ABSTRACT
The Drug Kingpin Act is the common name given to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act of 1999. Signed into law by President William J. Clinton, the bipartisan legislation was cowritten by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Paul Coverdell, who has since died. The statute has raised significant constitutional issues because of its encroachment on such rights as due process as it focuses on ways to curb drug trafficking. The statute grants the president plenary power to identify and sanction suspected international drug entities and individuals. Supporters of the legislation argue that the financial networks used to support drug kingpin activity compromise national security. Civil libertarians, however, worry about the act's lack of judicial review and the potential to sanction innocent people doing business with a suspected Tier II entity. Information used to identify targets is classified.
