Category: Drug Trafficking

Drug Trafficking And Terrorism: Similarities And Differences

Abstract

Terrorist groups and drug trafficking organizations are separate institutions of operation that conduct themselves in similar yet distinct ways. Though they may be entirely different groups, they often conduct themselves in a corresponding fashion. The similarities held by these two entities is mainly centered around their means of operation. Both groups act in secrecy and use violence to overcome a large portion of their obstacles. On the other hand, these two groups are distinct in their motives for acting the way in which they do. Terrorist groups are ideologically or politically driven whereas groups involved in drug trafficking act solely out financial gain for themselves and for their group. In order to combat these organizations, we must be able to understand their differences and proceed having this knowledge in mind.

Introduction

Drug trafficking organizations and terrorist groups are two separate entities that have haunted not only the United States, but many more countries throughout the entire world. Both terrorist groups as well as the drug trafficking underworld require the full attention of the American government. Though they are not categorized as the same thing, terrorists and drug traffickers often create turmoil in similar fashion. Terrorism and drug trafficking may seem like two completely different approaches to criminal activity, but they operate more similarly than one may initially believe. In terms of their organizational structure, narcotics organizations and terrorist groups seem seem to be near identical. Although these separate organizations may operate in a similar fashion, one key distinction is found in the motives behind their actions. In order to help deter the problems resulting from these organizations, the American government has allied with other nations in an effort to stop this growing concern.

I selected the topic of comparing and contrasting drug trafficking organizations and terrorist groups because I am fascinated by the way that these two groups can stockpile so much support from people as well as resources. In the case of the cartels in Mexico, how is it possible that these organizations hold more power than their own government or that people still continue to join their ranks knowing the despicable crimes they commit. Not only this, but in terms of the havoc that these organizations create, where is the boundary drawn before we can consider a drug trafficking group to be a terrorist threat or vice versa.

Understanding how drug trafficking and terrorist groups function is a crucial part of policing whether it be on a local level or even on a federal level. By understanding what makes each organization tick, law enforcement can assess which preventative measures will present the greatest benefit to society. Information gathered on these groups may help save the innocent lives of countless people or even re-establish control in areas dealing with overt criminality. Having an understanding of these organizations can not only prevent large scale operations but also deter future crimes from occurring.

Literature Review

One of the articles used in my research paper was titled “Links Between Terrorism and Drug Trafficking: A Case of Narco-Terrorism,” written by Alex Schmid. This article helped explain some of the similarities that link terrorist groups to drug trafficking groups. Some of the main similarities between these two groups revolve around their methods of operation. These groups operate in a secretive yet intimidating fashion that keeps their identities under the radar yet gets their message across thoroughly. In order to obtain what they desire, these two groups often engage in violent egregious activity whether it be for monetary profit or based solely on ideology. Besides being intimidating and secretive, both types of groups act in the best interest of the group as if following a social contract. As Schmid (2005) suggested, “For some thirty countries, a link between armed conflicts and illicit drug production and trafficking can be established with reasonable certainty,” demonstrating the extensive damage that these types of organizations produce (p. 2).

Some of the differences between terrorist groups and drug trafficking groups are centered around the motives that each group has for conducting their criminal activity. Terrorist groups act with ideological motives in mind, whereas the motivating factor for drug trafficking groups is usually profit-oriented. Since terrorist groups act through an ideological focus, they often seek media attention to spread awareness of their actions as well as their message. Contrarily, drug trafficking groups do not seek media attention and look to gain the most profit without alarming law enforcement agencies.

Another one of the sources used in my research article is “Organized Crime: A Social Network” written by Jeffrey Scott McIllwain. This article implies that one of the key factors present in all organized crime groups is that of human relationships. In order for an individual to engage in heinous criminal activity, one must be able to first establish a strong relationship with members within the organization. Essentially, by building trust and a specific type of bond, people can then allow themselves to be submerged into the organization regardless of consequences or actions.

An important aspect introduced by McIllwain are the positive implications that strong human relationships bring the organization. One key benefit that healthy human relationships bring these organizations is the ability to gain a stronger social network. As explained by McIllwain (1999), “Human relationships aid the process of social networking for the provision of illicit goods and services as well as the protection, regulation and extortion of those engaged in the provision or consumption of these goods and services” (p. 304). Ultimately, by developing relations between people, connections are made more prosperous for people to engage in criminal activity such as drug trafficking.

Ethical Implications

When dealing with members of terrorist groups, there is a key distinction between them and the way any other human on this planet would be treated. The truth is that terrorists are seen as less than humans. Their constitutional rights and at times even their basic human rights are suspended regardless if they are a citizen of the United States or not. As a result, terrorist attacks are seen as the most vile of actions and therefore elicit the greatest reaction. In the article, “Legislative Response to International Terrorism,” Mariaelisa Epifanio explains the dramatic effect that the bombing on 9/11 had on the entire nation. Never before having seen a terrorist attack of such magnitude, the entire nation was launched into that frenzy that could not be calmed.

The results of this terrorist attacks not only affected how the nation dealt with these threats but also how citizens in the United States would have to live their lives. According to Epifanio’s data (2011), “LeRIT reveals that, on average, Western countries after 11 September reduced civil freedom, limited procedural rights of terror suspects, and made immigration laws far more restrictive” (p. 399). As suggested through Epifanio’s data, the effects of 9/11 not only affected the rights of terrorist threats but also innocent citizens that were trying to live their life. People were no longer able to roam around freely wherever they desired, surveillance was now much more prominent, and some people were even persecuted for their pigment. All of this occurred because of the panic instilled by one terrorist attack.

Policy Implications

The policies directly allined with how to handle terrorist as well as drug trafficking groups can be seen in the article, “From Pablo to Osama: Counter-terrorism Lessons From the War on Drugs,” written by Michael Kenney. This article describes head hunting kingpins, which is one of the most common strategies used when confronting terrorists as well as drug trafficking groups. The head hunting of kingpins is a strategy used by the United States suggesting that by eliminating the leaders and high ranking officials of an organization, the entire organization will fall through. By terminating the brains of the operation, the rest of the organization will cease to exist. Though this method has had previous success, there is growing concern that this strategy might actually force more of these illegal organizations to emerge. Essentially, by eliminating the kingpins of organizations, other groups will be able to gain traction which could result in the growth of more factions out of this headless organization (Kenney, 2003).

Through the findings of the article, it is obvious that the head hunting kingpin strategy is not a fundamentally sound one. Besides possibly causing more harm than good, at times, this strategy is seen to be completely ineffective. According to Kenney (2003), “Despite impressive short-term results, the headhunting approach had little sustained impact on the Colombian drug trade” (p. 187). As a result, it is vital that governments across the globe unite to develop strategies that provide a larger rate of success. Through this research, we can see that the head hunting of kingpins is not as successful as we presumed, which suggests we should divert our attention to other areas such as disassembling any aiding structures that keep these organizations sustainable.

References

1. Epifanio, M. (2011). Legislative Response to International Terrorism. Journal of Peace Research, 48(3), 399-411.
2. Kenney, M. (2003). From Pablo to Osama: Counter-terrorism Lessons From the War on Drugs. Survival, 45(3), 187-206.
3. McIllwain, J. S. (1999). Organized Crime: A Social Network Approach. Crime, Law and Social Change, 32(4), 301-323.
4. Schmid, A. P. (2005). Links Between Terrorism and Drug Trafficking: A Case of Narco-Terrorism?. International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security, 8, 27.

The Effects Of Drug Trafficking On Our Lives

Drug trafficking affects many parts of our lives. Drug trafficking is an illegal trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, and distribution. It has caused many problems for others. The international conflict is being fought daily. It affects our social, mental, and academic life.

Counter Argument

There are pros to drug trafficking. “Internalization of targeted therapeutics is often needed for efficacy, but also alters drug penetration of a tissue. A new model explores the trade-offs of intracellular drug trafficking” (Stokes, 1995, p.1). This is a problem because money is put towards the fences that are up to stop this. “Then came the fences. One perimeter, then a secondary. The fences helped the Border Patrol reclaim this little sliver of the country” (Solis, 2019, p.1). Drug smugglers started going to the ocean, underground tunnels, and ports of entry. If they are figuring out different ways, we should save that money instead.

Body

Drugs affect young people’s lives the most. According to Better Health Channel, “around 1 in 5 having tried it (cannabis) at least once” (Victoria, 2019, p.1). Drugs have a major impact especially on young people who are still developing. The consequences of drugs are widespread. Drug trafficking affects our social lives. Drugs become a distraction for a lot of people. This leads to bad habits like avoiding going to places because they would rather be doing drugs. “When someone feels trapped and doesn’t know what to do with themselves, getting high or drinking can provide the same kind of mental stimulation as doing a fun activity” (Holloway, 2019, p.1). Drugs affect young people’s lives because that’s the way they socialize. “Some people think that using drugs or alcohol is a good way to relax and be more comfortable in social situations” (Bellum, 2018, p.1). Most importantly, drugs affect the family the most I think. They hurt your relationship with the people closest to you. “If using drugs start to consume your life, your relationships become less important, and you lose interest” (DEA, 2019, p.1). This can impact your life more than you think.

Drug trafficking affects our economic lives too. They have a major impact on the economy. “Globally, organized crime accounts for 1.5 percent of global gross domestic product and is worth around $870 billion and of that, drugs account for 50 percent of international organized crime income” (Ellyatt, 2013, p.g 1). This is a problem for global authorities. Drug markets are pretty flexible. They can regroup somewhere else. “Drug trade routes had shifted due to interdiction by certain authorities, while uncontrolled synthetic drugs that can be created in labs anywhere are on the rise” (Ellyatt, 2013, p.g 1). This proves they can find ways around it. Authorities have been trying to figure out ways to go stop this. They have still not come up with anything. “We need a different approach by governments to take the trade out of the hands of organized criminals and the illicit market” (Ellyatt, 2013, p.g 1). Hopefully they will be able to solve this in the near future.

