JOHNSTOWN, PA - The following is a summary of NDIC Highlights for January 2008-December 2010. A printable copy (183 KB PDF) is available.

2010

• U.S. House of Representatives - December 1, 2010 (Judiciary Report (111-670 Part 1) on the Fairness In Cocaine Sentencing Act of 2009)
• United States Attorney--Western District of Michigan - October 29, 2010 (Press Release)
• U.S. House of Representatives--Ultralight Smuggling Prevention Act of 2010 - September 24, 2010 (Representative Heller)
• United States Department of Justice - September 2, 2010 (Press Release)
• Honorable Pedro R. Pierluisi - U.S. House of Representatives, July 27, 2010 (Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder)
• U.S. House of Representatives--Congresswoman Giffords - May 26, 2010 (Remarks on the Border Security Crisis)
• United States Attorney - Southern District of California, May 14, 2010 (Certificate of Appreciation)
• U.S. Department of Justice - Acting Deputy Attorney General, May 11, 2010 (National Internet Crimes Against Children's Conference)
• U.S. Senate - Caucus on International Narcotics Control Hearing, May 5, 2010
• Government Accountability Office - Report to Congressional Requesters, April 23, 2010 (Letter/Report)
• Director Kerlikowske - Office of National Drug Control Policy, April 16, 2010 (Letter to Acting Deputy Attorney General)
• U.S. Department of Justice, March 25, 2010 (Press Release)
• U.S. House of Representatives - Resolution 1032, March 9, 2010
• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) - Special Agent in Charge, February 22, 2010 (Letter)
• Director of National Intelligence, February 2, 2010 (Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Pg. 31)

2009

• Director, Vermont Department of Homeland Security, December 17, 2009 (Email)
• U.S. Department of Justice - Office of the Deputy Attorney General, December 3, 2009 (Letter)
• United States Attorney - Western District of Michigan, December 3, 2009 (Press Release)
• Assistant U.S. Attorney - District of Massachusetts, September 11, 2009 (email)
• Remarks by Attorney General Eric Holder, July 22, 2009 (PR Newswire)
• U.S. Department of Justice, May 12, 2009 (Press Release)
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Press Release, February 2, 2009
• Office of U.S. Senator Ben Nelson (Nebraska), January 28, 2009
• U.S. Senate Bill #132 credits NDIC's National Drug Threat Assessment in their findings, January 6, 2009
• "THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 2001-2009," January 2009

2008

• President George W. Bush and Director Walters of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, December 11, 2008 [Press Release]
• Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), December 9, 2008 [Letter]
• United States Attorney, Middle District of Georgia, December 5, 2008 [Letter]
• California State Senator Dave Cox, December 1, 2008 [Letter]
• Attorney General's Award for Excellence in Management, October 28, 2008 [Copy of awards program]
• Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), October 3, 2008 [Memorandum]
• Office of the Director of National Intelligence, October 2, 2008 [Letter]
• U.S. Senate Bill #366 - "Copper Theft Prevention Act of 2008" credits NDIC's National Drug Threat Assessment in their findings, October 1, 2008 [Copy of Bill]

---

December 1, 2010 (Judiciary Report (111-670 Part 1) on the Fairness In Cocaine Sentencing Act of 2009)
U.S. House of Representatives
NDIC's report is cited on pages 23-24 of the report, another example of NDIC information being used by policy makers.
"National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) data for 2007 show that 40.1 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies report cocaine or crack cocaine as the greatest drug threat in their area-higher than for any other drug.¹⁶ Moreover, NDTS data show that nationally, the percentage of state and local agencies that identified cocaine [powder or crack] as the drug that most contributed to violent crime (46.9%) and property crime (40.9%) was much higher than for any other drug. Compounding the problem posed to the nation by cocaine-related crime is the relatively high number of cocaine abusers."

October 29, 2010 (Press Release)
United States Attorney--Western District of Michigan
"Cocaine & Money Launderer From California Sentenced in West Michigan to Life in Prison."
"The ATF and Lansing Police Department investigated the case, along with the Great Lakes Regional OCDETF Office in Chicago, Illinois, and analysts from the National Drug Intelligence Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania."

