Afghanistan Waste: The DEA's $86M Afghanistan Counter-Drug Plane That Has Never Flown

A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) ATR 500 aircraft sits in a Department of Defense subcontractor facility in Afghanistan, in this handout image taken in April 2015 and provided to Reuters on March 30, 2016. REUTERS/COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

Reuters: U.S. anti-drug plane for Afghanistan still flightless after $86 million: report

The U.S. government spent $86 million over seven years developing a counter-narcotics surveillance aircraft for Afghanistan, but the plane has never carried out a mission and is sitting idle in Delaware, a watchdog said on Wednesday.

After years of war in Afghanistan, a global hub of opium and hashish production, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had until now largely avoided criticism for questionable spending of the sort leveled widely against the U.S. military.

But Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said in a report that an aircraft purchased by the DEA and modified with tens of millions of Defense Department dollars missed every delivery deadline and remained inoperable.

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More News On The DEA's $86M Afghanistan Counter-Drug Plane That Has Never Flown

Watchdog: DEA's $86M Afghanistan counter-drug plane still 'resting on jacks' -- FOX News
Watchdog report: $86 million counternarcotics plane never flown -- The Hill
$86 million aircraft to combat drugs in Afghanistan doesn't take off -- CNN
U.S. Spent $86 Million on Antidrug Plane That Never Flew a Mission -- WSJ
DEA drug fighting plane doesn’t fly, but costs soar -- Washington Post
How the Government Spent $86 Million for a Plane That Hasn’t Flown -- Fiscal Times
$86m US counter-narcotics plane intended for Afghanistan missions is still grounded -- Khaama Press