Drug Enforcement Administrations War on Drugs: An account of the Escobar Affair - Research Paper Example

Drug Enforcement Administration’s War on Drugs An account of the Escobar Affair Drug Enforcement Administration’s War on Drugs: An account of the Escobar Affair The menace of drugs that is necessitating expenditure of millions of dollars of the taxpayers is a phenomenon that calls for study. The current situation of import and abuse of the drugs is in itself a cause of concern, but the Columbian drug cartels which rose to prominence during the eighties were successfully attacked and damaged to an extent that they are now not as organized and their influence is a negligible factor in the war on drugs. The Medellin drug cartel headed by the dreaded Pablo Escobar and named after his hometown was the richest and the most successful of all the drug cartels. It was established in the eighties. Born in a poor family, Escobar got involved in drug business. By the time he was 22, he had become a millionaire. In 1989, he was the seventh richest person in the world. He became so influential that he could offer bounties for killing of an ambassador of the United States. He was one of the big three of the Medellin Cartel. His death was a significant step on the way of the United State’s efforts war on drugs. This essay will examine the rise and fall of Columbian Drug King Pin Pablo Escobar. The United States had to combat the growing threats of violence, corruption and murder used by the Medellin drug cartel to traffic cocaine into United State’s borders, and it declared an all out war on terror. The massive import of cocaine, subsequent effect on the price of cocaine leading to increasing cases of drug abuse necessitated the United States to act directly and take part in the efforts of the Colombian Police’s hunt for Escobar. Ultimately the United States were instrumental in imparting enough skills and training to the Colombian police to track down and bring down Escobar, the ruthless drug lord and murderer who had practically ruled Colombo for larger part of almost a decade. The experience of dealing with the Medellin cartel and the method used to hunt down Escobar also helped the United States to establish a system to deal with foreign drug cartels. It is thus important to study the way that the United States dealt with the menace of the Medellin drug cartel. The Medellin Drug Cartel The Medellin cartel was established in the early eighties by the drug lord, former car thief Carlos Lehder. Because of its geographical location favorable both for import of raw material from Peru and Bolivia and export by smuggling in to the United States, Colombia was a major country where cocaine was produced. Earliest references to the Medellin drug cartel date back to 1977, when the expression was first used in a congressional hearing. Earlier on, the drug traffickers had used ‘mules’ to smuggle cocaine in to the United States. This meant that the persons doing the smuggling would hide the cocaine in parts of their bodies, carry it in their personal wear or luggage. The Medellin drug cartel started a more efficient way of smuggling. Using established air routes, the Medellin cartel started smuggling plane loads in to the United States. Escobar himself flew air planes inside the United States. Early on in his career Escobar realized the astronomical profits in the cocaine trade would be multiplied if the major drug manufacturers united. He aligned with Lehder and the infamous Ochoa brothers. Along with the others he established a production facility deep inside the jungle and named it Tranquilandia. The first major blow to the Medellin cartel was delivered when on the tipoff by the DEA, the Colombian government stormed the facility and busted the racket. The bust yielded 14 tons of cocaine, which is the biggest drug bust in history. (Anon, undated). Production of cocaine Cocaine is produced from coca leaves. Coca plants are found in large number in Colombia. That is the basic reason why Colombia is the cocaine capital of the world. Cocaine was produced in very small quantities and generally utilized for local consumption. Colombia produced mostly marijuana. Initially, the Medellin cartel imported most of their coca leaves and paste from Bolivia and Peru. But that was a complicated operation requiring more effort. Medellin cartel found an easier way. They distributed saplings of coca plants to poor peasants for plantation in Colombia itself. At one point of time, the Medellin cartel itself was responsible for 80% of drugs to the United Sates. In time, the Medellin cartel grew to be the richest and the most powerful cartel in the world. The Medellin cartel was not only a drug producer or transporter. They were an influential bunch of entrepreneurs who defied the government and removed all opposition out of their way. Selling narcotic drugs involves some amount of violence, but Escobar wanted to rule, and he did that by acting like a terrorist. He indulged in what can be called narco-terrorism, a form of violence and intimidation. On the other hand, Escobar developed a particular image for himself. He liked to call himself Robin Hood, taking from the rich and giving to the poor. The poorer sections of the Colombian society benefitted from his grain distribution and the houses that he built for them. This strategy was so effective that Escobar could hide at will. People would shelter him. Violence and acts of terrorism Escobar was known for his violent temper, and he killed not only out of enmity but also because he wanted the killings to have a deterrent effect on others. In his quest for something more than money, Escobar contested the general elections, and was elected to the congress. But he was not received the way he thought he deserved. “when Escobar tried to take his seat in congress he was denounced on the floor of the house. He retaliated by declaring war on anyone who opposed him or his cartel. When the justice minister called Pablo a narcotics trafficker, Pablo had him killed. When a judge indicted Pablo for the crime, the judge was shot and killed as well. (Boettcher, 2003) Escobar also used car bombs to kill his enemies. He was responsible for the assassination of Colombian presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán. Two other candidates in the same election were also assassinated. The Medellin cartel was also instrumental in the Avianca Flight 203. It claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it was done under the belief that the then leading presidential candidate Cesar Gaviria Trujillo, whom the Cartel wanted to assassinate was on the plane. The Medellin cartel was also involved in the bombing of the DAS (Department of Administrative Security) Building in Bogotá in 1989. Escobar had a unique style of corrupting politicians and government officials. He called it “plata o plomo," (translated from silver or lead). It meant that the concerned