The International Drug Trade Area Case Studies

Types of Security Military Economic Political Environmental THE INTERNATIONAL DRUG TRADE HAS A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON ALL OF THESE!!!!

The drug trade and Military Security Traffickers in some countries have often owned larger and more sophisticated military resources than the police or the military Examples: Caribbean/ Central & South America/ Areas of Asia and the Middle East Fact: During 1994 Columbian authorities discovered an advanced IBM computer used by traffickers to analyze calls to the police

The drug trade and Economic Security Drug abuse contributes to loss of productivity due to addiction, rehabilitation, and incarceration. Fact: In 1991, Jamaica’s adult male inmate population was 33% above capacity

The drug trade and Political Security Drug operations generate a significant amount of crime and violence around the world Examples: Kidnapping/ Bribery/ Tax Evasion/ Theft/ Money Laundering/ Murder/ Extortion/ Narco- terrorism Fact: Caribbean homicide rates are 34% higher and robbery rates are 26% higher than in countries with similar economic conditions.

The drug trade and Environmental Security Drug production, specifically cocaine and heroine production, result in enormous amounts of pollution and deforestation. Fact: Production of cocaine involves (Andean Region) 1. dumping 10million liters of sulfuric acid million liters of ethyl ether million liters of kerosene 4. slash and burn planting Almost all of this is dumped into rivers or end up in the water table

The International Drug Trade Some Basic Facts 1.Over 600 Billion Dollar a year industry 2.Over 100 countries have direct involvement in the trade somehow 3.Supply of drugs come from all countries participating a. notable areas are Latin America / golden Triangle (South East Asia)/ Golden Crescent (Pakistan/ Afghanistan/ Iran/ Turkey) 4. Many governments hardest hit by the trade do not have the resources to properly fight it.

The United States as a Drug Consumer The US spends billion dollars annually The US economy 1. drained of 67 billion dollars a year US Demand for illegal drugs 1. Going down International demand for illegal drugs 1. Going up

Drug Trafficking into the US Only about 15-20% of narcotics are seized Why? 1. Enormous amount of entry points a. Thousands of inlets and roads 2. All Caribbean Islands are less than 2,000 miles from Miami a. most are less than 2,000 miles from Washington DC 3. “Go Fast” Traffickers

Latin American

Columbia (A Case Study) Columbia 1.One of the world ’ s largest suppliers of cocaine, and now unfortunately heroine 2.Columbia is home to two of the world ’ s largest cartels a.Cali and Medellin * buy off politicians * assassinate political leaders (peaked during the drug wars of )

Early Cartels International Distribution in Columbia starts in the 1970s 1. Was unorganized 2. Human traffickers “Mules” a. many in the business were mules Demand for Cocaine in the United States increases in the 1980s 1. higher demand = more organization 2. Cali and Medellin Cartels made 5-6 billion a year

Cartels in the 1990s Traffickers Used 1. Merchant Vessels/ Aircraft/ Semi Submersible Vessels 2. Laboratories (large industrial complexes) a. remote jungle regions 3. International relationships with other criminal organizations a. Columbian Cartels & Sicilian Mob

The Medellin Cartel 1980s – Early 1990s 1. Named After Columbian City 2. Lead by Pablo Escobar 3. Known For a. ruthlessness b. violence (declares war against the gov’t) * US extradition 4. Self Destructs a. Escobar killed by Columbian Police * 1993

Cali Cartel Cali Cartel (1990s) 1. Subtle & Less flashy than the Medellin a. businessmen who mastered money laundering & paying off officials 2. US demand drops (1990s- Present) a. exploit a new European market 3. Many leaders tracked down a. dominance ends in late 1990s

Cartels Today Late 1990s –Present 1. Industry fragments 2. Small Cells a. 300 active organizations in Columbia alone

Colombian Guerillas The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) 1. Collected protection taxes a. could not 2. Narco-Terrorism

Plan Colombia Andres Pastrana 1. President ( ) 2. Plan Colombia a. destroy coca planting b. 7.5 billion c. A lot from the United States (1.3 Billion) * good and bad * “spill over” d. (2006) 213, 724 hectares eradicated

Problems with Crop Substitution NO EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT ILLEGAL DRUGS BROUGHT AN ECONOMIC BOOM TO ANY ANDEAN COUNTRY 1980s when cocaine spiked in the Andean Area 1. GDP Fell 28%

Problems with Crop Substitution The Vast Majority of Farmers Want to Move to Legitimate Crops WHY IS THERE NO MOVEMENT ? 1.Environmental a. soil in the Andean region is acidic and damp * favors Coca and not other plants 2. Structural a. There is no way to bring crops to far away legal markets * In Peru until 1994 it took 14 hours to go from the rural Andean region to Lima * guerillas made it twice as long b. Political Instability

Problems with Crop Substitution 2.Economic a. Coca gives a quicker return as an investment then other crops b. No local markets to sustain farmers