California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement

The California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE) was a drug law enforcement agency, under the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ). The BNE was established in 1927, and was the oldest narcotic enforcement bureau in the United States at the time of it disbanding. In 2012, elements of the BNE were merged with its sister bureau forming the new California Bureau of Investigation (CBI or BI). Today, the CBI has taken over some of the former BNE's operations that had not been completely eliminated.

Role

Its programs targeted "major drug dealers, violent career criminals, clandestine drug manufacturers and violators of prescription drug laws".[1] In its statewide agency role, it managed several programs involved in enforcing federal and state drug laws, as well as catching violent criminals who use illegal weapons while committing crimes. It coordinated with local law enforcement agencies. It used Special Operations Units, which identified individuals and groups involved in drug trafficking. They did so by examining financial records and performing undercover operations such as infiltration, surveillance, and tracing narcotic sources to clandestine manufacturers or importers. The BNE focused on targeting the trafficking operations and not minor figures within criminal groups. At the same time, through its diversion program, the Bureau trained doctors, nurses and pharmacists to help them "identify schemes and methods" used in obtaining controlled substances legitimately to then sell them illicitly. The BNE also took part in investigating medical professionals involved in such operations, for example by prescribing or dispensing controlled substances for illegal use.[2]

Its headquarters were located in Sacramento among other CA DOJ investigative bureaus, with seven regional offices in Fresno, Los Angeles, Redding, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco. It also operated 48 regional narcotic task forces that now fall under the CBI.[3] In 2009, the BNE had 187 agents.[4]

References
  1. McGreevy, Patrick. "As the top pot-producing state in the nation, California could be on thin ice with the federal government". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  2. Mark A. R. Kleiman; James E. Hawdon. 2011. Encyclopedia of Drug Policy. SAGE Publications. p. 120. ISBN 978-1-4129-7695-4.
  3. "Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement". State of California Department of Justice. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  4. "Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement Pleads for Continued Funding". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
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