After 39 years in law enforcement, Thomas Constantine abruptly announced Monday that he would step down as the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, which he has headed since March 1994.

Constantine said his decision was not motivated by political considerations. Now 60 years old, he said, he wants to return to New York and spend more time with his family. But he has disagreed, sometimes forcefully, with the rest of the Clinton administration’s portrayal of Mexico as a full ally in fighting the flow of drugs into the United States.

Testifying before the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control on Feb. 24, Constantine asserted that Mexican drug trafficking organizations posed the worst criminal threat to the nation that he had seen in nearly 40 years in law enforcement. Two days later, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright declared that Mexico was cooperating fully with the United States in drug-fighting efforts.

Constantine’s readiness to assail Mexico’s record on drugs set him well apart from other senior administration officials. But Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the White House director of national drug control policy, who supported certifying Mexico, praised Constantine effusively Monday for "his dedication, persistence, seriousness and integrity." McCaffrey said, "He did a superb job as the nation’s top drug cop."

(Marijuananews note: If anyone might praise Constantine’s integrity, it should be the Drug Czar.)

See
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Elevating The Lying To Official Status. Analysis By Richard Cowan
and
Two Protests By African American Leaders; One About The Drug Czar’s Lies.
The Other About Police Brutality – The Only Connection That You Will See Is On This Page.
and
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Urging Medical Marijuana Not Be Delayed By IOM Report;
"Terminally ill patients cannot afford to wait for years of research
to prove something they already know: Medical marijuana works."

Constantine, who said he had planned to announce his retirement last month, expects to leave office by July 1.

"My sense with these things is to make it as quick as you can, and as short a time between when you announce it and you actually go," Constantine said in an interview at the headquarters of the federal drug agency in Arlington, Va. He added, "What was also important for me was a strong reputation for integrity. I wanted to be able to leave here with it."

He declined to go into details.

Constantine was superintendent of the New York State Police, when President Clinton appointed him head of the Drug Enforcement Administration on March 11, 1994. As administrator he added more than 1,100 agents, raising the agency’s total strength to more than 9,000 agents and supporting employees.

McCaffrey said that Constantine had "made an enormous difference" in refocusing the agency to give more assistance to local sheriffs and police chiefs who were fighting drug trafficking in their areas. This involved dispatching teams agents, who arrested more than 8,000 suspected drug traffickers around the country.
(Marijuananews note: Do the math...)

Under Constantine, the drug agency also helped the Colombian police dismantle the Cali drug cartel.

Constantine said he hoped to return to New York to teach and to consult for law enforcement organizations.

"It is totally and completely a personal decision," he said, but then hinted at a sense of isolation in Washington. "I probably could have stuck around to the end of this administration," he said, "but it would be disingenuous."
(Marijuananews note: There are at least two real stories being missed here.