High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program

September 7, 2021
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program
Administered by the White House’s Office of National
The HIDTA program uses counties as the geographic unit
Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the HIDTA program
of inclusion in the program. To begin the designation
provides assistance to law enforcement agencies—at the
process, a coalition of law enforcement agencies may
federal, state, local, and tribal levels—that are operating in
petition the Director of ONDCP for their county to be
regions of the United States that have been deemed as
included in an HIDTA.
critical drug trafficking regions. The program aims to
reduce drug production and trafficking through
There are currently 33 designated HIDTAs in the United
States and its territories, and ONDCP indicates that of the
 promoting coordination and information sharing among
100 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States,
federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement;
99 are included in areas designated as HIDTAs. (See CRS
Report R45188, cited below).
 bolstering intelligence sharing among federal, state,
local, and tribal law enforcement;
HIDTA Coordination
At the national level, the HIDTA program is administered
 disseminating reliable intelligence to law enforcement
by ONDCP. However, each of the HIDTA regions is
agencies to help them design effective enforcement
governed by its own Executive Board, which consists of
operations and strategies; and
representatives from participating federal, state, local, and
tribal agencies (if applicable), and there must be an equal
 promoting coordinated law enforcement strategies that
proportion of federal and nonfederal representatives.
rely upon available resources to reduce illegal drug
Additional nonvoting members from nonparticipating
supplies not only in a given area, but also throughout the
agencies or associations are allowed. Each Executive Board
country.
is required to meet four times each year. Among other
duties, each board is responsible for providing direction and
The HIDTA program does not focus on a specific drug
oversight in establishing and achieving the goals of the
threat, such as heroin trafficking; rather, funds are used to
HIDTA, managing the funds of the HIDTA, and selecting
support the most pressing drug-related initiatives in each
the HIDTA director for the region.
region. These range from multiagency enforcement
initiatives involving investigation, interdiction, and
The Executive Boards have the discretion to design and
prosecution to drug use prevention and treatment initiatives.
implement initiatives to address specific drug trafficking
Congress initially created the HIDTA program through the
threats in their regions. This allows a board to tailor its
Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 (P.L. 100-690). It was
strategy and reassess its initiatives to respond to changes in
permanently authorized through the Office of National
local drug threats. Each board is also responsible for
Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 (P.L.
ongoing evaluation of the HIDTA’s initiatives. The
109-469).
evaluation considers whether each initiative is in
compliance with overall HIDTA program requirements,
HIDTA Designations
effectively implementing the HIDTA’s strategy, achieving
The Director of ONDCP has the authority to designate
the performance standards negotiated for the HIDTA, and
areas within the United States that are centers of illegal
productive enough to merit continued funding from that
drug production, manufacturing, importation, or distribution
particular HIDTA.
as HIDTAs. Four main criteria are considered when
designating an area as an HIDTA (see 21 U.S.C. §1706):
HIDTA Funding
Funding for the HIDTA program is provided by a direct
the extent to which [1] the area is a significant
appropriation to the HIDTA subaccount under the ONDCP
center of illegal drug production, manufacturing,
account. For FY2021, Congress provided $290.0 million for
importation, or distribution; [2] State, local, and
the HIDTA program through the Consolidated
tribal law enforcement agencies have committed
Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260). From the total
resources to respond to the drug trafficking problem
HIDTA program appropriation, each HIDTA receives a
in the area, thereby indicating a determination to
base amount of funding calculated, in part, on its previous
respond aggressively to the problem; [3] drug-
annual funding and HIDTA size (ranging from $2.5 million
related activities in the area are having a significant
to nearly $16.3 million in FY2020) to support initiatives in
harmful impact in the area, and in other areas of the
its region. The remainder of the overall HIDTA
country; and [4] a significant increase in allocation
appropriation is allocated to HIDTAs based on specific
of Federal resources is necessary to respond
priorities throughout the country—determined collectively
by the HIDTA directors and ONDCP.
adequately to drug related activities in the area.
https://crsreports.congress.gov

