This becomes notable as it allows for one of the first instances in which an agency of the federal government may prosecute those charged with violation of regulations dealing with medical wastes.

However, in the same year the agency prosecuted 266 companies, 61 resulted in fines over £10,000.

The agency has earmarked 1 to 2 percent of its $40.5 million seafood inspection budget, which was increased last year, to provide greater resources for finding and prosecuting fraud.

The agency has not often prosecuted people importing drugs from Canada, Mr. Hubbard said, but the agency "reserves the right to do so in the appropriate circumstance."

The department has acknowledged that the plant is violating the law, but the environmental agency is not prosecuting the case while officials negotiate the schedule for proper disposal of the waste.

Since the Justice Department created the Office of Special Investigation in 1979, the agency has prosecuted 108 people, including 10 suspects living in New York state.

The agency has long prosecuted public corruption, but in the 1980's and 1990's, street gangs, drugs and violent crime had a higher priority.

He added that the agency would prosecute anyone who continued to provide false documents.

The agency also has issued warning letters, seized products, and criminally prosecuted people responsible for these illegal diet products.

However, when the federal agencies are not prosecuting individuals but gathering intelligence to stop attacks, it must be free of Fourth Amendment constraints.