WASHINGTON, March 22 (UPI) -- A $4 billion U.S. war on drugs has had negligible impact in reducing narcotics supplies on U.S. streets, a congressman said Wednesday.
"In Colombia, we have spent over $4 billion since 1999 to stem the flow of illegal drugs into our country and aid the Colombians in their fight against home-grown terrorists. But, according to the latest figures from the Justice Department, the supply and purity of illicit narcotics on our streets has not changed much in the last several years, Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, said Wednesday.
Skelton was addressing a full committee hearing that received testimony from the commanders of U.S. Strategic Command, Northern Command, Transportation Command, and Southern Command on the posture of the U.S. military forces under their control.
"The administration of (Colombian) President (Alvaro) Uribe is also currently embroiled in a criminal investigation into a seemingly widespread conspiracy between high-ranking government officials and leaders of the terrorist paramilitaries," Skelton said.
"I fear that this scandal and the underlying unholy alliance, if proven to be true, will severely undermine the ability of the Colombians to assume greater responsibility for combating narcotics trafficking and taking the fight to the terrorists -- both of which may place a larger strain on our American forces during this time of war," he said.