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program
Funds provided to the HIDTAs may be used to cover a
The SUPPORT Act specifically authorized ONDCP to use
range of costs, including both administrative costs (such as
HIDTA funds to implement its drug overdose response
overtime, rent, and facilities fees) and programmatic costs.
strategy.
The programmatic costs may be related to activities such as
enforcement initiatives involving investigation, interdiction,
Overdose Response Strategy
and prosecution activities; intelligence and information
In 2015, ONDCP launched the Heroin Response Strategy,
collection and sharing initiatives; drug use prevention and
now called the Overdose Response Strategy (ORS), as “a
treatment initiatives; and miscellaneous costs, such as
multi-HIDTA, cross-disciplinary approach that develops
trainings, lab fees, and information technology needs.
partnerships among public safety and public health agencies
at the Federal, state and local levels to reduce drug
HIDTA Administration
overdose fatalities and disrupt trafficking in illicit opioids.”
Beginning with the FY2019 budget request, and in
Through ORS, HIDTA partners with the Centers for
subsequent budget requests, the Trump Administration
Disease Control and Prevention, and the strategy now
proposed transferring the administration of the HIDTA
involves 21 programs across 34 states and the District of
program out of ONDCP and into the Department of Justice
Columbia. The HIDTA program notes that through these
(DOJ), specifically the Drug Enforcement Administration
programs, ORS has the ability to improve access to near
(DEA). As a law enforcement agency within DOJ, the DEA
real-time data for rapid overdose response, increase timely
participates in the HIDTA program, including at the
and accurate information about emerging drug threats,
Intelligence Support Centers within each HIDTA; it does
promote multidisciplinary and multiagency data sharing and
not currently administer grant programs. Congress declined
collaboration, promote prevention strategies in schools and
to support the proposed transfer and continued to fund the
high-risk communities, and support first responder
HIDTA program as a grant program administered by
behavioral and mental health.
ONDCP. The Biden Administration has not proposed any
changes to the administration of the HIDTA program.
HIDTA Evaluation
However, as Congress examines ONDCP’s role in federal
ONDCP established a Performance Management Process
drug control, policymakers may continue to examine
(PMP) to help evaluate the success of individual HIDTAs ,
whether the HIDTA program should continue to be
as well as the program as a whole, in achieving the two
administered by ONDCP.
goals of the HIDTA program: (1) disrupting the market for
illegal drugs by dismantling or disrupting drug trafficking
SUPPORT Act Changes to HIDTA
and/or money laundering organizations and (2) improving
The HIDTA program was most recently amended and
the effectiveness and efficiency of HIDTA initiatives. The
reauthorized in 2018 by the Substance Use-Disorder
PMP is reportedly more effective in evaluating overall
Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment
performance of an HIDTA than of a specific initiative
for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act; P.L.
within an HIDTA, and it does not compare performance
115-271). In this reauthorization, the SUPPORT Act
between various HIDTA regions or between initiatives.
removed a prohibition on the use of HIDTA funds to
establish or expand drug treatment programs and specified
To help evaluate the two program goals, ONDCP requires
that a maximum of 5% of HIDTA appropriated funds can
each HIDTA to provide four items annually: (1) a threat
be used for “substance use disorder treatment programs and
assessment of the drug trafficking and related activities in
drug prevention programs.”
its area, (2) a strategy for how the HIDTA addresses the
threats identified in the threat assessment, (3) a budget
It also authorized $280 million to be appropriated for the
proposal including funding needs for initiatives in the area
HIDTA program each year for FY2018 through FY2023
and performance goals for the initiatives, and (4) a report
and specified that at least $7 million annually should be
describing activities and progress in executing the HIDTA’s
spent on HIDTAs with severe neighborhood safety and
strategy.
illegal drug distribution problems. It required that the
HIDTA Director develop and disseminate to HIDTAs best
As policymakers conduct oversight of ONDCP and the
practices for helping state, local, and tribal governments
HIDTA program, they may examine the reliability and
with “witness protection or assistance in cases of illegal
validity of the PMP. Policymakers may also review how
drug distribution and related activities.”
discretionary funds are allocated to each HIDTA based on
its needs and performance.
The SUPPORT Act also authorized the ONDCP Director to
use $10 million of the funds otherwise appropriated to
For more information on the HIDTA program, see CRS
ONDCP to provide supplemental competitive grants to
Report R45188, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas
HIDTAs whose participating agencies seized high amounts
(HIDTA) Program.
of fentanyl and new psychoactive substances for (1)
purchasing portable equipment to test for fentanyl and other
Kristin Finklea, Specialist in Domestic Security
substances; (2) training law enforcement officers and other
first responders on best practices for handling fentanyl and
IF11917
other substances; and (3) purchasing protective equipment,
including overdose reversal drugs.

https://crsreports.congress.gov

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program

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