Illicit Drug Trafficking

* Central Idea: By first focusing on the generalized synopsis of how the Columbian Drug Cartels function, I will then be able to give a more detailed account of the two larges Cartels from Columbia—Medellin Cartel and the Cali Cartel.

“Today's wholesale cocaine industry operated by Mexico's cartel is a $30 billion per year business -- a figure that easily outstrips revenues reported by giants like Ford, General Motors,

Drug trafficking is something that is hard for law enforcement to keep up with. The federal government has developed agencies in order to combat this problem. “The primary agencies involved in drug interdiction include the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Military” (Levinthal, C.F., 2012, p. 120). The DEA is responsible for enforcing illicit drugs laws and regulations. And bringing to justice any person or group that has any part in engineering, delivery or growing of an illicit drug with the intent to sale. The DEA are sometimes work undercover and are frequently out of the country conducting investigations with foreign leadership. The U.S. Custom and Border Protection

It is considered to be a failure, due to the overfunded budget of drug control policies with little results in return. The United States government decided its domestic problem of drugs could be stopped at the source, such as Latin America and Middle Eastern countries by offering resources in exchange for manpower in the war. “Between 1981 and 1995, the United States spent only US $ 5.3 billion on all international drug control programs in Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Latin America together. (Vellinga,2000).” Not nearly enough to stop 100 billion plus drug industry. The manufacturing, production, transportation of drugs is the best way to earn money in these poverty stricken countries, all of them are considered to be third world countries. “ coca cultivation and cocaine production and trafficking feed on the bad socioeconomic condition in the source countries. (Vellinga,2000).” It is impossible to stop drug industry because of multiple factors involved. For example, supply and demand “ the illegitimate nature of the business, it's high profit and high risk characteristics, will lead them to take any course of action that is necessary in order to have their merchandise reach the market. (Vellinga,2000).” Cracking down on the drug industry causes prices for the product to rise, exactly what occur during prohibition and the black market

It’s safe to say that the War on Drugs is up in the conversation for being one of America’s biggest problems. It accounts for 320 billion dollars just from America alone (Headquarters, Drug policy). Obviously when we think about drugs we don’t think about happy things, instead we think about death, murder, and other gruesome thoughts. Latin America has had there problems with drugs, and it’s gotten so bad to the point that America and other neighboring countries have to step in and try to save the citizens of these countries. Latin America is known to be in the middle of the whole drug war(Staff, History). Peru, Bolivia, and Columbia were the main 3 countries that started this mess that is known as the “Drug War”(Staff, History). This war is so huge and deadly that almost every single country in the world is somehow involved in this. There are many reasons why America shouldn’t engage in the War on Drugs such as the financial purposes, and other reasons for the citizens of our country.

(Buehring) One reason that the United States’ “War on Drugs” hurt Latin and South American countries was that it strengthened alliances between rural coca farmers, particularly in Peru, and the drug cartels that generated money for them against local and American governments, who attacked and destroyed the farmers’ way of making money, coca. At the heart of the “War on Drugs” was cocaine. The cocaine business was and still is Latin America’s multinational industry, and ever since its’ establishment, Peru has supplied the raw coca leaves and paste for the entire continent. This made it a very important place for the guerilla groups, who distributed and profited off of the cocaine, as much as it did the US and Peruvian governments, who sought

The international drug trade from Latin American states is having an impact on a global scale. The trafficking of drugs along with corruptness and murder is an international conflict that is being fought daily. There are many aspects of the drug war from Mexico and other Latin American states which have effects on United States policy as well as policies from other countries that participate in the global suppression of illegal drugs.

The drug dealers have captured a great deal of power in Colombia, and have adopted the position of the government in many instances. The drug trade has ruined the image of Colombia, and has caused the world to forget about the other goods produced in Colombia, like coffee, flowers, oil and gas for instance. As the website put out by the Colombian Government Trade Bureau entitled “Colombia Trade News” states,

Latin America has had a long history of drug use, which contributes to its stereotype as a drug infested region. Beginning in the 1970’s, the United States has been trying to eliminate drug cartels, trafficking, and use in Latin America (Bogota). The influence of drugs in Latin America has led to violence and death over the many years.

