ONDCP Recognizes Critical Counter-Drug Efforts by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Dr. Rahul Gupta recognized individuals and initiatives of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program for their work to reduce the supply of illicit drugs and violence associated with drug trafficking, improve interdiction efforts through enhanced data sharing and targeting, and dismantle illicit finance operations. The HIDTA program, which includes 33 HIDTAs in 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia, provides assistance to Federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States. HIDTA also supports public health and public safety partnerships like the Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) – a partnership between the HIDTA program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that works to reduce overdoses, and ODMAP – a surveillance tool used to track suspected drug overdoses in real time nationwide.
“If it is easier to get illicit drugs in America than it is to get treatment, we will never bend the curve on overdoses. And that’s why the HIDTA program is so important to our public safety and public health approach to beat the overdose epidemic,” said Dr. Gupta. “On behalf of the Biden-Harris Administration, I thank the women and men of the 33 HIDTAs working every day to keep our communities healthy and safe.”
President Biden’s FY 2023 budget calls for a historic $293.5 million in funding for the HIDTA program, which is managed by ONDCP. In April, Dr. Gupta announced $275 million for HIDTA Program, which supports implementation of President Biden’s new National Drug Control Strategy by providing additional resources to 33 regional HIDTAs. In 2021, HIDTA Program initiatives dismantled nearly 3,155 drug trafficking organizations and interdicted $26.1 billion in wholesale value of illicit drugs.
The following awards were announced today to individuals or initiatives of the HIDTA program for outstanding work to reduce the supply and trafficking of illicit drugs in communities across the country:
Outstanding HIDTA of the Year Award
Northwest HIDTA
Outstanding Investigative Effort
Appalachia HIDTA
Central Florida HIDTA
Los Angeles HIDTA
Outstanding Financial Investigative Effort
Atlanta-Carolinas HIDTA
San Diego-Imperial HIDTA
Outstanding Cooperative Effort
Michigan HIDTA
New Mexico HIDTA
Northwest HIDTA
Outstanding Interdiction Effort
Arizona HIDTA
Midwest HIDTA
Outstanding Community Impact Investigative Effort
South Texas HIDTA
Outstanding Violent Organization Investigative Effort
Central Florida HIDTA
Outstanding Public Health/Public Safety Collaborative Effort
Arizona HIDTA
Outstanding Intelligence and Information Sharing
Houston HIDTA
Outstanding Overdose Investigative Effort
New England HIDTA
San Diego-Imperial Valley HIDTA
Mary Marshall Award for Outstanding HIDTA Support Staff
Washington/Baltimore HIDTA
Outstanding Intelligence Analyst
Washington/Baltimore HIDTA
Outstanding Prosecutor
Texoma HIDTA
HIDTA Award for Excellence
Texoma HIDTA
Outstanding Initiative Commander
Puerto Rico-U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA
Read more about the award recipients HERE.
Background:
The 33 HIDTAs coordinate Federal, state, local, and tribal drug enforcement efforts across the nation. Each year, HIDTAs assess the drug threats in their communities and develop strategies to address those threats. According to the most recent HIDTA Program Successes Report, in 2021, HIDTAs seized $26.1 billion worth of illicit drugs and disrupted or dismantled over 3,100 drug trafficking and money laundering organizations across the country.
In addition, HIDTA supports public health and public safety partnerships like ORS – a unique collaboration between CDC and the HIDTA program designed to help communities reduce fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses by connecting public health and public safety agencies, sharing information, and supporting evidence-based interventions.
The Biden-Harris Administration has already taken significant actions to address addiction and the overdose epidemic based on the President’s Drug Policy Priorities for Year One.
Read the Biden-Harris Administration’s inaugural National Drug Control Strategy HERE.
Read the fact sheet on the Strategy HERE.
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