Opium, Heroin, Marijuana, Hashish Drugs - Report Example

Research paper topic: the French Connection Introduction: What are drugs? Why is there so much talk on them? Why do the people fall prey to them? Arenarcotics called drugs? These are some of the questions which are asked by many of us. There is no answer to these questions. In spite of the warning of the dangers and the effects of these drugs the number of addicts is going on increasing. The drug addicted looks pale and intoxicated living in the fantasies, forgetting every other thing. Opium, heroin, marijuana, hashish are the drugs that make the addict doleful. Marijuana and hashish are the dried leaves and flowers of a plant called hemp. The leaves, flowers and even stalks of this plant are smoked and sometimes chewed. Heroin is a refined form of opium, fifty times more potent than the latter.1 There are so many types of drugs. One type of drugs is Depressants are called "Downers" because these types of drugs slow down the body into a relaxed state. The Central Nervous System of your body is not as active. Stimulants are called "Uppers" because they make you feel very awake. You feel like you have a lot of energy. These drugs speed up your Central Nervous System. Hallucinogens are the drugs that make you feel like you are seeing things that arent really there. They play tricks on your mind.2 Heroin is also known as with the following names, Smack, Horse, Mud, Brown sugar, Junk, Black tar, and Big H. It is a White to dark-brown powder or tar-like substance that can be either Injected, smoked, or inhaled.3 The freedom of Afghanistan may have ended one evil, but unless it is stopped, it is creating a bigger evil - an 800% increase in heroin production, which not only funds the Islamist terrorists, but also kills and destroys the lives of hundred of thousands around the world. In 2005, America can help stop this scourge. Afghanistan no longer serves as Al Qaedas home base. Yet, it remains the source of no lesser an evil - the biggest heroin supply in the world. Since its liberation, Afghanistans heroin production has risen to 5,000 tons from 640 tons, an increase of almost 800%, worth at least $7 billion. Afghanistan now supplies 87% of the worlds heroin market and at least 90% of the heroin abused in Europe.4 Countries Involved: Drugs mostly heroin is used in every country and the drug users are increasing rapidly everywhere.  We will see the situation of drugs users in some countries. Turkey: Turkey is the major route for storage and production of heroin. The country is located on the so called “Balkan Route”. The Balkan Route begins in the opium cultivation areas in Southwest Asia, goes through Iran and Turkey and divides into northern and southern branches on the Balkan Peninsula. The northern branch follows a path through Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria reaching Germany. The southern branch takes the sea route through Turkey and Greece into Western Europe. Heroin precursor chemicals coming from Western Europe, Balkans and Russia and opiates originating from Afghanistan provide the Turkish based traffickers with capability to operate laboratories at various locations within Turkey and near the Turkish-Iranian border in Iran. According to the U.S. International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, traffickers based in Turkey control much of the heroin marketed to Western Europe. The dimensions of heroin smuggling through Turkey are best illustrated by seizures, which in 2003 amounted to more than five tons of heroin.5  France: France has also large number of drug users. Estimate of drug users in the France ranges 50,000 to several million (Padieu, 1994). There is not reason why these people use dugs. There is no definition for the drug users. The estimates does not clearly show whether they are current drug users or they have ever used drugs in past. As a case in point, the research institute Baromètre Santé recently claimed that lifetime prevalence of cannabis use in a given age group dropped 40% within two years time (CFES, 1995). It looks inspiring that 5,000 kg of heroin are being seized in the European Union every year.6 Other Countries: Almost in every country of European Union and America and Asia, the dug users are increasing. Below the table shows the details drug users according to countries. Table 1. Quantities of heroin seized in the European Union. 1992 kg 1993 kg 1994 kg Belgium 107 (2.0%) 76 (1.6%) 137 (2.3%) Germany 1,438 (26.7%) 1,095 (23.3%) 1,590 (26.9%) France 327 (6.6%) 286 (6.1%) 661 (11.2%) Italy 1,358 (25.2%) 625 (13.3%) 1,149 (19.5%) Netherlands 570 (11.0%) 916 (19.5%) 246 (4.2%) Portugal 55 (1.0%) 92 (2.0%) 88 (1.5%) Spain 672 (12.5%) 604 (12.9%) 824 (13.9%) United Kingdom 547 (10.1%) 683 (14.6%) 793 (13.4%) Other EU countries 317 (5.9%) 316 (6.7%) 419 (7.1%) Total 5,391 (100%) 4,693 (100%) 5,907 (100%) Source: Europol/Europol Drugs Unit (1995) People involved in Smuggling of Drugs: Smugglers of heroin and other type of drugs exist almost in every country. It is not easy to trace those smugglers as with the passage of time ways of smuggling are also changed and advanced. But details of the some famous smugglers are given below: François Spirito: François Spirito was a member of the Marseille underground in France, associated to Paul Carbone. After the discharge, he fled to Spain and then South America, where he started the business of heroin. That