Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Brian Baird is pleased to announce that Washington State will now have additional federal resources to combat drug trafficking.  Baird, co-founder of the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine, announced today that the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) will receive a $290,000 grant to combat organized crime, particularly international drug trafficking rings.  These funds are available through the Consolidated Priority Organizational Target (CPOT) project, which Baird and his fellow Meth Caucus members secured additional funding for in the Fiscal Year 2003 Omnibus Appropriations bill. 

Created in 2002, the HIDTA CPOT project focuses enforcement activities on drug trafficking organizations which have been identified by the HIDTAs and their agencies as controllers of the illicit drug market in the US.  These organizations, which often involve syndicates from south of the border, are involved in transportation, production, distribution, money laundering, extortion, murder and bribery within the US as well as abroad.  Through the use of the CPOT project, regional HIDTAs can effectively coordinate their efforts nationwide to break up international drug rings. 

“This money is particularly targeted to fight international drug gangs that cross our borders illegally from Latin America and endanger our communities,” said Rep. Baird.  “I will continue to work at the federal level to ensure that our law enforcement officials have the resources they need to combat these drug gangs and fight the scourge of methamphetamine right here at home.”

HIDTA, a program within the Office of National Drug Control Policy, is a critical element in the fight against methamphetamine and other illicit drugs. HIDTA funds are used to help local law enforcement agencies obtain information on drug dealers, analyze seized materials, and train officers. The money can also be used to fund drug courts, drug prevention education, and treatment initiatives. Last year, thanks to legislative language drafted by Rep. Baird, the Northwest HIDTA expanded into Southwest Washington to include Lewis, Cowlitz and Clark counties.  Baird and his colleagues in the Meth Caucus also worked to provide $20 million in additional funding for HIDTA programs nationwide earlier this year with the passage of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2003. 

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