Law Enforcement Officials Announce Successful Conclusion to International Drug Enforcement Conference

Montreal - May 11, 2006 — More than 300 high-level drug law enforcement officials from over 80 countries concluded the four-day International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) today. In the IDEC final report, a number of best practices and next steps were outlined on issues ranging from the global spread of methamphetamine to how drug smugglers launder money.

IDEC's official hosts, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are pleased that this year's conference further strengthened integration between members of the international law enforcement community. Future partnerships and alliances developed through IDEC will only enhance our collective efforts to dampen the spread of illicit drugs.

This sort of cooperation is leading to results. Thanks to international fora like IDEC, global drug enforcement was able to extradite two high-level Afghani drug dealers who were giving monetary support and protection to the Taliban, arrest many high-level drug traffickers in South America, and dismantle major ecstasy and methamphetamine rings based in Canada and the United States.

Reinforced throughout the conference was the point that all illegal drugs are harmful to health and society.

"The health of our youth is of major concern to law enforcement worldwide. That's why we strongly believe that education, prevention and partnership combined with enforcement are key to fighting the illicit drug situation," said RCMP Deputy Commissioner of Federal Services and Central Region Pierre-Yves Bourduas.

"The global drug threat can be a daunting challenge, but conferences like IDEC reinforce that the call to fight stretches across thousands of miles, oceans, and boundaries" said DEA Administrator, Ms. Karen Tandy.

The reality is that the link between illicit drugs and organized crime continues to thrive. North American law enforcement is internationally recognized as effectively targeting and dismantling organized crime from the highest levels, and reducing the threat and impact of organized crime is a top strategic priority.

"The international drug trafficking enterprise thrives on profit," said RCMP Deputy Commissioner Bourduas. "So if we can lessen that profit by taking down the organized criminals who buy and sell the drugs then we have lessened the incentive."

"Our collaboration this week at IDEC proved that the nations dedicated to fight drug trafficking do not stand alone, but are part of a powerful team that is bolstered by our combined resources and resolve. Our work here laid a strong foundation to increase our ambitious, complex, and effective law enforcement operations around the world," stated Administrator Tandy.

IDEC will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2007. Next year's conference will be hosted by Spain and the DEA. For more information about IDEC, go to www.dea.gov.

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For more information please contact:

Sgt. Martin Blais, RCMP Media Relations Officer at (613) 816-4932
Garrison Courtney, DEA Chief of Public Affairs at (202) 437-7729