his name was gene haislip, and in 1986 he was the number three man at the dea. >> he had this entirely unique idea for controlling drugs, which was to go after the chemical components that go into illegal drugs. this was a radical departure from anything the d.e.a. had done before. >> narrator: haislip's strategy for beating the meth cooks was inspired by his recent victory over another drug-- quaaludes. >> a lot of people have forgotten about the quaalude problem, but it was a very big problem. one time it was as big as the heroin or cocaine problem. and people wonder why it's gone away. well, it's gone away because we beat them. >> narrator: in the early '80s, haislip discovered that quaaludes were made from a powder so chemically sophisticated that the columbian cartels selling quaaludes couldn't make it themselves, but had to buy it from legally- operated factories. and so haislip traveled around the world, convincing the government of every country with a factory that made the chemical in quaaludes to shut it down. >> well, it took some time, but in the end the colombians could no