Before drug history and situation in the US
Before drug trafficking could become an issue, drugs themselves would have to become an issue first. Illegal drugs, narcotics and opioids have been around for a very long time, and substances as old as opium or drugs as new as pills were created, became popular, and thus began a need for production and distribution. In regards to how drug trafficking reached the U.S, the same process can be applied. Drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin, which were in the past “the most heavily used substances” (Notecard #3) in the U.S, were brought over and individuals tried it and wanted more. The simple craving of a substance is all it takes for the power of drug trafficking to take its grip. However, drug trafficking is a double edged sword that must be taken into consideration. Many of the highly addictive drugs that people are hooked onto are often prescribed at one point for medical purposes, and these drugs can’t be necessarily phased out as they do serve a legitimate purpose. It’s the risk of addiction that then leads individuals to pursue other sources for drugs, more than likely drug dealers supplied by traffickers.
Once drugs have become a fully established problem in a given society or area, there is then a foundation of people who can take in a supply of drugs, making imports possible. Such an example, and a rather stunning one, would be the America, as the “U.S is the largest market” (Notecard #2) for illegal drugs. Such a title is not very flattering, but at the same time should not be entirely surprising. As the demand for drugs in the U.S grew, so would methods of bringing them in. When America had a raging problem with heroin between the 1950s-1970s, mafias such as the New York Mafia would distribute as much as 95% of their imports, later to be known as “The French Connection” (Notecard #4). This problem would only persist and grow after the inclusion of foreign nations, such as Mexico and nations in South America. One specific case is one of the methods of import to the U.S via Mexico, which is when “drugs come into the U.S through the Pacific Ocean being exported through Baja California to California” (Notecard #6). Some further examples also include the Colombian “Medellin Cartel” which was “one of the biggest cocaine exports to the U.S during the 1980s, and the Colombian routes which had to shift to Mexican routers to smuggle drugs “as more attention was drawn to Colombia’s routes through South Florida”
Gangs and cartels
Inherently, gangs being what they are, had a particular knack for the illegal drug business and it’s potentially high payout. Gangs are nothing new in the United states, and “have long been established in the U.S, dating back to the 1800s” (Notecard #8). Once these gangs began to see the potential behind trafficking drugs, “gang members began taking part in drug trafficking” around the late 20th century. This problem would only begin to grow somewhat linearly as drugs were not going anywhere, and the money behind the substances was surely still flooding the streets. Drugs and gangs worked together in tandem as illegal business was a norm, and gangs could make very high amounts of money from production, distribution, and/or sales. Furthermore, the financial opportunity offered by drugs not only helped gangs grow and expand in influence, but in their numbers as well. From 2002-2008, “gang numbers increased by 28.4%” (Notecard #10) and is with reason: many people seeking to get out of poverty would joing gangs with the promise of making money through drug trafficking.
Alongside with gangs, cartels were also a major factor in the movement of drugs across America. Cartels being as widespread and expansive as they were (and still are), hundreds of complex routes and networks had to be created to facilitate the movement of drugs. For example, “most of the cocaine entering the U.S went from the Caribbean to South Florida” (Notecard #14) during the 1980s in what was known to be the Caribbean Corridor. In addition to main routes, there would also be a large variety of different small-scale operations and runners who would transport drugs as well. This can be seen through Nigeria’s role in trafficking heroin as they “recruit smugglers to do the work for them” (Notecard #29)
However, making money through drugs did get progressively harder as federal agencies around the world began to find way to crack down on the trafficking world. Gangs, cartels and any organization involved in earning high amounts of illegal money through drugs have to “clean” the money, otherwise risk getting easily tracked and caught. To do this said cleaning, money laundering is introduced, said to be “the way to hide the fact people earn so much money on illegal drugs” (Notecard #26). Money laundering is key to all of these if organizations if they wish to keep a low profile and actually use the money they have earned illegally. Laundering is done when the money gained “can be invested or placed in a bank, and the money appears to be earned legally” (Notecard #27). In its most basic form, laundering is essentially a way of getting rid of the “dirty” money by buying/investing things, and getting money back by selling or profiting from the purchases/investments. Moreover, as technology around the world continues to increase and become more advanced, so do traffickers. New forms of technology allows for things like “encryption of messages” (Notecard #28) to hide trafficker’s tracks and make it more difficult to find them.
