of the powerful Cali leaders
in 1995 and 1996, greatly strengthened the organizations from Mexico.
The increased power and sophistication of the Mexican traffickers led them to seek to successfully dominate all phases of the methamphetamine trade, from beginning to end. Because methamphetamine is a synthetic drug created from a mixture of chemicals, traffickers based in Mexico did not have to rely on traffickers in other nations to provide coca or finished cocaine for distribution. These groups initially had ready access to precursor chemicals on the international market. These chemicals have fewer controls in Mexico and overseas than in the United States, a fact which allowed the organizations to produce large quantities of high purity methamphetamine in clandestine laboratories, both in Mexico and southern California. Methamphetamine organizations based in Mexico have developed international connections with chemical suppliers in Europe, Asia, and the Far East, and with these connections, they have been able to obtain ton quantities of the necessary precursor chemicals (ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine) to manufacture methamphetamine and amphetamine. In recent years, with the growth of DEA led international efforts to control the flow of bulk ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine, Mexican traffickers have also turned to tableted forms of these precursors to manufacture their product and now frequently buy their products from rogue chemical suppliers in the United States.
In addition, readily
available precursor chemicals allow trafficking groups from Mexico to
produce thousands of pounds of methamphetamine in laboratories in Mexico
and California. These methamphetamine organizations based in Mexico also
have well-established, polydrug distribution networks in place throughout
our country. This snapshot of methamphetamine use is a graphic illustration
of the kind of devastation international cartels can bring to American
communities--even the smallest ones. The Mexican traffickers have single-handedly
created a new and booming demand for methamphetamine, moving it in mass
quantities eastward across the country--far beyond the traditional West
and Southwest markets. They are responsible for about 80 percent of the
meth available in this country, and the super-labs they operate produce
between 10 to 100 pounds of meth a day. Domestically Produced Methamphetamine While the vast majority
of methamphetamine available in the United States is produced and trafficked
by the well-organized groups from Mexico, domestic production of methamphetamine
by United States citizens is also a significant problem. The production
level of these laboratories, often makeshift and described as mom and
pop labs, is relatively low; however, the large number of these labs and
the environmental and law enforcement concerns associated with their operation,
poses major problems to state and local law enforcement agencies, as well
as to DEA. Methamphetamine is,
in fact, a very simple drug to produce. A user can go to retail stores
and easily purchase the vast majority of the ingredients necessary to
manufacture the drug. Items such as rock salt, battery acid, red phosphorous
road flares, pool acid, and iodine crystals can be utilized to substitute
for some of the necessary chemicals. Precursor chemicals such as pseudoephedrine
can be extracted from common, over-the-counter cold medications. A clandestine
lab operator can utilize relatively common items such as mason jars, coffee
filters, hot plates, pressure cookers, pillowcases, plastic tubing, gas
cans, etc., to substitute for sophisticated laboratory equipment. Unlike
Fentanyl, LSD, or other types of dangerous drugs, it does not take a college-educated
chemist to produce methamphetamine. In fact, less than 10 percent of those
suspects arrested for the manufacture of methamphetamine are trained chemists,
which may be one reason we see so many fires, explosions, and injuries
in clandestine lab incidents. Despite the fact
that the majority of these laboratories produce relatively small amounts
of methamphetamine, the proliferation of this type of laboratory has imposed
terrible burdens on law enforcement agencies and departments. In some respects,
the methamphetamine problem is synonymous with the clandestine laboratory
problem and this issue has been the focus of much media attention in recent
months. Although the methamphetamine problem and the clandestine lab problem
are both part of the same drug abuse mosaic, in reality, they are somewhat
different issues, which may require a different law enforcement response
in order to successfully combat the spiraling increases in both arenas.
The threats posed
by clandestine labs are not limited to fire, explosion, poison gas, drug
abuse, and booby traps; the chemical contamination of the hazardous waste
contained in these labs also poses a serious danger to our nation's environment.