Drug trafficking effects our children’s educational lives also. It can effect any age of kids. “Thousands of children in Britain are estimated to be used to carry drugs from cities to rural areas – most aged between 15 and 17” (Guilbert, 2019, p.g 1). A lot get stuck in this cycle because of debt bondage or threats of kind app. The victims are sometimes not as innocent as you may think. On occasion, there are kids who volunteer to get involved. “Young people recruited by gangs do not see themselves as victims, but are flattered by the attention and gifts they receive, so are less likely to speak to police” (Guilbert, 2019, p.g 1). This opens a door to a whole new list of problems. There are people helping this problem though. “Britain last year launched a 2 million pound ($2.6 million) scheme to help protect children from sex and drug trafficking” (Guilbert, 2019, p.g 1). Targeting the root causes of violent crime and getting involved early can help prevent young kids going down that path.

Conclusion

Drug trafficking affects many parts of our lives. The problem is growing more and more as time goes on but we are coming up with ways to solve this problem daily.

Columbian Drug Trafficking: Reasons And Solutions

Seven years prior to the year 2000, Pablo Escobar was executed by police in Columbia on the top of a building. Following the passing of its leader, the Medellin Cartel slowly went from being one solid unit to being many smaller groups. Currently, the cartel is made up of multiple criminal groups rapidly expanding their criminal control throughout the world. These groups are involved in different types of illegal activities, including the funneling money earned through illegal means through legitimate businesses and trafficking illegal substances.

The cartel settled a harsh institution. They would kidnap or outright kill anyone who interfered with its goals. The Medellin Cartel has been traced back to multiple murders. They killed politicians, high ranking government personnel, and police.

During the 1980’s and 1990’s, the Medellin Cartel was at its most powerful point. Escobar controlled most of the shipments of cocaine during the 80’s and 90’s, by shipping in large quantities of cocaine from Central America. He would then keep the shipment and find ways to bring it into other countries, mainly in the North American Continent. His power grew in the Medellin Cartel during the mid-80’s, when he introduced a criminal debt service known as the Oficina de Envigado. He used it to coordinate street gangs in the city. These gangs were used to collect the debts owed to him by both criminals and non-criminals alike.

Diego Murillo Bejarano took control of the Oficina de Envigado after the death of Pablo Escobar. He took the name of Don Berna when he gained control of the organization. Don had given the group huge influence throughout the world. He was arrested and brought to the United States from Columbia in 2008 along with others. He pleaded not guilty initially, but later changed his plea to the trafficking of cocaine in 2008. His plea earned him a little over 31 years in prison along with a fine of four million dollars.

The arrest of Don Berna led to a larger break inside of the Oficina de Envigado. Multiple capos fought amongst themselves for the control of an organization that had become flat. The organization was not seeing any rise or fall, they remained stationary. The Oficina de Envigado is considered a criminal federation in today’s time. It is made up of multiple medium-sized criminal organizations working in specific areas of Medellin. These groups control the illegal trade in certain areas.

The Cali Cartel is also known as “Cali’s Gentlemen”. It was started in the southern part of Columbia near the city of Cali and Valle del Cauca Department. The group started as kidnappers, but soon became involved in the drug trafficking business. They got all of their funds from kidnapping. They started trafficking marijuana, and ultimately trafficked cocaine. They made about seven billion dollars per year.

Norte del Valle Cartel began north of Valle del Cauca Department. They developed into a very powerful cartel in the late 90s, after the decline of the Cali Cartel and the Medellin Cartel. They sold more than 1.2 million pounds of cocaine that was worth around 10 billion dollars. The cartel used extraordinary violence to gain power.

The North Coast Cartel got their start in Baranquilla. They exported an extreme amount of cocaine to the United States of America and Europe through smuggling routes. The North Coast Cartel held most of the smuggling routes on the north coast of Columbia all throughout the Caribbean.

The shift of control to a franchise was duplicated time and time again within Colombia’s underworld. Once Colombia’s historic illegal militaries demobilized and broke apart, they became more criminal. They formed more smooth networks of illegal trade within Columbia. This allowed them to become more successful with fewer problems along the way. A new group of “Invisibles”, as insightcrime.org states, lead the new networks of illegal trade in Columbia.

Unlike Escobar, Invisibles don’t show off all of their wealth. Escobar liked to show his prosperity. He ensured that everyone knew of his success through his lavish home and the lifestyle he lived. This led to trouble and unwanted attention. Invisibles have led the cocaine trade to increase more than it ever has. Columbian cocaine production reached a record of 1,379 metric tons (1,520 tons) in 2017. The Invisibles have learned that showing off a wealthy lifestyle and using immense violence is bad for business. Their protection plan is to use secrecy. With a fewer number of people knowing of the illegal trade that the Invisibles were involved with, they were able to enjoy long periods of success. An example of an Invisible is Jose Bayron Piedrahita Ceballos, also known as El Arabe. Before his arrest in September of 2017, Piedrahita was known for money laundering. By using the disguise of a successful businessman and a rancher, he was able to stay out of the authority’s eyes during a career of crime spanning more than 20 years.

Before the passing of Escobar, the cartel controlled most of the Caribbean air route in order to smuggle cocaine into North America. In recent times, the Caribbean air route has been mostly stopped by the authorities. The trafficking route of the Pacific has grown exponentially over the years due to groups establishing more distinct techniques. Police have reported more drug trafficking submarines that mostly leave from the coast of the Pacific Ocean.

The San Juan and Naya rivers are two of Columbia’s most travelled routes for drugs. Communities that are around these rivers are enclosed by groups of armed men trying to dominate the area of land. Columbia’s main port moves packages full of cocaine from the fields to the coast. New data shows that the amount of land used for coca plants rose by seventeen percent in 2017 in contrast to last year.

The violence surrounding the movement of cocaine has driven people to run away from their home that their ancestors farmed for multiple centuries. The indigenous communities that live along the river, have a hard time identifying who is really responsible for the attacks against them. People don’t speak of the crimes they witness for fear of being made an example of from the cartel or militia groups. The authorities started a murder investigation. It was about five dead bodies that were from Carra. They were not able to find anything due to no one testifying. There was suspicion that it was the doing of ELN guerrillas or it was set up to look like them. The ELN has grown in size and strength by holding areas left by Farc.

A solution to the problem of drug trafficking could be to have better narcotics training for the police. Ask for help from the United States, Britain, or Canada with training their narcotics officers. They could help boost their economy by exporting more then they import. That way the people don’t have to rely on selling drugs to make a living. If more people are above the poverty line, then you would be able to get more out of taxes. Then they can put the tax money into law enforcement and defense.

The Issue Of Drug Trafficking In The United States

The drug menace in the United States is a transnational organized crime (TOC) that can be solved only through concerted efforts. Drug abuse in the United States is so prevalent that it affects most households even in the instances where members of a family are not directly involved in peddling or using. Every year, theThe government incursuses a substantial amount of resources in preventing and treating the effects that emanate fromof drug abuse in the country.. The problem persists because Mexico is the source of most drugs. Even thoughAlthough the Mexican government remains resilient in its fight againstfighting the vice, the dire consequences are felt in the USUnited States. Despite the perceived hopelessness, the drug problem, which is a transnational crime, can be solved by stabilizing the Mexican government, enacting strict immigration policies, and incentivizing informants, law enforcers, and even users. Comment by Author: When writing, try to avoid using wordy and unnecessary phrases when a shorter phrase is available. Using a shorter phrase or eliminating unnecessary phrases will make the statement more clear and concise. Comment by Author: Please, mind your choice of transitions. Do not assume that any adverb can start a sentence. Please, review some guidelines on appropriate transitional elements here: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/mechanics/transitions_and_transitional_devices/transitional_devices.html Comment by Author: Please, mind word choice and double check meanings. You cannot ‘incur’ resources, maybe costs. However, you can ‘use’ resources. Comment by Author: Avoid wordy and unnecessary phrases. Comment by Author: Please, avoid unnecessary wordiness. Comment by Author: Use clearer transitions. Comment by Author: Try to refine your sentences and avoid wordiness when you can use only one word to communicate messages. Comment by Author: In formal writing, spell out the two words as ‘United States.’ Comment by Author: Redundant word.

Since the drug menace is a transnational crime, the USThe U.S. government can reduce and even prevent the flow of drugs by strengthening the Mexican government’s security system. Drug trafficking is a TOC sincebecause it involves a coordinated network between sellers in Mexico and buyers in the US. As a resultUnited States. Therefore, addressing the problem through increased US-Mexico relations is not as complicated as usually portrayed. Wright (2012) recommends that the USUnited States should support the Mexican government’s effortsgovernment by offering security support. Given the influence of drug cartels in Mexico, assistance from the USU.S. government could be instrumental. Comment by Author: This content is repeated unnecessarily. It undermines the clarity of your topic sentence. Comment by Author: This word is overused in the paper. Comment by Author: In APA style, United States should always be spelled out when it is used as a noun or location. Comment by Author: Avoid vague and redundant adverbs. Comment by Author: Remember to use periods in the abbreviation.

Positive outcomes could also be realized if the USU.S. government offers incentives to law enforcers and informants. While drug trafficking is blamed on cartels, the crime thrives on corruption and instrumental violence. However, providing different types of rewards to security officers could increase their morale and lead to moreheighten arrests as seen since 2012 where 500,000 people have been arrested at the US-Mexico border and 17,600 lbs. of methamphetamine and 32,600 lbs. of cocaine seized (‘(“Drug traffickingTrafficking”, n. d.). Similarly, rewarding informants could weaken the networks, while incentivizing users can act asbe a deterrent (Tidey, 2012). In other words, the USThe U.S. government should undermine thedrug cartels’ networks of the drug cartels by working with individuals who can beare easily compromisedpersuaded. Comment by Author: This word’s meaning is unclear and unnecessary. Comment by Author: Try to avoid wordiness. Comment by Author: Include a period after lbs. Comment by Author: Use title case for the title in APA in-text citations. Comment by Author: This transitional phrase is awkward and considered informal. Comment by Author: Review such wordy phrases. Comment by Author: Please, mind word choice and use easily understood words and phrases.

