Review Of The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA)
Control Of The Diversion Of Controlled Pharmaceuticals

Report Number I-2002-010
September 2002

OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL'S ANALYSIS OF THE DEA MANAGEMENT RESPONSE

On August 26, 2002, the Evaluation and Inspections Division sent copies of the draft report to the Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with a request for written comments. The Chief Inspector responded by memorandum dated September 26, 2002 (Appendix IV). The DEA concurred with all four of our recommendations. Our analysis of the DEA's response follows.

Recommendations

Recommendation 1 - Resolved - Open. The DEA statement that it has requested an increase of 75 diversion investigator positions and $24.616 million for the diversion program for FY 2003 and an additional 22 diversion investigator positions in the FY 2004 budget is responsive to this recommendation. Please provide us with a status update of your FY 2003 and FY 2004 budget requests and progress on hiring new diversion investigators by January 17, 2003.

Recommendation 2 - Resolved - Open. The DEA's plan to submit a decision paper regarding the roles, responsibilities and law enforcement authorities of diversion investigators through the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Advisory Committee to the Administrator is responsive to this recommendation. Please provide us with a copy of the decision paper and the Administrator's decision by January 17, 2003.

Recommendation 3 - Resolved - Open. The DEA statement that it is currently providing a two-hour block of diversion training to special agents during Basic Agent Training (BAT) and is assessing the need to provide additional training through a special course or via the Internet is responsive to this recommendation. We want to ensure that special agents assigned to diversion investigations are knowledgeable of current diversion investigation issues and techniques. We strongly suggest that the DEA include a "mini-course" for special agents assigned to diversion investigations as part of the additional diversion training the DEA is considering. Please provide us with a copy of the curriculum of the training provided during BAT and the results of the assessment to provide additional diversion training by January 17, 2003.

Recommendation 4 - Resolved - Open. The DEA's statement that it is continuing to develop its Online Investigations Project, and it will provide the OD intelligence support through the new strategic and investigative units is responsive to this recommendation. Our recommendation was for the DEA to provide a separate intelligence support unit dedicated to the OD. We want to ensure that the OD intelligence support requirements are met and are not automatically relegated to a lower priority by other intelligence support requirements. The new strategic and investigative units must have policies and procedures that clearly delineate how the intelligence support requirements for the OD will be prioritized and fulfilled. Please provide us with a status update on the development of the Online Investigations Project and a copy of the policies and procedures for the new strategic and investigative units which describe how the OD's intelligence requirements will be prioritized and fulfilled by January 17, 2003.