Sustaining Counternarcotics Activities

The Department of State has supported foreign governments' efforts—primarily Afghanistan, Colombia, and Mexico—to eradicate illicit drug crops and disrupt drug traffickers' operations. Since 2000, the United States has provided more than $7 billion for eradication, interdiction, and (with USAID) the development of legitimate economic alternatives to illicit crop production, as well as related programs, such as promoting democracy and strengthening the justice sector (with Justice). Despite some success, long-standing challenges remain, including

• Continuing security risks in all three countries,
• roll-out of Mérida Initiative funding and implementation of performance measures to monitor progress,
  Highlights of GAO-10-837 (PDF)
• limited institutional and financial capacity in Afghanistan,
  
  Highlights of GAO-07-78 (PDF)
• the need to increase the number of guns traced of those seized in counternarcotics operations in Mexico, and
  
  Highlights of GAO-09-709 (PDF)
• continuing shortcomings in other Central American and Caribbean nations’ capacity to absorb the assistance, which will limit the effectiveness of U.S. programs.
  
  Highlights of GAO-08-784 (PDF)

^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done

State needs to work with key agencies and relevant foreign governments to

• incorporate into the strategy for the Mérida Initiative outcome performance measures that indicate progress toward strategic goals and develop more comprehensive timelines for future program deliveries;
  Highlights of GAO-10-837 (PDF)
• develop detailed plans for turning over operational and funding responsibilities for U.S.-supported programs to Colombia;
  Highlights of GAO-09-71 (PDF)
• more comprehensively and consistently report the results of transit zone interdiction efforts, and develop a plan to ensure that partner nations in the transit zone can effectively operate and maintain counternarcotics assets that the United States has provided;
  Highlights of GAO-08-784 (PDF)
• determine the feasibility of expanding the Container Security Initiative, which is designed to increase security over container cargo shipped to the United States, to include routine targeting and scanning of containers for illicit drugs in major drug transit countries in the transit zone, and report the results to Congress;
  Highlights of GAO-08-784 (PDF)
• expedite the dissemination of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives's (ATF) gun trace submission system, eTrace, in Spanish to the relevant Mexican officials and provide them the proper training to ensure more complete input of information on arms seized in Mexico, and
  Highlights of GAO-09-709 (PDF)
• coordinate with Mexican officials when completing the Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy's implementation plan to help ensure Mexico's collaboration.
  Highlights of GAO-07-1018 (PDF)

^ Back to topKey Reports

Merida Initiative

Firearms Trafficking

Plan Colombia

Drug Control

Afghanistan Drug Control

More Reports