--For any curious SR users:It is traditional on SRF to place the [intel] tag in front of the subject line when submitting sources of documentation/news to the forum. Sources should be high quality and ideally primary sources. Since there is a diverse set of possible topic areas, if you want to get a sense of what is appropriate intelligence then search the forum using the [intel] tag.--Source:Title: Global Drug Enforcement - Practical Investigative TechniquesAuthor: Lee, Gregory DPublisher : CRC PressISBN10 | ASIN : 0203488989ISBN13 : 9780203613078--Sources of InformationSources of information include both people and institutions. Drug agents need a steady flow of information in order to be effective in their jobs. Information is the lifeblood of any investigation, and drug cases rely more on information than any other form of criminal investigation.Everyone a drug agent comes into contact with is a potential source of information. Those people and institutions most frequently encountered include: Airline ticket agents Travel agents Baggage handlers Car rental employees Hotel clerks Utility companies Telephone service providers Real estate agents Internet service providers Bank employees Taxi drivers County Assessors Office Credit bureaus Private express shipping companies Yacht club employees Boat sales personnel Flight service station employees Private airplane sales personnelThese potential sources of information can provide drug agents with documentation of the suspects travel, banking, and telephone habits. This information frequently produces leads to other members of the conspiracy, and may help locate hidden assets and drug proceeds.Most people employed in these occupations provide information to drug agents either because they are compelled to by court order, or they have altruistic motives. Offering to pay these sources of information may result in some being offended, while others are eager to earn extra money while helping law enforcement.Airline Ticket AgentsMany basic drug investigations have the potential of being expanded into a complex smuggling case. Smuggling cases have the goal of identifying not only the smugglers involved with introducing the drug into the United States, but also with identifying those who move the drugs from one part of the country to the other.Drugs are commonly moved from one place to another via commercial airline. Both passengers and employees of airlines in all categories have been arrested for actually smuggling controlled substances, or for facilitating the transfer of these illegal drugs. Airline ticket agents, as well as other categories of employees, can help tremendously in cases of this type. Airline ticket agents, when trained by drug agents on the profile of a commercial air smuggler, can provide specific information about passengers, how their tickets were paid, as well as when and where they were purchased. Sometimes a simple computer check accessing this type of information can provide drug agents assigned to airport interdiction operations with information that frequently leads to arrests and seizures. See Chapter 15 for specific information.Travel AgentsUnlike airline ticket agents who usually only have access to specific information pertaining to their own airline, travel agents can access information from not only airline computers, but those maintained by rail, bus, and cruise ships, plus hotels throughout the world.These agents can provide drug law enforcement officers with vital information in the tracking of individuals involved in drug trafficking. Leads generated from travel agencies can provide drug agents with the opportunity to glean telephone toll information from calls made at hotels stayed at by the trafficker, as well as the method of payment for the room. The credit card information from payment of the hotel stay can lead to the development of other information in connection with the credit card application.Car Rental EmployeesEmployees of car rental agencies can provide drug agents with information pertaining to when and where a suspect rented a vehicle, how he paid for it, and the expected date of return of the car. They can also provide agents with information pertaining to prior history of car rentals by a particular suspect. With a court order, rental companies will allow drug agents access to the vehicle the suspect will be renting in order to install tracking or other devices inside.Hotel Registration ClerksThese valuable sources of information can provide drug agents with not only the occupant of a certain room, but can search reservation computers for recent and future stays. Nationwide hotel chains and especially international hotel chains can provide information about the airline and flight on which the suspect will be arriving, and its origin. Also, the hotel can provide the international telephone numbers that were called from the room, and what hotel services, including Internet and other business center services, that may have been provided. Having this type of information may lead to the development of valuable leads in identifying sources of supply and co-conspirators.Utility CompaniesDrug agents can quickly ascertain the names of persons paying for water, electric, and gas service at a particular address by contacting the appropriate utility company. Based on the huge volume of requests that are generated from law enforcement agencies in major metropolitan areas, these companies sometimes devote employees specifically for this purpose and sometimes require a subpoena before releasing this information.Surveillance agents should contact more than one of the utility companies providing service to a specific address in order to compare names of subscribers. Some utilities, such as electric companies, may have initiated service in a mans name, and the water and gas may be subscribed either in the name of the mans wife or in an entirely different name. The names and the credit applications submitted to the utility companies to initiate service can lead to the identity of other members of the drug conspiracy. Furthermore, by furnishing a suspects name to a utility or local telephone company, the drug agents can determine if the suspect is a customer, and at what address services are being provided.Drug agents in major metropolitan areas may find many different municipal and regional electric power companies within their jurisdiction. Often, agents will have to contact each company directly to ascertain the information they seek.Telephone Service ProvidersOne of the most important tools in a drug agents box is access to information pertaining to telephone calls made by suspects. Suspects rely on residential, business, pager, and cellular telephone service to communicate with other members of their criminal conspiracy and take steps to disguise their use of the telephone when possible.Many suspects activate one or more cellular telephones only to discontinue the service or discard the actual telephone within a few days or weeks fearing law enforcement has obtained their number and may be listening in on their conversations. The reality of the situation is that there are many more telephones being used to facilitate drug transactions then there are drug agents to monitor them. Despite this, most drug traffickers do not take the chance, and will frequently cancel service, change subscriber names, or abandon cellular telephones altogether.Under subpoena, telephone companies are