1970 - 1975

In the spring and summer of 1973, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate heard months of testimony on Richard Nixon’s Reorganization Plan Number 2, which proposed the creation of a single federal agency to consolidate and coordinate the government’s drug control activities.

Drug use had not reached its all-time peak, but the problem was serious enough to warrant a serious response.

The long, proud, and honorable tradition of federal drug law enforcement began in 1915 with the Bureau of Internal Revenue. In the following decades, several federal agencies had drug law enforcement responsibilities. By the 1960s, the two agencies charged with drug law enforcement were the Bureau of Drug Abuse Control (BDAC) and the federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN). It was during this period that America underwent a significant change. The introduction of drugs into American culture and the efforts to "normalize" drug use started to take a terrible toll on the nation. Nevertheless, American children could still walk to school in relative safety, worrying only about report cards or the neighborhood bully. Today however, as children approach their schools, they see barbed wire, metal detectors, and signs warning drug dealers that school property is a "drug free zone." In too many communities, drug dealers and gunfire force decent, law-abiding citizens to seek refuge behind locked doors.

On December 14, 1970, at the White House, the International Narcotic Enforcement Officers' Association (INEOA) presented to President Nixon a "certificate of special honor in recognition of the outstanding loyalty and contribution to support narcotic law enforcement." Standing with President Nixon were (from left) John E. Ingersoll, Director of BNDD; John Bellizzi, Executive Director of INEOA; and Matthew O'Conner, President of INEOA. DEA Special Agents 1973..........1,470 1975..........2,135 DEA Budget 1973..........$74.9 million 1975..........$140.9 million

In 1960, only four million Americans had ever tried drugs. Currently, that number has risen to over 74 million. Behind these statistics are the stories of countless families, communities, and individuals adversely affected by drug abuse and drug trafficking.

Prior to the 1960s, Americans did not see drug use as acceptable behavior, nor did they believe that drug use was an inevitable fact of life. Indeed, tolerance of drug use resulted in terrible increases in crime between the 1960s and the early 1990s, and the landscape of America has been altered forever.

By the early 1970s, drug use had not yet reached its all-time peak, but the problem was sufficiently serious to warrant a serious response. Consequently, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was created in 1973 to deal with America's growing drug problem.

At that time, the well-organized international drug trafficking syndicates headquartered in Colombia and Mexico had not yet assumed their place on the world stage as the preeminent drug suppliers. All of the heroin and cocaine, and most of the marijuana that entered the United States was being trafficked by lesser international drug dealers who had targeted cities and towns within the nation. Major law enforcement investigations, such as the French Connection made by agents in the DEA's predecessor agency, the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD), graphically illustrated the complexity and scope of America's heroin problem.

In the years prior to 1973, several important developments took place which would ultimately have a significant impact on the DEA and federal drug control efforts for years to come. By the time that the DEA was created by Executive Order in July 1973 to establish a single unified command, America was beginning to see signs of the drug and crime epidemic that lay ahead. In order to appreciate how the DEA has evolved into the important law enforcement institution it is today, it must be understood that many of its programs have roots in predecessor agencies.

BNDD

Before the creation of the DEA in 1973, multiple law enforcement and intelligence organizations carried out federal drug enforcement policies.

John E. Ingersoll Director, BNDD 1968-1973 John E. Ingersoll served as Director of the U.S. Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) from 1968 until 1973. He began his career as a patrolman and then sergeant for the Oakland, California, Police Department from 1956 until 1961, when he became the Director of Field Services for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). He served with the IACP until 1966, when he became the chief of police for Charlotte, North Carolina, until his appointment as Director of BNDD in 1973. He was also the U.S. Representative to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs from 1969 to 1973. From 1973 to 1993, Mr. Ingersoll worked for the IBM Corporation, serving as Director of Security for IBM's International Business Unit and the IBM World Trae Subsidiary. Since April 1993, he has worked as an independent consultant to business and government.

In 1968, with the introduction into Congress of Reorganization Plan No. 1, President Johnson proposed combining two agencies into a third new drug enforcement agency. The action merged the Bureau of Narcotics, in the Treasury Department, which was responsible for the control of marijuana and narcotics such as heroin, with the Bureau of Drug Abuse Control (BDAC), in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, which was responsible for the control of dangerous drugs, including depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens, such as LSD. The new agency, the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD), was placed under the Department of Justice, which is the government agency primarily concerned with federal law enforcement.

According to the Reorganization Plan, "the Attorney General will have full authority and responsibility for enforcing the federal laws relating to narcotics and dangerous drugs. The BNDD, headed by a Director appointed by the Attorney General, would:

(1) consolidate the authority and preserve the experience and manpower of the Bureau of Narcotics and Bureau of Drug Abuse Control;

(2) work with state and local governments in their crackdown on illegal trade in drugs and narcotics, and help to train local agents and investigators;

(3) maintain worldwide operations, working closely with other nations, to suppress the trade in illicit narcotics and marijuana; and

(4) conduct an extensive campaign of research and a nationwide public education program on drug abuse and its tragic effects."

