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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
The Secretary of State has appointed a Senior Adviser and Co- ordinator for International Narcotics Matters.
In addition, the regional and functional bureaus in the Depart- ment have designated drug control coordinators and each of the five geographic bureaus chairs an Inter-Agency Narcotics Control Com- mittee.
To complement the Washington effort, Narcotics Control Coordi- nators have been designated at virtually all foreign posts. The Co- ordinators operate within the framework of the Country Team which utilizes the expertise of all appropriate agencies represented at the Mission, particularly BNDD, Customs, CIA, AID, and the U.S. In- formation Agency.
For most countries where narcotics and other dangerous drugs are produced or transported, Narcotics Control Action plans have been developed to help increase the effectiveness of programs to reduce or eliminate the production and flow of narcotics.
The United States has also expanded the activities of BNDD and Customs abroad and the Central Intelligence Agency has been in- structed to coordinate the collection of narcotics intelligence.
BUREAU OF NARCOTICS AND DANGEROUS DRUGS
The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) is the principal Federal law enforcement agency operating in the narcotics suppression area. The primary mission of BNDD is to disrupt the il- legal traffic in narcotics which is organized at an international or in- terstate level. The emphasis of the international effort is on stopping the flow of narcotics as close to the foreign poppy field as possible and, in conjunction with the Bureau of the Customs and foreign enforcement officials, to disrupt the illegal commerce in narcotics be- fore they enter the United States.
In Southeast Asia, BNDD officials have established working rela- tionships with their counterparts. This cooperation has led to an in- crease in enforcement efforts, particularly in Laos, Thailand, and South Vietnam, where special narcotics suppression units have been established with the advice and assistance of BNDD agents who work side by side with local enforcement officials.
The significance of this should not be overlooked. The fact that a country admits law enforcement officials from another country and permits those officials to participate in law enforcement activities in- volves certain political risks for the governments involved. This will- ingness to cooperate with the United States in programs which are aimed at controlling and eliminating drug abuse is vital if the illegal traffic in heroin is to be suppressed.
Of the 120 BNDD Special Agents serving in various overseas loca- tions, 21 are stationed in Southeast Asia as follows:
Thailand
Singapore
Laos
Malaysia Saigon
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