CBP Needs Additional Oversight to Manage Storage of Illicit Drugs (REDACTED)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) needs additional oversight to effectively store and destroy seized illicit drugs in its permanent vaults. Federal law requires CBP to destroy most seized drugs and retain samples as evidence to prosecute criminals. However, 86 percent of illegal drugs that CBP stored in its vaults exceeded allowed quantities. Further, CBP stored excess drugs for long periods — in some instances, for more than 20 years. This occurred because CBP routinely waived or circumvented its drug storage and destruction policies. As a result, CBP’s excessive and lengthy storage of large quantities of controlled substances created unnecessary safety and security risks. CBP also potentially incurred additional financial burdens to store, secure, inventory, manage, and process the excess drugs. We made four recommendations for CBP to improve the management of its processes to store seized drugs in its permanent vaults. CBP concurred with all four recommendations.