Scott Petty

Professor Roberts
HLTH 1050
8/7/2014
Drug trafficking in te !S
Tere is a "rob#e$ in te !S %it &rug trafficking' an& te !S trying to kee" u" %it te uge
a$ounts of &rugs co$ing into te country an& being $a&e in te country( Drug carte# in Sout )$erica
an& *entra# )$erica an& in +uro"e are fin&ing it ,ery easy to e-"#oit te sores of te !nite& States
%it Heroin' *ocain' .ari/uana an& oter ty"es of i##icit &rugs tat are "o"u#ar in )$erica( 0at is te
i$"act of tis "rob#e$ in our society1 0y is te "rob#e$ so ar& to so#,e for our #ea&ers1
*ocain is a "o"u#ar &rug in te !nite& States' not as "o"u#ar as it %as in te 12803s' at it3s a##
ti$e ig for trafficking into te country' but sti## a "rob#e$ in our countries urban areas( Drug carte# in
te 12803s %ou#& trans"ort troug Sout )$erica to "artners in .e-ico tat %ou#& ten bring te
&rugs into te !S( 4n 1282' after uge si"$ents %ere sei5e&' te &rug carte# estab#ise& $ore efficient
"ractices troug .e-ico to u"gra&e teir o"erations( 4n $a/or cities cocaine "rices range fro$
617'000 to 625'000' an& tere is a stea&y su""#y of it(
Heroine is $ore #ucrati,e in te !S as an i##icit &rug tan any%ere e#se' an& &rug carte#s %ant
to e-"#oit tat( Sout )$erican &rug carte# use teir a#rea&y estab#ise& &istribution net%orks to bring
in #arge a$ounts of eroine into te country( .e-ican organi5e& cri$e grou"s a,e been s$ugg#ing in
8b#ack tar eroine9 :.e-ico;s bran& of eroine< for &eca&es( Sout%est )sian eroine is a#so a,ai#ab#e
in te !nite& states' but Souteast )sian eroine is on te &ec#ine in te country( Te "rice range for
,arious ty"es of eroine in te country range fro$ 617'200 to 6200'000(
.eta$"eta$ine "ro&uction &o$estica##y is base& in te %est' sout%est an& $i&=%est
!nite& States' but $ost of te $eta$"eta$ine a,ai#ab#e in te !S is "ro&uce& in 8su"er #abs9
ca"ab#e of "ro&ucing 10 "oun&s of $eta$"eta$ine in 24 ours' o"erate& by .e-ican organi5e&
cri$e grou"s in .e-ico an& *a#ifornia( Te su""#y of .eta$"eta$ine in te !nite& States is a#so
&ue to $any s$a## ti$e 8cooks9 tat use e,ery&ay e>ui"$ent in "#ace of e-"ensi,e #ab e>ui"$ent to
$ake te &rug fro$ ,arious store bougt ingre&ients( Street "rices for $eta$"eta$ine range fro$
6400 to 67'000 "er ounce(
.ari/uana is te $ost abuse& i##icit &rug in te !S' te current a$ount of users of te &rug is
11(5 $i##ion "eo"#e in te country( .ari/uana is often consi&ere& te 8gate%ay &rug9 because it3s users
often ten& to try ar&er &rugs after abusing $ari/uana( .ari/uana is gro%n &o$estica##y an& abroa&
ten trans"orte& to ,arious "arts of te country for &istribution( .ari/uana gro%n in .e-ico accounts
for $ost of te countries su""#y of te &rug' %i#e *ana&a a#so offers a ig "otent bran& an& )sia a#so
,arious oter sources fro$ "arts of te %or#&( .ari/uana can range fro$ 6400 to 68'000 "er "oun&'
&e"en&ing on %ere it is fro$ an& te "otency(
.D.)' a#so kno%n as ecstasy' is a "o"u#ar &rug for $any a&o#escents in +uro"e an& in te
!nite& States( .D.) is a 8c#ub &rug9 use& at ra,e &ances in un&ergroun& c#ubs( Te .D.) tab#ets
are $a&e in +uro"e an& tey a,e a ig "rofit $argin( ?ne .D.) tab#et costs on#y about 50 cents to
$ake' but are so#& for 620 to 650( P*P an& LSD are bot "ri$ari#y $a&e in "arts of *a#ifornia' an&
LSD is $a&e in ,arious "arts of te nort%est an& $i&=%est as %e##( LSD %as uge#y "o"u#ar in te
@03s an& is sti## %i&e#y a,ai#ab#e to&ayA genera##y $i&&#e c#ass a&o#escents are te buyers of LSD(
.any' $any $i##ions of "eo"#e enter te !S in ,arious %ays eac year' an& it is a &aunting task
for &rug #a% enforce$ent agencies to kee" u" %it te inf#u- of &rugs into te country( Te &e$an& for
i##icit &rugs in te !S is ig' an& tere are $any organi5e& cri$e organi5ations' an& &rug se##ers tat
%ant to ta" into te countries $arket( *an te !S &o anyting to &ecrease te cri$e an& oter "rob#e$s
associate& %it &rug trafficking1 4 "ersona##y fee# tat te "rob#e$ is &ue to too $uc &rug #a% in te
!S( 4 fee# tat if %e %ant te "rob#e$ to get any better te #a%s nee& to be re#a-e& great#y( 4 a$ not
saying tat &rugs are okay' an& tat "eo"#e sou#& use &rugs' 4 a$ saying tat %e cou#& &ecrease
,io#ence by "ossib#y #ega#i5ing $any or a## of tese &rugs( 4 tink te go,ern$ent sou#& set u" so"s
tat infor$ "eo"#e about te &angers associate& %it te &rugs' but a#so se## te &rug if "eo"#e %ant
te$( 4 fee# te go,ern$ent sou#& ten use $uc of te $oney gaine& by in,esting in &rug treat$ent
an& &rug a%areness for co$$unities tey se## te$ in( 4 kno% $y o"inion is not "o"u#ar an& is "retty
ra&ica#' but 4 can3t tink of anoter true so#ution to te &rug trafficking "rob#e$ in te !S(