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is playing an important role in the region. DEA gives support to Peruvian police with technology, training and material. Additionally, the Agency supports with intelligence resources to fight money laundering. With Brazil and Colombia there is a close relation to control the borders by air. The radar information between the three countries is shared, helping to detect illegal flights. Moreover, in all the region there are agreements for extradition of traffickers. There are free trading agreements with the United States that includes goals of eradication of coca leaf cultivation. On the other hand, the Plan Colombia has affected negatively Peru with the balloon effect. Colombia has decreased the cultivated surface but Bolivia and Peru had increased. This is like trying to squeeze an air balloon. In one point you apply pressure and it seems to shrink, but what really happens is that the air is shifted to the rest. The forced eradication by itself is not the only way to attack the problem. Next I will explain what I consider can be done to get a more effective

Drug trafficking has become an increasingly growing problem in the world today. Illegal drug trade is a worldwide black market consisting of production, distribution, packaging, and sale of illegal substances. Although today’s "War on Drugs" is a modern phenomenon, drug problems have been a common problem throughout history. The market for illegal drugs is massive, when we consider the estimated global drug trade value is worth $321 billion (Vulliamy). The most drug trafficking happens on the border between Mexico and the United States. Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon said, “Our neighbor is the largest consumer of drugs in the world. And everybody wants to sell him drugs through our door and our window”

The history of drug trafficking dates back to thousands of years, but one of the earliest operations involving the United States goes back to 1850 when chinese immigrants smuggled opium into California through large cargo ships. This paved the way for the ‘popular’ drugs of today's era, such as: marijuana, cocaine, and meth. Over the past 40 years the US has spent a staggering $2.5 trillion dollars fighting the drug war. Despite these efforts, the U.S. International Narcotics Control Strategy reports that only 10% of cocaine smuggled over the border of Mexico is intercepted (Suddath). US government officials have stated, “The only way to completely stop the drug war, is to help the other countries involved in it.” A prime example of this would

The criminal organizations are large and widespread all through the nations of their operation, which makes it possible to convince farmers on the need to cultivate opium and coca. Because many of these rural farmers are poor, it is easy for drug traffickers to convince them, via incentives, on the financial benefits arising from drug manufacturing. Drug traffickers in Afghan have a close association with terrorist organizations, as well as insurgents like the al-Qaeda and Taliban. Research demonstrates that the Taliban and al-Qaeda generate a lot of income from unlawful drug trade in Afghanistan. The groups are an international threat, when dealing with the problem of crime management, which makes it even difficult for the Afghan administration to ban the criminal organization groups’ involvement in heroin trade. In South America, drug trafficking is an organized business, where different groups are in charge of manufacture, while other distribute the drug. From the 1990s, the Cali and Medellin groups, had exclusive regulation in the making and selling of cocaine internationally. However, after Pablo Escobar’s passing away, and incarceration of Rodriguez brothers, the individuals leading the organizations, the organized trade became decentralized to other criminal organizations. For instance, Colombia’s armed organizations are significantly engaged in drug trade. Currently, different organizations working in small cells regulate the trade of

The war on drugs began in Colombia as it was the top producer of narcotics all throughout the 80s. Colombia’s Pablo Escobar was the main exporter of cocaine and dealt with organized criminal networks all over the world. The Colombian organizations formed partnerships with the Mexico-based traffickers to transport cocaine through Mexico into the United States. Mexico alone had a major source of heroin and marijuana. Once the Colombian drug trade fell in the 1990s Mexico scrambled to be next in line in terms of power in the drug

Some 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers) away in Colombia, the international community has witnessed a similar effort of simultaneous counterinsurgency and counternarcotics campaigns in the Western Hemisphere’s longest running armed conflict between the government of Colombia and the biggest guerrilla group in the country, the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia–Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP). The FARC-EP, as a budding insurgency in desperate need of more reliable financing, eventually encountered the burgeoning drug trade in Colombia – this