SENATOR COLLINS’ STATEMENT ON NEWS THAT DEA INVOLVED IN COLOMBIA SCANDAL

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Susan Collins, ranking Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following statement about the news that Drug Enforcement Agency personnel are under investigation for hiring prostitutes in Cartagena, Colombia.

"I was first briefed about this incident involving the DEA agents -- and a 13th Secret Service agent -- on May 4.  I was asked to withhold public comment until the agents could be extracted from Colombia and questioned.  As of the update that I received last Friday from the DEA Administrator and the Justice Department Inspector General, the investigation is still ongoing.
 

"It’s disturbing that we may be uncovering a troubling culture that spans more than one law enforcement agency.  In addition to the Secret Service scandal, we now learn that at least two DEA agents apparently entertained female foreign national masseuses in the Cartagena apartment of one of the agents.  The evidence uncovered thus far indicates that this likely was not just a one-time incident."