March 23, 1983
The President today announced the formation of the National Narcotics Border Interdiction System (NNBIS) to interdict the flow of narcotics into the United States. NNBIS will be headed by Vice President George Bush. There will be an Executive Board which will include the Secretaries of State, Treasury, Defense, and Transportation, the Attorney General, the Counsellor to the President, the Director of Central Intelligence, and the Director of the White House Drug Abuse Policy Office.
Designed to coordinate the work of those Federal agencies with existing responsibilities and capabilities for interdiction of seaborne, airborne, and cross-border importation of narcotics, NNBIS will complement but not replicate the duties of the regional Drug Enforcement task forces operated by the Department of Justice.
NNBIS will monitor suspected smuggling activity originating outside national borders and destined for the United States and will coordinate agencies' seizure of contraband and arrests of persons involved in illegal drug importation.
The Coordinating Board for NNBIS will be headed by Adm. Daniel J. Murphy, Chief of Staff to the Vice President, who has chaired the Working Group of the South Florida Drug Task Force, also under Vice President Bush. The Coordinating Board membership will be composed of ranking officials from the Departments of State, Defense, Treasury, Justice, Transportation, Central Intelligence Agency, and their subordinate agencies and offices.