Reducing Drug Trafficking in THE UNITED STATES

Reducing Drug Trafficking in the United States

Reducing Drug Trafficking in the United States

Introduction

The issue of illegal traffic in drugs is an old one. In the past, drug cartels relied upon brutality. Drug traffickers are noted for torturing and murdering anyone who got in their way. Such tactics deeply antagonized other individuals, often to the point of creating a multi-person vendetta, and placed pressure upon governments to crack down on the drug traffickers (Bailey, 2006).

Today's drug traffickers, such as the Cali cartel, only use violence if other solutions are not available. These entrepreneurs prefer to work quietly. Instead of intimidating others with violent crime, they practice the more profitable white-collar crime to ensure that business runs smoothly (Fabre, 2008).

Thesis Statement

The inability or refusal of governments to cooperate against drug traffickers has occasionally led to diplomatic crises.

Discussion

Governments have had increasing difficulty controlling aspects of the drug trade in part because of political disputes and historic patterns of crime. For example, while both the American and Mexican governments constantly state that they want to eliminate drug trafficking and sales, they are often in disaccord about how to stop these practices. Many Mexicans identify the root cause of the drug problem as unbridled consumption by American consumers while many Americans place emphasis on improved crime fighting tactics and abilities (Rosoff, 2008). The connection between Mexican officials (civilian politicians, local military commanders, and police officers) and illicit drug trafficking dates back to the 1920s, and it is therefore difficult to root out. Patterns of corrupt behavior have become firmly established within regulatory agencies.

The inability or refusal of governments to cooperate against drug traffickers has occasionally led to diplomatic crises. In 1998, the U.S. government obtained indictments against the employees of a dozen leading Mexican banks accused of laundering more ...