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Intelligence
Since its establishment
in 1973, the DEA, in coordination with other federal, state, local, and
foreign law enforcement organizations has been responsible for the collection,
analysis, and dissemination of drug-related intelligence. The role of
intelligence in drug law enforcement is critical. The DEA Intelligence
Program helps initiate new investigations of major drug organizations,
strengthens ongoing ones and subsequent prosecutions, develops information
that leads to seizures and arrests, and provides policy makers with drug
trend information upon which programmatic decisions can be based. The
specific functions of the DEA's intelligence mission are:
- Collect and produce
intelligence in support of the Administrator and other federal, state,
and local agencies;
- Establish and
maintain close working relationships with all agencies that produce
or use narcotics 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's Intelligence
Program has grown significantly since its inception. From only a handful
of Intelligence Analysts (I/A) in the domestic offices and Headquarters
in 1973, the total number of I/As worldwide is now over 680. DEA's Intelligence
Program consists of several entities that are staffed by both I/As and
Special Agents: Intelligence Groups/Functions in the domestic field divisions,
district, resident and foreign offices, the El Paso Intelligence Center,
and the Intelligence Division at DEA Headquarters. Program responsibility
for the DEA's intelligence mission rests with the DEA Assistant Administrator
for Intelligence.
Legislation and
Presidential directives and orders have expanded the role of the Intelligence
Community and the Department of Defense in the anti-drug effort. DEA interaction
with both components occurs on a daily basis in the foreign field and
at headquarters. At the strategic intelligence level, the Intelligence
Division participates in a wide range of interagency assessment and targeting
groups that incorporate drug intelligence from the anti-drug community
in order to provide policy-makers with all source drug trend and trafficking
reporting.
With analytical support
from the Intelligence Program, DEA has disrupted major trafficking organizations
or put them entirely out of business. The DEA Intelligence Division also
cooperates a great deal with state and local law enforcement and will
soon provide intelligence training for state, local, federal, and foreign
agencies. This training will be held at the Justice Training Center in
Quantico, Virginia, and will address the full spectrum of drug intelligence
training needs. The best practices and theories of all partners in working
the drug issue will be solicited and incorporated into the training. Academic
programs, the exchange of federal, state, and local drug experience, and
the sharing of and exposure to new ideas will result in more effective
application of drugs intelligence resources at all levels.
The
DEA divides drug intelligence into three broad categories: tactical,
investigative, and strategic.
Tactical
intelligence is evaluated information on which immediate enforcement
action--arrests, seizures, and interdictions--can be based.
Investigative
intelligence provides analytical support to investigations
and prosecutions to dismantle criminal organizations and gain resources.
Strategic
intelligence focuses on the current picture of drug trafficking
from cultivation to distribution that can be used for management
decision making, resource deployment, and policy planning.
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