DEA
Congressional Testimony
Statement
by:
Mark R. Trouville
Associate Special Agent in Charge
Los Angeles Field Division
Drug Enforcement Administration
Before
the:
House Judiciary
Subcommittee on Crime
Date:
April 20,
2000
Note: This document
may not reflect changes made in actual delivery.
Congressman Hutchinson,
Members of the Subcommittee: I am pleased to have the opportunity to appear
before you today to discuss the serious methamphetamine problem facing
the citizens of Southern California and our nation. I would especially
like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support
of federal, state and local drug law enforcement.
Methamphetamine has
become the most notable drug problem facing Federal, state and local law
enforcement in Southern California. 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. Our country has seen methamphetamine trafficking
and its use increase exponentially over the past six years. It is my hope
that at the conclusion of my testimony today, you will have a clearer
understanding of how Southern California plays a key role in the production,
trafficking and availability of methamphetamine in our nation.
The History
of Methamphetamine in Southern California
Methamphetamine is
not a new problem for California, unlike other areas of the country. Methamphetamine
trafficking and clandestine methamphetamine laboratories have been encountered
by California's Federal, state and local law enforcement officials since
the 1970's. 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, polydrug trafficking organizations
operating from Mexico and California now 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. These groups have saturated
the western U.S. market with this product, increasingly moving the product
to markets in the eastern United States.
The Methamphetamine
"Source"
Presently, while
Mexican organizations operate approximately 5% to 20% of the laboratories,
they produce an estimated 95% of the methamphetamine produced in the Southern
California area. The principal reasons for their rise to dominance is
the Mexican drug traffickers' ability to exploit an existing, well established
transportation and distribution network on both sides of the border, as
well as their ability to illegally secure precursor chemicals.
Most of the methamphetamine
sold throughout the country is produced in California super laboratories,
making California a "source area" for this illicit drug. These "super
labs" are capable of producing over 10 pounds of finished product per
process. Almost all of the "super labs" operating
in the country are located in California, and almost half of them are
located in Southern California. These "super labs" supply at least 80
to 90% of the methamphetamine in this country. The methamphetamine production
process in a "super lab" takes approximately one to two days to complete.
Current DEA statistics
indicate that in 1999, DEA alone seized 2,021 clandestine laboratories
and that the total number of laboratories seized by Federal, state and
local law enforcement officers nationwide was over 7,000. The majority
of the labs seized in California were located in Los Angeles County, Riverside
County, San Bernardino County, and Orange County. In 1999, 48% of the
clean up costs paid by the State of California last year were as the result
of labs seized in the four-county Los Angeles area.
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
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. Precursor chemicals such as pseudoephedrine can
be extracted from common, over-the-counter cold medications. Unlike Fentanyl,
LSD, or other types of dangerous drugs, it does not take a college-educated
chemist to produce methamphetamine. In 1999, 20 Los Angeles area officers
and/or firefighters were injured responding to methamphetamine lab explosions
and fires.
The highly toxic
and flammable chemicals involved make these rudimentary laboratories ticking
time bombs 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.
The threats posed
by clandestine labs are not limited to fire, explosion, poison gas, 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 nation's streams, rivers, and sewage systems to
cover up the evidence of their illegal operations. The average clean-up
costs per clandestine lab in FY 2000 is estimated to be $3,500. The clean
up of "super-labs" can cost over $100,000.
Social
Impact
The violence associated
with methamphetamine trafficking and use has also produced a collateral
impact in our communities. Mental health agencies in the Southern California
area warn that methamphetamine abuse can be directly linked to a myriad
of social and economic problems, to include child abuse, domestic violence,
poverty and homelessness. Spousal and child abuses, as well as homicides
abound among methamphetamine users. Particularly children and infants
are susceptible to permanent health damage resulting from inhalation of
chemical fumes. In 1999, 548 children were present or residing at clandestine
laboratories located in the Los Angeles area at the time of law enforcement
intervention.
DEA Methamphetamine
Strategy
The primary focus
of the National Methamphetamine Strategy calls for a strong and highly
aggressive enforcement effort that is aimed at chemical companies, chemical
brokers, and large scale domestic Mexican trafficking organizations involved
in the production, transportation and distribution of methamphetamine
and its precursors.
The tracking of methamphetamine
precursor chemicals is essential in the Drug Enforcement Administration's
effort to identify and eliminate methamphetamine production. By tracking
precursor chemical purchases of pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, red phosphorus
and freon from rogue chemical companies, numerous methamphetamine production
laboratories have been identified and seized. Because of federal, state,
and local efforts aimed at chemical suppliers, there has been a noticeable
shortage of available freon and caustic soda.
Nationwide, methamphetamine
arrests by the Drug Enforcement Administration in 1999 totaled 8,783,
a 37% increase over 1998. In the past six years alone, DEA Los Angeles
has realized a staggering 370% increase in methamphetamine related arrests
in the Southern California area.
In the last two years
alone, we initiated more than 40 investigations aimed directly at significant
methamphetamine and chemical traffickers. Information obtained from these
investigations indicates that these drug trafficking groups are complex
and steadily weaving their way throughout the United States.
Due to the significant
role Southern California plays in the overall methamphetamine situation,
DEA has also initiated a local methamphetamine strategy that addresses
critical areas that could not be addressed by local law enforcement due
to limited resources. While we have focused our efforts on targeting significant
chemical suppliers and Mexican methamphetamine organizations, we have
strengthened our assistance and support to our state and local counterparts.
Recently, in five joint DEA-Redondo Beach Police Department investigations,
two clandestine laboratories were identified and seized, three persons
were arrested, and at least 10 pounds of methamphetamine were seized.
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.
The DEA will continue to promote cooperative investigative efforts and
work closely with state and local agencies within the parameters of national,
regional and local methamphetamine strategies.
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 increase. 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.
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