The BNDD became the primary drug law enforcement agency and concentrated its efforts on both international and interstate activities. By 1970, the BNDD had nine foreign offices--in Italy, Turkey, Panama, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, France, and Colombia--to respond to the dynamics of the drug trade. Domestically, the agency initiated a task force approach involving federal, state, and local officers. The first such task force was set up in New York City.

In addition, the BNDD established Metropolitan Enforcement Groups, which were based on the regional enforcement concept that provided for sharing undercover personnel, equipment, and other resources from different jurisdictions. The BNDD provided training and operational support for these units. By February 1972, the BNDD's agent strength had grown to 1,361, its budget had more than quadrupled, and its foreign and domestic arrest totals had doubled. In addition, the BNDD had regulatory control over more than 500,000 registrants licensed to distribute elicit drugs, and it had six sophisticated forensic labs.

New York Task Force (1970)

In 1970, the first narcotics task force was established in New York under the auspices of the BNDD to maximize the impact of cooperating federal, state, and local law enforcement elements working on complex drug investigations. Bruce Jensen, former chief of the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, described it "not as a monument...but a foundation firm enough to withstand the test of time." At the time, heroin was a significant problem, and law enforcement officials were seeking ways to reduce availability and identify and prosecute those responsible for heroin trafficking. Federal, state, and municipal law enforcement organizations put aside rivalries and agreed to collaborate within the framework of the New York Joint Task Force. The task force program also became an essential part of the DEA's operations and reflected the belief that success is only possible through cooperative investigative efforts. The BNDD, the New York State Police, and the New York City Police Department contributed personnel to work with Department of Justice lawyers and support staff. The rationale behind the Task Force was that each representative brought different and valuable perspectives and experiences to the table and that close collaboration among the membership could result in cross-training and the sharing of expertise. Since then, the Task Force expanded from the original 43 members. In 1971 it increased to 172 members, and by 1998 it had 261 law enforcement personnel assigned.

Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act (1970)

In response to America's growing drug problem, Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. It replaced more than 50 pieces of drug legislation, went into effect on May 1, 1971, and was enforced by the BNDD, the DEA's predecessor agency. This law, along with its implementing regulations, established a single system of control for both narcotic and psychotropic drugs for the first time in U.S. history.

It also established five schedules that classify controlled substances according to how dangerous they are, their potential for abuse and addiction, and whether they possess legitimate medical value. Twenty-eight years later, the CSA, though amended on several occasions, remained the legal framework from which the DEA derived its authority.

Diversion Control Program (1971)

In the 1969 U.S. Senate hearings on the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), witnesses estimated that 50 percent of the amphetamine being produced annually during the 1960s had found its way into the illicit drug traffic. Following the passage of the CSA in 1970, it was imperative that the U.S. Government establish mechanisms to ensure that this growing diversion of legal drugs into the illicit market be addressed. In 1970, over two billion dosage units of amphetamine and methamphetamine were legally manufactured, equalling more than 10 dosage units for every man, woman, and child in the United States. Compounding the already serious problem of diverted drugs was the fact that many drug manufacturers were producing excessive amounts of pharmaceuticals.

Thus, the controls mandated by the CSA encompassed scheduling, manufacturing, distributing, prescribing, importing, exporting, and other related activities. They also provided the BNDD with the legal tools needed to deal with the diversion problem as it existed at that time. Prior to the CSA, investigations involving the diversion of legitimate pharmaceuticals were conducted solely by special agents as part of their enforcement activities. However, shortly after implementation of the CSA, BNDD management recognized that the investigation of diversion cases differed significantly from investigation of traditional narcotics cases.

In late 1971, the Compliance Program, later renamed the Diversion Control Program, was created to provide a specialized work force that could focus exclusively on the diversion issue and take full advantage of the controls and penalties established by the CSA.

This work force developed an in-depth knowledge of the legitimate pharmaceutical industry and the investigative techniques needed to make cases that were essential to investigate legitimate organizations and professionals engaged in drug diversion. The program was placed under the BNDD's Office of Enforcement and staffed by compliance investigators, later called diversion investigators.

The first major challenge these investigators faced was the extraordinary amount of amphetamines and barbiturates being diverted at the manufacturer and distributor levels. The year the CSA went into effect, over 2,000 provisional registrations were issued to manufacturers and distributors who had been operating under the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 and the Drug Abuse Control Amendments. In order to stem the diversion problem, it was necessary to enlist the support of manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and pharmacists for regular inspections of records and premises. It was also necessary to establish a system of registration to ensure that law enforcement investigators had access to the records and physical plants maintained by those responsible for the manufacture and distribution of drugs.

The first inspections of registrants revealed instances where drug handlers were operating out of basements and garages with little or no security and were unable to account for the receipt or distribution of the drugs they handled. In order to ensure that the diversion of dangerous drugs did not continue, it was critical that meaningful punitive measures could be taken against the minority of registrants responsible for the diversion of drugs into the illegal market. Offenders were given the option of either surrendering their controlled substances registration or instituting strict controls necessary to prevent diversion in their offices and organizations. Establishments and individuals who continued to violate the law were subject to criminal, civil, or administrative actions.

