White House Disburses Record Funds For High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program

White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Jim Carroll released on Tuesday the largest-ever amount of annual baseline funding for its High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program.

According to the White House, more than $266 million will be disbursed to 29 regional HIDTA Programs in 50 States, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which is more than $2 million higher than the previous year’s  funding level.

The HIDTA Program is the Nation’s leading effort to coordinate the action and priorities of Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement partners in disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations.

“Not only do the men and women on HIDTA teams put their lives on the line every day, they also play a vital role in stopping deadly drugs from coming into communities across the country. The Trump Administration recognizes the effectiveness of the HIDTA program and will continue supporting it with the resources needed to keep Americans safe,” ONDCP Director Jim Carroll said.

According to the White House, in 2018, President Trump, through ONDCP, established the first new HIDTA program in 17 years to combat emerging threats in Alaska, bringing to completion the Administration’s effort to ensure that all 50 States receive funding through the program.

The White House said in 2018, HIDTA Program initiatives resulted in the dismantling of nearly 3,000 drug trafficking organizations; removed $16.5 billion in wholesale value of drugs and over 21,000 firearms from the street; and made nearly 99,000 arrests.

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