The DEA established its Mobile Enforcement Team (MET) program in 1995 to combat violent drug-related crime. METs initially were intended to help local law enforcement agencies, particularly in rural areas, confront drug trafficking problems that were beyond their immediate capabilities. The DEA's goals for MET are to reduce drug related violence and disrupt or dismantle the rapidly increasing number of meth drug traffickers and labs. The DEA seeks to remove offenders from communities' streets and have a significant impact on drug-related violence and drug availability. This audit examines the design and implementation of the MET program and evaluates the success of MET enforcement operations. Illus. This is a print on demand report.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is conducting an audit of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Confidential Source Program. The OIG initiated the audit as a result of the OIG's receipt and review of numerous allegations regarding the DEA's handling and use of confidential sources. In addition, in 2005, the OIG issued a report on the DEA's payments to confidential sources. The OIG's 2005 report identified needed improvements in the DEA's risk management over the use of and payments to confidential sources. This audit report specifically focuses on our examination to date of the DEA's confidential source policies and their consistency with Department-level standards for law enforcement components, review of the DEA's oversight of certain high-level confidential sources and high-risk activities involving confidential sources, and evaluation of the DEA's administration of death and disability benefits to confidential sources.

Profits from drug-related crimes, including cash, are subject to forfeiture to the gov¿t. In addition to the Drug Enforcement Admin. (DEA), state and local law enforcement agencies also seize cash during their drug enforcement operations. These state and local agencies may transfer seized cash to the DEA for processing. This audit concluded that the DEA needed to: (1) better define when the seizing agents or officers should count seized cash; (2) define a timeframe for taking seized cash to a bank to minimize the time the DEA holds seized cash; and (3) speed the transfer of seized cash to the U.S. Marshals Service by mandating the use of wire transfers. During the period Aug. 1, 2007, through Nov. 24, 2008, the DEA processed almost $522 million in seized cash.