person would either take the money, or the bullet. The Medellin cartel was also involved in a deadly drug war with its primary rival, the Cali cartel, for most of its existence. After the death of Luis Carlos Galán, the government led by Cesar Gaviria scaled up its operations against the Medellin cartel and Escobar. After protracted negotiations a deal was struck. The kingpin of the Medellin cartel would surrender to the government in return for his peaceful stay in a ‘jail’ of his choice. Pablo Escobar’s private jail Escobar had become a hunted man in his later years. His rivals, mostly the Cali cartel had started to undermine his operations. Because of this and so as to protect himself from his likely assassins, Escobar negotiated a deal with the Colombian government. He would be arrested but kept in a jail constructed by Escobar himself. The Envigado jail, known as El Catedral was a luxurious palatial bungalow. It had its own garden, and Escobar’s stay there was called his golden period. He operated from the safety of this jail, guarded by his private bodyguards who at one time numbered 60. During his stay in the jail, Escobar brought in some members of the cartel, and had them murdered. Some were tortured and buried in the premises of the jail. He ordered the murder of about 22 persons who had at one time worked with him. Pablo Escobar walks out of jail Because of the murders and the rampant illegal activities of Escobar, the Colombian authorities planned to have him removed to a high security prison in Bogota. But Escobar obtained information about this from one of the officials that he had won over by bribing. After his escape from jail, 28 guards were charged with the offence of aiding him to escape. After his escape, Escobar became the hunted, and the Cali cartel took over. The Cali cartel, becoming more cautious than the Medellin cartel, took over from where it left off. The Colombian government, being concerned about the outbreak of violence following the escape of Escobar from jail, sought and received help from the United States for the eradication of the drug trade from Colombia. Los Pepes emerges Meanwhile, Los Pepes (Los Perseguidos por Pablo Escobar) - or "People Persecuted by Pablo Escobar emerged and took to the streets as vigilantes against the Medellin cartel and in particular what remained of Pablo Escobar’s organization. This group destroyed the properties belonging to the cartel and murdered many relatives and people associated with Pablo Escobar in any manner. Rodriguez Gacha, a powerful member of the cartel was killed by the Colombian police. Earlier, because of the growing and systematic tracking down of their operatives and huge losses in their business, Jorge, Juan David and Fabio, the Ochoa brothers has surrendered to the police. In return, they obtained leniency in their prison terms. US Law Enforcement steps up efforts to bring Pablo Escobar to justice In 1992, the DEA planned the Kingpin Strategy. This strategy was to attack the drug organizations by restricting their access to the chemicals needed to process the drugs. The financing, transportation, communications, and leadership hierarchy in the United States was also attacked. The Kingpin program controlled investigations from DEA headquarters and 51 separate DEA offices. The DEA then narrowed down their investigation to the most effective parts of the operation of the cartel. The 1991 constitution of Colombia which was a result of the cumulative efforts of the drug cartels prohibited the extradition of criminals to the United States. So amongst other criminals, Escobar could not be extradited to the United States where he was indicted for various charges on the basis of testimony given before a grand jury. The United States had no option but to take the help of law enforcement agencies. In dealing with Escobar, the Colombian National Police was of great help. With their, the Medellin leaders were tackled one by one. World biggest manhunt After his escape from the jail, the former richest drug trafficker was moving from place to place in order to avoid being caught ‘dead or alive’ by the Search Bloc, a special police task force of Colombia, aided by the Centra Spike, a United States special force unit. In a period of 17 months, the Colombian government issued 11,000 search warrants and formed above 4,000 road blocks in order to arrest Escobar. The Search Bloc was formed with the sole intention of capturing Escobar. It was headed by Colonel Hugo Martinez. War on Drugs The United States had started its war on drugs with the creation of the Drug Enforcement Administration by Nixon in 1973. It was created to coordinate the efforts of all the investigative and enforcement agencies, mainly concerned with drugs. The use of drugs however, increased at an alarming rate. The First lady, Nancy Reagan launched her ‘Just Say No’ program to combat drugs. It was aimed at the youth. An advertising campaign, ‘Just Say No’ was a social program which made the general public in the United States aware of the menace of drugs. US launch operation Centra Spike The Delta Force a secret special task force of the United States army tracked the movements of Escobar and his associates. This was done through a electronic survey unit specialized in voice recognition. The former American ambassador to Colombia directed t he U.S. effort with assistance from agents of the CIA, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and National Security Agency. The United States army carried out the training of Columbian National Police. DEA’s tactics and methods The DEA used many methods of gathering information for carrying out the covert operation for the capture of Escobar. These include HUMINT (Human Intelligence) or gathering of intelligence through personal talks with various sources, SIGINT (Signal Interception) or gathering of intelligence by interception of telecommunication or radio signals and IMINT (Imagery Intelligence) which means the collection of intelligence by aid of satellites and aerial photography. The ultimate pinpointing of Escobar, leading to his death was the result of utilization of SIGINT. Obsessed with the security of his family, Escobar was in communication with his son on a mobile phone when the Colombian police intercepted his signal. He was with only with one bodyguard and when engaged in a gunfight, Escobar died as a fugitive from justice. References The Business Anon. (Undated article) http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~chhik20p/PabloEscobar/Thebusiness.html accessed 4/11/2010 Accessed April 10th, 2010 FRONTLINE: The Godfather of Cocaine Original Air Date: February 14, 1995 Directed by William Cran http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/programs/transcripts/1309.html Accessed April 10th, 2010 Killing Pablo Aired May 25, 2003 http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0305/25/cp.00.html Accessed April 10th, 2010 Read More