In addition, enactingEnacting strict immigration policies is equally importantessential. The free movement practice that was brought about byemerged through globalization tends to workworks to the detriment of the US.United States. People can easily cross from Mexico into the country due tobecause of lenient laws. In fact, Dammer and Albanese (2013) assert that the ease of travel “has enabled criminals to do their work in other countries or easily escape to a safe haven” (p.7). In the case of the USUnited States, drug barons enter and quickly leave after selling the drugs partly due to lackbecause of stringentinadequate security measures. Despite the political emotions that this issue elicits, the relevant authorities should consider enacting strict laws to manage thepeople’s movement of people. Comment by Author: Please, mind wordy phrasal verbs and consider using active voice for enhanced clarity. Comment by Author: Avoid nominalization of words. Nominalizations are nouns created by adding various endings to verbs. Nominalizations often result in words that are long and have abstract meanings. For clarity, use the verb form of the word whenever possible. Comment by Author: Please, use ‘because of’ when modifying verbs and ‘due to’ when modifying nouns. Comment by Author: Avoid obvious and unnecessary content. Comment by Author: Use ‘because of’ here as it is modifying the verb ‘leave.’ Comment by Author: Mind wordy and unnecessary phrases.

The permanent solution to the drug problem in the country lies in therequires collaborative efforts among all the influential partiesmajor stakeholders, including the Mexican authorities, border patrol officers, citizens, and actual drug users. Since the Mexican government is a party topart of this issue, the USU.S. authorities have tomust support it in improving the security system. Incentives should be provided to law enforcers, informants, and drug users with the aim of weakeningto weaken the cartels’ networkssystems. Introducing stricter immigration measuresprocedures will make it hard fordissuade criminals to enterfrom entering or leave the US. The menaceleaving the United States. Drug trafficking across borders can be eradicated if the mentioned stakeholders demonstrate tenacity and commitment. Comment by Author: Avoid wordy and unnecessary phrases. Comment by Author: Please, mind word choice. This word is ambiguous and may be confusing for the reader. Comment by Author: Vague and redundant word. Comment by Author: Avoid wordy phrases. Comment by Author: Revise phrasal verbs and use strong, one-word verbs. Comment by Author: Please, reread sentences and revise such wordy and awkward structures. Comment by Author: Please, mind informal tones in academic writing.

References

1. ‘Drug trafficking across borders’. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://drugabuse.com/featured/drug-trafficking-across-borders/
2. Dammer, H. R., & Albanese, J. S. (2013). Comparative criminal justice systems (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
3. Drug trafficking across borders. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://drugabuse.com/featured/drug-trafficking-across-borders/
4. Tidey, J. W. (2012). Using incentives to reduce substance use and other health risk behaviors among people with serious mental illness. Preventive Medicine, 55, S54-S60.
5. Wright, M. W. (2012). Necropolitics, narcopolitics, and femicide: Gendered violence on the Mexico-U.S. Border. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 36(3), 707-731.

The War On Drugs In The USA: The History Of Drugs And Approaches To Overcome Them

An aggravative solution to a vague problem

‘All things are poisons, for there is nothing without poisonous qualities. It is only the dose which makes a thing poison’, Paracelsus The notion that drugs are bad is mostly true, however there are a lot of debates and fallacies that are perhaps oblivious to most people, and more importantly, the method used to handle issues caused by drugs is not really a fruitful one, if anything, it is creating more complications and is resulting in deterious outcomes. despite that, most governments still stick to prohibition and are being extremely strict on the policy of drugs, so what is it exactly about these substances? and what really makes them that infamous?

Drugs are substances that alter brain functioning, sedate, stimulate or cause other direct effects on the nervous system or certain chemicals in the brain, drugs could be natural or chemically synthesised. There are different types,forms and methods in which drugs are used. each drug varies on the impact they have on the user, as some of them when used regularely can cause addiction, dependance, health issues, negative side effects and could even result in death in some cases. while they sound that bad, some things need to be taken in consideration.

Well, people who have little knowledge about drugs in general, must know illegal drugs, whether found in nature or manufactured, were not originally used for parties, escaping problems or just to achieve a euphoric state (recreational use), they were used for medicinal purposes and even in earlier times, they were spirtual catalysts for ancient religious rituals of early tribes like the amazonians, The spirtually used drugs are mostly hallucinogenic types that are found in nature like Ayahuasca and Peyote. Psilocybin which is known as magic mushroom is the most popular of this category.

The most famous and wordwidely used drug that is also found in nature and is often taken in it’s pure form is ‘Cannabis’, more known to public as Marijuana. it is the least harmful of all other illicit drugs. Cannabis is a plant that belongs to a family known as ‘Cannabaceae’, these are indigenous and it is suggested that it originated in central Asia. While it is not really known about the first time it has ever been used by humans, however, there is hypothasis that around the 3rd millenial B.C Cannabis was known and used as an entheogen as it is suggested that it has been mentioned in one of the earliest Hindu scriptures,The Vedas, as being a ritual plant called ‘soma’. marijuana’s effects varies depending on different types of strains and does not belong to a certain category of drugs.

There is also what is known as hard drugs and these are drugs like Heroin,Meth and Cocaine, they are the most harmful,addictive and have more potential to fatality in certain cases. while they are ilegal most of the time they’re manufactured by people who do not possess much pharmaceutical knowledge and deep understandings about substances and since it is all about selling and and that’s what make them dangerous, they are only sold in the black market, and there are no laws that govern the black market, so there is little to no regard to consumer health.

And there comes the most important ones that will be focused on in this essay and those are Psychedelics, they are the same as hallucinogens but a different term, there exists hallucinogens that are synthesised, like LSD,MDMA and PCP, they are much less harmful than hard drugs, they do not cause serious health issues in long term use, are non-addictive and non-fatal in overdosing. they serve as both spirtual and medicinal substances. American psychologist Timothy Leary recognized their therapeutic use and it’s beneficial impact on creativity and even suggested them for artists. although psychedelics have been approved by the FDA for treating some types of mental disorders and conditions a couple of years ago Psychedelics are criminalized and considered to be as bad as hard drugs by drug enforcements and public in most of the world.

Precised History About Drugs In the United States

Marijuana

Marijuana was grown by the people of jamestown who settled there during the 1600s. during the civil war Marijuana furnished the state’s wealthiness from it’s yielding, at that time the growing of marijuana have massively expanded at the beginning of the 19th century, as It became a medical plant from 1850 to 1937 and was sold without regulations in pharmacies and regular stores. it was favoured and more demanded after alcohol became overly priced in 1920 . after almost 10 years, studies examined the marijuana use by low class citizens and claimed that it causes people to become mad and violent , which then resulted in marijuana being banned in 1937, there were a lot of other myths but they were recognized to be that later , and after that ,laws about marijuana criminalization were always shifting during the years. for example, in 1971 Marijuana was classified as a schedule I drug. but then at the beginning of the 21th century the criminalization dropped slowly when it has been accepted by the FDA for a lot of medical uses, and Today it is legal for recreational use in 9 states in the U.S.

Heroin And Cocaine

In 1806 A.C, a pharmacist named Freidrich Serturner discovered Morphine which is an ingredient found in the opium Poppy flower, The poppy plant itself was widely used far back in ancient times by sumeriyans who cultivated it at first and gave it the name ‘hul gil’ which means ‘the joy plant’. since morphine was the actual ingredient which gives that pain reducing effect in the flower, moprhine was very effective as both a sedative and a pain reliever, it was used a lot during the American Civil War. Times later, morphine’s dependance and high addictive nature became a problem and laws started restricting it’s use for non-medical settings.

Heroin was discovered when it was synthesised from morphine in 1874, but Heroin had other medical uses different from morphine, it was used in treating headaches,coughs,respiratory infections female premenstrual syndrome and had many other uses, it was considered as a treatment for everything, it used to be sold over the counter in pharmacies and a huge number of people were buying and using it, and that resulted in more than 200,000 people being addicted to Heroin by 1924 in the United States, at that year Heroin was banned and pharmaceutical companies discontinued it’s manufacturing and sales in the U.S. and then later on illegal production,distribution and trafficking of of the drug began, Heroin stll remains illegal till our day, but it’s distribution and sale grew even bigger than it was in the past.

Another plant but that has exact opposite effects of that of the opium poppy, is the coca plant ‘Erythroxylum coca’, it is the plant in which cocaine is extracted from. while it originated in south america, coca plants were used by the natives there, the leaves of the coca have been known to produce stimulating effects since early times, the coca was mainly grown and cultivated by the Andeans who were using it at that time for medical and spirtual purposes.

Cocaine’s first isolation from the coca plant, was in 1860, and at that time it spread widely as a medicinal drug ,it had a variety of uses back then, it was suggested to be helpful in morphine addiction,alcoholism,depression,Asthma and it was also thought to be a good numbing agent in eye surgeries. it was used for race runners for improving physical performance in 1876. one of the most famous people during the early discovery of cocaine, who used it and was fond of it, is the father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud, as he was a regular cocaine user for over 20 years, he even published a paper about cocaine, stating the huge beneficial effects it has even on healthy individuals.

During the 1880s, some pharmaceutical companies started producing cocaine hydrochloride which is cocaine in powder form as it was sold as an over the counter drug, it was very easy to get. Cocaine grew even more popular throughout culture in 1886, one of which is that it became an ingredient in Coca-Cola soft drinks, when the drink first came out, well, that’s where it acquired it’s name from. After some time as many people started taking cocaine, the harms and fatal conditions related to cocaine use were reported ,as well as addiction, in 1903 Coca-Cola was forced to remove the drug from it’s products in 1905, snorting cocaine became widely popular and this resulted reports of some nasal damage cases of individuals who snort the drug . it was not until 1914 that regulations and control of the drug took over by the states, as well as the coca plant itself . and not before 1970 that cocaine became illegal and was classified as a schedule II drug . cocaine nowadays is still illegal at a worldwide scale, but it has grown even more popular than ever, it is now the hard drug of choice among the majority.

LSD

LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) is a psychedelic drug, an active ingredient found in ergot fungus, LSD was discovered and synthesised by swiss chemist Albert Hoffman at Sandoz laboratories in Basel,Switzerland 1938 , but for 5 years since the isolation and discovery of the substance, hoping it could be good blood circulation and a respiratory stimulation, while being tested on animals, hadn’t shown any promising results, it was not until the chemist tested it on himself by accident, Hoffman at that time never imagined that he would experience a remarkable, unforgivable dreamstate like and unpleasant glaring forms streaming of fantastic pictures of extraordinary shapes, intensly particoloured , he had just found a chemist gem and just after he headed home on a bycle while under effects of LSD, this is famously referred to ‘Bicycle Day’, attempting to answer just how a just a small drops of as molecule, size of that of the water’s, potentially create that powerful experience.

