Does Drug Interdiction Increase or Decrease Drug-Related Crime?

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Drugs have always been associated with violent crime. The link between drugs and violent crime can take place in three ways: crime committed by drug users, crime connected with the production and distribution of drugs, or violent crime directly associated with the attempt to enforce drug prohibition (Friedman 1). Drug interdiction refers to the efforts taken by the government to interrupt the flow of drugs into and within the country.

At the international level, the United States Coast Guard personnel are entrusted with the task of drug interdiction, by countering the smugglers at sea and preventing illegal drug shipments into the United States. Through drug interdiction, the destructive influence of drug consumption is reduced and the potential funding for terrorism through drug supply is also disrupted. Thesis: Drug interdiction helps to reduce drug-related crime by reducing the flow of drugs into the country and by disrupting the flow of funds into the hands of the terrorists.

Drugs are harmful to society because of their direct link to violent crime. To check violent crime, the huge illicit drug market in the United States needs to be checked. The checking of the illicit drug market can be done by reducing the demand for illegal drugs, reducing the import of illegal drugs, and reducing the local production and distribution of illegal drugs. While reducing the demand for illegal drugs is not within the purview of drug interdiction, international drug interdiction helps to check illegal drugs by reducing the flow of illegal drugs into the country and domestic drug interdiction helps to check illegal drugs by stopping their distribution.

Domestic interdiction, investigation, or interception programs refer to the interception of illegal contraband within the confines of the US. It targets the interception of drugs before the sale on the street (Steffen & Candelaria 2). Domestic interdiction directly reduced the drugs available to the users. Thus by reducing the drugs available to the users, drug interdiction serves to reduce drug-related crime indirectly. The fact that domestic interdiction is effective is shown by the fact that to date more than 300 domestic drug interdiction groups exist in the US and are growing due to the demand for counterdrug efforts in a variety of settings (Steffen & Candelaria 3).

International drug interdiction takes a variety of forms from careful customs inspection to waging war against producing nations. International and national interdiction efforts are conducted by a variety of agencies such as the United States Coast Guard, United States Customs, Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (Steffen and Candelaria 1). The Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard in December 2007 announced a record year for cocaine seizures with 355, 755 pounds seized, worth more than $4.7 billion (USCG 1).

In September 2007, the Coast Guard and its partners interdicted a vessel loaded with 3,600 gallons of cocaine dissolved in diesel fuel, a technique used by smugglers to avoid detection (USCG 1). In August, Coast Guard, Navy, and Customs and Border Protection crews interdicted and boarded a self-propelled, semi-submersible vessel loaded with an estimated $352 million of cocaine (USCG 1).

The Coast Guard made its largest maritime cocaine seizure when it intercepted the Panamanian vessel Gatun carrying more than 33,500 pounds of the narcotic -or approximately 20 tons in March 2007 (USCG 1). All of these achievements only prove that drug interdiction is very effective in checking the flow of drugs into the country and through reduced flow, there is likely to be reduced consumption and hence reduced crime.

Every year, 400-800 metric tons of cocaine, or approximately 90% of the cocaine en route the United States, enters the six million square miles maritime transit zone between the drug-producing countries of South America and the United States (Expectmore.gov 1). The Drug Interdiction Program works to stem this cocaine flow. Research shows that cocaine is directly related to violent behavior (Giannini et al 67). Thus, by stemming the flow of cocaine, drug interdiction efforts help in reducing drug-related violent crime.

There is a connection between international drug trafficking and terrorism and terrorism by definition is a violent activity. The degree to which profits from the drug trade are directed to finance terrorist activities is of paramount concern to our Nation and the DEA (Hutchinson 1). Drug interdiction, by preventing the drug trade also helps to dismantle the formidable sophisticated terrorist and drug trafficking organizations (Hutchinson 1). This dismantling further serves in reducing drug-related violent crime.

Drug interdiction, by checking the flow of drugs into the country not only reduces the number of drugs available to the consumer but also halts the financing of terrorist organizations that are funded through the drug trade. Cocaine, the drug found to induce violent behavior in people who consume it, is the most widely seized drug interdiction effort. Thus, it is true to say that drug interdiction efforts help to reduce drug-related crime both by checking the number of drugs available to the consumer and by checking the growth of terrorism.

Works Cited

Giannini, A.J.; Miller N.S; Loiselle R H; and Turner C E (1993). Cocaine-associated violence and relationship to route of administration. J Subst Abuse Treat. 10(1):67-9.

Friedman, David (2008). Drugs, Violence and Economics. Web.

USCG (United States Coast Guard) (2007). Coast Guard Announces Record Drug Seizures. Press Release. Web.

Steffen, S. George and Candelaria, M. Samuel (2002). Drug Interdiction: Partnerships, Legal Principles, and Investigative Methodologies for Law Enforcement. CRC Press.

Hutchinson, Asa (2001). DEA Congressional Testimony.

Expectmore. (2008). Detailed Information on the Coast Guard: Drug Interdiction Assessment. Web.

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Does Drug Interdiction Increase or Decrease Drug-Related Crime?

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