Testimony for Scott Burns
Deputy Director for State, Local, and Tribal Affairs
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee
May 17, 2007
Disrupting the Market
Regarding the focus of this hearing, I am pleased to share the extensive law enforcement
efforts that ONDCP and the Administration are undertaking in Indian Country. The common
theme of all these law enforcement initiatives is collaboration among tribal, state, local, and
Federal partners crucial to bridging historical, cultural, and jurisdictional barriers.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006, Public Law
No: 109-469 requires ONDCP to prepare a report for Congress on the representation of tribal
governments in the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program (HIDTA). While ONDCP is
still in the process of compiling information and drafting this report, I can offer a brief overview
of tribal involvement in HIDTA. Several HIDTAs such as the Oregon HIDTA, Northwest
HIDTA, Nevada HIDTA, New Mexico Region of the Southwest Border HIDTA, Arizona
Region of the Southwest Border HIDTA, and Rocky Mountain HIDTA have some level of
participation from tribal law enforcement, ranging from task force membership to occasional
collaboration. HIDTA is trying to increase tribal participation; however, the obstacles from the
perspective of the tribal entities include lack of manpower, insufficient funding, and sovereignty
issues.
Indian Affairs Executive Working Group/HIDTA
Prior to our reauthorization ONDCP had already begun to foster cooperative law
enforcement initiatives in Indian Country. With the creation of the Indian Affairs Executive
Working Group (IAEWG) in 2005, the Administration has brought together all federal agencies
that fund programs and initiatives involving Native Americans. This creates a mechanism for
the Federal Government to work together on these complex issues, creating consistency and
building trust with tribal entities. IAEWG is comprised of five issue-specific task forces. I chair
the Law Enforcement Task Force which includes members from the Department of Justice,
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration, Indian Health Services, Department
of Homeland Security, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. On Friday, May 18, 2007,
members of the Law Enforcement Task Force will be meeting with the National Drug
Intelligence Center to begin writing a new drug threat assessment for Indian Country.
One of the Law Enforcement Task Force’s main accomplishments is their collaboration
and facilitation in the use of $500,000 of HIDTA discretionary funds for initiatives in Indian
Country. The purpose of the Native American Project is to use intelligence-driven operations to
detect, deter, interdict, disrupt and/or dismantle organizations involved in drug trafficking, in
general, or methamphetamine trafficking, specifically, on tribal lands. Four HIDTAs were
chosen to receive FY2006 funds. The Rocky Mountain HIDTA, the Northwest HIDTA, the
Arizona Region of the Southwest Border HIDTA, and the New Mexico Region of the Southwest
Border HIDTA. Because of their ongoing nature, we are unable to specify the exact locations of
these efforts; doing so could jeopardize the success of the current investigations.
This spring I met with all the participating tribal governments to explain the program, listen
to their concerns, and ask for their cooperation. They are all willing and eager to work with us
and I look forward to continued collaboration. Through these meetings I observed extreme
disparities between the sophistication of the law enforcement agencies and financial security of
the different tribal entities. These differences illustrate the importance of flexible programs that
can be tailored to the needs of the individual tribes.
ONDCP is working with the Law Enforcement Task Force to increase coordination and build
on the pilot program. Although we are only in the initial phases of the program, there have
already been some successes. For example, utilizing funding from the Arizona HIDTA Region:
Native American Project–FY 2006 Supplemental Funding, wire taps (Title III’s) are being used
to support the effort to address meth on the reservation. Agents from the DEA Mobile
Enforcement Team (MET), working in conjunction with tribal PD, ATF, FBI, ICE, BIA, and the
Arizona Department of Public Safety have identified numerous separate organizations which are
distributing and selling on the Indian Community associated with the most recent meth
operations. This operation is ongoing therefore the name of the Indian Community and specifics
to the case can not be included.
In just one of the four HIDTAs, nine separate drug trafficking organizations have been
identified, and officers have made 21 controlled multi-ounce methamphetamine purchases. 4.32
kilograms of methamphetamine, 2 kilograms of cocaine, three guns, and $64,546 have been
seized.
On Sunday June 10, 2007 ONDCP will attend the Meth Task Force Meeting at the
National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Mid-year Conference. We will give a brief
overview of ONDCP’s efforts, but more importantly have the opportunity to hear from tribal
leaders about the effect that methamphetamine is having in their community. Then, on Monday
June 11, 2007, I will address Plenary Tribal Session regarding what ONDCP is doing to address
methamphetamine and other drugs in Indian Country.
I will speak at the first annual Hopi Youth Conference which will take place on June 20,
2007, in the Village of Hotevilla, AZ, on the Hopi Indian Reservation. This youth conference is
expected to be attended by over 200 students from ages 12–25 reservation wide and include
nearby Navajo communities. Subjects presented will include substance abuse (including
methamphetamine), and other health issues concerning our youth.
During this trip, we will have the opportunity to meet with the Navajo Nation Drug
Enforcement Units and surrounding tribal police agencies participating in a tribal law
enforcement empowerment pilot project. These participating tribal agencies include, the Hopi
Tribe, White Mountain Apache Tribe, San Carlos, Apache Tribe and the Tohono O odham
Tribe. These agencies are in the planning stages of establishing an all Indian country drug
task called the "Lucky Seven Task Force." This meeting will take place on either June 19, or
June 21, 2007, at the Navajo Law Enforcement Training Center in Toyei, AZ.
Finally, in partnership with the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws
(NAMSDL,), Office of Justice Programs/Bureau of Justice Assistance (OJP/BJA), and the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), ONDCP is in the
process of conducting four regional planning events to assist states, counties, local governments,
and tribal entities with their legislative and policy efforts to address methamphetamine and its
related issues. In addition a fifth summit will take place in Phoenix, AZ on August 1, 2007, with
a focus on methamphetamine in Indian Country.
Last Updated: May 24, 2007
