Essay about Success and Failure in the US-Mexico War on...

Illegal narcotic drugs represent a $60 billion market in the U.S., and this year alone the State and Federal governments will each spend roughly $20 billion in attempting to stifle this market. The amount of money involved in the drug trade, substantially inflated due to prohibition, makes both systemic corruption and violence inevitable. The illegal drug trade is a sophisticated international network, and while no nation’s involvement is limited to one economic function, one relationship is crystal clear: Mexico serves as a high-volume channel of drugs into the United States, and drug traffickers will go to great lengths to continue serving the American consumers as long as their demand exists. A 1997 article stated that†¦show more content†¦and Mexico. This paper examines the nature of the illegal drug market, the obstacles faced by the US and Mexico in their war on drugs, as well as the current developments and a proposed alternative to the allegedly futile and misguided effort. BACKGROUND Over the past decade, Mexican drug organizations secured a prominent position in the cocaine market that was formerly dominated by Colombian drug cartels, and opened the doors for Mexican groups to dominate the drug trafficking market. According to a Drug Intelligence Brief by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Mexico continues to be the principal transit route for cocaine available in the United States—an estimated 70 percent of the cocaine entering the United States is smuggled across the U.S. Southwest border.[3] Mexico is also a source country for heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine available in the United States, as well as various pharmaceutical drugs. Drug production and trafficking, as well as the laundering of drug proceeds, is currently controlled by powerful and well-organized Mexican organizations. A major trafficking group might contain 200 or more members in the Mexico base, with hundreds of additional members throughout the organizations network. Not surprisingly, the most prominent trafficking organizations, such as the Arrellano-Felix cartel, control the drug trade across broad tractsShow MoreRelatedThe Mexican drug war is a non-stop killing machine for decades. The level of violence and killings1200 Words   |  5 PagesThe Mexican drug war is a non-stop killing machine for decades. The level of violence and killings is no difference from a modern warfare. In just recent years 70,000 people from the innocent to members of any cartels have been killed, but some estimate the number is a staggering 120, 000. Entire cities and towns have erupted into war zones chock-full with military checkpoints and drug carte ls roadblocks. With fully equipped military grade weapons such as grenade, launchers, the drug cartel are equallyRead MoreThe War On Drugs And Its Effects On America1065 Words   |  5 Pagesdeclared drug abuse public enemy number one, initiating an unprecedented global campaign, the War on Drugs. Today, the War on Drugs is a huge failure, with devastating unintended consequences. It led to corruption, violence, and mass incarceration. It negatively affected the lives of millions of people. All of this while we waste billions of dollars every year only to create and fuel powerful drug cartels. This global conflict has to end. The core strategy of the War on Drugs is to eradicate drugs andRead MoreComparing Plan Columbia and the Merida Initiative in Mexico4198 Words   |  17 PagesThe purpose of this paper will be to make a comparison between the Colombian drug cartels at the turn of the century with the mexican cartels today. The object of this comparison will be to determine the effectiveness of large scale millitary intervention against drug cartels.I will assess weather this comparison is not only justified but in any way usefull in understanding how fight a well funded well armed non-state enemy. This is a response to public comments by high ranking United States officialsRead MoreRyan Stone . Mrs. Aikey . English 11 Honors, 6Th Hour.1566 Words   |  7 PagesEnglish 11 Honors, 6th Hour 28 April 2017 The War on Drugs The War on Drugs had hopes of ending drug possession and usage in the 1971 when president Nixon signed the Drug Prevention and Control Act. Through the years, many people have criticized the war for its failures, and others have commended it for its success. Some people want harsher penalties for drug usage and possession, while others want all drugs to become legal. Although the War on Drugs seems to be a solution to a hot button issue,Read MoreDrug Trafficking : A Social Evil2462 Words   |  10 PagesDrug trafficking presents a social evil that has refused to go away despite numerous interventions by governments and concerned stakeholders across the world. This problem is mostly prevalent in America. Latin America is among the major producers of illicit drugs in the world. Besides being a big producer, Americans are also among the biggest consumers of drugs (Dorn et al. 23). The rise in organized crime organizations commonly known as cartels in America are in charge of drug tra fficking. ResearchRead MoreAmerica s War On Drugs2030 Words   |  9 PagesThe â€Å"War on Drugs† has been a hot topic for several decades in the United States. The argument for the success of this campaign usually varies depending on one’s political affiliation. The government handled the ongoing campaign differently with each new administration taking command, most of them having no little success. The fact of the matter is that the ideal of a â€Å"drug free civilization† is far from reality. The world is coming to terms that the various drug-fighting programs across the worldRead MoreDrug Cartel2623 Words   |  11 PagesCiudad Juarez is known as one of the most violent cities in Mexico. The drug cartels have taken over the city and have continued to control the city. The city officials have been defeated over and over again; hopeless they still search for new ways to win this ongoing war. Using technology in the United States has become a crucial part of its survival, since our failure to use intelligence properly in the attack of nine-eleven. Mexico is now attempting to use use the same method in hope thatRead MoreBorder Security and Drug Trafficking3286 Words   |  13 PagesSecurity Introduction. The problem of drugs coming over into the United States from Mexico is not new, but it is serious and in spite of many efforts by American law enforcement and border authorities, it continues day after day. This paper reviews the problem from several perspectives and brings to light attempts the U.S. has made to stop drug trafficking on our border with Mexico. The biggest issue regarding border security is the power of the drug cartels, and the majority of emphasis in thisRead Moremarijuana legalization2370 Words   |  10 Pageswhich made transfer or possession of cannabis (marijuana plant) illegal throughout the US under federal law. Studies conducted throughout the years have proven that cannabis can be utilized as a medical supplement. In fact 20, states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to legalize marijuana under certain medical conditions. According to the White House, it is the most commonly used recreational drug in the United States. It has been proven to be le ss harmful than alcohol, which is currentlyRead MoreDrug Abuse Prevention And Control Act2194 Words   |  9 Pageswaged the  War on Drugs.   This war has cost hundreds of billions of dollars to fight and has given our country many mixed results. We have seen fluctuations in the numbers over the years, which are, can be linked to different social fads and political agendas. Despite the enormous amount of money we have spent to rid our country of illegal drugs, we still have four million Americans addicted today. Stricter drug laws have caused there to be an overflow of prisoners convicted of drug charges and