Reports from Hoffman about the experiment brought curiousity and interest to other researchers at Sandoz . They began experimenting on LSD, learning more about it’s effect and hoping to know if it could have any use in psychiatric setting. At a time the Lysergic acid was sold and marketed under the commercial name Delysid, at that time it became popular in psychiatric treatments and this drawn attention to the United States, that during the 1950s, medical researches in the U.S began taking place after the realization that LSD can induce similar effects of psychosis for a short period of time, in an attempt to be used a psychiatric modelling of some conditions.

LSD has been used and was considered effective for treating alcoholism, minor symptoms of personality disorder and impulse control problem. It was thought and believed by some that it boosts creativity by people such as Aldous Huxley and Timothy Leary who considered it to be beneficial for enhancing artistic visions and other creative sides, though it was used by a number of artists,musicans and inventors and was halted by some and many others, there is however, no scientific evidence backing that up.

during the 1960s, LSD became massively popular and favored by many from college parties and music festivals, and with the increase of young individuals using LSD , it is hypothesised that it might have been a major influence on the Hippie counterculture movement in the 1960s, as it could have been a cause for changing in perception and beliefs of the individuals, made them question social norms and values, and the government sending young undividuals to participate in the vietnam war and this caused a revolutionary argument , the government prohibited the posession and use of LSD and was classified as a schedule I drug along with all other hallucinogens and researches carried by Sandoz and all other researches on psychedelic drugs have been stalled despite that the drug continued it’s way through the culture and it is still believed to be a main element that contributed to the biggest change in popular culture.

Drugs In Media

Anyone hearing about famous celebrities dying from a drug overdose, should notice that in often times, news reports are not keen to specify the drugs involved in deaths, what types, are they illicit or prescribed either it does not matter or it is just the media’s attempt to show that all drugs are same, they’re just drugs, they are extremely harmful substances and over time when one keeps hearing about deaths caused by drugs, it creates this perception subconsciously that drugs equal deaths, it’s true that a lot of illegal drugs when overdosed cause deaths in some cases, but they have not really caused more deaths than the legal ones like tobacco and alcohol.

other than the news, there are what is known as anti-drug campaigns they may associate with or belong to a government like the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign in the United States and campaigns like that often have connections with large media corporations and are well funded, that is the reason of there being tons of anti-drug PSAs and educational programs attempted to raise awareness and understandings about drugs and their negative impacts on health,relationships and social life. While this sounds like a decent idea to draw people away from the harmful substances of the black market.

However, in a lot of times they deliver false understandings and misconceptions about certain drugs that do not really negatvely affect behavior, overall health or have any serious risks or addiction, drugs like Marijuana,LSD and psylosibin for example are confimed to be safe and are even approved by the FDA for medical use purposes . but it could be that perhaps ideology in which that, anything as long as it affects brain health or even that which alters brain and affects the conscious state should be avoided. but even the hard drugs like meth and heroin are a bit missrepresented or exaggerated, but it is understood why they do that since their goal is to get people away from drugs in any way possible this is seen in some PSAs like Pill Poppers(1970), but a lot of times it is even seen in movies where drugs are presented but that has nothing to do with condemning drug use, now this is mostly caused by urban legends and old beliefs that came after the drug propaganda and some of them still survived till our day.

After president Richard Nixon announced ‘Drugs are public enemy number one’ In 1973, The Drug Enforcement agency was first established to combat drug use, Just a couple of years after, the Partnership for Drug-Free america then was founded , while being a non-governmental organization it served similar purposes, it differs from anti-drug campaigns but had similar methods and tactis,as it mostly relied on using advertisements with marketing strategies through public media broadcast particularily television, at that time most anti-drug PSAs weren’t fact checked and some were even myths, and were proven to be later on.

Catastrophes Of Drug Laws

Huge efforts have been utilized by the governments in an attempt to execute a relevant plan that is supposed to demolish the harm and negative social impact influenced by the use of drugs, not only that it is not really effective when it comes to application, but the fact that it is also creating a problematic and devastating repercussion, the reasons for this could be that the plan is not following with the objective, to solve the problem of drug abuse is to destroy the source of the problem which is drug use, so if there is no drug use, there is no drug abuse, to prevent drug use is to prevent the production and distribution of drugs, unfortunately all what this is doing is that it induces fear and discouragement of violating the rule, the same old school law that is applied to everything that is and has ever been forbidden in our communities since the fountation of civilization, but if they would to work really well we would have had a utopian society.

The problem with illegalizing drugs is that there is not any convincing idea or a good reason that goes along with cultural morality,norms and standards, so just the law by itself does not give enough justification or much influence to refrain from the action, and that is just for the unsuccessful outcomes that do not meet the desired goal, there also the side effects of this 40 years long battle that ended up in a great loss economically, ideologically and humanly, mass destabilization and decimation of an entire community and what came out of all that, a fueled underground, huge profit market taking over, when something is not obtainable by legal regulations, there is always the corrupted power that responds to the demands of the impotent petitioners, when it does not prove to be working, the way is to exploit terminal force generating an unintended concoction of more deterious aftermath.

Just 6 months ago in Tondo,Manilla investigations reported by the ABS-CBN during drug bust operations organized by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the number of people killed in the operation is unbelievably shocking to see our society turning into an extreme dictative system that opposes humanistic values and our empathic instinct.

Alternative Approaches

In the 1990s , Portugal suffered from a heroin crisisin portugal, where an estimated 1% of the population including bankers, students, socialites were regular heroin users and there was the highest rate of HIV infection all the other european countries. a psychologist and President of Crescer, Américo Nave founded NGO which focused on practices of harm reduction. tracking progress and results led to the decision that a radical step in all history of drugs. Portugal decriminalized the consumption of all drugs and the first country in 2001.

Portugal made a decision that no country before has ever thought or taken consideration of, while at the same time managed to open rehabitiliation centres there, just as many as usual grocery stores in a city without charging patients. Now drug addicts in this situation are more likely to turn for help if they know, they won’t be imprisoned. and just a decade later, the number of drug addicts was halved and death from overdoses dramastically dropped to 30 deaths per year. what Portugal proved to be best in than any other country, is that it focusing on treating the problem, not attack the sufferer, what drug addicts need is help and treatment not punishment, how is it that portugal managed to take a healthier and a more effective approach to the matter and all others failed and the price is irredeemable but if we keep on fueling this war what this going to result in is a revolution perhaps the biggest that history would witness. but it is time that we Homo Sapiens make another evolutionary leap towards a more advanced interpersonal communication. and this involves realization of individualistic values and rights, and that when we ever want to come close to being a Utopian society.

References

1. Donya Blaze M, ‘Celebs Who Died Of Drug Overdoses’
2. F. William , M. McDonald , 1973, ‘Administratively Choosing the Drug Criminal: Police Discretion in the Enforcement of Drug Laws’
3. Farrell, M.M , 1998 ,’Therapeutic Uses of Cannabis, by British Medical Association Marijuana Myths and Marijuana Facts: A Review of the Scientific Evidence, by Lynn Zimmer, John P Morgan’
4. H. Richard , M. Hammer, 1971 , ‘Commonly Misused Drugs – The Facts. Journal of Drug Issues’
5. Jarnow,Jesse , (OCTOBER 6, 2016), Rolling stone, ‘LSD Now: How the Psychedelic Renaissance Changed Acid ‘
6. Leary,Timothy ,1955, ‘The Theory and Measurement Methodology of Interpersonal Communication’
7. McCabe, Lee M. , 1977 , ‘Psychedelic Drug Crises: Toxicity and Therapeutics’
8. M. Steve Heilig , 2002, Ayahuasca: Human Consciousness and the Spirits of Nature Ayahuasca Reader: Encounters with the Amazon’s Sacred Vine
9. Novak, Steven J. , 1997, ‘LSD before Leary: Sidney Cohen’s Critique of 1950s Psychedelic Drug Research’
10. P. Timothy , M. Johnson , 2012, ‘Failure of Intervention or Failure of Evaluation: A Meta-Evaluation of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign Evaluation”Failure of Intervention and Evaluation?: A Review of an Anti-Drug Campaign Evaluation’
11. Razam, R.M, 2006 , ‘LSD from problem child to wonder drug’
12. Russo,Ethan B. ,2007, ‘History of Cannabis and Its Preparations in Saga, Science, and Sobriquet’
13. Tilley, John C., 2016 ,Overdose Fatality Report M, Office of Drug Control Policy, ‘Justice & Public Safety Cabinet’
14. BMJ , 1964 , ‘Heroin and Cocaine’
15. Casa Palmera, ‘The History of Illegal Drugs in America’
16. CBC News, ‘How Europe’s heroin capital solved its overdose crisis’
17. Drugs and Alcohol Today, 2012, ‘Drugs, Insecurity and Failed States: The Problems of Prohibition’
18. FDA.gov , ‘Researching the Potential Medical Benefits and Risks of Marijuana’
19. ·Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy, 2013, ‘Legality of Cannabis in United States of America and its implication on healthcare: A 6-year retrospective study
20. Newsweek, (23,8,2018) , ‘FDA approves magic mushrooms depression drug trial’
21. Scottsdale Pathfinders Recovery Center, ‘ Heroin’s History : From the Birth of Heroin to Today’
22. Scottsdale Recovery Center, ‘Celebrities Who Died From Overdoses in 2018’

Drug Trafficking And Famous Crimes

Introduction

The drama/crime movie The French Connection, released in 1971 portrays drug trafficking in the eyes of two New York detectives in the Narcotics Bureau investigating the smuggling of heroin with a French Connection.

Illegal drug trafficking has received a lot of attention for decades because of its impact. It is important to know about the history and what’s been done to prevent or “fight it.”

As a criminal justice major, I’ve studied on this topic and have always been interested in topics like this. I have read articles and done some research online about illegal drug trafficking.

