PACIFIC WAR ON DRUGS FOUNDERING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: STARGATE
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96-00789R000800100015-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 4, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 30, 1998
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: August 16, 1991
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 200 898000800100015-7
SG1J
Approved For
"We're not in the p
One of t r-~i ee~ask forces crewed by
suring our performan
Secretary of Defense Richard B.
ber of tons of cocai
Cheney to oversee the Defense De-
said. He cited recen
partment's anti-drug activities, the
JTF 5 "duplicates counter-narcotics
testimony indicating t
capabilities at other (Pacific Com-
enforcement agencies
wand) activities and creates unnec-
for the Pentagon's hel
essary operational overhead.... We
But Wermuth ack
recommend that JTF 5 be disestab-
the Pacific Comman
lished;' according to the Juty 9 audit
trols were "not effect
by the Defense Department inspec- h d ~
;,ccis~on a n ma
for general's office that was released
ue them even before
this week at the request of The
general's findings we
Washington Post.
Although no anno
Its findings are not entirely sur-
made :of such op
prising, according to some anti-drag
stopped, Wermuth
analysts. Commanders and budget
months ago, not days.
analysts in the Defense Departmenk
But the inspector
long have questioned the wisdom of
also questioned whe
military participation.in the drug war
any naval assets in th
and nowhere more so than in the
sense. According to t
Pack: Trying to use military assets
to detect drug smugglers in the
has directed its effor
ocean's 100 million square miles way
itime smugglers, us
always "a particularly implausible
atars of "mother ship
effort," noted Peter Reuter, a Rand
their cargo to smaller
Corp, economist.
off West Coats port
Nevertheless, the Hawaii-based
the audit notes, almo
Pacific Command last yeax allocated
bulky marijuana, rath
$23 million annually through 1995 to
to conceal cocaine or
deploy radar planes as well as frig-
drugs are usually sm
ates and other ships an random or
passenger aircraft
"routine" patrols in hope of finding
aboard commercial ca
drug smugglers plying the Pacific.
IIy directing its op
Nothing has turned up. A separate
the maritime smugg
General Accounting Office study re-
concludes, "JTF 5 h
cently found that out of more than
limited itself to dete
200 hoardings of ships carried out by
itoring marijuana smu
federal law enforcement officials
sion that is "contra
(usually Coast Guard officers) who
ance" of the Centr
accompanied Pacific Command anti-
Agency that the milita
. drug patrols, none resulted in sei-
on heroin and cocaine
zures of drugs or the arrests of
smuggling suspects.
concluded that pro
The inspector general's audit also
marijuana "do not wa
found no seizures and recommended
tial new intelligence
Release 2000/081tb~at~~i~~4B~J~~@~OO~~g15-7
rocess at mea-
ce on the num-
ne seized," he
t congressional
hat federal law
were grateful
p.
nowledged that
d's routine pa-
ive" and that a ~
d
a to discontin-
the inspector
re transmitted.
uncement was
erations being
said "it was
"
general's office
ther the use of ~
e Pacific makes
he audit, JTF 5
ts against mar-
ually the oiler-
s" who off-load
boats hovering
s. These ships,
st always carry
er than easier
heroin, Those
uggled aboard
or concealed
rgo ships.
erations against
ler, the audit
as, as a result,
cting and mon-
ggling," a mis-
ry to the guid-
al Intelligence
ry concentrate
. The CIA had
grams against
rrant substan-
investments;