GOP Congressman Launches Inquiry Into DEA After Horrible Urine-Drinking Story

Reason reports that on Friday, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) sent a letter to DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart asking that the agency comply with an inquiry into that horror story we reported on Wednesday.

To refresh your memory: UCSD student Daniel Chong was abandoned in a DEA holding cell for five days, and resorted to drinking his own urine, unwittingly eating a bag of meth, and attempting suicide by swallowing pieces of his glasses. When officials finally realized he was still in there, he was found non-responsive, with a perforated lung, and verging on kidney failure.

“Reports of the incarceration of Daniel Chong […] raise concerns about the Drug Enforcement Administration and its procedures for handling and monitoring individuals in custody,” reads Rep. Hunter’s letter, obtained by Reason.

The letter requests that Hunter requests that the DEA turn over all information on Chong’s case and the procedures for holding individuals, and any information regarding other problems at the agency’s San Diego division.

Hunter’s letter appreciates that the DEA has taken full responsibility and apologized to Chong, but says his “concern is that this situation could also be a symptom of a bigger problem, with errors in procedure and oversight possibly extending to the Division’s law enforcement function.”

A government agency with oversight problems? No way!

Good move, Rep. Hunter. After you finish this investigation, perhaps you can launch an inquiry into the entire War on Drugs? Thanks.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

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