What Victims?

Does anybody know how to file a Freedom of Information Act request? Because there’s something I’ve just got to know.

I was visiting the DEA site to see if they had any information about their anniversary celebration (“35 Years Of Ruining Lives For Nothing“), when I discovered something that stopped me cold: Like many law enforcement agencies, the DEA has a Victim Assistance Program. Since using and selling drugs is a classic victimless crime, I’ve got to know how much money the DEA spends helping the “victims.”

They seem to realize there’s a problem, because on their web page, they call it the Victim Witness Assistance Program even though the text on the page talks only about victims and says nothing about witnesses. I suspect the DEA is funneling victim assistance money into any regular law enforcement activity that can be characterized as helping a witness.

Keep in mind, too, that many witnesses in drug crimes are criminals who have been flipped by the government.