Drug Trafficking within the United States - Essay Example

? Drug trafficking within the United s Drug trafficking within the United s One of the most profitable markets found in the world include the American market of illegal drugs. As a result, this market attracts very many sophisticated, aggressive, and sophisticated drug peddlers. The law enforcement agencies charged with the responsibility of protecting the United States against drug trafficking face great challenges in ensuring security along the American borders (Lyman & Potter, 2010). According to the US Customs Service report, more than 675, 000 private planes fly over sixty million individuals into the United States. Additionally, the land facilitates entry of 370 million people while the sea plays a significant role in this sector as it aids to entry of over six million people into this country. The sea also witnesses more than nine million shipping containers dock at the coastal ports of America (Scott, 2003). These ships ferry very many containers filled with different merchandise supplied to different parts of America. Ideally, this voluminous trade contributes largely to drug trafficking as drug traffickers conceal different drugs inside these containers. This paper will seek to develop an argumentative paper on drug trafficking in the United States. Surprisingly, amid this great deal of trade, drug peddlers manage to conceal illegal drugs such as marijuana, methamphetamine, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine MDMA, heroine, and cocaine and ship these drugs directly into the American market for distribution (Ganister & David, 2008). Numerous drug trafficking groups acquire and distribute these drugs to criminals operating in the South of America who extend the chain by smuggling marijuana and cocaine via a number of routes into different parts of America. These routes comprise of land routes whereby, these crooks smuggle their drugs via Mexico maritime routes, sea routes from and into Caribbean as well as by use of the international air corridors. Drug peddlers operating in the neighborhood of Mexico use the Southwest border to smuggle marijuana, amphetamine, cocaine, and methamphetamine into the United States (LaRosa & Mejia, 2006). Despite having established a variety of routes for smuggling different illegal drugs for distribution into the US neighborhoods, the Mexican criminal drug traffickers are seeking to increase their grip of distributing these drugs into the eastern part of US markets. Similarly, as of today, the use of 3 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is on the rise in the streets as it goes in the name “ecstasy”. Statistics show that the abuse of this type of drug is rising at an alarming rate in the streets of the United States following the emergency and collaboration of Russian and Israeli drug traffickers (Lyman & Potter, 2010). Western Europe is the world largest produce of MDMA. The Western Europe drug smugglers collaborate with the Mexican criminals who facilitate the entry of this type of drug into the United States market through commercial airlines as well as through express package couriers. Criminal groups ailing from the Southeast and Southwest Asia control and smuggle illegal drugs like heroine into the United States market with the help of some mafias based in the New York City which happens to be the main hub for distribution of heroine within and around Midwest and eastern sea bond (Scott, 2003). International drug trafficking aside, America has interior drug smugglers who in addition to trafficking take part in planting and manufacturing. Common drugs found in the hands of criminals of this caliber comprise of marijuana and phencyclidine PCP (Younger & Rosin, 2005). Others include lysergic acid diethylamide LSD and methamphetamine. As the demand for high potency methamphetamine continues to grow, the number of illicit laboratories is also hiking. This is because of the growing number of addicts especially college and high school students. Up to this point, one may ask for reasons as to why drug trafficking is on the verge in the United States. Obviously, advanced means, instruments for transporting illegal drugs from one point to another are many and untamable (Ganister & David, 2008). As a result, despite huge presence of anti narcotics and trafficking law enforcement agencies and officers, technology and other factors continue to make it possible for drug peddlers to smuggle drugs into the US markets with regulated efforts. Arguably, drug trafficking is a major problem in the US mainly because of the availability of illegal drugs. Since the number of manufacturing and packing laboratories is high and untraceable, it becomes a hard task for law enforcement officers to contain the situation and apprehend suspects (Scott, 2003). With reference to this menace, trafficking of illegal drugs such as cocaine continues to devastate the lives of many Americans in terms of their health and safety. Studies carried out by the drug abuse indicators agents assert that trafficking and use of crack and powder cocaine is at a stable state albeit the fact that it is at high level (Lyman & Potter, 2010). Its abuse and distribution spread from main cities to suburban towns leading to increased criminal activities and violence across the country. To some extent, it is agreeable to say that drug trafficking is at such extreme levels due to laxity of authorities supposed to crack down drug peddlers’ activities. The law enforcement agencies responsible for apprehending drug peddlers across United States put inadequate efforts and personnel in fight against drug trafficking in this country (Ganister & David, 2008). In addition, the law enforcement agents charged with the responsibility of securing the people of the United States against hazards associated with drug peddling in a country associate or collaborate with drug traffickers in distributing these illegal substances into the US markets (Younger & Rosin, 2005). Fact findings highlight that, police officers are