Drug Trafficing

DRUG TRAFFICKING

DRUG TRAFFICKING

Since the 1970’s drug trafficking has been an issue in both the United States and Mexico.  The enormous amount of drug sales in the US from Mexico has been greatly influence by the drugs cartels. Although the cartel’s presence is in both the US and Mexico, the cartel’s influence is greater in Mexico due to the strong impact it has on Mexico’s law enforcement through corruption and violence. On the contrary, the US is not impacted by the cartel’s corruption and violence due to the development of drug trafficking task forces and US policies on the “War on drugs.”   [pic 1]

        Cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine are readily available in the US. The affordable prices and high quality of the drugs has made it appealing to both recreational and habituate drug users. The addiction to the drugs has caused a rise in crime activity and violence throughout this country.  Illegal drugs have taken the toll on lives and have harmed the quality of life in many families here in America. America’s addiction to the illegal drug has given the cartel opportunity, power and wealth to expend their drug trade throughout the world.

Columbian Cartels  

Pablo Escobar was one of the first drug smugglers.  He formed the Columbia Medellin Cartel in the 1970s. He controlled over 80% of the cocaine that was shipped to the USA. He was very generous to the poor Columbians and sponsored different athletic teams with the profits from drug sales. He was a very violent and ruthless drug trafficker. He rose to power and controlled the cocaine trade which made him the most wealthiest and powerful man in Columbia. He order politicians, judges, police officers and news journalist killed during his legacy.  He was eventually killed in 1993 by a special Columbian police task force (Pablo Escobar Biography, 2014).[pic 2]

The Medellin Cartel began by purchasing high quality cocaine paste from Peru and Bolivia. They processed it into cocaine powder and shipped it to the USA. It was then distributed throughout the entire the country. The profits from the US established Pablo Escobar’s power and wealth in Colombia (Pablo Escobar, 2014).

        The Cali Cartel was formed by the Rodriguez Orejuela brothers and the Santacruz Londono.  It is rumored that they assisted in helping authorities located and kill Drug King Pin Pablo Escobar. The Cali Cartels are known for trafficking cocaine, money laundering, kidnapping and counterfeiting.  There are just as vicious and violent as any other cartel organization.  Although many of the members are in jail, they still are able to run daily operation on a normal basis.  They continue to ship large quantities of cocaine to the US and foreign countries throughout the world.  Mexico is one of the main purchasers of cocaine from the Columbia cartel (The Cali Cartel: The New Kings of Cocaine, 1994).

Columbia’s Influence on Mexican Cartels

        The Mexican Cartel started trafficking cocaine to the US in the 1970’s.  They were considered a small origination during the 70’s.  The Columbia Cartel was the most powerful Cartel during that time.  The Mexican organizations only profited small amount money from the sale of cocaine.  The US and Columbian government improved their counter surveillance tactics by the use of military and US Customs planes, helicopters and boats.  They were successful in eliminating and arresting several Columbian Cartel organizations and slowing the flow of drugs into the US.  The Columbia Cartel was forced to reroute shipments of cocaine into Mexico.  The Mexican Cartel now was able to control the sales of cocaine and profited heavily, it was then that they started to become a powerful cartel drug trafficking organization (Stewart, 2013).  [pic 3]

        In the 1990s the Beltran Cartel Family lead by Beltran Leyva, was actively involved in the transportation of “Multi-tons” of cocaine from South America to the US by the means of air, land and sea.  The Beltran Cartels used violence and have killed hundreds of people, including kidnapping, torture and other violent acts (Johnson, 2014).

        Vicente Carrillo was the head of the once-feared Juarez Cartel.  They also ruled by means of violent acts, murder, kidnapping and by torturing and beheading rivals.  They were not afraid to kill top officials.  In 2010 Juarez Cartel hired hit men to kill two US consulates, Lesley Enriquez and her husband.   He also has many rivals.  Juarez Cartel biggest rival was Sinaloa Cartel Joaquin Guzman also known as “Shorty” and “El Chapo Guzman.”  Both are major drug trafficker and ship most of their illegal drugs into the US.  US security officials stated that Juarez Cartels made millions by shipping tons of cocaine to the US alone.   He was eventually captured and arrested by Mexican law enforcement (Diaz, 2014).

        Joaquin Guzman, 55 years old, known by many as “El Chapo,” was just arrested in February of 2014.  He was one of the most wanted cartel leaders by the Mexican government, FBI and DEA.  There was a bounty of $5,000,000 for his capture.   His organization imported as much as half of the illegal drugs shipped into the US from Mexico.  He was called “El Chapo” because he was short and stocky.  He is a famous figure and praised my many in Sinaloa Mexico.   In 2012 his young wife, 21 years old, gave birth to twins, baby girls, in Palm Desert, California.  US did not arrest her because she has not been charged with any crimes.  After a few months, she went back into Mexico with her two daughters and reunited with Guzman.

        According to the DEA, Guzman sold more drugs than Escobar did at the peak of his drug career.  The Justice Department estimates that Columbia and Mexico Cartels profit $18 billion to $39 billion from drugs sales here in the US.  Hillary Clinton stated, “America’s insatiable demand for illegal drugs is what drives the clandestine industry.”   Mexico’s former President Porfirio Diaz once said, “So far from god and so close to the United States.”  Pablo Guzman is a Mexican jail awaiting trial.  The US has not confirmed if they will extradite him to the US for Federal charges (Keefe, 2014).  [pic 4]

        The Sinaloa Cartel continues to smuggle metric tons of cocaine, marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine into the US.  There methods of transportation includes the use of  747 Jets, small air craft, trains, buses, submarines, passenger vehicles and human smugglers.  They also hired engineers to design sophisticated tunnels to transport narcotics into the US.  They have even made ties and have recruited gang members in the US to as security and protect their narcotics.  

        In 2012 the US government forces have identified cartel trafficking operations in over 22 cities most of them in California and have ties to 18 prison and street gangs.  The gangs participate by laundering money; provide weapons for drug smugglers, drug sales, contract killings, they smuggle US currency back into Mexico and act as enforcement for the cartels.