As the program developed, it became clear that the diversion of drugs was not simply a domestic issue. It became essential that controls on international supplies of legal drugs also be established. In the early 1970s, there were several examples of foreign subsidiaries of U.S. drug manufacturers becoming the main suppliers of illicit drugs, such as amphetamine, to the black market in the United States. Through revocation of drug manufacturers' export licenses, the BNDD, and then the DEA, were able to successfully reduce the influx of illegal licit drugs into the United States.

Drug Abuse Prevention
Commemorative
U.S. Postage Stamp

On October 4, 1971, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp to commemorate the Prevention efforts of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. It was designed by Suzanne Rice and K. Gardner Perine of the BNDD Graphic Section.

French Connection (1971-1972)

Diplomat-trafficker Mauricio Rosales, the Guatemalan ambassador to Belgium, was using his diplomatic status to smuggle in 100 kilos of heroin in these three suitcases.

At Idlewild Airport (now JFK) in New York, Etienne Tarditi, a French Corsican trafficker (trenchcoat),. He was coming to meet his drug courier, help deliver heroin to New York gangsters, and collect payment.

Bureau of Narcotics agents who worked on Rosales case pose with suitcases filled with heroin.

Illegal heroin labs were first discovered near Marseilles, France, in 1937. These labs were run by the legendary Corsican gang leader Paul Carbone. For years, the French underworld had been involved in the manufacturing and trafficking of illegal heroin abroad, primarily in the United States. It was this heroin network that eventually became known as the French Connection.

Historically, the raw material for most of the heroin consumed in the United States came from Turkey. Turkish farmers were licensed to grow opium poppies for sale to legal drug companies, but many sold their excess to the underworld market, where it was manufactured into heroin and transported to the United States. It was refined in Corsican laboratories in Marseilles, one of the busiest ports in the western Mediterranean. Marseilles served as a perfect shipping point for all types of illegal goods, including the excess opium that Turkish farmers cultivated for profit.

The convenience of the port at Marseilles and the frequent arrival of ships from opium-producing countries made it easy to smuggle the morphine base to Marseilles from the Far East or the Near East. The French underground would then ship large quantities of heroin from Marseilles to Manhattan, New York.

The first significant post-World War II seizure was made in New York on February 5, 1947, when seven pounds of heroin were seized from a Corsican seaman disembarking from a vessel that had just arrived from France.

It soon became clear that the French underground was increasing not only its participation in the illegal trade of opium, but also its expertise and efficiency in heroin trafficking. On March 17, 1947, 28 pounds of heroin were found on the French liner, St. Tropez. On January 7, 1949, more than 50 pounds of opium and heroin were seized on the French ship, Batista.

The first major French Connection case occurred in 1960. In June, an informant told a drug agent in Lebanon that Mauricio Rosal, the Guatemalan Ambassador to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, was smuggling morphine base from Beirut, Lebanon, to Marseilles. Narcotics agents had been seizing about 200 pounds of heroin in a typical year, but intelligence showed that the Corsican traffickers were smuggling in 200 pounds every other week. Rosal alone, in one year, had used his diplomatic status to bring in about 440 pounds.

The FBN's 1960 annual report estimated that from 2,600 to 5,000 pounds of heroin were coming into the United States annually from France. The French traffickers continued to exploit the demand for their illegal product, and by 1969, they were supplying the United States with 80 to 90 percent of the heroin consumed by addicts. The heroin they supplied was approximately 85 percent pure.

Because of this increasing volume, heroin became readily available throughout the United States. In an effort to limit the source, U.S. officials went to Turkey to negotiate the phasing out of opium production. Initially, the Turkish Government agreed to limit their opium production starting with the 1968 crop.

February 14, 1973: A 20-kilo heroin seizure in Paris, France. Pictured left to right are,S/A Pierre Charette, S/A Kevin Finnerty, and French anti-drug counterparts.

Following five subsequent years of concessions, combined with international cooperation, the Turkish government finally agreed in 1971 to a complete ban on the growing of Turkish opium, effective June 30, 1972. During these protracted negotiations, law enforcement personnel went into action. One of the major roundups began on January 4, 1972, when BNDD agents and French authorities seized 110 pounds of heroin at the Paris airport. Subsequently, traffickers Jean-Baptiste Croce and Joseph Mari were arrested in Marseilles.

In February 1972, French traffickers offered a U.S. Army Sergeant $96,000 to smuggle 240 pounds of heroin into the United States. He informed his superior who in turn notified the BNDD. As a result of this investigation, five men in New York and two in Paris were arrested with 264 pounds of heroin, which had a street value of $50 million. In a 14-month period, starting in February 1972, six major illicit heroin laboratories were seized and dismantled in the suburbs of Marseilles by French national narcotics police in collaboration with U.S. drug agents. On February 29, 1972, French authorities seized the shrimp boat, Caprice de Temps, as it put to sea near Marseilles heading towards Miami. It was carrying 415 kilos of heroin. Drug arrests in France skyrocketed from 57 in 1970 to 3,016 in 1972. The French Connection investigation demonstrated that international trafficking networks were best disabled by the combined efforts of drug enforcement agencies from multiple countries. In this case, agents from the United States, Canada, Italy, and France had worked together to achieve success.