September 24, 2010 (Representative Heller)
U.S. House of Representatives--Ultralight Smuggling Prevention Act of 2010
NDIC was referenced in support of this legislation: "The 2010 National Drug Threat Assessment released by the National Drug Intelligence Center identified ultralights as a new means drug cartels are using to smuggle drugs into the United States."

September 2, 2010 (Press Release)
United States Department of Justice
OPERATION HAVOC YIELDS 21 ARRESTS: "…The indictments are the culmination of a long term Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation…." "The enforcement action netting the arrests was conducted by ICE-HIS and DEA with the invaluable assistance and cooperation of the United States Marshals Service (USMS), Laredo Police Department, Webb County Sheriff's Office, Border Patrol, Customs and Border Patrol, Webb County District Attorney's Office, National Drug Intelligence Center and the Texas Department of Public Safety."

July 27, 2010 (Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder)
Honorable Pedro R. Pierluisi - U.S. House of Representatives
Mr. Pedro Pierluisi, Delegate to Congress from Puerto Rico cited a 2009 analysis prepared by NDIC (2009 Puerto Rico HIDTA Drug Assessment) in his letter to AG Holder, which is a prime example of NDIC providing key intelligence to policymakers.

May 26, 2010 (Remarks on the Border Security Crisis)
U.S. House of Representatives--Congresswoman Giffords
NDIC intelligence was cited in support of legislation that she introduced: "In the 2010 National Drug Threat Assessment released by the National Drug Intelligence Center, they identified ultralights as one of the newest ways drug cartels are using to smuggle drugs into our country. And according to the CBP Air and Marine Operation Center, or AMOC, based in Riverside, California, there were 193 suspected incursions into our country and 135--make that 136 with the incursion 2 weeks ago--by ultralights from October 1 to the present time."

May 14, 2010 (Certificate of Appreciation)
United States Attorney - Southern District of California
Citation: "In recognition of your outstanding efforts in 2010 with the preparation and development of the prosecution against members of the Arellano-Felix drug trafficking organization. Your hard work, commitment and dedication were invaluable in achieving our future successes in dismantling this illegal criminal enterprise."

May 11, 2010 (National Internet Crimes Against Children's Conference)
U.S. Department of Justice - Acting Deputy Attorney General
EXCERPT: "For that reason, the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008 required the Department of Justice to conduct a threat assessment of the risks posed to children by child exploitation. The National Drug Intelligence Center ("NDIC") invested more than a year of its time and interviewed more than 100 child exploitation prosecutors, investigators, and experts in the field, and reviewed thousands of pages of documents from investigations, criminal cases, research studies, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to compile the assessment."

May 5, 2010
U.S. Senate - Caucus on International Narcotics Control Hearing
Senator Feinstein, during her opening remarks cited NDIC's National Drug Threat Assessment: "The National Drug Intelligence Center's 2009 National Drug Threat Assessment indicates that Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations represent the "greatest organized crime threat to the United States."
Assistant Director Janice Ayala of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement credits NDIC: "The impetus for Project Big Freeze was the National Drug Threat Assessment report by the Justice Department's National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC). This 2009 report identified gangs as an imminent threat to the national security and public safety of our country. The report classified 28 gangs as exceedingly dangerous due to their involvement with cross-border criminal activity linked to Mexican and Asian DTOs."

April 23, 2010 (Letter/Report)
Government Accountability Office - Report to Congressional Requesters
EXCERPT of NDIC intelligence quoted by GAO for their report: "According to the 2009 National Gang Threat Assessment by the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC) and National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), as of September 2008, there were approximately 1 million gang members in the United States--a 25 percent increase over 2005 membership levels. The assessment found that street gangs that operate throughout most of the United States are a significant threat that has become magnified as national- and regional-level street gangs migrate from urban areas to suburban and rural communities. According to the assessment, gang members engage in a host of criminal activities such as homicide, extortion, drug distribution, and other crimes."

