Mexico is a major source and transit country for heroin,  methamphetamine, and marijuana destined for the U.S. market. Role of ONDCP in U.S. Counternarcotics Efforts in the Western Hemisphere

ONDCP coordinates the National Drug Control Program and develops a  5-year National Drug Control Strategy, which it updates annually, as well  as a number of companion strategies that focus on various geographical  areas and emerging threats, to articulate the administration’s drug control  policy. Agencies That Do Not Track Counternarcotics Spending by Region Reported About $34 Billion for Activities Focused on the Western Hemisphere

While the other agencies in our review—CBP, Coast Guard, DEA, and  OCDETF—do not track spending specific to their counternarcotics  activities in the Western Hemisphere, they conduct most of their  counternarcotics activities in the Western Hemisphere or target threats  originating in Western Hemisphere countries, according to agency  officials. These four agencies had total  obligations of nearly $34 billion for their overall counternarcotics activities  during fiscal years 2010 through 2015 (see table 3). For example, ONDCP  officials described the sharing of best practices and lessons learned with  stakeholders from Canada, Mexico, and the United States at technical  workshops of the North American Drug Dialogue held in March 2017. DOD reported using a formal process for identifying and collecting best  practices and lessons learned through its Joint Lessons Learned  Program, which consists of five phases: discovery, validation, resolution,  evaluation, and dissemination. Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy. ONCDP has created working groups, such as groups focused on heroin  and cocaine, to develop actions, goals, and measures to reduce the  supply of those drugs in the U.S. market as a part of the overall effort to  address treatment and demand, as noted in the following examples:  In November 2015, ONDCP established the National Heroin  Coordination Group in coordination with the National Security  Council to provide guidance on interagency activities aimed at  reducing the supply of heroin and illicit fentanyl in the U.S market. Agency Comments

We are not making recommendations in this report. We received technical comments from DHS, DOJ,  ONDCP, and State, which we incorporated as appropriate. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report examines (1) U.S. agencies’ spending for counternarcotics  efforts in the Western Hemisphere in fiscal years 2010 through 2015, (2)  agencies’ efforts to gather and share best practices and lessons learned  from their counternarcotics efforts both domestically and internationally,  and (3) mechanisms that agencies have used to address changing drug  threats. To examine U.S. agencies’ spending for counternarcotics efforts in the  Western Hemisphere in fiscal years 2010 through 2015—our first  objective—we selected eight U.S. departments and components  (collectively, in this report, “agencies”) that implement aspects of the  National Drug Control Strategy and conduct counternarcotics activities in  the Western Hemisphere: (1) the Department of Defense (DOD); the  Department of Homeland Security’s (2) Customs and Border Protection  (CBP), (3) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and (4) Coast  Guard; the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) (5) Drug Enforcement  Administration (DEA) and (6) Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task  Forces (OCDETF); the Department of State’s (7) Bureau of International  Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL); and (8) the U.S. Agency for  International Development (USAID). Investigations. All CBP counternarcotics spending. To identify the mechanisms U.S. agencies have used to address  changing drug threats—our third objective—we reviewed key U.S.  government-wide and agency-specific documents pertaining to U.S.  counternarcotics efforts in the Western Hemisphere, including those that  encompass counternarcotics efforts as part of broader national security  areas. To understand how agencies  coordinated efforts and cooperate with foreign partners, we visited the  U.S. Southern Command and the Joint Interagency Task Force South in  Miami and Key West, Florida, and interviewed officials at both locations. Agencies That Conduct Western Hemisphere Counternarcotics Activities

The Office of National Drug Control Policy coordinates the National Drug  Control Program and develops the National Drug Control Strategy, which  is implemented by a number of U.S. government agencies.
Why GAO Did This Study

Western Hemisphere nations such as Mexico and Colombia are major sources of illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana. Precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit fentanyl and other dangerous synthetic drugs often originate in China but typically enter the United States through Canada and Mexico. U.S. agencies implementing the National Drug Control Strategy conduct several activities to disrupt the flow of illicit drugs and dismantle the organizations that control them (see fig.). In December 2016, Congress established the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission to, among other things, evaluate the U.S.-funded counternarcotics programs in the Western Hemisphere.
In this context, GAO was asked to review key issues related to U.S. counternarcotics efforts in the Western Hemisphere. This report examines (1) U.S. agencies' spending for counternarcotic efforts in the Western Hemisphere during fiscal years 2010-2015, the most recent data available; (2) how agencies are gathering and sharing best practices and lessons learned from their counternarcotics efforts domestically and internationally; and (3) mechanisms U.S. agencies have used to address changing drug threats. GAO analyzed agencies' data and documents, interviewed agency officials, and conducted fieldwork at the U.S. Southern Command and Joint Interagency Task Force South in Florida.
GAO is not making any recommendations in this report. Several agencies provided technical comments on a draft of this report which we incorporated as appropriate.

What GAO Found

U.S. agencies implementing the National Drug Control Strategy identified billions in spending for Western Hemisphere counternarcotics efforts in fiscal years 2010 through 2015. Agencies that track their counternarcotics spending regionally—the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development—reported spending nearly $5 billion for such activities in the region during this period. Agencies that do not track counternarcotics spending regionally—DHS's Customs and Border Protection and Coast Guard; and the Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Administration and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces—reported spending about $34 billion for counternarcotics activities in fiscal years 2010 through 2015. According to officials of these four agencies, most of their counternarcotics activities are in the Western Hemisphere. We are not reporting Federal Bureau of Investigation counternarcotics spending separately, since it is included as part of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), which coordinates the National Drug Control Program, facilitates the sharing of best practices and lessons learned at meetings such as the North American Drug Dialogue workshop, including Canada, Mexico, and the United States. In addition, 7 of the 10 agencies GAO reviewed described processes they have in place for identifying and collecting best practices or lessons learned from counternarcotics efforts in the Western Hemisphere. For example, DOD reported using a process, known as the Joint Lessons Learned Program, that consists of five phases: discovery, validation, resolution, evaluation, and dissemination.
U.S. agencies use a variety of mechanisms to address changing narcotics conditions in the Western Hemisphere. ONDCP collaborates with agencies working directly on regional counternarcotics efforts to address emerging threats, as reflected in the annually updated National Drug Control Strategy and the Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy. In addition, documentary evidence GAO reviewed showed that a variety of interagency groups, task forces, and committees have been created to coordinate the U.S. government's responses to counternarcotics threats. For example, the National Heroin Coordination Group was established to provide guidance aimed at reducing the growing supply of heroin and illicit fentanyl in the U.S. market.