DEA celebrates 50th anniversary; learn about its history
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Creation of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA): July 1, 1973
In 1973, President Richard Nixon declared “an all-out global war on the drug menace” and sent Reorganization Plan No. 2 to Congress. “Right now,” he pointed out, “the federal government is fighting the war on drug abuse under a distinct handicap, for its efforts are those of a loosely confederated alliance facing a resourceful, elusive, worldwide enemy. Certainly, the cold-blooded underworld networks that funnel narcotics from suppliers all over the world are no respecters of the bureaucratic dividing lines that now complicate our anti-drug efforts.”
In the spring and summer of 1973, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate heard months of testimony on President Nixon’s Reorganization Plan Number 2, which proposed the creation of a single federal agency to consolidate and coordinate the government’s drug control activities.
At that time, the BNDD (Bureau of Narcotic and Dangerous Drugs), within the Department of Justice, was responsible for enforcing the federal drug laws. However, the U.S. Customs Service and several other Justice entities, the Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement (ODALE) and Office of National Narcotics Intelligence (ONNI), were also responsible for various aspects of federal drug law enforcement. Of great concern to President Nixon's Administration and the Congress were the growing availability of drugs in most areas of the U.S., the lack of coordination, the perceived lack of cooperation between the U.S. Customs Service and the BNDD (Bureau of Narcotic and Dangerous Drugs), and the need for better intelligence collection on drug trafficking organizations.
According to the final report from the Senate Committee on Government Operations issued on October 16, 1973, the benefits anticipated from the creation of the DEA included:
1. Putting an end to the interagency rivalries that have undermined federal drug law enforcement, especially the rivalry between the BNDD (Bureau of Narcotic and Dangerous Drugs) and the U.S. Customs Service.
2. Giving the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) ts first significant role in drug enforcement by requiring that the DEA draw on the FBI’s expertise in combatting organized crime’s role in the trafficking of illicit drugs.
3. Providing a focal point for coordinating federal drug enforcement efforts with those of state and local authorities, as well as with foreign police forces.
4. Placing a single Administrator in charge of federal drug law enforcement in order to make the new DEA more accountable than its component parts had ever been, thereby safeguarding against corruption and enforcement abuses.
5. Consolidating drug enforcement operations in the DEA and establishing the Narcotics Division in Justice to maximize coordination between federal investigation and prosecution efforts and eliminate rivalries within each sphere.
6. Establishing the DEA as a superagency to provide the momentum needed to coordinate all federal efforts related to drug enforcement outside the Justice Department, especially the gathering of intelligence on international narcotics smuggling.
DEA's Mission
Since its founding in 1973, the mission of the DEA has been to ENFORCE the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States, and BRING TO the criminal and civil JUSTICE system of the United States (or any competent jurisdiction, organizations and their principal members) involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances (appearing in or destined for illicit trafficking in the United States), and also to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing availability of illicit controlled substances.
DEA's History
Federal drug law enforcement was founded on December 17, 1919, on a record of achievement in American criminal justice. The achievement was the effort, and the rest is for history to decide. In retrospect, it thrived on difficulty, trials and tribulations. The BNDD (Bureau of Narcotic and Dangerous Drugs), ODALE (Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement), ONNI (Office of National Narcotics Intelligence) and a large contingent from Customs were unified to form an agent force 2,000 strong.
On July 1, 1973, the Drug Enforcement Administration was formed. Bearing the brunt of the reorganization was John R. Bartles, Jr., the DEA’s first Administrator, and in a time of troubles, Henry S. Dogin was called upon to serve as Acting Administrator until the unification was completed under the direction of Peter B. Bensinger.
Learn more about the history of the DEA here: dea.gov/dea-celebrates-50-years
About the DEA
The DEA was established in 1973 as the federal organization in charge of enforcing the controlled substances laws of the United States.
Today, thousands of DEA employees located in hundreds of offices across the country and around the world are dedicated to fulfilling DEA’s mission and to continuing our Tradition of Excellence. The DEA is comprised of experts in drug law enforcement: Special Agents, Diversion Investigators, Forensic Scientists, Intelligence Research Specialists and highly trained support staff who work together as ateam to keep Americans safe from dangerous drugs and those that traffic in them. Learn more here: dea.gov/who-we-are.