Each pound of methamphetamine generated in a clandestine lab can result
in as much as five pounds of toxic waste, which clandestine lab operators
routinely dump into our nations streams, rivers, and sewage systems to
cover up the evidence of their illegal operations. Because of the possibility
of explosions and direct contact with toxic fumes and hazardous chemicals,
law enforcement officers who raid clandestine drug labs are now required
to take special hazardous materials (HAZMAT) handling training. The highly toxic
and flammable chemicals involved make these rudimentary laboratories ticking
timebombs that require specialized training to dismantle and clean up.
DEA is pleased to have certified thousands of state and local law enforcement
officers in raiding and dismantling them and provide funds for cleaning
them up. In Arkansas alone, DEA has trained and certified over 177 law
enforcement officers. The size of lab does
not matter when it comes to the danger level involved in a clandestine
laboratory raid. The smaller labs are usually more dangerous than the
larger operations because the cooks are generally less experienced chemists
who often have little regard for the safety issues that arise when dealing
with explosive and poisonous chemicals. However, the size of a clandestine
laboratory can be a significant factor in the costs associated with the
hazardous waste cleanup. Larger production laboratories usually have larger
quantities of toxic chemicals, and therefore, more significant hazardous
waste disposal charges. DEA records indicate that the average costs of
cleanup for clandestine labs seized throughout Arkansas have ranged from
$3,000.00 - $9,000.00 depending on the size of the lab. DEA's Strategy to Fight Methamphetamine DEA's methamphetamine
strategy encompasses several elements, including targeting and building
cases against the major methamphetamine traffickers based in Mexico, and
against their surrogates operating in the United States today; assisting
state and local law enforcement agencies in making cases against methamphetamine
manufacturers and traffickers working in the United States; partnering
with state and local law enforcement to assist with training and laboratory
clean-up; and controlling the precursor chemicals necessary for methamphetamine
production in Mexico and the United States. DEA Clandestine Laboratory Safety/Certification Training In 1987, DEA created
a special training unit for clandestine laboratory safety/certification
training which is located at the U.S. Marine Corp Base at Camp Upshur,
Quantico, Virginia. This unit originated in response to concerns from
DEA management that the agency's Special Agents and task force officers
were being exposed to hazardous, toxic, and carcinogenic chemicals while
executing raids on clandestine drug laboratories. Some DEA field offices,
primarily in the state of California, were reporting that Special Agents
and officers appeared to be suffering serious health problems as a result
of both short and long-term exposure to the chemical and toxic fumes encountered
when processing these drug laboratories. The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations,
29 C.F.R. 1910.12, now mandates that all federal, state, and local law
enforcement officers must receive at least 24 hours of hazardous chemical
handling training (specific Occupational Safety, Health and Administration
(OSHA) standards for courses and equipment), prior to entering a clandestine
drug laboratory. The dangers associated
with the clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine are clear. Reports
from DEA and state police records indicate that at least five or six meth
producers are now being killed every year from explosions and/or fires
in clandestine labs. Many more receive serious burns or develop serious
health problems from clandestine laboratory explosions and fires. There
have been reports of apartment complexes and a $3,500,000 hotel, which
burned down as the result of drug lab "cooks" that turned into chemical
time bombs. Recent years have seen an increase in the number of injuries
to untrained police officers that investigate and/or dismantle clandestine
laboratories without utilizing the proper safety equipment. Reports of property damage and injuries to children from drug lab disasters have also increased throughout the nation. According to our Little Rock Resident Office, approximately 90% of the clan labs located in private residences had children either on site or present at the time of the seizure.
In response to this
serious problem and to satisfy the training requirement established by
OSHA, DEA has initiated an aggressive training schedule to increase the
number of clandestine laboratory safety schools provided to state and
local police throughout the nation. The DEA Clandestine Laboratory Safety
Program conducts its safety/certification schools at the DEA Clandestine
Laboratory Training Facility in Quantico Virginia. An auxiliary regional
training facility has also been established for the Midwest U.S., near
Kansas City. This specialized unit frequently conducts in-service training
and seminars for law enforcement groups such as the Clandestine Laboratory
Investigators Association (CLIA) and the International Association of
Chiefs of Police (IACP). In addition, the DEA Clandestine Laboratory Training
Unit provides police awareness training seminars to law enforcement organizations
across the U.S., as well as the annual re-certification training which
is mandated by OSHA regulations. Students who graduate
from the DEA Clandestine Lab School in Quantico, Virginia, are issued
over $2,000 in specialized clandestine lab safety gear. Some of the items
issued include: Level III nomex fire-resistant ballistic vests; nomex
fire-resistant jackets, pants, and gloves; chemical resistant boots; air
purified respirators; combat retention holsters; special flashlights;
chemical resistant clothing for conducting hazard assessments and processing
drug labs; and goggles to prevent eye injuries in the event a suspect
throws acid or other dangerous chemicals at law enforcement personnel.
