In 2004, the 28 High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) implemented a Performance Management Process (PMP) to measure their performance, identify the outcomes of their efforts, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their initiatives. The National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program 2004 Annual Report highlights the initial results of the PMP, including two of sixteen performance measures developed—the number of Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) disrupted or dismantled and the return on investment (ROI).

In 2004, the HIDTA Program received a law enforcement budget of $176,835,426. In that same year, HIDTA initiatives disrupted.or dismantled 3,538 DTOs and seized more than $10.5 billion in drugs and nearly $500 million in assets from DTOs.

Thus, every $1 invested in the HIDTA program yielded an estimated $63 in drugs and assets removed from the market.
SOURCE: Adapted by CESAR from National HIDTA Directors Association, National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program 2004 Annual Report, 2006.
For more information, contact Erin Artigiani at CESAR aterin@cesar.umd.edu