High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

[1][2] The HIDTA program was made permanent through Title III of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006.

[3][4] The mission of the program is "to enhance and coordinate America's drug-control efforts among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in order to eliminate or reduce drug trafficking and its harmful consequences in critical regions of the United States.

"[5] The HIDTA program aims to reduce drug production and trafficking through: The HIDTA program does not focus on a specific drug threat, such as heroin trafficking; rather, funds are used to support the most pressing drug-related initiatives in each region.

The Director of ONDCP has the authority to designate areas within the United States that are centers of illegal drug production, manufacturing, importation, or distribution as HIDTAs.

To begin the designation process, a coalition of law enforcement agencies may petition the Director of ONDCP for their county to be included in an HIDTA.

The Executive Boards have the discretion to design and implement initiatives to address specific drug trafficking threats in their regions.

This allows a board to tailor its strategy and reassess its initiatives to respond to changes in local drug threats.

During episode 2 of the first season of True Detective the audience learns of Rust Cohle's previous law enforcement history, including participation in the HIDTA program.