The Narcotics Rewards Program is a program of the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

that offers rewards for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of major international narcotics traffickers who send drugs into the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It was established by

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in 1986, and it has paid out over $130 million in rewards leading to apprehensions. The Department of State’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) manages the program in close coordination with the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

Immigration and Customs Enforcement The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration th ...

(ICE), the

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...

(DEA),

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI), and other interested U.S. agencies. Proposals to pay rewards are submitted to the Department of State by the chief of mission at a U.S. embassy at the behest of a U.S. law enforcement agency. Reward proposals are carefully reviewed by an interagency committee, which makes a recommendation for a reward payment to the Secretary of State. Only the Secretary of State has the authority to determine if a reward should be paid, and, in cases where there is Federal criminal jurisdiction, the Secretary must obtain the concurrence of the Attorney General. It normally takes more than a year for the Department of State to pay a reward. although there are cases reported as Diego Leon Montoya Sanchez's capture taking more than eight years without payout for the reward offered for his capture, the reward posters offer a reward " up to" $5 million, people interested in a reward should know that the quoted phrase has been construed to include zero as its lower limit. See application of Michel, 470 F2d 638' 640 (C.C.P.A 1972); Arness v. Franks, 138 F2d 213, 216 (C.C.P.A 1943); see also Public service comm'n of Md. v. City of Annapolis, 526 A.2d 975, 981 (Md Ct Spec App 1987) ( " the statement of a maximum does not imply the existence of a minimum") also who any federal agent is authorized to promise that the reward will be pay, only the attorney general can guarantee the pay. Overseas, individuals wishing to provide information on major narcotics traffickers may contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. In the U.S., individuals should contact the DEA, FBI, or ICE directly. The U.S. government will ensure confidentiality to individuals who provide information on major narcotics traffickers, and, if appropriate, will relocate these individuals and their families. In February 2014, ''The Guardian'' reported that some informants were not paid the rewards offered.

References

{{StateDept, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301105112/http://www.state.gov/p/inl/narc/rewards/115249.htm, title=Narcotics Reward Program

External links

Narcotics Rewards Program - State Department site
United States Department of State United States Department of Justice Drug control law in the United States

See also

References

External links