The sale and distribution of illegal drugs has been happening since the beginning of time when some society decided to make the possession, usage or access to a particular plant or flower illegal. However, the large scale organized distribution of massive quantities of drug has only recently been made possible because of the technology and large areas in which to hide and smuggle various forms of drugs. Opium and Heroin are generally the drugs that get smuggled in large quantities because the poppy plant does not grow well in the US and Canada.
In part of Southeast Asia known as the “Golden Triangle” during the Vietnam War the CIA was heavily involved in the large scale smuggling of opium out of this area and into the United States. These drug sells help fund the CIA’s private war in Laos and was instrumental in the addiction of over 2.5 million soldiers and minorities during the 1960 and 1970’s. As the Vietnam War wound down to an end this smuggling operation can under greater scrutiny and as such the shipment from the Golden Triangle all but dried up in the early 1980’s from this region.
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However, around the same time frame another area was discovered when a ship filled with 220 kilos of pure heroin was impounded by the Dutch navy. After months of investigation and several sources it was concluded that the largest seizure of heroin in European history had originated in Afghanistan and was implemented by factions of the Soviet Union. Over the next decade this region located in the mountain valleys between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan because one of the world’s two biggest sources of raw opium. (Steinberg 1995) This area, now known as the “Golden Crescent”, was producing enough opium with its clandestine labs to generate heroin sales of between $8 and $10 billion at over 1000 tons per year. (UNODC Report 2008) This unrestrained production and manufacture of opium and heroin resulted in not only the addiction of 1.3 million Pakistanis and a comparable number of Iranian and Afghanistan’s but it caused a massive increase in the number of opium, heroin and crack dependant Americans and Europeans. Estimates show that somewhere over 17 million users of cocaine and heroin are spread out over Europe and the Americas. Many soldiers bringing their addiction back from the war with them placed a heavy toll on the treatment resources available in the US Military healthcare system.
Now when we talk about drug smuggling and addiction we cannot leave out the undisputed “King of Cocaine” one Pablo Escobar from the Medellin Drug Cartel in Columbia. With and estimated $30 billion net worth before his death, Pablo Escobar was one of the richest drug dealers in the business. (Vallejo 2007) Escobar started out as a petty thief and enforcer. He was educated, even attending the University of Antioquia for a short period of time. Escobar was involved in extortion, kidnapping and strong-arm tactics when he began his assent to power and prominence in the drug business in 1975. He realized that he could more easily smuggle drugs into the United States using an airplane than his competitors did using trucks to cross the border. He could fly low under the radar and in darkness and either drop a load for pick up or land and unload in less than 7 minutes.
He started with one plane and eventually purchased and controlled up to 15 planes and 6 helicopters. This gave him a big advantage in carrying product further into the US and faster than his competitors. If any of the competitors or their associates tried to cheat him or muscle in on his territories he killed them and assimilated their crew into his organization. After a brief arrest and legal battle in Medellin over a few pounds of product Escobar bribed the officers and the case was dropped. He then realized that it was cheaper and less time consuming to either bribe a police or government official or kill them. Either way he could quickly get back to the business at hand which was distributing drugs. (Escobar 2009)
As Escobar’s distribution network grew to include boats, trucks and submarines his wealth and power expanded exponentially. He had so much money coming in that there was no place to store it safely and so rats would eat and destroy hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Like many criminals who seek access to legality through either the church or the government, Escobar got himself elected to the Columbian Chamber of Representatives. This now gave him legitimate travel access to Spain and other countries to spread his drug network influence. He promoted good will among the poor people by building soccer fields and schools; he gave money to poor families in the barrios and donated large sums of money to the Roman Catholic Church. This got him in good with all of the elements necessary to run a thriving business; the Politian’s, the church and the people. Things were going extremely well until December of 1983, when after a 15 month “capture and search” program lead by the US DEA and Columbian Police officials that could not be bribed or intimidated, culminated in the death of Pablo Escobar caused by gun shots to the legs, torso and head. (Escobar 2009)
Pablo Escobar was a pioneer for today’s modern drug cartels. The methods he used known as “plata o plomo,” (literally silver or lead) meaning either accept the bribe money or get a bullet, has been used by the Mexican, Columbian and Cuban cartels with impunity. Just like in Pablo’s case the government is powerless to do what it really takes to curtail these criminals because it is worried about violating the civil rights of the people involved. While they kill and act with little regard of the consequences because they know the worse they will get from the court system is a “punishment vacation” where they will still be able to run their empires. This is assuming that they actually make it to trial and get convicted.
While the US doesn’t produce any poppies, opium, heroin or cocaine there are some home grown drug dealers that are gaining more and more foothold among the poor white communities, and these are the “meth” dealers. They produce a chemical neurotoxin called methamphetamine or “crystal meth” that is said to have the same addictive properties as any of the drugs we have already discussed and yet it can be made in a coffee can. Users of the drug, unlike some users of cocaine and heroin, will begin to have an immediate change in their physical appearance including rapid teeth loss and sunken facial features. This drug is more dangerous than the others only because of its easy and cheep accessibility.
Our criminal justice system is woefully losing the drug war and the citizens or feeling the pain. As more and more money is diverted to fight this war less and less is available for educational programs, social service programs and other projects that could possibly turn the tide in the American dependence on drugs period. Something must be done soon otherwise we will all become victims of the drug trafficking.