The history of illegal drug trade started in China.

Drug trafficking dates back to the 1800s in China with the illegal trading of opiums. Illegal drug trade emerged in the United States in mid-19th century.

• a. Throughout the mid 19th century, people immigrated from China arrived in California and introduced Americans to smoking the opium. This is when the selling, distributing, and trading of opiums started to spread across/throughout the region and to other urban areas such as New York.
• b. According to the article History of Drug Trafficking on History.com, drug trafficking in U.S. consisted of substances such as opium, marijuana, and cocaine were and have been sold and distributed throughout United States history, resulting in terrible consequences.
• c. Americans then started to experiment with other opiates such as morphine.
• d. The Harrison Act of 1914 was then established to “outlaw the use of opium and cocaine for non- medical purposes” but the trade still continued and in 1925, “a black market for opium opened up in New York’s Chinatown.”
• e. The drug trade still continued on during the jazz era in the 1930-40s and marijuana had became a popular drug too.

Organized groups started selling and smuggling outlawed drugs.

• a. In the 1950s, American Mafia families started selling and smuggling drugs along with other illegal activities.
• b. According to History of Drug Trafficking on History.com, “the Mafia’s participation in drug trade was sometimes known as “French Connection” because smugglers in New York City would seize shipments of Turkish opium that arrived from Paris and Marseilles, France.”

Mexican drug cartels began to emerge in the late 20th century.

• a. According to the article, the U.S. – Mexican border became the main route for transporting many drugs such as cocaine into the U.S.
• b. The Sinaloa Federation is one of the biggest and well known Mexican Cartel all around and it still operates to this day.
• c. The notorious drug lord Joaquin Guzman, also known as El Chapo led the Cartel, beginning in 1989.
• d. El Chapo was considered the “most powerful drug trafficker in the world” by U.S. Department of Treasury in 2003. After being arrested several of times and escaping from prison, he was finally caught in 2016 and handed over to the U.S. in 2017 for criminal charges.

Transition: Now that I’ve went over some the history of drug trade, I will discuss the impact the impact that illegal drug trade has on today’s society. Drug trafficking affects things in our lives from high crime rates to environmental destruction.

Drug trafficking and drug abuse in the U.S. affects almost all parts of our lives. According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Drug Intelligence National Drug Threat Assessment 2010, “the damage caused by drug abuse and addiction is reflected in an overburdened justice system, a strained healthcare system, lost productivity, and environmental destruction.” The economic cost alone was almost $215 million. The use of illegal drugs has also impacted health care and health.

According to the assessment, many people who become dependent on illegal drugs eventually seeks treatment. The illicit drug market impacts societies all over, including Europe, affecting their economy, environment, and crimes through drug-related crimes.

• a. According to the 2016 EU Drug Markets Report, “illicit drug markets have a range of impact on neighborhoods and society in general.”
• b. The report states that the overall cost to drug-related acquisitive
• crime in England and Wales in 2010 through 2011 has been estimated to be millions of euros.
• c. The illegal production of synthetic and plant based drugs involves harm to the environment when disposing the waste products, especially from the production of synthetic drugs, and this is becoming “a growing problem” in some parts of Europe.

Transition: Now that we’ve discussed the impact that drug trafficking has on today’s society, I will discuss the different organizations and agencies that have been established to fight the “war on drugs.”

There have been agencies such as DEA, FBI, and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, that have been created to prevent and fight the trafficking of drugs, along with other crimes in America.

The DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) was established in 1973 by President Richard Nixon. According to Brief History of the DEA on jems.com, it was created to fight “an all-out global war on the drug menace.” DEA.gov states that “the mission of the DEA has been to enforce the controlled substance laws and regulations of th United States…”

This agency is still currently operative and “retains and presence in the U.S. and 63 foreign countries” with a budget over 2 billion dollars. The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) was formed in 1908. According to FBI.gov, their mission is “to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States.” Although their mission isn’t directly towards fighting the “war on drugs, they do work closely with other agencies “ to disrupt and dismantle entire criminal organizations.” The article also states that “the FBI has determined that the most effective means in combatting this crime is to use the enterprise of theory investigation, which focuses on investigations and prosecutions on entire criminal enterprises rather than on individuals.”

The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force was created in 1982.

• a. According to DEA.gov, this program was established “to mount a comprehensive attack and reduce the supply of illegal drugs in the United States and diminish the violence and other criminal activity associated with the drug trade.”
• b. Both the OCDETF and DEA have the same mission for the “war on drugs.”
• c. This program also operates nationwide and also works with other agencies.

Conclusion

I went over the history of drug trafficking. I discussed the impact that drug trade has on today’s society. Finally, I discussed the organizations and agencies that have been established to fight the “war on drugs.” Illegal drug trafficking is and has been one of the most well known crime globally. It’s a dangerous crime and has impacted societies all over.

In closing, we see that drug trafficking has changed since its beginning. Comparing the past and present, we now have the advanced technology, federal agencies, etc. to prevent the trafficking of drugs. It’s important to know the facts, what’s been and still is being done to put a stop to drugs!

References

1. Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.dea.gov/organized-crime-drug-enforcement-task-force-ocdetf
2. What is the FBI doing about drug trafficking? (2016, June 13). Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/about/faqs/what-is-the-fbi-doing-about-drug-trafficking.
3. Brief History of the DEA. (2019, September 2). Retrieved from https://www.jems.com/2009/12/31/brief-history-dea/.
4. The French Connection. (1971, October 9). Retrieved from https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0067116/?ref_=m_ttls_tt_25.
5. Task Forces. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.dea.gov/task-forces.
6. Katharina.kiener-Manu. (n.d.). Organized Crime Module 3 Key Issues: Drug Trafficking. Retrieved from https://www.unodc.org/e4j/en/organized-crime/module-3/key-issues/drug-trafficking.html.
7. Researcher studies impact of drug-trafficking violence. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/phys.org/news/2019-03-impact-drug-trafficking-violence.amp.
8. History of Drug Trafficking. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/crime/history-of-drug-trafficking.
9. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs38/38661/drugImpact.htm.
10. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/eu-drug-markets/2016/online/ramifications/other-impacts-on-society_en.

Causes Of Drug Trafficking

What is drug trafficking? Drug trafficking is a black market that trades drugs within cross-border cooperation. Drug trafficking also working together with other sorts of crime. Ultimately fueled by the economic principle of supply and demand in a world where there is a high demand for illicit substances that cannot be obtained through any legal means. Hence, this essay will discuss the three causes of drug trafficking (UNODC, 2010).

Introduction

One of the main reasons for drug trafficking is demand. This is because many developed countries have not been putting in the effort to stop the demand for drugs like cocaine. Coca leaf, that is a raw material for cocaine, can be authorized and manufactured for traditional and medicinal purposes. However, with the understanding that there is market demand for cocaine, the medicinal coca leaf will still be correlated with drug trafficking (Morales, 2014). At the end of the day, drug trafficking is driven by the economic principle of supply and demand, especially in a world with high demands for illegal substances (What are the causes of drug trafficking?, n.d.)

Point 1

In the other hand, the most reason why people become a drug dealer is because of facing some financial issue. Therefore, selling drugs become a pipeline for the drugs dealer in order to earn money. This is because they will not waste their time and effort to get a decent job. Selling drugs is very easy and fast, they just need to buy the drugs from the second parties and sell it to the third parties. This will cause the drugs dealer willing to take the risk to carry out a transaction (Tessie Castillo, 2017). Who is the drug dealer’s customer? The customer comes from different class, from the lower class to the upper class, every gender, race and age. For example, teenagers that feel stress and depression because of studies, they will buy Ketamine in order to relieve themselves. Therefore, drugs are very popular among teenagers (Elizabeth Hartney, 2018). Mainly, society often thinks that only men will take part in drugs trafficking, but women also often get caught because of it. Due to the lack of education for women, especially for married women, the education that educates them to comply with their husband whatever he said, even right or wrong. In conclusion, men will command their wife to transport the drugs whatever their wife get caught or not (Tessie Castillo, 2017).

Point 2

In conclusion, drug trafficking brings a lot of disadvantage to society. Drug dealers apply improper way to earn money without thinking about the consequences. Therefore, this essay already discusses what makes drug dealers commit drug trafficking. Drug trafficking is demand, drug dealer facing some financial issue.

Drug Trafficking: European Union’s Responses To The Drug Trade In West Africa

Introduction

The topic of this research is European Union’s responses to the drug trade in West Africa. The drug trade in West Africa is growing annually and as a direct consequence the drug markets in the countries included in the European Union are also getting bigger and bigger. Therefore, the EU has a motive to help combat this issues even if it is not inside their borders. The object of the research is to find out what policies and legislations the European Union has in place to fight the inflow of drugs from West Africa. The research question is, what are the European Union’s responses to the drug trade in West Africa? This essay will be looking at what there is about the topic in current literature, which theory best links to the research topic, how the research will be conducted and how the data will be analysed.

Literature review:

The popularity of West Africa as an entrepôt for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe is increasing year by year. More than a decade ago United Nation officials warned that Guinea-Bissau was slowly of changing into a ‘narco-state’ and after that drug trafficking in the area has grown annually (The Economist, 2019). For example, 11 tons of cocaine was confiscated trafficking to and from West Africa every year between 2005 and 2008 (Cockayne and Williams, 2009). It is clear that it is a wake-up call globally that something needs to change in terms of international drug policies and legislations surrounding drug trafficking in West Africa.

The market for drugs has gone up double the amount to 124 t in 2009 from 63 t in 1998 in Europe (Stambøl, 2016). Therefore, since the drug trade in Europe is getting bigger year by year, arguably Europe’s and therefore European Union’s efforts to fight the drug problem needs to double. However, European governments largely rely on vague concepts that are based on the idea that ‘outsiders’ bring violence and corruption, they have failed to properly asess the threat posed by drug trafficking organizations to their countries (Elvins, 2003). On the other hand the cocaine route programme by the EU has been put in place in the region, which focuses on transnational organised crime and drug trafficking in Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean to Europe (Cocaine Route Programme, 2019). The cocaine route programme’s goal is to “establish and enhance trans-regional cooperation between law enforcement, judicial and prosecuting authorities” (Cocaine Route Programme, 2019). Therefore, it is clear that EU is becoming an important actor in fighting the drug problem globally (Stambøl, 2016).

