21 U.S.C. § 1710
Section 1710 · Drug Interdiction Coordinator and Committee
Current version, with additions and removals from the October 21, 1998 version.
In this section, the term “Federal drug control agency” means—
(1) the Office of National Drug Control Policy;
(2) the Department of Defense;
(3) the Drug Enforcement Administration;
(4) the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
(5) the Immigration and Naturalization Service;
(6) the United States Coast Guard;
(7) the United States Customs Service; and
(8) any other department or agency of the Federal Government that the Director determines to be relevant.
In order to assist Congress in determining the personnel, equipment, funding, and other resources that would be required by Federal drug control agencies in order to achieve a level of interdiction success at or above the highest level achieved before October 21, 1998, not later than 90 days after October 21, 1998, the Director shall submit to Congress and to each Federal drug control program agency a report, which shall include—
(1) with respect to the southern and western border regions of the United States (including the Pacific coast, the border with Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico coast, and other ports of entry) and in overall totals, data relating to—
(A) the amount of marijuana, heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine—
(i) seized during the year of highest recorded seizures for each drug in each region and during the year of highest recorded overall seizures; and
(ii) disrupted during the year of highest recorded disruptions for each drug in each region and during the year of highest recorded overall seizures; and
(B) the number of persons arrested for violations of section 960(a) of this title and related offenses during the year of the highest number of arrests on record for each region and during the year of highest recorded overall arrests;
(2) the price of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana during the year of highest price on record during the preceding 10-year period, adjusted for purity where possible; and
(3) a description of the personnel, equipment, funding, and other resources of the Federal drug control agency devoted to drug interdiction and securing the borders of the United States against drug trafficking for each of the years identified in paragraphs (1) and (2) for each Federal drug control agency.
(1) Information to Director
Based on the report submitted under subsection (b) of this section, each Federal drug control agency shall submit to the Director, at the same time as each annual drug control budget request is submitted by the Federal drug control agency to the Director under section 1703(c)(1) of this title, a description of the specific personnel, equipment, funding, and other resources that would be required for the Federal drug control agency to meet or exceed the highest level of interdiction success for that agency identified in the report submitted under subsection (b) of this section.
(1) In general
The Director shall designate or appoint an appointee in the Senior Executive Service or an appointee in a position at level 15 of the General Schedule (or equivalent) as the United States Interdiction Coordinator to perform the duties of that position described in paragraph (2) and such other duties as may be determined by the Director with respect to coordination of efforts to interdict illicit drugs from entering the United States.
(2) Responsibilities
The United States Interdiction Coordinator shall be responsible to the Director for—
(A) coordinating the interdiction activities of the National Drug Control Program agencies to ensure consistency with the National Drug Control Strategy;
(B) on behalf of the Director, developing and issuing, on or before September 1 of each year and in accordance with paragraph (4), a National Interdiction Command and Control Plan to ensure the coordination and consistency described in subparagraph (A);
(C) assessing the sufficiency of assets committed to illicit drug interdiction by the relevant National Drug Control Program agencies; and
(D) advising the Director on the efforts of each National Drug Control Program agency to implement the National Interdiction Command and Control Plan.
(3) Staff
The Director shall assign such permanent staff of the Office as he considers appropriate to assist the United States Interdiction Coordinator to carry out the responsibilities described in paragraph (2), and may request that appropriate National Drug Control Program agencies detail or assign staff to assist in carrying out such responsibilities.
(4) National Interdiction Command and Control Plan
(A) Purposes
The National Interdiction Command and Control Plan shall—
(i) set forth the Government's strategy for drug interdiction;
(ii) state the specific roles and responsibilities of the relevant National Drug Control Program agencies for implementing that strategy; and
(iii) identify the specific resources required to enable the relevant National Drug Control Program agencies to implement that strategy.
(B) Consultation with other agencies
Before submission of the National Drug Control Strategy or annual assessment required under section 1705 of this title, as applicable, the United States Interdiction Coordinator shall issue the National Interdiction Command and Control Plan in consultation with the other members of the Interdiction Committee described in subsection (b).
The Director shall include each submission under paragraph (1) in each annual consolidated National Drug Control Program budget proposal submitted by the Director to Congress under section 1703(c)(2) of this title, which submission shall be accompanied by a description of any additional resources that would be required by the Federal drug control agencies to meet the highest level of interdiction success identified in the report submitted under subsection (b) of this section.
On or before September 1 of each year, the Director, acting through the United States Interdiction Coordinator, shall provide to the appropriate congressional committees, to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, and to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate a report that—
(i) includes—
(I) a copy of that year's National Interdiction Command and Control Plan, including information about how each National Drug Control Program agency conducting drug interdiction activities is engaging with relevant international partners;
(II) information for the previous 10 years regarding the number and type of seizures of drugs by each National Drug Control Program agency conducting drug interdiction activities and statistical information on the geographic areas of such seizures; and
(III) information for the previous 10 years regarding the number of air and maritime patrol hours undertaken by each National Drug Control Program agency conducting drug interdiction activities and statistical information on the geographic areas in which such patrol hours took place; and
(ii) may include recommendations for changes to existing agency authorities or laws governing interagency relationships.
(D) Classified annex
Each report required to be submitted under subparagraph (C) shall be in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
(1) In general
The Interdiction Committee shall meet to—
(A) discuss and resolve issues related to the coordination, oversight and integration of international, border, and domestic drug interdiction efforts in support of the National Drug Control Strategy;
(B) review the annual National Interdiction Command and Control Plan, and provide advice to the Director and the United States Interdiction Coordinator concerning that plan and how to strengthen international partnerships to better achieve the goals of that plan; and
(C) provide such other advice to the Director concerning drug interdiction strategy and policies as the committee determines is appropriate.
(2) Chairperson
The Director shall designate one of the members of the Interdiction Committee to serve as Chairperson.
(3) Meetings
The members of the Interdiction Committee shall meet, in person and not through any delegate or representative, at least once per calendar year, before June 1. At the call of the Director or the Chairperson, the Interdiction Committee may hold additional meetings, which shall be attended by the members in person, or through such delegates or representatives as the members may choose.
(4) Report
Not later than September 30 of each year, the Chairperson of the Interdiction Committee shall submit to the Director and to the appropriate congressional committees a report describing the results of the meetings and any significant findings of the Committee during the previous 12 months. The report required under this paragraph shall be in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
The Director may facilitate international drug control coordination efforts.