Dokument #1089484
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
The FBI reportedly got involved in drug
interdiction for the first time during the Reagan administration. [
"Drugs preventive policing; let's go for results, not publicity",
in the Los Angeles Times, 13 March 1990, p. B7.] Since 1982
the FBI has reportedly shared responsibility with the Drug
Enforcement Agency (DEA) "for fighting the drug war". [ "FBI's Drug
Target List Omits Washington", in The Washington Post, 11
March 1989, p.B5.] FBI director William S. Sessions stated that the
FBI's drug-fighting mission is aimed at long-term investigations
aimed at dismantling large narcotics smuggling organizations, such
as the Colombian drug cartels. [ Ibid.]
In March 1989, Sessions added that the FBI
had at the time approximately 1,100 agents assigned to drug-related
investigations aimed at about 450 identified major drug
organizations (see below for another reference to the latter
figure). [ Ibid.] In October 1989 the U.S. Senate approved
the hiring of an additional 1,000 FBI agents for involvement in the
"drug war", since the FBI had been taking agents "from other duties
with organized crime and white-collar crime task forces to add them
to the drug war". [ "Medicaid funds for poor addicts backed in
Senate", in Los Angeles Times, 4 October 1989, p. 7.] The
quoted report indicates that FBI director William S. Sessions said
his organization had been able to target only 225 of the 450 drug
rings it had identified because of a shortage of personnel. At a
House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on 14 March 1990, the
director of the FBI requested US$1.6 billion for the Bureau's 1991
budget which would allow the hiring of 172 new agents. [ "FBI
requests $1.6 billion for 1991", Reuters, 14 March
1990.]
According to a report, [ "FBI's Drug Target
List Omits Washington".] the FBI reportedly selected six U.S.
cities for its special drug plans New York, Miami, Los Angeles,
Houston, Chicago and San Diego because of their importance in the
distribution system of the major drug cartels. Washington, D.C.,
was reportedly omitted from the priority list because the drug
trade in that city is said to consist mostly of low-level drug
dealers rather than major narcotics-trafficking organizations.
Interstate FBI anti-drug operations have
included a late 1989 series of raids throughout four western states
in which at least 41 people were arrested in connection to a
Mexico-based tar heroin and cocaine smuggling ring. [ "41 held as
FBI raids target drug ring", United Press International, 17
October 1989.] The FBI is reported to carry out undercover
operations in drug-related investigations. Cases reported recently
include the investigation and arrest of mayor of Washington, D.C.,
and an operation in the Virgin Islands. [ "Barry arrested on
cocaine charges in undercover FBI, Police operation", in The
Washington Post 19 January 1990, p. A1.] According to the
quoted report, the operation in which the mayor of Washington,
D.C., was captured included the participation of the city's police
department and "was part of an ongoing public corruption probe
under the supervision of the U.S. Attorney for the District of
Columbia". Undercover operations have also been carried out in
order to capture people involved in drug-money `laundering'.
["Silberman pressed for `bigger money' deals, FBI tapes reveal", in
the Los Angeles Times, 17 January 1990, p. B3.]
The director of the FBI ordered in late
1989 the issuing of new semi-automatic 10mm handguns to all the
Bureau's 9,700 agents, in response to "the increasing firepower in
the hands of drug dealers and other criminals". [ "FBI to use
semiautomatic handguns; Sessions issues order in response to
criminals' increased firepower", in The Washington Post, 12
September 1989, p. A28; "FBI chief, citing threat, orders
semiautomatic guns for agents", in the Los Angeles Times, 12
September 1989, p. 18.] The FBI has reportedly used tear gas in at
least one operation in which a home was raided to capture a "drug
suspect", [ "FBI agent shot, suspect killed", United Press
International, 26 April 1990.] and has confiscated property in
drug-related operations. [ "Apartment seized by FBI as alleged site
of rampant drug sales", in the Los Angeles Times, 25 April
1990,
p. B3; "28 arrested, 18 cars seized in valley drug sting by LAPD,
FBI", Ibid, 6 December 1989, p. P1.] A report states that
the U.S. Justice Department expressed concern over a recent "FBI
effort to gain broad authority to seize documents and other
evidence in criminal cases without grand jury subpoenas or orders
from federal judges". [ "Controversial FBI seizure proposal",
United Press International, 13 April 1990.] Another report
indicates that FBI agents involved in the "drug war" have taken
bribes, describing this as "an occurrence unknown before the drug
war". [ "Drugs Preventive Policing...".] At least one FBI agent has
been recently convicted for selling cocaine. ["FBI agent sentenced
in drug sale", in the Chicago Tribune, 27 September 1989, p.
3.] The director of the FBI announced in late 1989 that the
Bureau's employees would be subject to random testing in 1990 for
detection of possible use of drugs. [ "FBI to begin random testing
of employees soon", The Associated Press, 28 November
1989.]
The FBI has a Chemical Toxicological Unit
which has been participating in drug-related investigations. The
testing of urine, blood and hair samples of suspects is reported to
be among the techniques employed for such purpose. [ "Splitting
hairs to find the roots of drug use; FBI machine can determine
short or long term presence of illegal substances", in The
Washington Post, 14 March 1990, p. A15.] The latter (hair
analysis) is said to allow tracing of drug consumption over a
longer period of time than the other two (blood and urine
analysis), although it is considered unreliable and has not been
admitted as evidence before courts.
Among the Bureau's overseas operations, FBI
agents arrested in Panama in January 1990 a Panamanian businessman
who allegedly conspired with Manuel Antonio Noriega to smuggle
marihuana and launder drug money. [ "Panamanian executive
surrenders to FBI agents", in The Washington Post, 19
January 1990, p. A16.]
Very little information is regarding FBI
operations in Venezuela could be found among the sources currently
available to the IRBDC. Although in a case not related to the "drug
war", FBI agents arrested in 1987 a Palestinian accused of
terrorism in the Caracas airport and took him to the United States.
["Arab-American Terrorism Suspect Trapped in Legal Limbo in U.S.
Jail", in the Los Angeles Times, 24 September 1989, p. 22.]
In October 1988, the U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela reportedly
blocked an attempt by U.S. authorities to apprehend Colombian drug
`kingpin' Jorge Ochoa in Venezuela. [ "Interagency rivalries said
to hinder drug fight", in the Los Angeles Times, 18 August
1989, p. 18.] Venezuelan president Carlos Andrés
Pérez reportedly expressed concern over the U.S. government
policy of allowing the FBI to arrest people overseas without the
other country's permission, and described it as "the law of the
jungle" for the policy's disregard for international laws and
practices. [ "Venezuelan President calls congressional proposal
`law of jungle'", United Press International, 17 October
1989; "UPI news at a glance", United Press International, 17
October 1989.]