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DEA suspends airport drug search program after watchdog raises concerns
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DEA suspends airport drug search program after watchdog raises concerns

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s random searches of passengers at airports and other transportation will be halted for the time being after the Justice Department expressed concerns. The ruling follows a decision by the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General. report which claimed that DEA personnel could violate constitutional rights during searches.

The report found that officers were not trained on how to conduct searches, with the agency suspending its own training program in 2023.

The report also noted flaws in how DEA agents used confidential sources to identify passengers. In one case, a traveler missed a flight because he was arrested after refusing to submit to a consensual search of his carry-on bag. The DEA said a drug detection dog alerted on the bag, but no contraband was found in the bag.

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After the passenger posted a video of the incident, the Inspector General learned that the passenger’s information came from a commercial airline employee who provided details about travelers who purchased tickets in the 48 hours following the trip. The inspector general said the DEA paid the employee a percentage of the money confiscated and seized by authorities. The inspector general said the employee received thousands of dollars from the DEA over several years for the information.

“The OIG concluded that by pursuing such interdiction activities in the absence of critical controls, such as adequate policies, guidance, training, and data collection, the DEA creates substantial risks that special agents and DEA task force officers conduct these activities inappropriately; impose unwarranted charges and violate the legal rights of innocent travelers; jeopardize the Department’s forfeiture and asset seizure activities; of law enforcement in ineffective interdiction actions,” the report states.

The DEA agreed with most of the report’s recommendations but declined to comment.