ORGANIZED CRIME DRUG ENFORCEMENT TASK FORCE
CONFERENCE TO FEATURE FORMER MAYOR GUILIANI

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Top prosecutors and law enforcement officials from around the U.S.

will meet in Washington, D.C. for the Department of Justice's Biannual OCDETF (Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force) Conference beginning July 30, 2002. This year's conference, which marks OCDETF Program's twentieth anniversary, will focus on the emerging challenges facing this country in the fight against drugs.

The meeting will include keynote addresses from the Attorney General and President Bush's Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director, John Walters, as well as remarks from Senator Jeff Sessions, DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson, F.B.I. Director Robert Mueller and leaders from the federal agencies that make up the OCDETF team.

Attorney General Ashcroft recently stated that, "Under the leadership of the Deputy Attorney General, OCDETF will be the center of a drug supply reduction strategy…" This strategy will focus on priority drug trafficking organizations; targeting their members for arrest and prosecution as well as identifying and seizing the assets of these multi-national groups.

"With the events of September 11 and our nation's concern on homeland security, OCDETF's role in countering drug supply in the U.S. becomes even more critical," says Associate Deputy Attorney General Karen P. Tandy. This year's meeting will bring together U.S. Attorneys from across the nation along with their law enforcement counterparts in a "unique" forum to carve out the future role for OCDETF, the ultimate drug task force.

"We are honored and excited to have Rudy Guiliani join us as this year's awards dinner speaker. As one of the early program participants, Mr. Guiliani recognizes the value of the cooperation that OCDETF engenders between the federal, state and local government," says Deputy Attorney General Larry D. Thompson.

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