part of the chain responsible for moving illegal drugs from one point to another especially from main cities such as New York and New Jersey to smaller cities around the United States. As a result, it is becoming highly ineffective to eradicate the power of drug traffickers given the fact that they have associates in the government. Crack is an expensive type of cocaine whereby an addict can smoke it (Lyman & Potter, 2010). According to a police report released in the beginning of 2012, this form of cocaine is traversing around the major cities of America at a vast pace. This is because of easy means to transport it and its market is large. Reviews reveal that the largest amount of cocaine enters the United Sates through the US/ Mexico boarder. With reference to one of the interagency intelligent assessments, this is the primary joint where criminals smuggle shipments of cocaine into the US market. In spite of huge presence of boarder patrol police, Colombian mafias manage to smuggle their cargo concealing cocaine into America and use their organized crime groups to do the rest of the business (Ganister & David, 2008). In this spectrum, reliable sources tell us that there are organized criminal groups all charged with different responsibilities. There are those who distribute the drugs within the local markets, those who ship it from one town to another, and others who are responsible for carrying the cash obtained from the sale of their merchandise. This shows that, drug trafficking appears more organized than the police officers do. Furthermore, this business is profitable hence; money does most of their illicit deals (Scott, 2003). Drug traffickers use sophisticated infrastructure and complicated technology to peddle drugs from one city to another and from one country to another via sea, land, and air. For instance, groups affiliated to the Columbian drug traffickers operate a number of vast cells, which has several bases in major towns within the United States. Thus, it becomes difficult for the police to contain such groups given the fact that they have to depend on the government to fund their operations, which at times limits their ability to fight drug trafficking in America (Lyman & Potter, 2010). Therefore, compared to drug traffickers who operate many large business including engaging in money laundering, the police and their agencies have little power to curb this illicit business (Scott, 2003). The business of trafficking has quick huge cash. People involved in this business accumulate lumps of money within a very short period. As such, it becomes difficult for the police to stop drug trafficking to major cities. A report released by the DEA Philadelphian Filed Division put across that the major suppliers of cocaine in most US cities such as New York are the Dominican and Columbian organizations. Sources from the DEA Boston Field Division reported that these organizations are very powerful and have a lot of money which makes their operations are untouchable (Ganister & David, 2008). Consequently, the presence of Mexican, Dominican and Columbian drug traffickers avail distribution of multi kilograms of cocaine in New City, Philadelphia, Boston, and Brooklyn making the chain long and sophisticated. However, despite large mobsters for drug trafficking in the United States, the police put certain toll of efforts and managed to seize a particular amount of drugs. Report extracted from the Federal wide Drug Seizure System depicted that the US Federal authorities managed to seize a load of over 11 million metric tones of cocaine in the year 2001 (Lyman & Potter, 2010). As part of the plan to contain and if possible eliminate drug traffickers and cartels in the United States, the Federal authorities in association with other law enforcement agencies carried a drug trafficking crackdown, which ended up bringing down very many drug traffickers in the US (Ganister & David, 2008). This wave of crackdown shook the entire mobsters involved in the business rendering the chain fearful. This sparked a wave of criminal activities all aimed at avenging the arrest and death of their colleagues. In conclusion, the debate on drug trafficking in the US is length and controversial as well. With reference to DEA reports, gymnasium or fitness clubs facilitate distribution, sale, and abuse of illicit drugs such as anabolic steroids. This follows the fact that weightlifters and bodybuilders are the predominant users of these drugs (Lyman & Potter, 2010). Transportation of cocaine, methamphetamine, and cannabis sativa enter the United States market on daily basis. The report goes ahead to reveal that Greek, Romanian, and Russian nationals contribute to the amount of traffickers shipping steroids into US neighborhoods. No matter what the government through its forces does, the fact will remains that if the international community does not support control over foreign sources that supply America and other countries with illicit drugs, then, it is impossible to launch cognitive attacks at the trafficking sources (Scott, 2003). Drug traffickers cause devastating effects on the US economic, health, and political sectors. If the government does not work beyond the current or existing measures then, war on drug trafficking will be unachievable objective despite the point that the whole world is working towards attaining a world free of illicit drugs. References Ganister, P. & David, L. (2008). The U.S.-Mexican Border Into The Twenty-First Century. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. LaRosa, M. & Mejia, G. (2006). An Atlas and Survey of Latin American History. New York: M.E. Sharpe. Lyman, M. & Potter, G. (2010). Drugs in Society: Causes, Concepts and Control. New York: Elsevier. Scott, P. (2003). Drugs, Oil, and War: The United States in Afghanistan, Colombia, and Indochina. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. Youngers, C. & Rosin, E. (2005). Drugs and Democracy in Latin America: The Impact Of U.S. Policy. Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers. Read More