Drug trafficking is an international unlawful business encompassing the growing, manufacturing, distribution, and vending of prohibited drugs. It is a primary concern to several governments in the contemporary world. In the United States, it continues to fuel a national epidemic with wide-ranging fatal consequences (Orozco, 2022). While the primary drug threat in the country continues to be cocaine, other drugs, including heroin, MDMA, marijuana, and methamphetamine, continue to pose a challenge. Despite the several initiatives implemented by the United States government, these drugs continue to be smuggled and transported in wide-ranging manners into the country. This paper explores drug trafficking in the U.S., explaining the primary traffickers and routes for the main narcotics present in the United States. It equates the goals of the United States drug regulations to those of United Nations drug control treaties.
The leading traffickers and routes for each of the five major illicit drugs available in the United States
TheU.S. Department of Justice (n.d) notes that the primary cocaine traffickers in the U.S. are illegitimate settlers from Latin American nations, including Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Cuba, and Columbia. However, Mexico is the most significant trafficker among these nations. Notorious drug cartels, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, are among the primary traffickers of cocaine in the United States (Beittel, 2022). Such cartels have substantial resources, such as corrupt officials, smuggling networks, and a broad presence within Mexico, which help their trafficking. There has been an extended shift in the routes of smuggling cocaine primarily because of the reduced production in Columbia and augmented counter-drug efforts in Mexico. Furthermore, the continuous prohibition pressure and non-American markets like Europe have also contributed to the extended shift. Cocaine’s standard trafficking route is between Mexico’s and the United States’ border (Beittel, 2022). Alternatively, it is also trafficked from Colombia to Panama via the Gulf of Uraba primarily by citizens of these nations. Further, cocaine is smuggled into the U.S. through wide-ranging techniques such as tunnels, human mules, and vehicles.
Heroin is a powerful opioid drug created from morphine. It is predominantly made in Southeast Asia, Mexico, and Afghanistan. This drug is mainly moved to the U.S. by cartel groups from Mexico. Notably, the Jalisco New Generation Cartels and Sinaloa have a substantial role in trafficking this drug into the United States (Beittel, 2022). The trafficking route of heroin into the U.S. is through the U.S.-Mexico border, predominantly done by hiding in vehicles or hidden in couriers’ bodies. Alternatively, heroin shipments from South Asia are smuggled through containerized cargo and arrive at several primary ports of Entry in the United States, such as Seattle, Los Angeles, Vancouver, and San Francisco.
Marijuana is a psychoactive drug created from the Cannabis plan. This drug has witnessed substantial changes following its legalization in several states in the U.S. (Zuniga & Shirk, 2022). Thus, a significant percentage of marijuana in the United States is planted locally. However, this drug continues to be trafficked into the United States, given the ongoing federal prohibition. Previously, Mexican growers were the significant suppliers, supplying more than half of the marijuana used in the U.S. The leading traffickers of marijuana in the U.S. currently are smaller-scale criminal entities and independent growers from Mexico, Colombia, and Canada (Zuniga & Shirk, 2022). The routes are dependent on the location. Trafficking of marijuana is done via air-shipment routes between the United States and Colombia. Further, marijuana trafficking through the Northern and Southwest borders has also enhanced because of the augmented bribery.
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant created from precursor chemicals, mainly pseudoephedrine. The primary traffickers of methamphetamine in the United States are independent trafficking groups, notably the two Mexican drug cartels: the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel (Beittel, 2022). These organizations often oversee the production and smuggling of this drug into the country. The primary routes this drug is trafficked into the U.S. are the Southwestern boundary, the Californian Coast, and the Northwestern Border (Beittel, 2022). The U.S-Mexico border has been at the center stage of the smuggling of this lucrative drug for the cartels involved, mainly via vehicles or couriers.
MDMA also identified as Ecstasy, refers to a synthetic psychoactive drug encompassing intoxicating and empathogenic impacts. This drug is predominantly made in clandestine laboratories situated in Canada, Asia, and Europe (The White House, n.d.). Unlike other medications, its trafficking is characterized by a highly decentralized network of manufacturers and suppliers. The MDMA manufactured in European nations is transported into the U.S. to several club and rave areas where it is predominantly consumed. MDMA’s trafficking from Canada is aided by the presence of laboratories in Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto. Even though the Mexico-U.S. border has been a primary trafficking route for this drug, traffickers also utilize other routes, including the South American and Caribbean borders. It is usually concealed in packages and smuggled through commercial methods via air, land, and sea.
Comparison of the objectives of the U.N. drug control treaties and the United States drug laws include policies and strategies that are used to implement the m in controlling drug trafficking.
There exist various international treaties that create the Transnational Regulation Structure, which tackles the illegal manufacturing, trafficking, and consumption of drugs. These include the Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988; the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961which was amended by the 1972 protocol; and the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 (Armenta & Jelsma, 2019). The three treaties were precisely developed to create internationally appropriate measures to ascertain that drugs can be employed for scientific and medical reasons and cannot be accessed or consumed illegally. On the other hand, the National Drug Control Policy in the U.S. employed wide-ranging techniques to prevent, instruct, and research drugs to decrease their illegal consumption. Even though they differ in principles, the United Nations drug control treaty objectives and those of the U.S. National Drug Control Policy compare widely.
