One part of the ONDCP strategy to disrupt the illicit drug  market focuses interdiction efforts on seizing cocaine and other illicit  drugs in the transit zone that are bound for the United States (arrival  zone) from South America (source zone). As the southernmost points of entry into the United States and the only  U.S. territories within the transit zone, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin  Islands are key entry points for illicit drugs being smuggled into the United  States. Federal Agencies’ Roles in Maritime Drug Interdiction Operations

JIATF-S relies on DHS (Coast Guard and CBP) and the Department of  Defense (Navy) to provide vessels and aircraft for conducting drug  interdiction operations in the transit zone. The Coast Guard’s Resource Deployments for Transit Zone Drug Interdiction Operations Have Varied in Recent Years

Overall, from fiscal years 2009 through 2013, the amount of resources the  Coast Guard provided to JIATF-S—including vessels, aircraft, and  LEDETs—varied. Coast Guard officials cited the declining readiness of the Coast  Guard’s aging major cutter fleet; delays in the delivery of new, more  capable replacement cutters; and budget constraints, including  sequestration, as key factors affecting the Coast Guard’s ability to meet  its resource deployment and drug interdiction mission performance  targets. The Coast Guard’s Resource Deployments to JIATF-S Varied during Fiscal Years 2009 through 2013

			Vessels Deployed to JIATF-S

The Coast Guard’s deployment of vessels to JIATF-S to carry out drug  interdiction operations in the transit zone varied during fiscal years 2009  through 2012, and then sharply declined in 2013. The Coast Guard Has Generally Not Met Its Drug Interdiction Mission Performance Targets because of Various Factors

			Drug Interdiction Mission Performance Targets

The Coast Guard has generally not met targets for its primary drug  interdiction performance measure—removal rate for cocaine from  noncommercial vessels in the maritime transit zone. According to Coast Guard data, since establishing  performance targets for this measure in fiscal year 2009, the Coast  Guard met its target in 1 year—fiscal year 2013.Coast Guard reported a cocaine removal rate of 15.3 percent in the  transit zone, exceeding its performance target rate of 14.1 percent. The Coast Guard Has Supported Counter- drug Efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands with Increased Asset Deployments

		The Coast Guard Supports DHS Efforts to Combat Drug Smuggling in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

The Coast Guard is supporting a DHS-wide effort to combat the growing  level of violence associated with drug trafficking in Puerto Rico and the  U.S. Virgin Islands. According to Coast Guard officials,  these vessels and aircraft, in general, had previously been allocated for  alien migrant interdiction operations. The Coast Guard Has Deployed More Resources for Drug Interdiction in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in Recent Years Vessel Deployments Have Increased

According to Coast Guard data, the total amount of vessel hours in  support of drug interdiction operations in the Sector San Juan area of  responsibility more than tripled in recent years—from 2,051 hours in fiscal  year 2009 to 6,839 hours in fiscal year 2013. According to Coast Guard officials, the number of vessel  Figure 8 shows the total vessel hours (major cutter and patrol boat hours)  the Coast Guard reported for conducting drug interdiction operations in  the Sector San Juan area of responsibility during fiscal years 2009  through 2013, as well as, the relative share of the vessel hours provided  by Sector San Juan and other Coast Guard locations. For example, according to  CCDB data provided by the Coast Guard, the estimated noncommercial  maritime primary flow of cocaine toward Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin  Islands more than doubled, from 7.1 metric tons in fiscal year 2012 to  14.9 metric tons in fiscal year 2013.and secondary noncommercial maritime drug flow toward Puerto Rico  and the U.S. Virgin Islands during fiscal years 2009 through 2013. Agency Comments

We are not making recommendations in this report. We provided a draft  of this report to DHS, the Department of Justice, ONDCP, and JIATF-S  for review and comment. We received technical comments that we have  incorporated, as appropriate.
Why GAO Did This Study

One part of the U.S. National Drug Control Strategy is to disrupt the flow of cocaine through the transit zone. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the only U.S. territories located geographically within the transit zone, have served as entry points for cocaine destined for the continental United States. In recent years, federal and local government agencies have cited growing levels of violent crime in these territories and attribute this violence to illicit drug trafficking. Within DHS, the U.S. Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for maritime drug interdiction and a key provider of resources to support drug interdiction operations in the transit zone and the two territories.
GAO was asked to examine the Coast Guard's drug interdiction efforts in the transit zone, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This report addresses (1) trends in the Coast Guard's deployment of resources in the transit zone and the extent to which the Coast Guard met its performance targets; and (2) actions taken by the Coast Guard to combat drug smuggling into Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and trends in vessel and aircraft deployments. GAO analyzed Coast Guard data for fiscal years 2009 through 2013 on drug interdiction resource deployments and mission performance, and interviewed Coast Guard and DHS officials involved in drug interdiction operations.

What GAO Found

The Coast Guard provided varying levels of resources for drug interdiction operations in the “transit zone”—the area from South America through the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean that is used to transport illicit drugs to the United States—during fiscal years 2009 through 2013, and generally did not meet its performance targets for several reasons. As the figure shows, Coast Guard resources included vessels (cutters), aircraft, and law enforcement detachments. The number of cutter days, aircraft hours, and law enforcement detachment days the Coast Guard provided for drug interdiction operations in the transit zone varied during fiscal years 2009 through 2012, and then sharply declined in fiscal year 2013. For example, in fiscal year 2012, the Coast Guard provided 1,947 cutter days for transit zone operations and in fiscal year 2013 the Coast Guard provided 1,346 days—a 30 percent decline. During fiscal years 2009 through 2013, the Coast Guard met targets for its primary drug interdiction mission performance measure—the removal rate of cocaine from noncommercial vessels in the transit zone—once, in fiscal year 2013. Coast Guard officials cited the declining readiness of its aging vessels, delays in the delivery of replacement vessels, and sequestration as factors affecting Coast Guard resource deployments and the ability to meet its drug interdiction mission performance targets.
In support of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) effort to address the increased violent crime associated with illicit drug smuggling into Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Coast Guard has increased vessel and aircraft operations for drug interdiction efforts in these territories by reallocating resources from elsewhere in the Coast Guard. According to Coast Guard officials, these additional resources are drawn from other missions, such as alien migrant interdiction. Beginning in September 2012, the Coast Guard implemented a surge operation to provide additional vessels and aircraft to regularly patrol Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. According to Coast Guard officials, the increased vessel and aircraft deployments have since become the new baseline level of resources to be provided for drug interdiction operations there. According to Coast Guard data, the number of vessel hours spent conducting drug interdiction operations in these territories more than tripled from fiscal years 2009 through 2013. Similarly, the number of maritime patrol aircraft hours spent conducting drug interdiction operations in the territories increased—from about 150 flight hours in fiscal year 2011 to about 1,000 hours in fiscal year 2013.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is not making recommendations in this report. DHS provided technical comments on a draft of this report, which were incorporated, as appropriate.