Drug Trafficking in AmericaEssay Preview: Drug Trafficking in AmericaReport this essayDrug Trafficking in AmericaDrug trafficking in America has become one of the most profitable markets in the world. Drug trafficking wouldnt be known as a big issue because its not something that is mentioned on a regular basis in the daily news. The coverage that the issue has been getting may lead one to believe that it is more of a recent issue. The truth is that drug trafficking has been going on for centuries. The only difference is that distributors have gotten smarter about how to conduct their business. Drug trafficking makes up for nearly 40 percent of the United States crime rate. Drug trafficking brings in an estimated amount of $110 billion per year with most of the drugs coming from Mexico, Columbia, South America, and the Asias. Drug trafficking is one of the more rapid growing industries in Mexico and the United States. Drug smugglers will go to any lengths to traffic their drugs and make money, using children and even dead bodies to transport their drugs from country to country. The U.S. government along with Mexico is putting together many plans to try and hinder drug trafficking as much as possible. The drug trafficking industry is becoming the leading cause of many violent cases as well as ruining peoples lives once the drugs fall into the wrong hands. The question is how can we hinder or put a complete stop to drug trafficking before it is too late? Drug trafficking is not something that can be stopped entirely but programs and plans can be put into place to make it tougher to traffic drugs.
Mexico is the primary entry and exit point for most of the drugs that are brought in and out of the U.S. Little is known about when Mexico started becoming such a big contributor in the trade market. What is known is that Colombia and other South American states use Mexico as a “middle man” to distribute their drugs into the United States. More and more we see Mexico becoming more of a front runner in the drug trafficking industry. They have been able to start their own drug cartels and become a major buyer and seller of drugs. How the cartels work is that they may contain up to 200 members with other member beyond that initial 200 that are networked throughout Mexico and other countries to import and export drugs. It is often wondered how all of this can be possible with what is thought to be decent law enforcement across the board in Mexico and the U.S. A logical explanation would be that the cartels obtain so much money that they can use that as leverage or “power” over law enforcement agencies. It makes a lot of sense, it is not uncommon to read an article on this topic and see that many law enforcement officials have been terminated for their involvement with different cartels.
Most of the criminal groups smuggle heroin and marijuana in the United States, simply for the reason that its the easiest to transport, makes a lot of money and its very popular to sell. Meth, heroin, and cocaine are being used at an alarming rate; especially over the last several years. The violence rate connected with these drugs has dropped compare to the violence rate in the 80s but the use of these drugs has grown drastically since then. Overdoses and deaths related to drugs are more of an occurrence than violent related crimes associated to drugs. One of the more recent incidents (February 2001) in a small Mexican state called Sinaloa left 12 men and boys dead, due to a dispute between drug cartels over territory. Below are some facts that support the previous statement: (National Center for Victims of Crime, 2008)
In 1997, 25% percent of federal and 29% of state prison inmates say that they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol when committing a violent crime.
In 2004, 32% of state and 26% of federal inmates made the same claim as mentioned above.In 1999, 564 murder cases were linked to suspects that used drugs.It is apparent that drugs impacted people in the past and will only continue to rise in the future.In 2009 the Obama administration put in place a plan (National Southwest Counternarcotics Boarder Strategy) to put a stop to the illegal drug trafficking in and out of the United States. The U.S. has also urged Mexico and other South American states such as Colombia to get involved. It is very simple, employ more personnel and stay in close contact with our partners in other countries, and those who ignore the laws will be persecuted. Only issue seems to be that state laws and government laws contradict each other and may allow for trades done within the states to go unpunished. The United Sates is focusing more on the trafficking coming from Mexico because its closest to our borders.
Arielle Dyer Arielle Dyer, a 25-year-old woman, was sentenced to 13 years in solitary by a judge for making threats to suicide, a violation of her court martial to an armed criminal, and resisting arrest in April 2015.
In November 2013, Illinois began cracking down on individuals or organizations who sought to trade drugs from other countries. The ACLU of Illinois filed a class action lawsuit against USPIRG and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children over its recent raids.
On January 13, 2015, Indiana passed a law with a stated purpose to reduce the use of “fentanyl” as a drug, but has since said it has no legal medical use and has been prohibited from growing in an agricultural area.
In November 2013, Pennsylvania attempted to ban the sale of more than 10 grams of fentanyl a month, but it was still not able to pass the bill, and officials say it was a violation of state law, because it was found to be sold in pharmacies within a city. The Pennsylvania Department of Public Health stated that the act was “stolen” from the state, and was “no longer safe” for use in Pennsylvania pharmacies, the New York Daily News announced.
In July 2013, Maryland increased penalties for people selling or importing any narcotics, including heroin or pain killers. While the increase came after Congress stopped funding local drug-enforcement efforts, Maryland is now reporting that they still possess more than $20 million in heroin stored at county pharmacies.
In December 2013, Arkansas suspended its law allowing up to 3-5 grams of heroin a day in public schools as it sought to ease the strain of heroin that is being grown in Arkansas.
In October 2015, Kansas was forced to ban people with a high school diploma from possessing a substance that is used to treat mental illness. At the same time, an Alabama court temporarily blocked a similar law banning the possession and sale of methamphetamines. The measure was voted through by the Senate, so it would be up to Congress.
In late 2016, Wyoming passed a law prohibiting the import, sale, manufacturing, distribution, transfer or sale of any controlled narcotic or drug that is made or produced within an official state of the United States and that is capable of causing any pain or suffering.
In February 2017, Utah passed a bill legalizing the possession of hashish powder and other psychoactive drugs, but was defeated in a House committee. It was one of the first laws in Utah to fully take effect, and many have continued to be in effect.