A National Symposium on Narco-Terrorism
Hosted by the DEA Museum & Visitors Center

December 4, 2001, DEA Headquarters
700 Army Navy Drive
Arlington, Virginia 22202
www.deamuseum.org

Why This Symposium and Why Now?

The events of September 11, 2001 have had a profound impact on American life. The activities of a group of globally-based terrorists have impacted society in a way few imagined possible. What few Americans realize, however, is the inexorable and historical links between the activities of terrorists and those of narcotics traffickers around the world.

To educate the American public about this link, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Museum and the Association of Former Federal Narcotics Agents (AFFNA) DEA Museum Foundation are launching an effort to build a first-class museum exhibit and educational program to share with the American public the significant and complex relationships between terrorism and drug trafficking. This symposium is the first step in bringing together the best minds in the field for a provocative discussion on this important subject. The subsequent exhibit will provide the public with a never-before-seen look into the world of narco-terrorism.

While several books have been written on the subject of narco-terrorism, the effort by the DEA Museum in partnership with the AFFNA DEA Museum Foundation represents the first museum grade exhibit to be developed in this country. The DEA Museum and the Board of Directors of the Foundation feel strongly that an exhibit of this scope and caliber will have a positive impact on America’s efforts to reduce drug abuse and drug trafficking in the United States.

December 4th Program

Welcoming Remarks

Bill Alden, President, AFFNA DEA Museum Foundation
Asa Hutchinson, DEA Administrator

General Remarks

Congressman Mark Souder (Invited)
Congressman Bob Portman (Invited)
Senator John Kerry (Invited)

Opening Remarks

Moderator: Mr. Robert Novak, CNN

Panelist Remarks*

Mr. Raphael Perl, Congressional Research Service
Ret. Gen. Jose Rosso Serrano, Colombian National Police
Mr. Steve Casteel, DEA Chief of Intelligence
Mr. Larry Johnson, Principal, Berg Associates, LLC
Mr. Stephen Pasierb, President & CEO, Partnership for a Drug Free America
Mr. Brian Dyak, Entertainment Industries Council

Opening Questions/Discussion with Panelists

Questions/Discussion with Audience Members

Conclusion and Future Plans

Peter Bensinger, Former DEA Administrator

Symposium Transcript - Click here to download

*Panelists are subject to change

About the DEA Museum & Visitors Center

The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Museum & Visitors Center is to educate the American public on the history of drugs, drug addiction, and drug law enforcement in the United States through engaging and state-of-the-art exhibits, displays, interactive stations and educational outreach programs. The DEA Museum provides a unique learning environment for the public to discover the role and impact of federal drug law enforcement on the changing trends of licit and illicit drug use in American history.

The DEA Museum currently features the exhibit Illegal Drugs in America: A Modern History. From opium dens to the international drug mafias of present day, Illegal Drugs in America traces the impact that drugs have had on American society and the efforts by federal drug law enforcement to combat this growing problem. Illegal Drugs in America features artifacts and photographs gathered from around the world to tell this dramatic and compelling story.

The DEA Museum and Visitors Center envisions itself as the preeminent federal government institution for learning about the history of drugs and drug law enforcement in the United States and the integral role that DEA and its predecessor agencies have played in that history. The DEA Museum will accomplish its mission by developing first class exhibits that attract, engage and educate the American public to a fuller understanding of the many facets of the drug problems in this country.

About the AFFNA DEA Museum Foundation

Founded in the spring of 2001, the Association of Former Federal Narcotic Agents (AFFNA) DEA Museum Foundation works to enhance the education of the American public on the history of drugs, drug abuse and drug law enforcement in the United States through the active support of the DEA Museum and Visitors Center and its exhibits and programs. The AFFNA DEA Museum Foundation supports the efforts of the DEA Museum and Visitors Center through fundraising, advocacy and outreach, exhibit sponsorship and educational program development. Members of the Board of Directors of the Foundation include current and former DEA leadership, corporate executives, medical experts, law enforcement professionals, historians and museum professionals.

Target America, the national symposium and museum exhibit, represents the first joint venture undertaken by the Foundation and the DEA Museum.