After all the talk of traffickers and their potentially ridiculous amount of profit from drugs, it seems that they are unstoppable in their pursuit of money. But that is not necessarily the case, as a “war on drugs” is ongoing around the world through different agencies and entities, all trying to shut down these illegal businesses. These conflicts have been going on almost as long as trafficking itself, and with good reason. Even after years of combating traffickers, entities such as cartels would still bring back the fight by killing people and terrorizing communities to “prove their power and gain control” (Notecard #17). Issues such as these escalated to such violent levels that countries like Mexico had to ask the United States for assistance in battling the cartels. The U.S had to intervene not only out of assistance, but also because the issue with cartels and drugs began to reach the frontiers in America as well. This same war on drugs was also approached with diplomatic solutions, such as with the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). The main goal of this agency, originally made in 1989 under President George H.W Bush, was to “establish policies, priorities and objectives” (Notecard #20) and to work “with federal agencies like the U.S Custom Service to control drug trafficking”. In addition, the ONDCP serves to remind “people of the dangers of drugs and the abuse of them”. These methods, among many others, are some of the ways this growing issue is being repelled.
The growing issue with drug trafficking has become so large that it has reached every virtual corner of society around the world. With a growing list of drugs and more money coming into the equation, a growing number of people are falling into the pit of drug trafficking, whether directly or indirectly. Just one particular example: “More than a half of American students try an illicit drug by their senior year” (Notecard #25). This an undeniable fact that society is being affected by one of the most threatening substances and businesses in the world, and things need to change before tragedies such as Switzerland’s heroin crisis become a global norm.
Works Cited
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- ‘DOC: Drug Trafficking.’ Current Issues: Macmillian Social Science Library, Macmillan Reference USA, 2003. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A127365955/OVIC?u=j057909&sid=OVIC&xid=b5cf77ae. Accessed 19 Dec. 2018.
- ‘High Stakes on the High Seas.’ NYTimes.com Video Collection, 28 Oct. 2015. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CT433666372/OVIC?u=j057909&sid=OVIC&xid=fb2f892e. Accessed 19 Dec. 2018.
- ‘Drugs and Narcotics.’ American Law Yearbook 2012: A Guide to the Year’s Major Legal Cases and Developments, Gale, 2013, pp. 41-46. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2018000026/OVIC?u=j057909&sid=OVIC&xid=d2b25059. Accessed 19 Dec. 2018.
- Horn, Michael T. ‘Drug Trafficking Contributes to Organized Crime.’ Drug Trafficking, edited by Auriana Ojeda, Greenhaven Press, 2002. Current Controversies. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010043248/OVIC?u=j057909&sid=OVIC&xid=1fd2047b. Accessed 19 Dec. 2018. Originally published as ‘testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, Narcotics, and Terrorism,’ 1997.
- ‘Introduction to Mexico’s Drug War: At Issue.’ Mexico’s Drug War, edited by Margaret Haerens, Greenhaven Press, 2014. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010881101/OVIC?u=j057909&sid=OVIC&xid=55db57b9. Accessed 19 Dec. 2018.
- ‘Ocean Smuggling from Mexico to United States.’ Tribune Content Agency Graphics, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CT3294260956/OVIC?u=j057909&sid=OVIC&xid=bcdb678f. Accessed 19 Dec. 2018.
- ‘Tunneling Under the Border with Mexico.’NYTimes.com Video Collection, 1 Sept. 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CT462771980/OVIC?u=j057909&sid=OVIC&xid=911917b4. Accessed 19 Dec. 2018.