Creation of the DEA (July 1, 1973)

No. 11727 July 10, 1973, 38 F.R. 18357 DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1973, which becomes effective on July 1, 1973, among other things establishes a Drug Enforcement Administration in the Department of Justice. In my message to the Congress transmitting that plan, I stated that all functions of the Office for Drug Abuse Law Enforcement (established pursuant to Executive Order No. 11641 of January 28, 1972) and the Office of National Narcotics Intelligence (established pursuant to Executive Order No. 16676 of July 27, 1972) would, together with other related functions be merged in the new Drug Enforcement Administration. NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, including section 5317 of title 5 of the United States Code, as amended, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. The Attorney General, to the extent permitted by law, is authorized to coordinate all activities of executive branch departments and agencies which are directly related to the enforcement of laws respecting narcotics and dangerous drugs. Each department and agency of the Federal Government shall, upon request and to the extent permitted by law, assist the Attorney General in the performance of functions assigned to him pursuant to this order, and the Attorney General may, in carrying out those functions, utilize the services of any other agencies, federal and state, as may be available and appropriate. Sec. 2. Executive Order No. 11641 of January 28, 1972,1 is hereby revoked and the Attorney General shall provide for the reassignment of the functions of the Office for Drug Abuse Law Enforcement and for the abolishment of that Office. Sec. 3. Executive Order No. 11676 of July 27, 1972,1 is hereby revoked and the Attorney General shall provide for the reassignment of the functions of the Office of Narcotics Intelligence and for the abolishment of that Office. Sec. 4. Section 1 of Executive Order No. 11708 of March 23, 1973,2 as amended, placing certain positions in level IV of the Executive Schedule is hereby further amended by deleting-- (1) "(6) Director, Office for Drug Abuse Law Enforcement, Department of Justice"; and (2) "(7) Director, Office of Narcotics Intelligence, Department of Justice." Sec. 5. The Attorney General shall provide for the winding up of the affairs of the two offices and for the reassignment of their functions. Sec 6. This order shall be effective as of July 1, 1973. Richard Nixon THE WHITE HOUSE, July 6, 1973

In 1973, President Richard Nixon declared "an all-out global war on the drug menace" and sent Reorganization Plan No. 2 to Congress. "Right now," he pointed out, "the federal government is fighting the war on drug abuse under a distinct handicap, for its efforts are those of a loosely confederated alliance facing a resourceful, elusive, worldwide enemy. Certainly, the cold- blooded underworld networks that funnel narcotics from suppliers all over the world are no respecters of the bureaucratic dividing lines that now complicate our anti-drug efforts."

In the spring and summer of 1973, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate heard months of testimony on President Nixon's Reorganization Plan Number 2, which proposed the creation of a single federal agency to consolidate and coordinate the government's drug control activities.

At that time, the BNDD, within the Department of Justice, was responsible for enforcing the federal drug laws. However, the U.S. Customs Service and several other Justice entities (ODALE and the Office of National Narcotics Intelligence) were also responsible for various aspects of federal drug law enforcement. Of great concern to the Administration and the Congress were the growing availability of drugs in most areas of the United States, the lack of coordination and the perceived lack of cooperation between the U.S. Customs Service and the BNDD, and the need for better intelligence collection on drug trafficking organizations.

According to the final report from the Senate Committee on Government Operations issued on October 16, 1973, the benefits anticipated from the creation of the DEA included:

1. Putting an end to the interagency rivalries that have undermined federal drug law enforcement, especially the rivalry between the BNDD and the U.S. Customs Service;

2. Giving the FBI its first significant role in drug enforcement by requiring that the DEA draw on the FBI’s expertise in combatting organized crime’s role in the trafficking of illicit drugs;

3. Providing a focal point for coordinating federal drug enforcement efforts with those of state and local authorities, as well as with foreign police forces;

4. Placing a single Administrator in charge of federal drug law enforcement in order to make the new DEA more accountable than its component parts had ever been, thereby safeguarding against corruption and enforcement abuses;

5. Consolidating drug enforcement operations in the DEA and establishing the Narcotics Division in Justice to maximize coordination between federal investigation and prosecution efforts and eliminate rivalries within each sphere; and

6. Establishing the DEA as a superagency to provide the momentum needed to coordinate all federal efforts related to drug enforcement outside the Justice Department, especially the gathering of intelligence on international narcotics smuggling.

Early Developments in the DEA

When John R. Bartels, Jr., was confirmed as the DEA's first Administrator on October 4, 1973, he had two goals for the new agency: (1) to integrate narcotics agents and U.S. Customs agents into one effective force; and (2) to restore public confidence in narcotics law enforcement. From the very beginning, Mr. Bartels was faced with the unenviable task of unifying the efforts of several drug law enforcement entities. One of the most serious obstacles arose from conflicting philosophies of various agencies, particularly the BNDD and the U.S. Customs Service. To ease the process, U.S. Customs agents were placed in top positions throughout the DEA. For example, Fred Rody, Regional Director in Miami, became the DEA's Deputy Administrator in December 1979; John Lund was appointed as Deputy Assistant Administrator; and John Fallon named as Regional Director in New York. Administrator Bartels issued specific instructions to federal narcotics agents: "This Statement of Policy outlines the measures taken by the Drug Enforcement Administration to prevent incidents which might infringe on individual rights or jeopardize the successful prosecution of a case. The guidelines require clear-cut lines of command and control in enforcement situations and stress that operations must be carried out in a manner that is legally correct, morally sound, with full respect for the civil rights, human dignity of persons involved, and the sanctity of the home." The guidelines also restricted vehicular arrests and prohibited participation in raids by non-law enforcement personnel.

