By  fiscal year 2004, ONDCP had designated 28 drug trafficking areas  (HIDTAs) as centers of illegal drug production, manufacturing,  importation, or distribution within the United States with a federally  funded HIDTA program budget of about $225 million. To encourage HIDTAs to  conduct CPOT investigations, ONDCP utilized discretionary funding. In September 2002, at the request of the U.S. Attorney General, OCDETF  issued the first CPOT list, naming international drug trafficking  organizations most responsible for supplying illegal drugs to the United  States. CPOT Investigations Were Not Inconsistent with the Mission of the HIDTA Program

CPOT investigations were not inconsistent with the mission of the HIDTA  program because HIDTAs’ targeting of local drug traffickers linked with  international organizations on the CPOT list was one possible strategy for  achieving the program’s goal of eliminating or reducing significant sources  of drug trafficking in their regions. However, ONDCP has developed a  mission statement that reflects the legislative authority for the HIDTA  program, specifically, to enhance and coordinate U.S. drug control efforts  among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to eliminate or  reduce drug trafficking and its harmful consequences in critical regions of  the United States. ONDCP Distributed Discretionary Funds to Many HIDTAs to Help Support CPOT Investigations

ONDCP distributed discretionary funds to HIDTAs to help support their  investigations of drug traffickers linked with international organizations  on the CPOT list by reviewing and approving HIDTA applications for  funding. In fiscal years 2002, 2003, and 2004, ONDCP distributed CPOT  funds to a total of 17 of the 28 HIDTAs. Third, reducing the amount of discretionary funds available for  CPOT funding in fiscal year 2004 affected the number of HIDTAs that  received this funding. According to OCDETF officials, access to the full CPOT list is restricted to  federal law enforcement officials. Both agencies focused  their comments and clarifications on the second objective: how ONDCP  distributed discretionary funds to HIDTAs for CPOT investigations and  why some HIDTAs did not receive funding. For fiscal year 2004, the majority of CPOT investigations continued to be  multi-agency OCDETF investigations.
Why GAO Did This Study

In fiscal year 2002, the Attorney General called upon law enforcement to target the "most wanted" international drug traffickers responsible for supplying illegal drugs to America. In September 2002, law enforcement, working through the multi-agency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, developed a list of these drug traffickers, known as the Consolidated Priority Organization Target List (CPOT), to aid federal law enforcement agencies in targeting their drug investigations. Also, the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) collaborated with law enforcement to encourage existing High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) to conduct CPOT investigations. According to ONDCP, the 28 HIDTAs across the nation are located in centers of illegal drug production, manufacturing, importation, or distribution. ONDCP distributed discretionary funds to supplement some HIDTAs' existing budgets beginning in fiscal year 2002 to investigate CPOT organizations. Out of concern that a CPOT emphasis on international drug investigations would detract from the HIDTA program's regional emphasis, the Senate Committee on Appropriations directed GAO to examine whether investigations of CPOT organizations are consistent with the HIDTA program's mission and how ONDCP distributes its discretionary funds to HIDTAs for CPOT investigations.

What GAO Found

The mission of the HIDTA program is to enhance and coordinate U.S. drug control efforts among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to eliminate or reduce drug trafficking and its harmful consequences in HIDTAs. CPOT investigations were not inconsistent with this mission because HIDTAs' targeting of local drug traffickers linked with international organizations on the CPOT list was one possible strategy for achieving the program's goal of eliminating or reducing significant sources of drug trafficking in their regions. GAO found that in fiscal years 2002 through 2004, ONDCP distributed discretionary funds to 17 of the 28 HIDTAs for CPOT investigations. Some HIDTA officials said they did not receive CPOT funding for several reasons including unclear guidance, insufficient application information to the HIDTAs for funding, and local priorities not linking with CPOT investigations. Reduced discretionary funding in fiscal year 2004 for CPOT investigations affected the number of HIDTAs that received this funding.