DEA Tracking Motorists to Help Fight Drug Trafficking
Been driving in a big city recently? Chances are you’re on the DEA’s list.
These days, with social media and smartphones everywhere, it seems like privacy is a thing of the past. But it’s one thing to share your location on Facebook or allow a website on your iPhone to determine where you’re surfing from; it’s quite another to be unknowingly tracked by the Justice Department. In some instances, it’s necessary to give up some of our privacy in the interest of our national safety, but where do we draw the line?
Reports surfaced yesterday about the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) tracking vehicles in order to seize assets associated with drug trafficking. The aim is to build a national database to track the movement of vehicles nationwide, reports the Wall Street Journal, which broke the story. While the DEA has been using this information to help in its efforts to stop drug trafficking, other agencies have recently started using the data to help find vehicles linked to suspects in cases involving rape, kidnappings, and killings.
The tracking began near the Mexican border, where drug trafficking is rife, but it was recently revealed that the DEA had been expanding its database to include states across the nation. So if you regularly drive in heavily-populated areas, chances are that the DEA has your vehicle on its list.
Best stop all your drug trafficking activity now before they get suspicious.
News Source: Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)
Catherine Hiles (she/her) is a native Brit living and working in Dayton, Ohio. Cat has written about a variety of subjects, including finance, cars, and parenting. She is a frequent contributor to Dayton Mom Collective, The Penny Hoarder, and WDW Magazine.
Cat lives with her husband, their two kids, and their energetic pitbull mix. She counts running, lifting weights, walking, and reading among her hobbies. See more articles by Cat.