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DEA
Donnie R. Marshall
Administrator
2000-2001
Following Administrator Thomas A. Constantine’s retirement
on July 2, 1999, Mr. Donnie R. Marshall was named
DEA Acting Administrator. Marshall was formally nominated
by President Clinton to serve as DEA Administrator
on February 9, 2000, and was sworn in on June 19, 2000,
by Judge Sterling Johnson, Jr., the U.S. District Judge for
the Eastern District of New York, and a former DEA Executive
Liaison Officer. During Administrator Marshall’s swearing
in, Attorney General Janet Reno described him as a
strong, yet personable leader. “I have watched him. He
gets very firm and very quiet when he needs to and he acts
with great strength.” Mr. Marshall was the first DEA Special
Agent ever to be named as Administrator.
Donnie Marshall’s career in law enforcement began in 1969
when he became a Special Agent for the Bureau of Narcotics
and Dangerous Drugs. Mr. Marshall served DEA as a
Resident Agent in Charge in Texas, Country Attache in Brazil,
Deputy Regional Director of the Latin America Region,
Senior Inspector of the Office of Professional Responsibility,
Chief of the Statistical Services Section, ASAC of the
Dallas Division, SAC of the Aviation Division, Chief of Domestic
Operations, and Chief of Operations. Mr. Marshall
served as Acting Deputy Administrator from February 23,
1998, to September 24, 1998, when President Clinton nominated
him as Deputy Administrator.
Mr. Marshall’s confidence in DEA’s future was evident in a
statement he released the day of his swearing in ceremony,
“As DEA Administrator, I plan to direct all of our resources
against those criminal groups degrading the quality of life
in our country…the DEA remains committed to bringing to
justice those who violate our nation’s drug laws. We accept
this challenge and pledge to promote a safer and drug-free
country for all citizens.”
Mr. Marshall retired on June 30, 2001, and became the
Executive Vice President for Homeland Defense at SAIC,
one of the world’s leading providers of information technology
services.
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The most significant development
in U.S. drug trafficking and abuse
in the period 1999-2003 was the array
of synthetic drugs that became
popular, particularly among young
people.
The most significant development in U.S. drug trafficking
and abuse in the period 1999-2003 was the array of synthetic
drugs that became popular, particularly among young people.
Foremost among these laboratory-produced drugs was Ecstasy,
a combination stimulant and hallucinogen sold in tablet
form. It was touted as a “feel good” drug with an undeserved
reputation for safety. In 2000, it was estimated that
about two million tablets were smuggled into the United
States every week. Other synthetic drugs like methamphetamine
remained popular and continued to hit small-town,
rural America particularly hard. Still other synthetic drugs
with chemical sounding names like GHB, Rohypnol, GBL,
and 1,4 BD were used both voluntarily as a way to get high,
but even more tragically, concentrated doses of the drugs
were slipped into the drinks of unsuspecting people, who
then became victims of sexual assault.
Another challenge drug law enforcement faced in the late
1990s was the growing diversion of legal prescription drugs
into the illegal market. In 1998, 2.5 million Americans admitted
abuse of prescription drugs. By 2001, that had almost
doubled to 4.8 million. OxyContin, a powerful prescription
analgesic, became heavily abused. DEA implemented a National
Action Plan to combat diversion and abuse of that
drug.
More traditional drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and marijuana,
which are produced from agricultural products, continued
on the drug scene as well. Marijuana remained the
DEA Special Agents
1999..... 4,535
2003..... 4,841
DEA Budget
1999..... $1,477.0 million
2003..... $1,897.3