Watchdog Report Criticizes DEA's Use of Confidential Sources

By ERIC TUCKER, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Sep 29, 2016, 6:14 PM ET

The Drug Enforcement Administration does a poor job overseeing the millions of dollars in payments it distributes to confidential sources, relies on tipsters who operate with minimal oversight or direction and has continued paying informants who were no longer supposed to be used, according to a government watchdog audit issued Thursday.

The Justice Department inspector general found pervasive problems with the agency's confidential source program, which between 2010 and 2015 relied on more than 18,000 active informants to help gather tips, leads and intelligence in drug investigations. More than 9,000 of those sources received roughly $237 million in payments, the report found.

Though the DEA views informants as vital, the inspector general last year criticized the agency for weak controls and oversight of its sources — which in the past have included Amtrak workers — and said in the new report Thursday that many problems remain.

"We found that the DEA did not adequately oversee payments to its sources, which exposes the DEA to an unacceptably increased potential for fraud, waste and abuse, particularly given the frequency with which DEA offices utilize and pay confidential sources," the office wrote.

Among the issues identified: the DEA was unable to measure the reliability of its informants ...

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