Creation of the DEA Intelligence Program (1973)

Intelligence had long been recognized as an essential element in the success of any investigative or law enforcement agency. Accurate and up-to-date information was required to assess the operations and vulnerabilities of criminal networks, to interdict drugs in a systematic way, to forecast new methods of trafficking, to evaluate the impact of previous activities, and to establish long-range drug strategies and policies. Included in the DEA mission was a mandate for drug intelligence. The DEA's Office of Intelligence came into being on July 1, 1973, upon implementation of Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 2. The Code of Federal Regulations charged the Administrator of the DEA with:

The development and maintenance of a National Narcotics Intelligence system in cooperation with federal, state, and local officials, and the provision of narcotics intelligence to any federal, state, or local official that the Administrator determines has a legitimate official need to have access to such intelligence.

To support this mission, specific functions were identified as follows:

• Collect and produce intelligence to support the Administrator and other federal, state, and local agencies;
• Establish/maintain close working relationships with all agencies that produce or use drug intelligence;
• Increase the efficiency in the reporting, analysis, storage, retrieval, and exchange of such information; and
• Undertake a continuing review of the narcotics intelligence effort to identify and correct deficiencies.

The DEA divided drug intelligence into three broad categories: tactical, operational, and strategic. Tactical intelligence provides immediate support to investigative efforts by identifying traffickers and movement of drugs. Operational intelligence provides analytical support to investigations and structuring organizations. Strategic intelligence focuses on developing a comprehensive and current picture of the entire system by which drugs are cultivated, produced, transported, smuggled, and distributed around the world. These definitions remain valid in 1998.

To build upon its drug intelligence mandate in 1973, the DEA’s Intelligence Program consisted of two major elements: the Office of Intelligence at Headquarters and the Regional Intelligence Units (RIU) in domestic and foreign field offices. The structure of the Office of Intelligence was divided into five entities: International and Domestic Divisions, Strategic Intelligence Staff, Special Operations and Field Support Staff, and the Intelligence Systems Staff. Its structure paralleled that of the Office of Enforcement.

The RIUs had four objectives: (1) Provide a continuing flow of actionable intelligence to enhance the tactical effectiveness of regional enforcement efforts; (2) Support management planning of the overall regional enforcement program; (3) Contribute to interregional and strategic collection programs of the Office of Intelligence; and (4) Facilitate exchange of intelligence information with state and local law enforcement domestically and with host-country enforcement abroad.

Initially, the Intelligence Program was staffed by DEA special agents, with very few professional intelligence analysts (I/As). In DEA’s first I/A class in 1974, there were only eleven I/As. However, during the last 30 years, the Intelligence Program has grown significantly. From only a few I/As in the field and Headquarters in 1973, the cadre of I/As now numbers 730.

The Unified Intelligence Division (UID) (1973)

In October 1973, the DEA’s first field intelligence unit based on the task force concept was created. The unit, named the Unified Intelligence Division (UID), included DEA special agents, DEA intelligence analysts, New York State Police investigators, and New York City detectives. Along with its unique status as an intelligence task force, the UID was also one of the first field intelligence units to systematically engage all aspects of the intelligence process, specifically collection, evaluation, analysis, and dissemination. This pioneering role expanded the horizons of drug law enforcement field intelligence units, which, at the time, were often limited to collecting information, maintaining dossiers, and providing limited case support. This proactive stance was immediately successful as UID was able to develop and disseminate extensive intelligence on traditional organized crime-related drug traffickers and identify not only the leaders, but also those who were likely to become leaders. UID also developed and disseminated intelligence throughout the federal, state, and local law enforcement community on the members, associates, and contacts of infamous heroin violator Leroy “Nicky” Barnes. Significant intelligence operations continued through the 1980s, with UID taking a leading role in providing intelligence on the crack cocaine epidemic and on Cali cocaine mafia operations in New York. The UID’s proactive intelligence task force concept continues to build upon successes of the past.

Shortly after the creation of UID, the Drug Enforcement Coordinating System (DECS) was developed. DECS is a repository index system of all active drug cases in the New York metropolitan area. The DECS system connects agencies that have common investigative targets or common addresses that are part of their investigations. It was created to enhance officer safety and to promote greater cooperation and coordination among drug law enforcement agencies by preventing duplication of effort on overlapping investigations being conducted by member agencies. DECS, which began as a joint venture of DEA/NYSP/NYPD housed in the UID, now has a membership of 40 investigative units involved in drug law enforcement, and is the prototype for many similar systems that have since been developed across the country.