Since 1997, DEA has conducted a total of 103 clandestine laboratory certification
schools for 3,803 Special Agents and state and local law enforcement personnel
across the country. In Fiscal Year1999,
DEA received a total of $11.0 million through the Community Oriented Police
Services (COPS) program for state and local methamphetamine related training
and hazardous waste cleanup services. This total included $6.0 million
to provide for clandestine laboratory certification training and $5.0
million for contracted hazardous waste disposal services for state and
local law enforcement personnel and organizations across the United States.
Unlike in past years,
funding provided by the Congress through the COPS methamphetamine program
in FY 2000 will be distributed directly to select state and local law
enforcement organizations throughout the country instead of to DEA for
necessary training and cleanup services. Through the use of residual COPS
carryover funding from 1998 and 1999, as well as some direct resources,
DEA will continue to provide training and cleanup services for those remaining
state and local law enforcement organizations (including Arkansas law
enforcement offices and personnel) which were not covered in the FY 2000
appropriation language. However, due to the lack of additional COPS funding
being directed to DEA in FY 2000, our resources, particularly in the area
of clandestine laboratory cleanup, are extremely limited and will be provided
to state and local law enforcement organizations on a first come, first
serve basis. DEA is currently working with the Department of Justice and
the U.S. Congress to secure additional FY 2000 resources for the agency's
state and local clandestine laboratory training and cleanup programs.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS Today, we are optimistic
that our chemical control efforts, combined with aggressive anti-methamphetamine
law enforcement efforts in the local police arena, have been the catalyst
for the decrease in methamphetamine purity. However, success in combating
the smaller lab-based methamphetamine problem may be much more difficult
to achieve. In recent months, several DEA offices in the Midwest and California
have reported that the purity of Mexican methamphetamine has significantly
dropped in the majority of controlled purchases and seizures. Many law
enforcement agencies in the Midwest and California are now reporting that
the previous high purity (80%+ range) of Mexican methamphetamine has now
dropped to less than 30%. Information provided by DEA reporting systems
shows that nationally, the average purity for methamphetamine has dropped
from 60.5 percent in 1995 to 27.2 percent in 1999. Conclusion Methamphetamine,
and other controlled substances, which are produced in clandestine laboratories,
provides an increasing threat to drug law enforcement personnel as well
as the citizens of our nation. The vast power and influence of international
drug trafficking syndicates, particularly those based in Mexico, continues
to grow. Their impact on communities around our nation is devastating.
Domestically based
drug traffickers who engage in methamphetamine production and trafficking
are also a major threat to our nation's stability. Since methamphetamine
is relatively easy to produce, and with the proliferation of information
on methamphetamine production available on the Internet, unscrupulous
individuals will continue to take part in this illegal and dangerous enterprise.
Traffickers only need $1,000 worth of chemicals to make $10,000 in methamphetamine
in a trailer, a hotel room or house in any location within the United
States. Reports of property
damage and injuries to children from drug lab disasters have also increased
throughout the nation. According to our Little Rock Resident Office, approximately
90% of the clan labs located in private residences had children either
on site or present at the time of the seizure. As the number of clandestine labs operated by both internationally-based criminal organizations and mom and pop, small, independent groups continues to escalate, the chances of narcotics officers, or other uniformed personnel, inadvertently encountering clandestine labs will become more and more prevalent. In the years to come, DEA will continue to work to improve its efforts in the methamphetamine arena to ensure a safe future for both our law enforcement personnel dedicated to addressing this dangerous problem as well as our citizens. I thank you for providing me with this opportunity to address the Subcommittee and I look forward to taking any questions you may have on this important issue. |
