[Congressional Bills 110th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H. Con. Res. 369 Introduced in House (IH)] 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. CON. RES. 369 Honoring the men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration on the occasion of its 35th anniversary. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 10, 2008 Mr. Souder (for himself and Mr. Ruppersberger) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Honoring the men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration on the occasion of its 35th anniversary. Whereas the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was created by an Executive order on July 6, 1973, and merged the previously separate law enforcement and intelligence agencies responsible for narcotics control; Whereas the first administrator of the DEA, John R. Bartels, Jr., was confirmed by the Senate on October 4, 1973; Whereas since 1973, the men and women of the DEA have served our Nation with courage, vision, and determination, protecting all Americans from the scourge of drug trafficking, drug abuse, and related violence; Whereas the DEA has adjusted and refined the tactics and methods by which it targets the most dangerous drug trafficking operations to bring to justice criminals such as New York City's Nicky Barnes, key members of the infamous Colombian Medellin cartel, Thai warlord Khun Sa, several members of the Mexican Arellano-Felix organization, Afghan terrorist Haji Baz Mohammad, and international arms dealer Viktor Bout; Whereas throughout its 35 years, the DEA has continually adapted to the evolving trends of drug trafficking organizations by aggressively targeting organizations involved in the growing, manufacturing, and distribution of such substances as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, Ecstasy, and controlled prescription drugs; Whereas in its 227 domestic offices in 21 field divisions, the DEA continues to strengthen and enhance existing relationships with Federal, State, and local counterparts in every State in the Union to combat drug trafficking; Whereas in this decade alone, DEA special agents have seized over 5,500 kilograms of heroin; 650,000 kilograms of cocaine; 2,300,000 kilograms of marijuana; 13,000 kilograms of methamphetamine; almost 80,000,000 dosage units of hallucinogens; and made over 240,000 arrests; Whereas in its 87 foreign offices in 63 countries, the DEA has the largest international presence of any Federal law enforcement agency; Whereas its personnel continue to collaborate closely with international partners around the globe, including in such drug-producing countries as Colombia, Mexico, Afghanistan, and Thailand; Whereas the results of this international collaboration in this decade alone have led to the indictments of 63 leaders, members, and associates of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a designated foreign terrorist organization, as well as 144 arrests and detainments of narcotics traffickers for violations of Afghan and United States narcotics laws and terrorist-related offenses; Whereas through the creation of the Diversion Control Program in 1971, the DEA now registers and regulates over 1,200,000 registrants, while simultaneously combating the continually-evolving threat posed by the diversion of controlled pharmaceuticals; Whereas the DEA continues to hit drug traffickers financially, where it hurts the most, denying drug trafficking organizations $3,500,000,000 in fiscal year 2007 alone, exceeding their 5-year goal of $3,000,000,000 annually by fiscal year 2009; Whereas DEA special agents continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder with Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials throughout the Nation in a cooperative effort to put drug traffickers behind bars; Whereas throughout its history, many DEA employees and members of the agency's task forces have given their lives in the line of duty, including: Charles Archie Wood, Stafford E. Beckett, Joseph W. Floyd, Bert S. Gregory, James T. Williams, Louis L. Marks, James E. Brown, James R. Kerrigan, John W. Crozier, Spencer Stafford, Andrew P. Sanderson, Anker M. Bangs, Wilson M. Shee, Mansel R. Burrell, Hector Jordan, Gene A. Clifton, Frank Tummillo, Richard Heath, Jr., George F. White, Emir Benitez, Gerald Sawyer, Leslie S. Grosso, Nickolas Fragos, Mary M. Keehan, Charles H. Mann, Anna Y. Mounger, Anna J. Pope, Martha D. Skeels, Mary P. Sullivan, Larry D. Wallace, Ralph N. Shaw, James T. Lunn, Octavio Gonzalez, Francis J. Miller, Robert C. Lightfoot, Thomas J. Devine, Larry N. Carwell, Marcellus Ward, Enrique S. Camarena, James A. Avant, Charles M. Bassing, Kevin L. Brosch, Susan M. Hoefler, William Ramos, Raymond J. Stastny, Arthur L. Cash, Terry W. McNett, George M. Montoya, Paul S. Seema, Everett E. Hatcher, Rickie C. Finley, Joseph T. Aversa, Wallie Howard, Jr., Eugene T. McCarthy, Alan H. Winn, George D. Althouse, Becky L. Dwojeski, Stephen J. Strehl, Juan C. Vars, Jay W. Seale, Meredith Thompson, Frank S. Wallace, Jr., Frank Fernandez, Jr., Kenneth G. McCullough, Carrol June Fields, Rona L. Chafey, Shelly D. Bland, Carrie A. Lenz, Shaun E. Curl, Royce D. Tramel, Alice Faye Hall- Walton, Elton Armstead, Larry Steilen, Terry Loftus, Jay Balchunas, and Richard E. Fass; Whereas many other DEA employees and task force officers have been wounded or injured in the line of duty; and Whereas over 9,000 employees of the DEA, including special agents, intelligence analysts, diversion investigators, program analysts, forensic chemists, attorneys, and administrative support, along with over 2,000 task force officers, and over 2,000 vetted foreign officers, work tirelessly to hunt down and bring to justice the drug trafficking cartels that seek to poison our citizens with dangerous narcotics: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress-- (1) congratulates the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on the occasion of its 35th anniversary; (2) honors the heroic sacrifice of the agency's employees who have given their lives or have been wounded or injured in service of our Nation; and (3) gives heartfelt thanks to all the men and women of the DEA for their past and continued efforts to defend the American people from the scourge of illegal drugs and terrorism. <all>