3 intelligence forum responses

What are some benefits and problems encountered in coordinating counter-narcotics operations?There are many problems that coordinating counter-narcotic operations encounter, beginning with the country of origin for the drugs. I have learned in this class that, drugs being trafficked in to the U.S. originate from countries like Afghanistan, Mexico and Columbia. Most of these countries that traffic drugs are poverty ridden countries, therefore the governments of these countries don’t have the money and resources to invest in counter-narcotics operations like the U.S. does. Due to the limited money and resources in these countries, this allows traffickers to organize and sophisticate their illegal crime rings, because their home countries are focused on wars and other unruly business that goes on in that country. This helps traffickers avoid being detected by American drug enforcement agencies. Which does not help with the USA’s fight to combat illegal drugs and the illegal activities that go along with them.

The benefits in coordinating counter narcotics operations, is that there are many agencies sharing information. When information is disseminated down and around to all the coordinating agencies one counter narcotic agency may not find the information useful, mean while another coordinating counter narcotics agency may need the information. As the intelligence is gathered and disseminated, it may not make sense on its own, but if a coordinating agency gets a piece of information that they can use and they add it to the information that they already have, it can be the puzzle piece needed to see the entire operation, allowing them to intervene and seize the drugs. The video “Tunnel Task Force” from this weeks reading and resources, shows how a piece of information from several sources helped the HSI San Diego, who formed a Tunnel Task Force comprised of ICE, DEA and border patrol. The coordinating agencies worked together with information they already then added the new information. They did not know the exact warehouse, but they knew the general area, and were able to stop the plan before the traffickers could see it all the way through.