The DEA Now Part of John Negroponte's Intelligence Community

Posted by Dan Feder - February 26, 2006 at 3:35 pm
On February 17, the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced that the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Office of National Security Intelligence has now become the 16th member of the Intelligence Community (IC). All the agencies in the IC, including the CIA, FBI and NSA, are all now under the leadership of John Negroponte, President Bush’s appointment to the newly created position of National Intelligence Director one year ago.

According to the announcement, “This designation does not grant DEA new authorities, but it does formalize the long-standing relationship between the DEA and the IC.” So it is unclear what this means for the future of the drugs war. Possibly nothing significant. But one thing to keep in mind is that Negroponte’s many overseas jobs include ambassador to Honduras from 1981 to 1985. From the U.S. embassy in Tegucigalpa, he was intimately involved in the bloody policies of the U.S. government throughout Central America in the 1980s and had a significant role in the Iran-Contra scandal.

A Bush/Reagan loyalist and narco responsible for thousands of violent Central American deaths, now with formal authority of part of the DEA? Insights welcome below in the comments section about what this could bring.

Read the announcement here.

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About Dan Feder

I was a member of the Narco News team in various capacities, from webmaster to Editor-in-Chief, from 2002-2008. Since 2006 I have also been a member of the International Peace Observatory, which performs human rights accompaniment for Colombian campesino organizations in conflict zones. I am now living in Boston and working as a website developer for DigitalAid, Inc.
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About Dan Feder

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I was a member of the Narco News team in various capacities, from webmaster to Editor-in-Chief, from 2002-2008. Since 2006 I have also been a member of the International Peace Observatory, which performs human rights accompaniment for Colombian campesino organizations in conflict zones. I am now living in Boston and working as a website developer for DigitalAid, Inc.