April 16, 2010 (Letter to Acting Deputy Attorney General)
Director Kerlikowske - Office of National Drug Control Policy
"I do want to continue the superb NDIC support to State and local law enforcement personnel…" "We appreciate the tremendous work that NDIC puts into the National Drug Threat Assessments and your service to our nation."

March 25, 2010 (Press Release)
U.S. Department of Justice
The National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), a component of the Department of Justice and the nation's principal center for strategic drug intelligence, has released the National Drug Threat Assessment 2010 (NDTA 2010), detailing drug trafficking and abuse trends within the United States. "In receiving the 2010 National Drug Threat Assessment, Attorney General Eric Holder stated, "This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the drug threat to our nation and will be valuable in helping direct our fight against drug trafficking and abuse."

March 9, 2010
U.S. House of Representatives - Resolution 1032
The House of Representatives cites information from NDIC in support of their resolution as follows: "Whereas the National Drug Intelligence Center, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice, has identified Mexican drug trafficking organizations as ‘the greatest drug trafficking threat to the United States…"

February 22, 2010 (Letter)
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) - Special Agent in Charge
"I would like to recognize the exceptional support provided to our Narcotic Task Force (NTF) Commercial Interdiction Unit (CIU)…"

February 2, 2010 (Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Pg. 31)
Director of National Intelligence
Director Dennis C. Blair cited the National Drug Intelligence Center as authority regarding intelligence on drug sales by Mexican and Colombian drug trafficking organizations in the United States.

To Top

 

December 17, 2009 (Email)
Director, Vermont Department of Homeland Security
"…I had an opportunity to review your latest US-Canada Drug Trafficking Bulletin and found it to be incredibly informative and insightful in our ability to understand the trends that we face today in drug enforcement."

December 3, 2009 (Letter)
U.S. Department of Justice - Office of the Deputy Attorney General
"I am writing in strong support of the nomination of the National Drug Intelligence Center's (NDIC) Document and Media Exploitation (DOMEX) Program for receipt of the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA) 2010 Award for Excellence, Organization. As the Deputy Director of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Organized Crime Drug Enforcement (OCDETF) Program, I have seen first-hand the significant contributions DOMEX has made to the OCDETF mission through its partnership in several OCDETF co-located strike forces."
"NDIC's DOMEX Program leads the field in providing real-time, comprehensive analysis of seized evidence to allow law enforcement to timely exploit the leads developed from their seizures to develop additional evidence leading to the significant disruption or dismantlement of drug trafficking organizations." "There is no better evidentiary exploitation and analysis organization supporting law enforcement today and is most deserving of this prestigious award."

December 3, 2009 (Press Release)
United States Attorney - Western District of Michigan
"U.S. Attorney Donald A. Davis, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) Special Agent In-Charge (SAC) Thomas Brandon, Detroit Field Office, and Lansing, Michigan Police Chief Mark Alley announce the arrests of seven defendants in two states in connection with "Operation Holiday Express," an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Investigation led by the U.S. Justice Department's ATF in cooperation with the Department's National Drug Intelligence Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the Lansing Police Department, and LA IMPACT, a drug enforcement task force operating in the greater Los Angeles area."

September 11, 2009 (email)
Assistant U.S. Attorney - District of Massachusetts
"Thank you SO much for the time and effort that you took…" "This was an unsolicited gift--but one that is MOST appreciated." "We have really enjoyed working with you and reaped the benefits of all your hard work."

July 22, 2009 (PR Newswire)
Remarks by Attorney General Eric Holder
"…OCDETF and the National Drug Intelligence Center have begun to place Document and Media Exploitation Teams in the Atlanta and Houston Strike Forces. These DOMEX teams allow Strike Force analysts and agents to capture and exploit evidence in complex, fast paced investigations, and to develop trial exhibits for prosecutors quickly and effectively."

