News

ACCESSION 
NUMBER:323977

FILE ID:LEF319

DATE:01/26/94

TITLE:CIA DISCLOSES ROLE IN WAR AGAINST DRUGS (01/26/94)

TEXT:*94012619.LEF  CIA CHIEF SAYS AGENCY ENGAGED IN ANTIDR

CIA DISCLOSES ROLE IN WAR AGAINST DRUGS



(Woolsey says agency works with DEA, FBI) nrb (630)

(Spanish coming)

By Norma Romano-Benner

USIA Staff Writer

WASHINGTON -- The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), normally the silent

hand of the U.S. government, plays an active role in the war against drugs,

working with fellow agencies to "disrupt and dismantle the entire chain of

drug trafficking."



In open testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee Jan. 25, CIA

Director R. James Woolsey said his agency "plays a constructive role around

the world in countering the flow of illegal drugs into this country."



Woolsey said the CIA focuses its efforts "on obtaining the information

necessary for disrupting and dismantling the entire chain of drug

trafficking -- transportation, finances, and chain of command....  We do

this against traffickers both in Latin America and in the Far East."



He said that the CIA and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) provided

"essential intelligence support" leading to the discovery of Colombia's

Medellin cartel leader Pablo Escobar.  Escobar was gunned down in early

December as he attempted to flee from his hideaway in Medellin.



The challenge posed by the expanding drug trafficking network worldwide,

Woolsey added, "cannot be met by targeting one sector alone, nor can it be

accomplished by one agency alone.



"Our intelligence work in support of law enforcement efforts by the Drug

Enforcement Administration and the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

will continue because we believe that only through coordinated efforts can

we hope to defeat this cancer on our society."



Woolsey reminded the senators that counternarcotics work still faces

hazards, including the temptation of bribery and extortion.



"In this field we can never guarantee to you that we and the other U.S.

agencies involved will never be betrayed by those who assist us in, say,

Latin America or Asia," he said.  "Part of the unfortunate reality of the

counternarcotics business is that local foreign officials sometime succumb

to the lure of drug money.  Moreover, American officials -- ours and those

of other agencies -- are not always correct in the difficult judgments that

must be made in this complex area."



Like narcotics trafficking, and despite the end of the Cold War, Woolsey

said terrorism and political instability worldwide continue to pose a

threat to the national security of the United States.

1

"Progress is occurring, but it is spotty," he said.  "Local strife in

Somalia and Haiti and the tragedy in Bosnia continue to threaten stability

in those countries and nearby regions."



On the positive side, Woolsey noted, "the political, security and economic

pictures are generally in the range from light gray to bright" in the

Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, and Europe.



He warned that terrorism remains a problem and is not confined to the Middle

East.



"It's still being used in Latin America and in Western Europe," he said.

"Terrorism has not abated.  There were 427 terrorist incidents worldwide

last year compared to 362 in 1992.  Indeed, terrorist incidents could

increase as a result of growing ethnic, religious, and regional conflicts

throughout the globe."



To fight terrorism, Woolsey pledged the cooperation of the intelligence

community.  "We will continue to support the FBI and the Justice Department

here at home as well as foreign intelligence organizations abroad, in

combatting terrorism.



"Our work must often be done out of the glare of publicity, and you will

rarely find us speaking out about the successes we've had in disrupting or

foiling terrorist plots.  This is because we need to protect those who

would provide us with vital information and to protect methods critical to

us if we're to continue to keep Americans out of harm's way."



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