To begin with, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances aims to respond to and handle wide-ranging novel psychoactive substances, including amphetamines, barbiturates, psychedelics, and benzodiazepines. This treaty seeks to reclassify such substances based on their healing value, such that drugs were placed under Schedule I, II, III, and IV (Armenta & Jelsma, 2019). This international treaty differs from that of the United States. Specifically, while this treaty was established to classify specific substances, the U.S. policy mainly aims to educate and empower citizens and residents of the United States to avoid the consumption of illegal substances that are not regarded as part of psychoactive substances. The National Drug Control Policy employs techniques like zero-tolerance policies for youths focused on decreasing the usage of these drugs (National Drug Control Strategy, 2016).
Furthermore, the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs’ primary goal was expanding the prevailing governing procedures and become biased and prohibitionist regarding the manufacturing and trafficking of narcotics drugs (Armenta & Jelsma, 2019). This policy only allowed for narcotics usage for scientific or medical goals. This treaty mandates that every government implement regulations to uproot coca bushes cultivated illegally (Eyle, 2012). In contrast, the latter encompassed narcotics that were less dangerous and were not scientifically beneficial. Correspondingly, a notable goal of the National Drug Control Policy is breaking international and local drug supply channels. The United States Drug Enforcement Agency, via the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, groups narcotics by the schedules as a strategy for backing this policy. Then again, contrary to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs treaty that groups marijuana under Schedule I and IV, the National Drug Control Policy groups this drug only on Schedule I and Cocaine under Schedule II.
Moreover, the U.N. Drug treaty motivates nations to establish strategies to safeguard the public’s well-being and avoid manufacturing, exportation, and importation of drugs, usage, and trade. Consistently, the National Drug Control Policy also aims to protect the United States Land, Sea, and air fronts from all drug threats. The United States Drug Enforcement Agency employs techniques including engaging in flexible operations that focus on distinguishing, unsettling, and seizing illegal drugs trafficked into the U.S. and its borders (Office of National Drug Control Policy, n.d.).
In addition, the Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 primarily focused on enacting felonious charges on all components of illegal manufacturing, possession, or trafficking of drugs. It created a significant legal structure encompassing deportation. Correspondingly, the National Drug Control Policy aims to protect the United States’ Land, Sea, and air fronts from all drug threats. The United States works with different nations worldwide, including Mexico, a leading player in drug trafficking in the United States, to decrease the trafficking of drugs into the nations. For instance, it uses drug law enforcement programs in precise regions in the country where trafficking is prevalent to reduce the flow of drugs into the country.
Then again, the Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 does not force nations to implement punishment or administrative measures for drug usage. On the other hand, among the primary objectives of the National Drug Control Policy is enhancing U.S. citizens’ and residents’ safety through significantly decreasing drug-connected delinquency. The country has augmented its law enforcement to combat drug-connected violence, arrests, and prosecutions of individuals involved in the manufacturing, trafficking, and consumption of drugs consumption.
Further, other treaties, such as the United Nations Convention against Transitional Organized Crime (UNTOC), also mandate nations to implement necessary measures to tackle transnational organized crimes, often connected to narcotics (Armenta & Jelsma, 2019). This regulation governs the enactment of new policies to combat organized crimes and establishes frameworks for legal aid. Similarly, the United States Controlled Substances Act (CSA) also aims to tackle local and global trade in drugs that are not allowed to be distributed within the nation.
In conclusion, this paper has profoundly explored drug trafficking in the U.S., explaining the primary traffickers and routes for the main narcotics present in the United States. It has also compared the goals of the United Nations drug control treaties with those of the United States drug regulations. Trafficking of narcotics in the U.S. persists as a complex issue linked to wide-ranging trafficking techniques and networks. Both the U.N.’s drug control treaties and U.S. drug regulations seek to tackle this issue. Even though both bodies have had noteworthy success, further strategies must be implemented to help eradicate drug trafficking in the United States and other regions.
References
Armenta, A., and Jelsma, M. (2019). “The U.N. Drug Control Conventions.” Transnational Institute. https://www.tni.org/en/publication/the-un-drug-control-conventions
Beittel, J (2022). Mexico: Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Organizations https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R41576/47
Eyle, N. (2012). The International Drug Control Treaties: How Important Are They to U.S. Drug Reform? http://www2.nycbar.org/pdf/report/uploads/3_20072283-InternationalDrugControlTreaties.pdf
National Drug Control Strategy. (2016). Performance Reporting System Report 2016. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/ondcp/policy-andresearch/prs_2016.pdf
Office of National Drug Control Policy. (n.d.). Countering the Spread of Synthetic Drugs – MDMA/Ecstasy. The White House. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/ondcp/synthetic-drugs
Orozco, Y. (2022). Drug Trafficking. Routledge EBooks, pp. 149–152. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003138198-38
Room, R., & Reuter, P. (2012). How well do international drug conventions protect public health? The Lancet, 379(9810), 84–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(11)61423-2
The White House (n.d). Countering the Spread of Synthetic Drugs – MDMA/Ecstasy. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/ondcp/synthetic-drugs
U.S. Department of Justice (n.d). Drug Movement Into and Within the United States – National Drug Threat Assessment (UNCLASSIFIED). Www.justice.gov. https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs38/38661/movement.htm#:~:text=Asian%20traffickers%2C%20OMGs%2C%20and%20Indo
Zuniga, V and Shirk, D (2022) The Impact of State-level U.S. Legalization Initiatives on Illegal Drug FlowsJUSTICE in MEXICO. https://justiceinmexico.org/us-legalization-illegal-drug-flows/
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