Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Jennifer de Vallance 202-395-6618
Monday, March 24th, 2003
WHITE HOUSE DRUG CZAR, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY ANNOUNCE APPOINTMENT OF COUNTERNARCOTICS OFFICER/U.S. INTERDICTION COORDINATOR AT THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
---ROGER MACKIN WILL BRING "FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE, UNMATCHED EXPERTISE"
WASHINGTON, DC-John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy, and Tom Ridge, Secretary of Homeland Security, today announced the appointment of Roger Mackin for the position of Counternarcotics Officer/U.S. Interdiction Coordinator at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Mr. Mackin, a long-time veteran of the United States' international anti-drug efforts, will be the first individual to fill the position at the newly formed Department of Homeland Security.
The position will combine the duties of the United States Interdiction Coordinator (USIC) with the newly created duties of the DHS Counternarcotics Officer. This consolidation will fill several essential roles in federal anti-drug efforts: coordinating the interdiction of illegal drugs entering into the United States; tracking and severing connections between drug trafficking and terrorism; and ensuring that all DHS counterdrug policies, initiatives, efforts, and resources are aligned with the President's National Drug Control Strategy.
"Roger Mackin has played a key role directing our nation's counter-drug intelligence, especially in South America," Director Walters said. "During the first half of the 1990s, Roger was a principal leader in our successful efforts with the Colombians to root out and dismantle the Cali and Medellín cartels, culminating in the imprisonment of cartel bosses and the death of vicious trafficker Pablo Escobar. Roger's firsthand experience disrupting the production and delivery systems of international drug trafficking organizations has given him a level of expertise unmatched in the field. He will be a great asset to Secretary Ridge as he ably protects our country from all outside threats."
"The consolidation of USIC and Counternarcotics Officer duties under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security will allow us to more effectively disrupt and dismantle the drug trafficking organizations that attempt to smuggle drugs across our borders and market them to our children," Director Walters continued. "As we tighten our borders to keep out a small number of terrorists, we will inevitably prevent more and more drugs from entering our country. By hindering the drug trade, we keep money out of the hands of terrorists and criminals that use these illicit funds to bankroll their murderous operations."
