Colombia: U.S. Counternarcotics Assistance Achieved Some Positive Results, but State Needs to Review the Overall U.S. Approach

Abstract

Colombia is the worlds leading producer of cocaine, with production levels more than tripling from 2013 through 2017. The U.S. and Colombian governments have been longstanding partners in the fight against drug trafficking. Since the launch of Plan Colombia in 1999, the U.S. government has invested over $10 billion in counternarcotics efforts in Colombia. This assistance has supported a range of eradication, interdiction, and alternative development programs. GAO was asked to review U.S. counternarcotics assistance to Colombia. This report examines (1) to what extent the U.S. government has assessed the effectiveness of its counternarcotics efforts in Colombia and (2) what is known about the effectiveness of U.S.-supported eradication, interdiction, and alternative development programs in Colombia. GAO reviewed data and documentation from U.S. agencies, performed a literature review of relevant research on counternarcotics efforts in Colombia, conducted fieldwork in Colombia, and interviewed U.S. and Colombian officials.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2018
Accession Number
AD1156498

Entities

People

  • Aldo Salerno
  • Dawn Locke
  • Jennifer A. Grover
  • Juan Gobel
  • Leia Dickerson
  • Mark Dowling
  • Martin de Alteriis
  • Neil Doherty
  • Owen Starlin
  • Pedro Almoguera
  • Ryan Vaughan

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Communities
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Drug Abuse
  • Drug Trafficking
  • Economics
  • Families (Human)
  • Geographic Regions
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Infrastructure
  • Law
  • Literature Surveys
  • National Governments
  • Property Rights
  • United States
  • United States Government

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  • Defense Technology Research and Development.
  • Government Contracting/Procurement.