Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is asking the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to open a resident office in Redding, California to stem the tide of methamphetamine production in the area.  

In a letter to DEA Administrator Karen Tandy, Senator Feinstein cited the Redding area’s role as a “source country” for methamphetamine production. The text of the letter follows:

January 25, 2005

The Honorable Karen Tandy
Administrator
Drug Enforcement Administration
U.S. Department of Justice
2401 Jefferson Davis Highway
Alexandria, VA 22301

Dear Administrator Tandy:

I am writing to extend my strong support for a proposal to establish a Resident Office in Redding, California. I understand this would increase the number of Drug Enforcement Agents in Redding from two to five and include a Resident Agent in Charge.

I recently met with the Shasta County Methamphetamine Task Force (which covers Redding) and was briefed on the scope of the methamphetamine problem in Shasta County. The information I gathered at this meeting, together with data received from various law enforcement officials, make the case that we must act now to increase the number of agents to combat not only the production of methamphetamine but all illegal drugs throughout Northern California.

California remains a “source country,” producing about 80% of methamphetamine consumed nationwide and Northern California has unique drug problems that require us to build upon existing efforts. Over the last four years, the Shasta County Interagency Narcotics Task Force reports that 64 pounds of methamphetamine has been seized. During the same time the El Paso Intelligence Center reported that approximately 249 methamphetamine labs were seized in Northern California, many of which were located in Butte County. I understand that drug trafficking organizations are moving or expanding their operations into the more rural parts of Northern California, which is straining local prevention and law enforcement efforts to address this problem.

Thank you for your consideration of this request and I look forward to hearing from you soon. If you have any questions or I can assist in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours truly,

Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Senator