Politicians and national leaders in the EU and across the globe, have tried to suppress trafficking by all means of law enforcement, which is why now it is at a point where any measures taken against drug traffickers are thought to have unquestioned political legitimacy (Elvins, 2003). The fight against drugs has gone on for so long that it is considered to be a distinctive feature of contemporary international relations (Elvins, 2003).

The three ‘ideal types’ of state policy towards drugs: complicity, neglect and repression according to Carrier and Klantschnig (2012) for the most part do not work in the way they are supposed to. There are three reasons why, either the policy is not implemented widely enough, the approaches clash with human rights or it works in the opposite way (Carrier and Klantschnig, 2012). Alternatively, due to international negotiation mainly by the United Nations, the EU and states globally have come together to define the parameters for a new set of policy norms with the objective of seriously reducing levels of drug trafficking (Elvins, 2003).

It can be argued that without more effective response from the international community such as the European Union the drug money entering West Africa will have tremendously awful consequences such as: fuelling crime, violence, and sex trafficking as well as negative effects on the economy (Cockayne and Williams, 2009).

Theoretical framework:

I would propose to use the theory of securitisation to research and explain the reaction from the European Union to the fight of drug trafficking in west Africa.

When an issue is first nonpoliticized then transforms into politicized and then to securitized, is the process of securitization. This process makes a concern from a not political to a political concern, that changes to become part of public policy debate and because it is a concern of existential threat, the response can be bigger than normally (Peoples and Vaughan-Williams, 2013). For this particular essay, to link the theory to my research question – What are European Union’s responses to the drug trade in west Africa? The essay will be concentrating on two of these sectors; economic and political.

Because a financial crisis has the ability to make it that people do not get their basic needs met therefore, economic security is a security concern and an existential threat that threatens individuals and communities (Peoples and Vaughan-Williams, 2013). Hence, drug trafficking in west Africa is a threat to that security because it also enables the use of illegitimate money and the black market gets stronger. Furthermore, in an impoverished region people might become a part of the security threat because they have no other way to make a living (Crick, 2012).

In the political sector the object of security is the principle of the political unit. In terms of states, the principal is their sovereignty. In an ideologically liberal perspective sovereignty is viewed in terms of the state’s ability to control flows across and within its territorial boarders (Elvins, 2003). Therefore, a security concern is arguably anything that is a threat to the existence of this priciple (Peoples and Vaughan-Williams, 2013). For example, if Guinea-Bissau becomes a narco-state, it arguably the state’s sovereignty is not as valid because the drug lords hold the most economical power and the state can become dependent on them. Drug trafficking is considered the second largest threat on the international scale of threats to society and is often seen as a threat to the state itself (Elvins, 2003).

Yet, there are issues with securitization. Since, security is subjective in the sense that how states conceptualize threat deep down depends on who asses the threat and how they do it (Elvins, 2003) Therefore, there is a possibility the actor that decides about securitizing exploits threats to get attention away from certain issues. In addition, there is a possibility of a state or an actor securitize an issue “for ‘tactical gain’ rather than because the existential threat is immediate (Crick, 2012)”. However, arguably securitization is a theory that is the best option for this research. It can explain how and why the European Union (and other international actors) helps to securitize the region.

Research design:

When doing research, research design is the toolbox that allows to construct research professionally (Marsh and Stoker, 2010). It is important to choose a research project that strongly identify with, so there is a passion that is necessary to end up with a project that answers the research question intellectually and is hopefully rewarding in many ways more (Marsh and Stoker, 2010).

The case method is thought as a good way for describing, explaining, predicting or controlling processes associated with a variety of phenomena at an individual, group and organization levels (Gagnon, 2010). Thus, conducting the research by using case method would be a good option. It will help to answer the question- What are European Union’s responses to the drug trade in West Africa? Because the object of the research would be drug trade as a phenomena and European Union’s, as an organization responses. Therefore, this method would be appropriate for the research. According to Gagnon (2010) describing is the answer to questions who, what, when, how; explaining is to answer the question why, predicting means producing short-term and long-term predictions of future psychological states, behaviours or events, and controlling means trying to influence attitudes and behaviours in and individual case.

The main advantages of case research are that it can produce an in-depth analysis of phenomena in context, support the development of historical perspectives and guarantee high internal validity, which means that the observed phenomena are authentic representations of reality (Gagnon, 2010). The European Union has long standing history about legislations and policies surrounding drug trade. Therefore, a research method that takes that into account and also makes the research applicable into real life is the best method for this topic of research.

However, research based on case studies have been criticised because it is time consuming for the researcher and subjects, for its difficulty to be reproduced, and also the results are very difficult to generalize (Gagnon, 2010). However, when taken into consideration the nature of the research question, the case method is still the most appropriate option for conducting the research.

Methodology:

The research question will be answered by using qualitative and quantitative methods. The research will be concentrating on European Union’s responses to the drug trade in West Africa. The data used to answer the research question will be qualitative primary sources. These sources would be official documents, such as the United Nation’s world drug report, official documents from the European Commission and Europol. The sources were selected with using the key words ‘European Union’, ‘Drug’, ‘trafficking’, ‘Africa’ and ‘trade’. In addition, looking also at government websites such as (www.cocaineroute.eu) the website for the programme the EU has implemented, which focuses on transnational organised crime and drug trafficking in Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean to Europe (Cocaine Route Programme, 2019).

The data would be analysed by conducting content analysis. Content analysis is a method of detailed examination of documents. The analysis reveals what the content says about the phenomenon of interest and generates knowledge that is deduced from content (Gagnon, 2010). The purpose of content analysis is to show meanings, associations and intentions that might not come across just from straight forward reading of documents. Content analysis proceeds through a systematic, quantitative and objective description of the documents being analysed (Gagnon, 2010). Content analysis is made of three stages, coding, classifying the content of the texts, and the third stage is the actual analysis, which is where the researcher dissects the texts using predetermined categories to find out the frequency of each element (Gagnon, 2010). This is largely useful for describing, explaining and understanding the phenomenon being researched. However, the content of the information units and categories also have to be assessed to determine if they have to be checked again in the field, which shows the importance of collecting and analysing the evidence on a frequentative basis (Gagnon, 2010). In addition, cross-case analysis should be performed. This is done by selecting categories or dimensions and then comparing within-group and cross-group differences and similarities (Gagnon, 2010). The content would be analysed by deductive content analysis. Deductive content analysis is usually used in cases where the researcher wants to retest existing data in a new context, and it is based on earlier work such as theories, models and literature reviews (Elo and Kyngäs, 2008). Deductive content analysis suits this research best because the research is looking at policies and legislations that are already in place, analysing and critiquing them.

Content analysis is most appropriate way to analyse data on multifaceted and sensitive phenomena (Elo and Kyngäs, 2008). Thus, it is also the best way to analyse the data gathered about the topic of research. Drug trade and the policies surrounding it are arguably quite controversial, especially when in the context of the African region. It is thought that the developing countries have to battle the fight on drugs alone and international actors such as the EU are not doing enough. Additionally, the data used to conduct research would be meticulously prepared documents, thus, a quantitative analysis would be the most appropriate. On the other hand, since concept analysis can be used to develop and understanding of the meaning of communication and its critical processes, it is concerned with meanings, intention, consequences and context (Elo and Kyngäs, 2008). Therefore, the analysis would also be qualitative because it would also focus on the intentionality and its implications, which is appropriate with analysing the research since it would be conducted by using case studies as a method.

The bibliography:

1. Anon, (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.economist.com/international/2019/11/21/the-global-drugs-trade-shifts-to-west-africa [Accessed 3 Dec. 2019].
2. Carrier, N. and Klantschnig, G. (2012). Africa and the war on drugs. London: Zed Books in association with African Institute, Royal African Society, World Peace Foundation.
3. Cocaine Route Programme. (2019). About us – Cocaine Route Programme. [online] Available at: https://cocaineroute.eu/about-us/ [Accessed 12 Dec. 2019].
4. Cockayne J. and Williams P. (2009), The Invisible Tide: Towards an International Strategy to Deal with Drug Trafficking Through West Africa, New York: International Peace Institute.
5. Crick, E. (2012). Drugs as an existential threat: An analysis of the international securitization of drugs. International Journal of Drug Policy, 23(5), pp.407-414.
6. Daniels, P. (2011). Africa’s Connection to the Drug Trade. Hauppauge: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
7. Elo, S. and Kyngäs, H. (2008). The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62(1), pp.107-115.
8. Elvins, M. (2003). Anti-drugs policies of the European Union; Transnational decision-making and the politics of expertise. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
9. Gagnon, Y. (2010). Case Study as Research Method. Sainte-Foy: Presses de l’Universite du Quebec.
10. Marsh, D. and Stoker, G. (2010). Theory and methods in political science. 3rd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
11. Peoples, C. and Vaughan-Williams, N. (2013). Critical security studies. London: Routledge.
12. Stambøl, E. (2016). Governing Cocaine Supply and Organized Crime from Latin America and the Caribbean: The Changing Security Logics in European Union External Policy. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 22(1), pp.1-18.

The Harlem Heroin Plague: The Biggest Heroin Dealers Frank Lucas And Nicky Barnes

During the Harlem heroin plague of the seventh century Frank Lucas and Nicky Barnes were seen as the biggest heroin dealers. Both of them made millions selling dope. Nicholas Barnes is an American former crime boss, Born on October 15, 1933, in New York City, and was called Mr. Untouchable, Nicky Barnes became one of the most famous people in the community of Harlem. He helped found a criminal organization known as ‘The Council” which were a (group of people who advise and govern for him,’ Nicky Barnes being aware that he was constantly watched by police he hardly got near the drugs. This group of seven handled a large share of the city’s heroin trade. All African-American organized crime people that controlled a significant part of the heroin trade in the Harlem area of New York City. Nicky Barnes began pushing drugs at an early age. He kept running with a street mob for a period and built up a desire for the drug , which rapidly turned into an addiction. He would always have some left over after making so much profit anyway. In 1950, Barnes was captured for ‘self-direction of a hypodermic syringe needle.’ He was later captured for ownership of robbery and after that for breaking into automobiles, which earned him a three-year sentence at the Manhattan House of Corrections, all the more brightly known as ‘The Grave .’ Barnes’ fantasy of making an enormous drug empire was in a pause in 1965. He was captured for responsibility for than “$500,000 Worth of opiates, as per a report in The New York Sentence.” The provision showed that the police considered Barnes ‘one of the greatest wholesalers of opiates in Harlem and the Bronx. At this time, Barnes asserted that he had been set up by on oneself will charge in his collection of memoirs.” In 1966, Barnes got a 15-to-20-year sentence, and returned to Super C Harbor State Prison. There he changed over to Islam. Likewise his opportunity at Green Haven, Barnes made companions with announced Mafia ‘Weirdo Joey’ Gallo.