National Narcotics Intelligence System (NADDIS)

In 1973, the DEA developed the National Narcotics Intelligence System (NADDIS), which became federal law enforcement’s first automated index. The creation of NADDIS was possible because the DEA was the first law enforcement agency in the nation to adopt an all-electronic, centralized, computer database for its records. NADDIS, composed of data from DEA investigative reports and teletypes, provided agents in all DEA domestic offices with electronic access to investigative file data. NADDIS searches could be conducted NADDIS contained approximately 4.5 million records, with 5,000 new records being added every week. NADDIS remains the largest and most frequently used of the 40 specialized information systems operated by the DEA.

Graduation of the First DEA Special Agents

The first DEA Special Agent Basic Training Class (BA-1) graduated on November 16, 1973. Reverend James W. McMurtie, Principal of Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia, gave the Invocation honoring the 40 men and women of BA-1, and DEA Administrator Bartels gave the welcome and introductions. The Training Division chief was Paul F. Malherek, and the class counselors were Calvin C. Campbell of the Miami Regional Office, Allen L. Johnson of the New Orleans Regional Office, and Henry S. Lincoln of the San Diego District Office.

BA 2 graduate Michael Vigil accepts his certificate from William Dirken, Perry Rivkind, and Paul Malherek of DEA Training.

Joint Efforts with Mexico (1974)

By 1972, the quantity of brown heroin from Mexico available in the United States had risen 40 percent higher than the quantity of white heroin from Europe. Traditional international border control was no longer effective against the problem, and in 1974, the Government of Mexico requested U.S. technical assistance. On January 26, 1974, Operation SEA/M (Special Enforcement Activity in Mexico) was launched in the State of Sinaloa to combat the opium and heroin traffic. One month later, a second joint task force, Operation Endrun, began operations in the State of Guerrero, concentrating on marijuana and heroin interdiction. Meanwhile, a third effort, Operation Trident, focused on controlling the traffic of illegally manufactured dangerous drugs produced in Mexico. Despite the fact that law enforcement in Mexico had some successes, these early efforts did not, in the long term, prevent the development of powerful drug trafficking organizations based in Mexico.

The Collapse of the DEA Miami Office Building (1974)

The DEA was still a new agency when tragedy struck the Miami Field Division. On August 5, 1974, at 10:24 a.m., the roof of the Miami office came crashing down, killing seven and trapping others in a pile of twisted steel and concrete. Between 125 and 150 people worked in the building. Those who died included: Special Agent Nicholas Fragos; Mary Keehan, Secretary to the Acting Regional Director; Special Agent Charles Mann; Anna Y. Mounger, Secretary; Anna Pope, Fiscal Assistant; Martha D. Skeels, Supervisory Clerk-Typist; and Mary P. Sullivan, Clerk-Typist. Although the people who were in the building thought it was an explosion or an earthquake, officials initially theorized that the dozens of cars in the parking facility on the roof were too heavy for the six-inch-thick slab of concrete supporting them. Later, it was found that the resurfaced parking lot, coupled with salt in the sand, had eroded and weakened the supporting steel structure of the building. The section that collapsed contained a processing room and a laboratory. The building was erected in 1925, and in 1968 had undergone a full engineering inspection, at which time it was cleared to house DEA offices.

El Paso Intelligence Center (1974)

In 1973, with increasing drug activity along the Southwest Border, the BNDD found that information on drugs was being collected by the DEA, Customs, BNDD, FBI, and FAA, but was not being coordinated. The DEA and the INS were also collecting information on the smuggling of aliens and guns. In 1974, the Department of Justice submitted a report from that BNDD study entitled, A Secure Border: An Analysis of Issues Affecting the U.S. Department of Justice to the Office of Management and Budget that provided recommendations to improve drug and border enforcement operations along the Southwest Border. One of the recommendations proposed the establishment of a regional intelligence center to collect and disseminate information relating to drug, illegal alien, and weapons smuggling to support field enforcement agencies throughout the country. As a result, in 1974, the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) was established to provide tactical intelligence to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies on a national scale. Staffed by representatives of the DEA and the INS, EPIC has since expanded into a national drug intelligence center supporting U.S. law enforcement entities that focus on worldwide drug smuggling.

Drug Abuse Warning Network (1974)

In 1974, the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) was designed and developed by the scientific staff of the DEA's Office of Science and Technology. DAWN was created to assist the federal government in identifying and evaluating the scope and extent of drug abuse in the United States. It was jointly funded with the National Institute of Drug Abuse. DAWN incorporated data from various sources of intelligence within the DEA and from such outside sources as federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, and scientific literature. Over 1,300 different facilities supply data to the program.

Beginning in the early 1970s, DAWN collected information on patients seeking hospital emergency treatment related to their use of an illegal drug or the nonmedical use of a legal drug. Data were collected by trained reporters (nurses and other hospital personnel) who reviewed medical charts. They monitored notations by the hospital personnel who treated the patients that drug use was the reason for the emergency visit.

Hospitals participating in DAWN are non-federal, short-stay general hospitals that feature a 24-hour emergency department. Since 1988, the DAWN data was collected from a representative sample of these hospitals located throughout the United States, including 21 specific metropolitan areas. The data from this sample were used to generate estimates of the total number of emergency department drug episodes and drug mentions in all such hospitals.

