No Drug Softies on the Reagan Team

During the 1980s, I had the privilege of serving under Presidents Reagan and Bush as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. I reflect upon those years with pride and satisfaction that much was accomplished, in no small part because of the dedication and commitment of a prosecutor in the Justice Department’s criminal division, Bill Weld.

Weld, now the Republican governor of Massachusetts, is under consideration to be ambassador to Mexico. As one who witnessed his performance as a no-nonsense prosecutor, I recognized his importance to our enforcement efforts, particularly in criminal cases of drug trafficking, public corruption and money laundering. Since these same three issues are critical to greater cooperation today between the United States and Mexico, I can think of no one better qualified for this appointment. Yet now Weld’s record on drug prosecution is being called “weak” by the Clinton administration’s political opponents--most notably Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms--in an attempt to block his nomination.

By way of background, as U.S. attorney in Massachusetts, Weld was a strong proponent of mandatory minimum sentences for drug dealers. He earned a national reputation in his successful prosecutions of Robert Frappier and Timothy Minnig, who directed one of the largest marijuana smuggling operations in the world; Roxbury’s notorious “Capsule Boys,” purveyors of cocaine to inner-city youth; and the Sullivan brothers distribution ring. Additionally, Weld brought 111 public corruption cases against public officials, convicting 109. As an expert in money laundering investigations, Weld’s testimony in 1985 before the Senate Finance Committee helped lead to the 1986 passage of the strict federal money laundering statute.

Weld’s strong prosecutorial portfolio led Reagan to bring him to Washington in 1986 as chief of the criminal division at the Justice Department. As head of the DEA, I worked closely with Weld. During his tenure, federal drug prosecutions nationwide rose 40% and convictions increased by 42%. The number of drug offenders sentenced to at least five years more than doubled. Weld directed development of the 1988 National Narcotics Prosecution Strategy, a definitive textbook for fighting drug trafficking nationally and internationally. I recall his commitment to the criminal investigation and prosecution of Gen. Manuel Noriega of Panama, which many opposed. His perseverance was critical to Noriega’s conviction.

In February 1985, DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was kidnapped, tortured and murdered in Guadalajara, Mexico. Political sensitivities generated many roadblocks in this investigation. Weld overcame them and rose to the challenge, earning the respect of the men and women of DEA worldwide as this investigation was pursued as a national priority.

Weld would be a great ambassador to Mexico. He has a strong, tough record on the major issues that require our ambassador’s attention and expertise. Would Reagan have chosen him as one of the top leaders in the war on drugs, the war on corruption and the war on money laundering if his record dictated otherwise?