A recent report from a federal government watchdog has criticised the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for its failure to promptly report instances of human rights violations carried out by its Latin American law enforcement partners. The report, issued by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General, focuses on the DEA’s responsibilities under the Leahy Act, which prohibits the U.S. from providing aid to security forces that engage in human rights abuses.
Partners of the DEA in Latin America implicated in the report admitted to practices such as waterboarding, suffocation, and torture of crime suspects in order to extract information. The DEA is required to vet foreign officers and units to ensure compliance with human rights standards, making it a crucial tool in promoting respect for human rights among security forces.
The Inspector General’s audit revealed five cases where the DEA failed to notify the State Department of potential violations uncovered in the past year. These cases included officers from Central and South American countries who admitted to egregious tactics such as waterboarding, using Tasers until suspects lost consciousness, and beating detained individuals. Shockingly, the DEA only reported these violations after prodding from the Inspector General, with delays of up to nine months in one instance.
The DEA acknowledged its lack of policies, procedures, and training to ensure timely identification and reporting of potential violators under the Leahy Act. Subsequently, the agency has updated its protocols to educate agents on the Act’s guidelines and streamline the process of flagging violators for appropriate action.
In a related development, a recent 49-page report by the Inspector General highlighted the hiring of nearly 300 special agents and research analysts by the DEA in recent years who either failed polygraph exams or provided disqualifying information. While polygraph results are not admissible in court, they are widely used by federal agencies for screening purposes. The DEA, which historically did not require lie detector tests for applicants, tightened its procedures in 2019 following scandals abroad.
These revelations shed light on the challenges faced by the DEA in ensuring the integrity and adherence to human rights standards among its international partners, highlighting the importance of robust oversight and compliance mechanisms.