Narcotic Addict Treatment Act (1974)

Public Law 93-281

The Narcotic Addict Treatment Act was passed in 1974 and amended the Controlled Substances Act to provide for the separate registration of doctors and other practitioners who used narcotic drugs in the treatment of addicts. It also provided physicians who were treating narcotic addiction with specific guidelines and medications. This act eliminated the indiscriminate prescription of narcotics to addicts and reduced the diversion of pharmaceutical narcotics.

Aviation

In 1971, the BNDD launched its aviation program with one special agent/pilot, one airplane, and a budget of $58,000. The concept of an Air Wing was the brainchild of Marion Joseph, an experienced former United States Air Force pilot and a veteran special agent stationed in Atlanta, Georgia. Over the years, Special Agent Joseph had seen how the police used aircraft for surveillance, search and rescue, and the recapturing of fugitives. His analysis led him to conclude that a single plane “could do the work of five agents and five vehicles on the ground.”

As drug trafficking increased nationwide, it became evident that it had no boundaries and that law enforcement needed aviation capabilities. Although Special Agent Joseph convinced his superiors of the merits of his idea, no funding was available. Management told Agent Joseph that if he could find an airplane, they would further consider the Air Wing concept. At this point, Special Agent Joseph approached the United States Air Force, and under the Bailment Property Transfer Program that allows the military to assist other government entities, he secured one airplane—a Vietnam war surplus Cessna Skymaster.

The benefit of air support to drug law enforcement operations became immediately apparent, and the request for airplanes grew rapidly. By 1973, when the DEA was formally established, the Air Wing already had 41 special agent pilots operating 24 aircraft in several major cities across the United States. Most of these aircraft were fixed-wing, single-engine, piston airplanes that were primarily used for domestic surveillance.

Training

The National Training Institute, the DEA's first training program, was located at DEA headquarters, 1405 Eye Street in Washington, D.C. At that time, training was divided into three major divisions: special agent training, police training, and international training.

Trainee John Wilder

Training was carried out in a three-story bank building adjacent to DEA headquarters that had been converted for training purposes. The building had a gymnasium located on the first floor, lockers and showers in the basement, and a 5-point firing range on the second floor. Special agent trainees were housed in hotels within walking distance of DEA headquarters.

In the absence of the realistic Hogan's Alley, a life-sized, simulated neighborhood of today, training practicals were conducted on public streets. The DEA had leased a 20-acre farm near Dulles Airport in rural Virginia, as well as a house in Oxen Hill, Maryland, to practice raids and field exercises. Basic Agent training lasted 10 weeks, and the Training Institute supported three classes, with 53 students per class, in session at all times. Graduations occurred every three weeks. Coordinators were from the headquarters staff, and counselors were brought in from the field for temporary training duty. In addition to training basic agents, the DEA also offered training programs for compliance investigators, intelligence analysts, chemists, supervisors, mid-level managers, executives, technical personnel, state and local police officers, and international law enforcement personnel.

Technology

Over the years, the combination of technology and law enforcement have solved some of the biggest criminal cases in the world. However, by 1998, the DEA's technology ranked among the most sophisticated. That was not always the case. During the DEA's formative years, technical investigative equipment was limited both in supply and technical capabilities. In 1971, the entire budget for investigative technology was less than $1 million. This budget was used to buy radio and investigative equipment and to fund the teletype system.

Video surveillance was rare because of the size and expense of camera equipment. Cameras were tube type, required special lighting, and could not be concealed. Early video tape recorders were extremely expensive and were reel-to-reel or the very early version of cassettes called U-Matic.

Pen registers, or dialed number recorders, were more advanced than the older versions, which actually punched holes in a tape, similar to an old ticker tape, in response to the pulses from a rotary dialed phone. Pen registers were also limited because federal law at the time required the same degree of probable cause as was required for a Title III Wire Intercept.

Title IIIs were conducted with reel-to-reel tape recorders. However, the DEA did not conduct many Title IIIs because they were labor intensive, and the agency seldom had sufficient personnel to work the intercepts.

In 1973, body-worn recorders used by agents during investigations had advanced from large belt packs to smaller versions. However, reliability was always a concern. These old belt types, called KELsets, consisted of a transmitter and a belt of batteries worn by the undercover agent. Unfortunately, the belt was not easily concealable, and the batteries would occasionally overheat and burn the backs of the agents.

When the BNDD was formed it did not have a radio system, but in 1971, the agency began installing a nationwide UHF radio system for operations. (The DEA's radio system was installed in 1973.) When an early facsimile machine was installed in 1972, it took six minutes to transmit one page, and pages often had to be re-sent due to communication failures. No paging equipment was available because dedicated frequencies had to be used for each pager. Only doctors and a few select individuals could obtain pagers.

Although cellular phones did not exist, there was a mobile telephone service. However, only the DEA Administrator had a mobile phone, and the service was slow and unreliable.

