Role Immigration in Drug Trafficking - Research Paper Example

The Role of Immigration in Drug Trafficking Introduction Drug Trafficking is a crucial link between the making and the use of unlawful drug. Drug trafficking is mainly comprised of certain factors that include management chain and hierarchy, demand and supply market and the people who traffic. The various participants of drug trafficking include drug mafia, transnational immoral groups and terrorists among others. All these participants are important links in the chain of drug trafficking (Madi, 2003). It has been prominent that especially the practice of drug trafficking is considered as one of the serious issues confronting both advanced and progressed nations. Production, operation and use of unlawful drugs are the ultimate danger towards the well being of the global community worldwide. In this connection, drug trafficking has became one of the major concerns that is being faced by many countries around the world. The most probable reason for this major concern of drug trafficking is recognized as unlawful immigration (Olario, n.d.). In the paper, the role that immigration generally plays in drug trafficking is taken into concern. Various aspects such as the link between unlawful immigration and crime, origin of drug dealers in the United States, various effects of drug trafficking and necessary policies along with a summative conclusion is taken into concern in the discussion of this paper. The thesis statement for this paper is to recognize the role and adverse effects of unlawful immigration upon drug trafficking especially in the context of United States. Drug Trafficking in the United States of America It has been recognized that most of the unlawful immigrants who are coming transversely from the southern border are usually involved in practicing the unlawful offense of drug smuggling. In lieu of this, the unlawful immigrants are not complying with the lawful considerations and they are regarded as criminals as they carry unlawful drugs on their backs. A few of the unlawful immigrants often come to the United States to look for work but are detained and they become a subject of the drug interest groups or associations (CNN, 2010). The United States /Mexico boundary is the principal spot of entrance especially for the drugs such as cocaine that are prevailed into the US. According to the latest evaluation that is made by interagency intelligence, it has been notified that an unlawful business operation of cocaine is practiced in the US and is accessible in all chief cities of the US (US Drug Enforcement Agency, 2004). Apart from the market of cocaine in the United States, the market of heroin is also firm in many US cities. Most of the heroine is produced in Mexico. In the previous years, the US has undertaken quite a few steps against the market of heroin (US Drug Enforcement Agency, 2004). Since the year 1993, the accessibility of heroin of South America that is formed in Colombia has increased considerably in the US. An autonomous body of traffickers typically conducted South American heroin business operations in the US through couriers travelling through business airlines. This autonomous body of traffickers eventually raised their influence in a profitable heroin market, which has the largest requirement in the US by practicing a forceful marketing strategy (US Drug Enforcement Agency, 2004). The heroin of Mexico possesses a great risk to the US. It is generally formed as well as circulated by ‘polydrug’ crime associations, many of which have been in action for many years. Furthermore, in Mexico the entire heroin that is created is especially designed for distribution in the United States. In this connection, it can be stated that the unlawful immigrants along with the immigrant workforce regularly carry out the unlawful business operation of heroin across the U.S./Mexico boundary for the major trafficking groups (US Drug Enforcement Agency, 2004). Role and Relationship between Illegal Immigration and Crime A valid association between unlawful immigration and immoral offense can be attained mainly from a few of the facts that include unlawful immigrants commit more crime, unlawful immigrants are probable to be maltreated with criminal offenses and illegitimate immigrants use the actions of the smugglers who consign more criminal offenses than the unlawful immigrants (Orrenius & Coronado, 2005). It has been recognized that a significant number of immigrants of Mexico follow certain guides or principles and the possible chances of making use of a smuggler to help in the passage eventually rises when border enforcement increases. Various evidences recommend that as border enforcement and punishments on smuggling have expanded along with drug trade, the nature of smuggling has also become more violent (Orrenius & Coronado, 2005). The advancement as well as the progression in drug trafficking are very much essential since this is a significant source of violent crime. It is largely believed that the issue of illegal immigration is the ultimate reason of drug trafficking (Orrenius & Coronado, 2005). Origin of Drug Dealers Involved In Drug Trafficking The incident that took place at ‘Dadeland Mall’ in Florida in the year 1979 that had acquired nationwide concentration was the first noticeable fact of the growing presence of a network of Colombia supported drug traders in the United States. This significant incident had been visualized by a person named Carlos Enrique Lehder-Rivas (The United States Department of Justice, 2003). In the late 1970s, Carlos Enrique Lehder-Rivas began to collaborate with other Colombia-supported drug associations and was dynamically engaged in the processes of manufacturing, carrying and allocation of tons of cocaine to the United States and around the world. His ideas and various unlawful operations eventually progressed into one of the most profitable, dominant and remarkable corporations known as ‘The Medellin Cartel’. The members of the corporations included a few of the most antisocial drug aristocrats belonging to the era of 1980s (The United States Department of Justice, 2003). Initially, by the year 1976, Carlos Enrique Lehder-Rivas bought ‘Norman’s Cay’ which is an island in the ‘Bahamas’ which provided a foundation for carrying out the unlawful business operations between United States and Columbia. Carlos Enrique Lehder-Rivas was just one of the hundreds of Colombia-supported drug members expanding the cocaine business in the US (The United States Department of Justice, 2003). Effects of Drug Trafficking The unlawful utilization and business of drugs possess a broad variety of social, economic and political effects. A substantial lawful production of drugs mainly takes place for medical and scientific purposes. Drug manufacturing and business can generate both advantages as well as problems for the principal producing countries. Unlawful drugs can be very much crucial towards the financial system of a country, for instance, the