required to provide drug law enforcement with the subscriber information and any particular detailed information called for in the subpoena. Typically, drug agents will ask for a record of all toll, or long-distance telephone calls made from a particular number for the past 6 months. After receiving this information, drug agents and intelligence analysts can see the relationship between the suspect and others that he calls. An analysis of telephone calls made by a particular subject can frequently identify members of the same conspiracy, and locate hiding places, stash houses, and the like. Telephone companies can also provide subscriber information on an emergency basis to law enforcement. For specific information pertaining to telephone analysis, see Chapter 17.Real Estate AgentsReal estate agents can perform a variety of services for drug agents during the course of an investigation. They have the ability to conduct property was financed, and with what lender. They can identify the real estate office responsible for the sale, as well as the escrow company that completed the transaction.This type of information may be helpful in determining the assets of a particular drug trafficker when attempting to seize his property as drug proceeds. They may also be able to identify the architect who built the home or building, which may be of help if serving a high-risk search warrant. Architectural drawings may reveal unique or hidden compartments within the home.Internet Service ProvidersDrug agents are encountering an increasing number of traffickers that rely on their own web sites, email, and the Internet to sell drugs, chemicals, and laboratory supplies. Internet service providers can provide law enforcement with the names and billing addresses of all subscribers to their services. They can also provide technical assistance in helping to track email, as well as email addresses used by subscribers.Banking InstitutionsBanks are compelled to provide information to a drug agent who is armed with a grand jury subpoena. Requests can range from verifying whether a trafficker maintains an account at the bank, to the balance he maintains, and copies of applications for loans he may have made. They can also provide names of safety deposit box holders, as well as when they last had access to the boxes.Security at banks require constant videotaping of customer transactions, and still photos can be obtained from the tapes. Making a deposit or withdrawal of drug proceeds may be an overt act in proving a conspiracy case, and these tapes may provide invaluable evidence.Taxi DriversLong a source of information for police officers, taxi drivers can provide suspect descriptions, where they were picked up and taken to, and possibly call back telephone numbers maintained by their dispatchers. Taxi drivers are a natural part of the landscape in any neighborhood they frequent. Drug agents may solicit trusted sources to drive by certain locations during different times of the day to look for a particular vehicle. A taxi company or independent driver may also allow drug agents the use of their vehicle for particular surveillance assignments.County Assessors OfficeThis governmental office can provide drug agents with the names of the owners of properties within the county, and advise when and if a certain property is in the process of changing ownership.Credit BureausThere are several large credit bureau organizations operating within the United States. Each maintains an extensive record of anyone who has ever established credit, as well as the payment history of an individual. The security management of credit organizations have assisted drug agents in the past in creating a credit history under an undercover name that will be used by an agent. Creating such a history, which will show employment, using totally fictitious information helps tremendously in gaining the confidence of traffickers while working undercover.Express Shipping CompaniesMany drug traffickers have used express shipping companies such as Federal Express and United Parcel Service to transport drugs to customers. These companies, as well as others, have proven to be extremely cooperative in drug investigations. In addition to providing tracking information on packages, they may assist by lending uniforms, vehicles, and other items for use during special surveillance operations and controlled deliveries.Yacht Club EmployeesEmployees of yacht clubs may have inside information pertaining to the travels of particular boats and yachts, and who was aboard the vessels at the time they arrived at the club. They can also serve as lookouts for specific vessels drug law enforcement may be interested in.Many employees hear rumors or are themselves asked to participate in certain aspects of maritime drug smuggling. They can provide leads into how services were paid for, who accompanied the trafficker during his visit at the club, how long his vessel was docked, etc. They can alert drug agents to furtive activity and suspicious persons that may be visiting with members of the yacht club or are waiting for them to arrive from a sailing voyage.Boat and Yacht Sales PersonnelThese professional sales people will be able to provide information to drug law enforcement agents about the sales of popular vessels used in the smuggling of drugs. With a court order, they can provide law enforcement with access to vessels for the placement of tracking devices. They will also have access to financing information, bank loans, insurance carriers, and other companies and individuals involved in maritime businesses. Many drug smuggling cases are initiated based on information provided by yacht salesmen and women.Flight Service Station EmployeesThese employees work in offices at airports that provide private and commercial pilots with a place to rest, file flight plans, buy fuel, food, maps, rent aircraft, and other necessities for air travel. Like yacht clubs, but to a smaller degree, these employees can ascertain when a certain plane arrived or took off, who was flying the plane, and its destination. These employees can also look out for particular airplanes drug law enforcement knows are involved in air smuggling.Private Airplane Sales PersonnelMuch like their yacht sales counterpart, private airplane sales personnel can provide listings of all sales of aircraft or who was interested in purchasing planes or modifying existing ones that may accommodate smugglers. These people could prove to be a wealth of information pertaining to air smuggles occurring in any particular area of the country.ConclusionThis list of sources of information is not all-inclusive, and not all the sources will be able to provide criminal information on a continuing basis. Drug agents should, however, make contacts at these establishments to cultivate informants who can provide specific, timely information about the activities of drug traffickers.SummaryDrug agents, like any criminal investigator, need to cultivate and develop sources of information from a variety of places. This can be accomplished by seeking out people in certain professions that may be privy to the goings-on of drug traffickers and smugglers.Many of these sources can provide a wealth of information about particular sales transactions, what was purchased, how it was paid for, and the like. This information may prove vital in identifying co-conspirators and lead to the location of drugs and drug proceeds.