thumb|2022 HIDTA Designation Map

The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program is a drug-prohibition enforcement program run by the United States Office of National Drug Control Policy. It was established in 1990 after the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 was passed. The HIDTA program was made permanent through Title III of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006.

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."

Program purpose

The HIDTA program aims to reduce drug production and trafficking through:

  • bolstering intelligence sharing among federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement;
  • disseminating reliable intelligence to law enforcement agencies to help them design effective enforcement operations and strategies;
  • promoting coordinated law enforcement strategies that rely upon available resources to reduce illegal drug supplies not only in a given area, but also throughout the country; and
  • promoting coordination and information sharing among federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement

The HIDTA program does not focus on a specific drug threat, such as heroin trafficking; rather, funds are used to support each region's most pressing drug-related initiatives. These range from multiagency enforcement initiatives involving investigation, interdiction, and prosecution to drug use prevention and treatment initiatives. Four main criteria are considered when designating an area as a HIDTA:<blockquote>The extent to which

  1. the area is a significant center of illegal drug production, manufacturing, importation, or distribution;
  2. State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies have committed resources to respond to the drug trafficking problem in the area, thereby indicating a determination to respond aggressively to the problem;
  3. drug-related activities in the area are having a significant harmful impact in the area, and in other areas of the country; and
  4. a significant increase in allocation of Federal resources is necessary to respond adequately to drug related activities in the area.

HIDTA coordination

At the national level, the HIDTA program is administered by ONDCP. But each HIDTA region is governed by its own Executive Board, which consists of representatives from participating federal, state, local, and tribal agencies (if applicable), and there must be an equal proportion of federal and non-federal representatives. Additional non-voting members from non-participating agencies or associations are allowed.

Each Executive Board must meet four times per year. Among other duties, the board is responsible for providing direction and oversight in establishing and achieving the HIDTA's goals, managing its funds, and selecting the HIDTA director for the region. 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. Each board is also responsible for ongoing evaluation of the HIDTA's initiatives. The evaluation considers whether each initiative is in compliance with overall HIDTA program requirements: effectively implementing the HIDTA's strategy; achieving the performance standards negotiated for the HIDTA; and being productive enough to merit continued funding from that particular HIDTA.