As seen in the attributes of organized crime Nicky Barnes infiltrated if not all mostly all attributes of organized crime. These attributes Enables criminal organizations to achieve its goals of gaining money and power. Matures groups that go through developing stages and are stable enough to acquire most or all of these attributes.

Barnes had an organization that was exclusive not anyone could just join. Organized crimes are mainly characterized by few members. These groups restrict membership to a few people they trust as opposed to many they do not trust. The groups restricts membership to only daring people which are seen likely to maintain power within a family. The Council was an African-American group that originated in harlem and was mainly in New York City it controlled the heroin exchange the Harlem zone of the city in the the 1970s. Framed by Nicky Barnes in 1972, a seven-man organization consisting of Barnes, Joseph ‘Jazz’ Hayden, Wallace Rice, Thomas ‘Gaps’ Foreman, Ishmael Muhammad, Frank James, and Guy Fisher. Not anyone could just join these men it was an exclusive membership. It was people that Nicky Barnes had faith in and trusted and felt as if they were brothers. He went by a saying ‘Treat my brother as I treat myself.’ although later when being arrested he realizes “his brother” had betrayed him and he had a little punishment for him that caused his life sentence to be changed. Overall They ( The council) ran the heroin exchange, took care of neighborhood criminal question, and explained different issues identified with the medication trade. The Council was vigorously associated with the Italian-American Mafia in New York City, where Matthew Madonna of the Lucchese wrongdoing family provided the gathering with heroin, which was then weakened and appropriated in Harlem. At its pinnacle, Council-produced heroin started to be circulated crosswise over New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, as far west as Arizona, and even into Canada.

Nicky Barnes and his gang (The Council) used any means of violence to get rid of witnesses or to put fear among people to make sure they would not testify in courts. Many people’s fears of death kept his crew in a safe spot from going to jail. The council also got rid of anyone that got in there way. They were not the people to mess with at the time. They were a group that used violence to get there respect and name.

The main focus for this organization is not for any political belief system or gathering. They don’t focus on any political or ideological gatherings along these lines are not intended to help cultivate any political gathering. The main idea for Nicky Barnes involvement in this was for profit. These gatherings are by the winning and in most case, they would bargain in drug sale, heist, to get the cash and not include in any political uprising.

This social group will demonstrate a perpetual growth and existence as a result of that they need clear succession arrangement. Most of the organized crimes are run by families and their gang or click. They need respect for love or money and in most case. They’re additionally organized than a regular gang is. Their organized hierarchy makes them additionally have respect. Their reportage structure makes the group’s leader the key authority that creates all choices.

Frank Lucas was Born on September 9, 1930, in North Carolina, Frank Lucas moved to Harlem in 1946 where he entered the universe of road drug sale. By the 1960s, he had made a universal drug fantasy that spread over from New York to South East Asia. His drug empire was not only selling the heroin but was involved in Killings, extortion, and bribery were he started his operations.

Lucas had millions in real money and houses everywhere. At the point when first coming here he heard a lot from individuals to be and land a better than average position as a lift administrator or porter at a hotel of some sort like every other person, But Lucas perceived how genuine cash was made in the city, through unlawful betting and drug affiliation. With each following wrongdoing, the more he got the more he wanted. He turned out to be more strong and heartless. ‘He previously victimized a neighborhood bar at gunpoint. At that point he stole a plate of precious stones from a gems store, breaking a security’s jaw with brass knuckles. Feeling sure, he boldly broke into a high-stakes gambling casino amusement at a nearby club and victimized every one of the players. At that point, in the mid year of 1966, on a swarmed walkway, Lucas shot a neighborhood hooligan who didn’t give him the appropriate sum on an idiot bargain.’ His experiences grabbed the attention of Ellsworth ‘Rough’ Johnson, a long-term Harlem criminal who controlled betting and drug tasks. Straight to the point Lucas gained well from Johnson, however, took his lessons to an unheard of level, creating a stand amongst the most greatest and best, most beneficial criminal associations of the twentieth century. Johnson passed on in 1968, leaving the control of Harlem up for snatches.

Lucas forgetting betting and predominantly centered around the heroin state arrangement accepted the open door to seize as a much area as he could. Forthcoming Lucas needed to be rich what he called ‘Donald Trump rich.’ He did not just trust he could become famous in the drug world, he likewise saw how to do it. He began with the arranging. He called it ‘backtracking.’ He would open himself up in a hotel room, far from any distraction , for a month or two at any given moment. He would think back on all his past encounters and what he’d realized. At that point he’d anticipate the future including each detail and the detail of the detail, ensuring he rationally strolled through each progression of the activity. He had his whole idea planned out and knew each step of the way to get there.

Frank Lucas and his family also followed the nine attributes. These attributes keep the organization perpetuating. His Absence of political goals, hierarchical organization that had a leader and people under him. A limited membership that included just his family. A unique subculture. And like Nicky Barnes the organization used harsh violence to get points across. The organized crime organization was monopolistic but respected nicky Barnes and did in fact mind their own business and blocks. It was an organization that had rules and regulations and was of course corrupted in every way.

Both Lucas and Barnes say they were specialists in the work they did, Both African American drug dealers that were in Harlem. They were both aggressive men in the seventies hundreds that were in the same game. The dope diversion was to limit the influence of the Italian merchants who had controlled the Harlem scene for a considerable length of time. Barnes cut positive manages his Mafia accomplices. He had the greatest customer base, he had a huge number of customers. It was a hostage market, and he was their easy retailer. Lucas, to a greater degree figured out how to sidestep the Italians by setting up the horrible however smart idea ‘dead body association’ which was a way that he got the drugs over he got them straight to 116th Street, carrying heroin inside the casket boxes of American officers executed in the Vietnam War.

Application Of Beccaria’s Theory Of Deterrence To International Crime (Genocides) And Transnational Crime (Drug Trafficking)

Why do people commit crimes? The one question that this class has revolved around taking theories and applying them to international, and transnational crime trying to break down what causes a person to commit a criminal act. One theory that has caught my interest throughout this class is Beccaria’s “Theory of Deterrence.” Beccaria’s three characteristics of punishment, Swiftness of punishment being that a trial must be swift, and thorough so that the individual understands the crime they have committed and why they are being punished. Certainty of punishment is to make sure the individual understands that despite what classification of a crime they will be sentenced and punished for the crime they have committed.

The last and most emphasized by Beccaria is Severity of punishment which explains that the punishment of the crime must be severe, so that the consequence outways the benefit received from committing the crime. The theory itself does not interest me on trying to explain why people commit crime, but the limitations that poke holes in this theory do. All theories we have studied during this class have been through a western viewpoint on why crime is being committed. Globally not every country “view’s” criminology through a western view point and every criminal justice system is different. For this paper, I will be applying Beccaria’s theory of deterrence to one international crime being genocides, and one transnational crime being drug trafficking.

I will bring up cases for both crimes and apply the theory I have chosen. My argument in this paper will be on the limitations of the deterrence theory, and why the three characteristics of punishment does not focus on different aspects of where the crime is being committed and the different circumstances these individuals are in. From this paper I will show that not every country follows the western viewpoint on why people commit crime. I will also breakdown in detail why the deterrence theory has its limitations when it comes to these criminal acts being done in the United States. Every criminal justice system around the world has their own different views on what is and what is not a crime.

Drug Trafficking by definition of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is a global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Drugs that are classified to have the potential of being abused are cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and amphetamines. One case that the Federal Bureau of Investigations have worked on was a drug bust in West Virginia in June 2017. Velarian Carter is a West Virginia man in prison serving a twenty year drug sentence that will now double for forty years for being convicted again, for being the man behind a drug conspiracy from prison. The investigators on this case have said that Carter was orchestrating the distribution of illegal drugs being cocaine, crack, and heroin in the state’s Raleigh County as well as nearby areas.

Carter was formerly convicted in February 2017, as well as his mexican cartel contact in California. For this case when it comes to swiftness of punishment the offender has already been convicted and has been charged with another crime. Although the case went smoothly and the offender has already understood the crime he has committed during his first conviction, that has not stopped him from committing another criminal act from behind bars. One limitation is that not every offender understands the crime and feels guilty for committing a criminal act. As explained Carter continued to be the ringleader of a drug trafficking ring even after understanding what he had done, and being sent to prison.

Certainty of punishment comes into play where the offender already knows there will be consequences for committing another criminal act even from prison. Although the offender has already understood the consequences of his actions, he continued to commit the same criminal act. For the severity of punishment again the offender understands the severe consequences of being apart of a drug trafficking ring as he was sentenced for twenty years for his first criminal act. A second limitation is that the offender is not bothered by the certainty or severity of a punishment, because there is nothing else the criminal justice system can do to him that they haven’t already done. As shown Carter continued to be the leader of a drug trafficking ring even after being sentenced to prison for twenty years, as he already is behind bars so adding another couple of years does not sway him to not continue to commit criminal acts.

A second case on drug trafficking has happened in Albuquerque, New Mexico where Gerald Soliz of Farmington pled guilty in federal court for drug trafficking and firearm charges on three separate criminal cases on April 6, 2018. The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the HIDTA Region II Task Force that was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Soliz was charged with trafficking methamphetamine, heroin, and firearms as well as possession of a firearm. His second indictment of possessing a firearm was caused because Soliz was prohibited from carrying any firearm or ammunition, due to previous charges of carrying a controlled substance and child sexual assault. With Soliz making a plea agreement he is sentenced 100 to 125 months of imprisonment.