trade of heroin was then called French Connection. He was judged in 1952 for Collaborationism, and died in 1967.7 Mauricio Rosal: The first key French Connection case occurred in 1960. In June, an informant told a drug agent in Lebanon that Mauricio Rosal, the Guatemalan Ambassador to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, was smuggling morphine base from Beirut, Lebanon, to Marseilles. Narcotics agents had been seizing about 200 pounds of heroin in a typical year, but intelligence showed that the Corsican traffickers were smuggling in 200 pounds every other week. Rosal alone, in one year, had used his diplomatic status to bring in about 440 pounds.8 Paul Carbone: Paul Bonnaventure Carbone was a high level criminal; he was involved in the Marseille underground from the 1920s till his death in 1943. He was Assistant of Francois Spirito. He met with Francois in Egypt and they created a small empire on prostitution. Paul Carbone and François Spirito met in Egypt, where they created a small empire based on prostitution. Carbone then became the most powerful Godfather of Marseille during 20 years, maintaining close contact with politicians they were the first to import opium from Indochina and Carbone died in 1943.9 Simon Sabiani: He was a French politician. From 1929 to 1935, he was the first counselor to the mayor of Marseille, Siméon Flaissières. After Flaissières death in 1931, he became for a short period mayor during the interim. Sabiani was originally a media boss, from Corsican origins and with Socialist convictions. However, he oriented himself towards Fascism during the interwar period, becoming a member of the political bureau of Jacques Doriots Parti populaire français (PPF). He was head of the local section of the PPF starting in 1936.10 Methods of Smuggling of Heroin: Smugglers use different type of methods to smuggle heroin. Some methods those are mostly used are given below. Smuggling through Mail: Heroin can be smuggled through post, for example there is a famous story: a drug gang posted 70 Jiffy envelopes from Lima, Peru to the UK. The envelopes had Peruvian purses containing 35mm film canisters filled with coke. All together about £600,000 worth. Smuggling through Sports: Sports equipments can be used for the smuggling of heroin for example there is a famous story: a man was arrested for trying to smuggle cannabis and steroids to his brother in prison by lobbing tennis balls over the prison wall. Unfortunately, the balls landed between two fences, out of reach but recovered by authorities. Hey, next time, get Barry Bonds to help! Smuggling through Animals: Animals are a popular mode of transport. Animals can be used to smuggle heroin from one country to another. The most recent one is a bizarre case of cocaine being smuggled in insects. According to Common Wealth Times and Expatica, customs officials in Amsterdam intercepted a package of 100 dead insects, which had been cut open and stuffed with drugs, about 300 grams of coke (about $11,000). Smuggling Through Diapers: Heroin can be smuggled through Diapers of baby. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, a woman tried to get drugs to her husband by putting pills into their baby’s diaper. From news.com.au: underwear is a popular item of transport, and sometimes even a damn baby. Below there is a news from the newspaper where the detail is shown. Figure 1 A news from Newspaper Toys: Little children play with toys. And children’s toys are a popular item for smuggling (sometimes the kids themselves). Metro West Daily News mentions a little girl’s play desk, toy chest, and Cinderella costume with sleeves full of pot. The funniest one recently involves ecstasy being smuggled inside Mr. Potato Head. All Headline News says Australian customs found the stuff in a package from Ireland. Mr. Potato Head had 293 grams of E. Forget the Potato Famine; we’ve got a major bean shortage!11 Figure 2 A Toy which can be used for smuggling Figure 3shows how heroin was packed Fall of French Connection: The French Connection was a procedure through which the smuggling of the heroin was took place from turkey to France and then France to USA culminating in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when it provided the vast majority of the illicit heroin used in the United States. Headed by the Corsican criminals François Spirito and Antoine Guérini, associated to Auguste Ricord, Paul Mondoloni and Salvatore Greco the French Connection dealt with Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano. 12 French Connection Vs Modern day Trafficking: If we compare French connection with modern ways of Trafficking then we will find that French Connection was not a secure procedure for smuggling of heroin. While there are so many advanced procedures of smuggling of heroin and other drugs. We have seen new methods of smuggling deeply. If we see example of Toys then it was not easy to catch that type of smuggling. And with the help of new technology and new methods smuggling has become very easy. Conclusion: With the passage of time the use of drugs is increasing almost in every country. Still nobody can answer why people use drugs. Drug smugglers use modern ways of smuggling for spreading this type of poison from one country to another. Smugglers are making money by selling poison. Afghanistan is the source of production of heroin and turkey is the route of trade for heroin. References: Read More