The Nation - News from Nov. 28, 1988

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration admitted it has directed local law enforcement agencies nationwide to stage phony drug seizures and generate false news reports about them to help DEA agents gain the confidence of drug lords, it was reported. DEA spokesman Maurice Hill in Washington said the technique is employed in high drug traffic areas, including Florida and Texas, the Houston Chronicle reported. Bogus seizures and false news information apparently came into practice several years ago to resolve a problem for undercover drug agents posing as cocaine importers for Colombian drug lords, the paper said. Often the DEA agents, posing as middlemen, deliver the drugs to local dealers and then keep the shipment under surveillance in hopes of intercepting it before it hits the streets, officials said. Journalists say the scams raise ethical questions on government deception.