For this case we see swiftness of punishment as Gerald Soliz has plead guilty of all three charges against him as he understands the crimes he has committed, and why he is being punished for these criminal acts. Certainty of punishment is shown as he made a plea agreement he will be serving 100 to 125 months in prison. Although when it comes to severity of punishment it seems the punishment does not fit the crime even with past charges given to Gerald Soliz. The limitation is within the punishment given to Soliz as before these charges he already was a convicted felon. The plea agreement itself does not fit the crime committed as being charged with two very serious felonies did not stop Soliz from again committing criminal acts. In this case it is clear to see that the benefit Gerald Soliz received from committing these criminal acts out wayed the consequences of his actions.

Another court case on drug trafficking happened on Monday, May 7th, 2018 where Brandon Scott Hawks was charged with two counts of possession of a stolen firearm and one count of possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of controlled substances. In the Eastern District of North Carolina, Hawks was a deputy for eleven years until he held the title of sergeant in 2017. On the two counts of possessing a stolen firearm which included a Glock 26 handgun that was not submitted as evidence to the Sheriff’s Office during that time Hawks had made a traffic stop on July 23rd, 2017. Hawks possessed controlled substances which includes heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine, fentanyl, oxycodone, morphine, methamphetamine, and marijuana with the intent to distribute. During the recovery of said items, Hawks was terminated from his employment with the Gates County Sheriff’s Office. With both counts of possessing a stolen firearm Brandon Scott Hawks was charged with the maximum penalty of ten years in prison, as well as the one account of possessing a quantity of controlled substances being charged the maximum penalty of twenty years in prison.

Brandon Scott Hawks was terminated from the Gates County Sheriff’s office and charged with thirty years in prison showing the thorough process of this trial. As a former officer of the law Hawks initially knew the consequences of committing such criminal acts. Being removed from law enforcement and sentenced to prison was an act of certainty that he would not get away with the crimes he committed. Hawks was sentenced with the maximum penalty of all three counts he was charged with showing that the punishment giving by the judge was severe, and fit the crime he had committed. This case brings an offender from the other side of the law, one who upheld the laws of the United States once until he himself abused his power in law enforcement. This limitation shows that those who are educated and positioned in life to uphold the laws of a country can be the same person who breaks them.

When it comes to drug trafficking and crossing borders into the United States, Mexico is where the most drugs are being brought in and out. An article written by Natasha Clancy on “Insight Crime” gives details on Mexico’s new appointed supervisor of the countries airports suspected of facilitating drug trafficking through Mexico City’s International Airport, and being linked to organized crime groups. The Deputy Director of Airports Supervision Juan Manuel Hernandez Palafox has been using airports in Cancun, Guadalajara, and Tijuana to traffic in illegal drugs and distribute them throughout the country. Criminal Organizations from Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela are said to be sending cocaine and heroin shipments to designated airports in Mexico City. Hernandez Palafox controls a chain of command involving his subordinates being custom agents, canines, baggage handlers and security personnel. Through this chain of command these illegal drugs are being received and distributed.

As stated in the article Hernandez Palafox used to be the commander of Mexico’s federal police. In 2009 he was charged for being affiliated to organized crime due to a video showing him having relations with that of the Gulf Cartel, and other public officials. In 2010 he was released from Mexico’s federal police. It was not until documents were leaked to the public that law enforcement started to investigate the situation at the airports, and before that everyone had turned a blind eye to any information received due to president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador handpicking Hernandez for this new position. Since the documents have been leaked to the public Hernandez has been removed from his position.

His trial was handled quickly due to evidence of his involvement in drug trafficking and organized crime being leaked to the public, yet the only punishment he received was being removed from each of his positions. There is no certainty of him being punished when it seems only when he is caught in the act of criminal activities is he asked to step down from his position. The punishments Hernandez has received does not fit the crime he has committed more than once so the severity of punishment has not stopped him to continue, instead the benefit of the crime outways the consequences of his actions. The limitation in this case is the government itself being corrupt. When law enforcement becomes corrupt to its core there is no law being upheld only profit and connections being made. In a country of injustice there is no understanding on why people commit crime, because the understanding of what is considered a crime in a country like Mexico shows that everything is done out in the open.

When implementing policy implications you must view the circumstances of a country when it comes to drug trafficking. As I said before law enforcement in different countries handle criminal activity differently. If an individual is in prison for drug trafficking they should be heavily surveillanced 24/7. There rooms should be checked on a daily basis, phone calls should be heard to make sure no illegal activity is being arranged, and all mail should be searched. The punishment for continuing to commit crime even while behind bars should be more severe, and offender should have less contact with the outside world until proven they are straying off the path of crime.

As shown in two cases those who are in law enforcement can quickly become criminals themselves instead of upholding the laws of their country. When any part of law enforcement is corrupt it’s like a wound that can become infected very quickly if not handled correctly. One policy that can be implemented when it comes to law enforcement is for officers to record and document any crimes they are investigating. All items seized by law enforcement should be documented giving detailed information on the day, time, and what was specifically seized. If illegal substances are found within the premises of an officer, they should be immediately removed from their position and held in jail until a trial commences.

When a country’s government is corrupt to its core upholding the law is the least concern. What we westerner’s view as a crime might not be considered the same description of an action in a different country. When Corrupt government officials turn a blind eye to criminal activities that are being conducted in the open for everyone to see, it sends a symbol to all people around the world that this particular state is a lawless country that is there to do business no matter how inhumane the proposition is. How can one country place policy implications on a different country it does not govern? The best action another state can do is to protect their own borders from stopping illegal goods being brought in, and work with foreign law enforcement agencies that are trying to make a difference in their own country.

Genocide is an international crime that means the killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation. I chose this international crime because the state itself hands down the authority to its citizens allowing them to “cleanse” a group of people from their land. Although from a global view genocide is an inhumane crime that needs an international response for other nations to step in. Although from an outside perspective this is considered a crime, yet in the state itself this is an authority given down by the government. In the state this is not a crime but an order and even in past criminal acts this crime was considered a law.

One case of genocide happened in Rwanda between the months of April and July in 1994. The population was seven million people composed of three different ethnic groups being Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. During these months the Hutu extremist government launched a plan to rid the country of its entire tutsi minority, as well as others who opposed the government’s plan. During this “cleansing” approximately 800,00 tutsi and Hutus were slaughtered. These two ethnic groups had a longstanding history of tension although both groups spoke the same language.

This tension between both groups started during the colonial period when the Belgians ruled the country. The belgians favored those with a lighter skin complexion which were the Tutsi and gave them more materialistic advantages then there darker skin brethren being the Hutus. Both groups were further divided when all Rwandans had to carry an identity card classifying if they were Tutsi or Hutus. The tension started to rise when most of the Tutsi population was moving outside of Rwanda. In 1959 the Belgians supported a Hutu revolution that forced 300,000 Tutsi to flee Rwanda and this is when the group population started to decrease in the country.

During 1962 The Hutu were the majority in the political parties and controlled the government when Belgium granted Rwanda independence. Hutu extremists among the political party started to blame the Tutsi for their economic turmoil in the country. As tensions flared a civil war broke out between both groups, and the Tutsi rebel group called the “Rwandan Patriot Front” invaded the country from the north on October 2nd, 1990. On the other hand the Hutu Extremists were listing Political Tutsi and Hutu leaders to assassinate behind closed doors. When the UN Commission on Human Rights stepped in the Rwandan government inconspicuously ruled the assassinations as spontaneous and uncontrollable.

The international community decided these assassinations were an internal conflict that the government needed to handle. The civil war between both groups in Rwanda had ended and a power sharing agreement was signed named the Arusha Accords in August 1993. Hutus extremists were angered that their leaders had signed the power sharing agreement, and this led to domino effect of Hutus extremists preparing for war. Through secret radio stations owned by Tutus extremists started to condemn the Tutsis and rally up there brethren for a “cleansing.” Secretly the Hutus extremists started to import large quantities of machetes and distributed weapons to the militias that supported them, and when tensions flared again between both groups it led to the massacre in 1994.

When applying Beccaria’s “Theory of Deterrence” you see there is no Swiftness of punishment as there was no trial after this tragic international incident. There was no certainty of punishment as the Tutus extremists ran the government under their political leaders and gave the signal to try to “cleanse” the country of the Tutsi group. There was no severe punishment given to the Tutus extremists for plotting and taking action to massacre all the Tutsis left in Rwanda. This case shows that not every country is concerned with crimes through a western view point. Some governments are ruled by dictators and warlords, or extremists as shown.

Some countries law enforcements are not as developed as the United States where committing a crime has consequences. This international crime deals with the internal conflict within one state and has no effect towards other nations. This is why the United Nations was created to step in another country and stop these inhumane crimes from continuing.This is also why the international criminal court was created to prosecute those who are not held by their countries laws, but to be prosecuted for the laws under the Genocide Convention at an international level.

References

1. Clancy, N. (Ed.). (2019, April 01). Mexico’s New Airport Boss Aiding International Drug Trafficking: Report. Retrieved May 12, 2019, from https://www.insightcrime.org/news/brief/mexico-head-airports-facilitating-international-drug-trafficking-report/
2. Drug Trafficking. (2018, August 23). Retrieved May 12, 2019, from https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/west-virginia-drug-conspiracy-sentencing-082318
3. Farmington Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Trafficking and Firearms Charges. (2018, April 06). Retrieved May 10, 2019, from https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/farmington-felon-pleads-guilty-federal-drug-trafficking-and-firearms-charges
4. Former Sergeant for Gates County Sheriff’s Office Arrested for Stealing Firearms and Drugs from Criminal Cases. (2018, May 07). Retrieved May 12, 2019, from https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/former-sergeant-gates-county-sheriff-s-office-arrested-stealing-firearms-and-drugs
5. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/drug-trafficking/index.html
6. Rwanda. (2013, February 20). Retrieved May 12, 2019, from https://www.ushmm.org/mobile/confront-genocide/cases-of-genocide/rwanda
7. Tibbetts,S.G.(2019).Criminological theory: The essentials(3rd ed. ). Los Angeles: SAGE.