May 12, 2009 (Press Release)
U.S. Department of Justice
"Doctor Sentenced to 10 years in Prison for Illegal Prescriptions." "This case was investigated by Diversion Investigators of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), and the Fayette County Sheriff  Department's Drug Suppression Task Force…"

February 2, 2009
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Press Release
"According to the 2009 National Gang Threat Assessment released by the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC) and the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC)…"  "The assessment was developed through analysis of available federal, state, and local law enforcement information…"

January 28, 2009
Office of U.S. Senator Ben Nelson (Nebraska)
"We greatly appreciate the information provided in the National Drug Threat Assessment for 2009 produced by the NDIC."

January 6, 2009
U.S. Senate Bill #132 credits NDIC's National Drug Threat Assessment in their findings
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. "Congress finds that - (4) according to a recent National Drug Threat Assessment, criminal street gangs are responsible for much of the retail distribution of the cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and other illegal drugs being distributed in rural and urban communities throughout the United States."

January 2009
"THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 2001-2009"
The Department of Justice published their most significant accomplishments for 2001 through 2009, which included contributions by the National Drug Intelligence Center.

To Top

 

December 11, 2008 [Press Release]
President George W. Bush and Director Walters of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
NDIC's 2009 National Drug Threat Assessment was referenced during a press conference regarding "Recession in Illegal Drug Market Signaled by Falling Youth Use With Higher Prices and Decreased Purity for Cocaine Nationwide." Specifically, the Press Release from the Executive Office of the President stated in part: "As reported in the 2009 National Drug Threat Assessment of the National Drug Intelligence Center, 'counterdrug agencies have made measurable progress against cocaine production, transportation, and distribution, contributing to a reduction in cocaine availability in the United States.'"

December 9, 2008 [Letter]
Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
Nominated an NDIC Intelligence Analyst to receive the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analyst Award for Individual Excellence. In the letter of nomination, ONDCP stated: "The [NDIC] Indian Country Drug Threat Assessment of 2008 far surpassed expectations and filled an existing void on drug trafficking and impact faced by federal and tribal law enforcement."

December 5, 2008 [Letter]
United States Attorney--Middle District of Georgia
Cited NDIC's assistance as "instrumental" in the 3-year investigation of a doctor, charged with running a "pill mill" operation, wherein multiple people lost their lives. The U.S. Attorney wrote in a letter to NDIC that "The (NDIC) analysts took the seemingly insurmountable amount of evidence (4,000 patient computer and physical charts) and assembled the information in a way that proved the premise of our case."
"NDIC is an invaluable tool that I have recommended to multiple districts with similar cases ranging from individual doctor prosecutions to internet pharmacies. I can not imagine preparing for one of these type cases without the assistance of the analysts from NDIC."

December 1, 2008 [Letter]
California State Senator Dave Cox
Wrote to NDIC Director Walther and stated: "I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for the invaluable assistance the NDIC provided in this case and encourage you to continue the mutually beneficial services rendered by your agency."

October 28, 2008 [Copy of awards program]
Attorney General's Award for Excellence in Management
NDIC Deputy Director Irene Hernandez was presented with this award for outstanding administrative or managerial achievements that have significantly improved operations, productivity, or reduced costs.

October 3, 2008 [Memorandum]
Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
In a letter to the NDIC Director wrote: "NDIC is doing an excellent job of producing a large number of products that serve a variety of customers within ONDCP."

October 2, 2008 [Letter]
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Praised NDIC's Document and Media Exploitation, and specifically wrote: "The National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) has been a pioneer in the realm of Document and Media Exploration (DOMEX), developing unique, robust capabilities such as the Digital Evidence Laboratory and the Real-time Analytical Intelligence Database."

October 1, 2008 [Copy of Bill]
U.S. Senate Bill #366 - "Copper Theft Prevention Act of 2008" credits NDIC's National Drug Threat Assessment in their findings
(a) Findings.-Congress finds that-
(6) the 2008 Threat Assessment of the National Drug Intelligence Center shows a growing threat of methamphetamine use;

To Top