Laboratories

Creation of the Federal Drug Laboratory System

One of the essential functions carried out by the DEA and its predecessor agencies was providing laboratory support. The success of cases made against major drug traffickers depended in part upon analysis of the drug evidence gathered during narcotics investigations. The DEA's laboratory system, one of the finest in the world, has roots in the DEA's predecessor agencies. Although the two predecessor agencies, BDAC and FBN, did not have laboratories under their direct supervision, lab support was available within their respective departments. Ultimately, the DEA's laboratory system began to take shape through the consolidation and transfer of several lab programs within the U.S. Government. The first laboratory personnel transferred to the BNDD came from the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Microanalytical Group in Washington, D.C. They were primarily responsible for performing the ballistics analyses of tablets and capsules, identifying newly-encountered compounds found in drug traffic, and conducting methods development. According to the agreement with the FDA, the new agency would take control of one of the FDA labs. In August 1968, six chemists formed what eventually became the Special Testing and Research Laboratory. The first of the five regional DEA laboratories was the Chicago Regional Laboratory that opened in December 1968. The New York, Washington, Dallas, and San Francisco Regional Laboratories were formed in April 1969. The original chemist work force for these laboratories came from several field laboratories run by government agencies. The professional staffing of the six laboratories consisted of 36 bench chemists doing physical lab research, supplemented by five supervisory chemists. In 1970, the first full year of operation, the laboratories analyzed almost 20,000 drug exhibits. During the next two years, the laboratories work load increased by 46 percent and 19 percent, respectively. To meet the increased work load demand, staffing more than doubled to 94 by 1972 (including laboratory and BNDD headquarters management personnel.) In 1971, both the Washington and Dallas Regional Laboratories moved to larger facilities, and in January 1972, the BNDD opened its sixth regional laboratory in Miami. After the DEA was created, a seventh field laboratory was opened in San Diego in August 1974.

The Original DEA Forensic Chemists Headquarters Frederick Garfield, John Gunn, Richard Frank, and William Butler. Special Testing and Research Laboratory Director Stanley Sobol, Albert Tilson, Joseph C. Koles, Victor A. Folen, Robert Ferrera, Francis B. Holmes, and Albert Sperling. Chicago Regional Laboratory Director Jerry Nelson, Roger B. Fuelster, Ferris H. Van, David W. Parmalee, Nora L. Williams, Lawrence O. Buer, Dennis E. Korte, and James P. Done. New York Regional Laboratory Director Anthony Romano, Elinor R. Swide, Robert Bianchi, Roger F. Canaff, and Paul DeZan. Washington DC Regional Laboratory Director Jack Rosenstein, Richard Moore, Thaddeus E. Tomczak, Richard Fox, and Benjamin A. Perillo. Dallas Regional Laboratory Director Jim Kluckhohn, Buddy R. Goldston, Charles B. Teer, John D. Wittwer, Richard Ruybal, and Michael D. Miller. San Francisco Regional Laboratory Director Robert Sager, Robert Countryman, Claude G. Roe, James Look, James A. Heagy, and John D. Kirk.

Killed in the Line of Duty
	Hector Jordan Died on October 14, 1970 Working as a Supervisory Special Agent with the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Special Agent Jordan died in Chicago in an unprovoked attack by a roving gang.		Nickolas Fragos Died on August 5, 1974 DEA Special Agent Fragos was killed on his first day of work as a DEA Special Agent. He died as a result of the collapse of the Miami Regional Office Building.
	Gene A. Clifton Died on November 19, 1971 Palo Alto, California Police Officer Clifton died from injuries received during a joint operation with the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.		Mary M. Keehan Died on August 5, 1974 Ms. Keehan, secretary to the Acting Regional Director of the DEA's Miami Regional Office, died as a result of the collapse of the Miami Regional Office building.
	Frank Tummillo Died on October 12, 1972 Working in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Special Agent Tummillo was killed during an undercover operation in New York City.		Charles H. Mann Died on August 5, 1974 DEA Special Agent Mann was killed on his first day of work after returning from an overseas assignment. He died as a result of the collapse of the Miami Regional Office building.
	George F. White Died on March 25, 1973 Special Agent Pilot White of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs was killed when his plane hit a power line near Tucson, Arizona.		Anna Y. Mounger Died on August 5, 1974 Ms. Mounger, a secretary at the DEA's Miami Regional Office, died as a result of the collapse of the Miami Regional Office building.
	Richard Heath, Jr. Died on April 1, 1973 Special Agent Heath of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs died in Quito, Ecuador, from a gunshot wound received during an undercover operation in Aruba, Netherlands Antilles.		Anna J. Pope Died on August 5, 1974 Mrs. Pope, a fiscal assistant at the DEA's Miami Regional Office, died as a result of the collapse of the Miami Regional Office building.
	Emir Benitez Died on August 9, 1973 DEA Special Agent Benitez died from a gunshot wound he received during an undercover cocaine investigation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.		Martha D. Skeels Died on August 5, 1974 Ms. Skeels, a supervisory clerk-typist at the DEA's Miami Regional Office, died as a result of the collapse of the Miami Regional Office building.
	Gerald Sawyer Died on November 6, 1973 Detective Sawyer of the Los Angeles, California Police Department, was killed while working in a joint undercover investigation with the DEA.		Mary P. Sullivan Died on August 5, 1974 Ms. Sullivan, a clerk-typist at the DEA Miami Regional Office, died as a result of the collapse of the Miami Regional Office building.
	Leslie S. Grosso Died on May 21, 1974 Investigator Grosso of the New York State Police was shot during an undercover operation in New York City. He was assigned to the DEA's New York City Joint Task Force.