by Mandy Donoghue

Created on: March 02, 2009

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is part of the Department of Justice and was established in 1973 to enforce laws against drugs. DEA agents investigate individuals and groups responsible for planting, producing, and selling illegal substances in an effort to build cases for prosecution. Since its inception, the agency's staff and budget has increased about threefold. This growth is indicative of the DEA's successful impact on proactively fighting illegal drug trade not its failure to curb unlawful activities.

As our population grew and drug production and selling became more organized, the DEA recognized its need for additional resources. They frequently collaborate not only with other U.S. agencies like the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement but also foreign countries. Prior to the 1970's, the quantity and variety of drugs that entered the United States was fairly limited in comparison to today's numbers, and the parties involved were amateurs. Growers, distributors, and dealers are far more sophisticated now and have access to a greater assortment of narcotics.

Despite continued developments within the drug industry, the DEA has made significant impacts in limiting narcotics' effects on our communities and staying abreast of changes that need to be addressed. Between 1986 and 2007, there have been a total of 623,454 arrests within the United States. Cocaine, heroin, and marijuana quantities seized varied slightly, and hallucinogens largest year was 2000 due to several large LSD operations. However, the confiscation of methamphetamine increased fivefold. This is not surprising given the drug's rising popularity and addictive nature becoming a growing concern across the United States. These numbers are indicative that the DEA is victorious in removing drug dealers from the streets along with their inventory.

Each decade since the DEA's inception can be summed up as follows. The 1970's were a time of exploration. Drug use was on the rise, and the U.S. government wanted to determine how many American's were users and how could expansion be halted. The 1980's proved that drugs lead to violence. Trafficking narcotics was clearly an international problem. The 1990's warranted a look into how other countries could help the U.S. target drug dealers. Highly organized cartels distributed worldwide and could only be stopped if supply and demand were jointly targeted. The 2000's mark the period

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