financial market of cocaine has created maximum profit than any other export (Tullis & Painter, 1994). In this connection, it has been noted that in various drug manufacturing nations, the deprived farmers have attained more wealth, communal mobility and exercised more power over their future. At the same time, participation in unlawful actions such as drug trafficking can also bear various troubles or difficulties (Kelly, Maghan, & Serio, 2005). In various drug manufacturing nations, many farmers fall victim towards the different drug associations and also stop cultivating drug crops due to small margin in the profits. In addition, major and crucial ecological harm can be the reason for the manufacturing of drug. Moreover, various severe problems also can occur especially from the chemicals that are executed in the initial stages of drug processing (Kelly, Maghan, & Serio, 2005). In context of consumption of unlawful drugs, it has been observed that the consumption of unlawful drugs is speedily scattering all over the world and in lieu of this, it is reported that there lies an enhanced per capita income particularly in the US and Canada. It is obvious to the fact that the utilization of unlawful drugs possesses a broad variety of adverse effects on an individual. The bodily condition, monetary position, efficiency and communal relations of an individual are affected through the use of unlawful drugs (Tullis & Painter, 1994). The unlawful consumption of drugs can also cause a few of the undesirable effects that include birth deficiency, weak parental links and neuro-biological fall from overdose along with attendant hospital costs. It can also undesirably affect the classroom presentations and psychological progression of adolescents. It is worthy noticing of the fact that in terms of social benefits, long or short-term consumption of unlawful drugs is more harmful than infrequent consumption (Leonard, 2009). Along with the above mentioned various affects regarding the consumption of unlawful drugs, the other significant adverse effect include HIV diffusion due to the inoculation of drugs that has become a major concern. The major infections of HIV were observed to occur and eventually became a significant issue of adverse effect in many parts of the world (Tullis & Painter, 1994). Policy Options for Drug Trafficking There lie various reasons for the failure of drug managing and guiding principles in order to reduce the level of drug trafficking. The reasons include lack of substitute income-earning potentials among the rural citizens in drug manufacturing countries which is quite substantial, greater price differentiation between legal and illegal crops, appealing and attractive profits acquired by the traffickers in the illegal business and the traffickers are quite skilled at avoiding law regulation efforts (Tullis & Painter, 1994). The various policy options that have been initiated in order to reduce the level of drug trafficking to a certain extent include supporting the latest ‘Congressional’ proposals in order to establish commissions to assess or examine anti-drug methods and associated polices, enhancing alternative domestic and international plans and collaborating with other key nations to manage an inter-governmental taskforce especially based on anti drug strategy that would ultimately appraise and evaluate global policy efforts upon the illegitimate consumption of drugs (Hakim, 2011). Along with initializing the above mentioned strategies or policies, the other policies or strategies significantly include expanding data collection and analysis regarding the various major facets, policies and programs that are eventually designed to address drug trafficking issue and encouraging other governments as well as multilateral agencies similarly to develop superior data and statistics based on drug related issues (Hakim, 2011). In this connection, identifying various drug associated courses and schemes at the community, state and central levels in order to decrease drug addiction, rising prospects of training as well as rehabilitation for those who are especially imprisoned of drug offenses and lessening the level of drug linked misdoings are a few of the enhanced polices that are initiated to reduce the level of drug trafficking to a certain extent (Babor, Caulkins, & Edwards, 2010). Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded that the practice of drug trafficking is regarded as an unlawful offense and it causes a significant risk towards the national safety of a particular region or country. It has been observed that there are various causes regarding the issue of drug trafficking, among which the issue of unlawful immigration is the most significant one. In order to reduce the level of the practice of unlawful offense i.e. drug trafficking to a certain extent, various policies or strategies need to be initialized in order to overcome the serious issue of drug trafficking, which is one of the major concerns in many parts of the world. Along with reducing the level of drug trafficking, the various adverse effects that include serious difficulties such as HIV infections can also be minimized by adopting such drug abuse prevention strategies to a certain extent. References Babor, T., Caulkins, J. P., & Edwards G. (2010). Drug policy and the public good. UK: Oxford University Press. CNN. (2010). Arizona’s brewer: Most illegal immigrants are ‘drug mules’. Retrieved from http://articles.cnn.com/2010-06-25/us/arizona.immigrants.drugs_1_drug-cartels-drug-trafficking-smuggling?_s=PM:US Hakim, P. (2011). Rethinking US drug policy. Retrieved from http://www.seguridadcondemocracia.org/administrador_de_carpetas/OCO-IM/pdf/Rethinking_US_Drug_Policy_feb2011.pdf Kelly, R. J., Maghan, J & Serio, J. (2005). Illicit trafficking: A reference handbook. California: ABC-CLIO. Leonard, B. (2009). National Drug Threat Assessment 2008. US: DIANE Publishing. Madi, M. (2003). Drug trafficking in weak states: The case of central Asia. Retrieved from http://www.silkroadstudies.org/new/docs/master_theses/MA_drugtrafficking.pdf Olario, A. R. (n.d.). Current situation of transnational organized crime in the Philippines. Retrieved from http://www.unafei.or.jp/english/pdf/RS_No54/No54_13PA_Olario.pdf Orrenius, P. M., & Coronado, R. (2005). The effect of illegal immigration and border enforcement on crime rates along the U.S-Mexico border. Retrieved from http://www.ccis-ucsd.org/PUBLICATIONS/wrkg131.pdf The United States Department of Justice. (2003). Drug enforcement administration. Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/history/history_part1.pdf Tullis, L & Painter, J. (1994). Illicit drugs: Social impacts and policy responses. Retrieved from http://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BCCF9/%28httpAuxPages%29/4C3D0BE90FAD550480256B6400419B57/$file/bp2.pdf US Drug Enforcement Agency. (2004). Drug trafficking in the United States. Retrieved from http://www.policyalmanac.org/crime/archive/drug_trafficking.shtml Read More