3 page part 2
Running head: FIGHTING DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONS 1
SURVEILLANCE: A NECESSITY OR NUISANCE 4
FIGHTHING DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONS 3
Week 4 Outline
Fighting Drug Trafficking Organizations
Student Name
American Military University
HLSS498
Professor
Date
Research Question
Where other approaches have failed, can policy makers, law enforcement, and homeland security assets effectively apply counter terrorism tactics to solve the ongoing issue with drug trafficking organizations?
Thesis
An analysis of current counter drug trafficking tactics fails in comparison to current counter terrorism tactics and indicates a severe lack of focus on this ongoing homeland security problem.
Outline
Introduction
I. Drug Trafficking- Not an epidemic exclusive to the United States and Mexico, but there are clear indicators that the problem is increasing exponentially and needs to be fixed.
A. Drug trafficking, as well as the crime that goes with it, can and does have devastating effects on the economy, the environment, and the American people.
B. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2017) has proven a solid nexus between illicit substance manufacturing and abuse, organized crime, illicit financial flows, corruption and terrorism (para. 1).
C. Therefore, this paper will show that not only is the manufacturing and trafficking of illicit substances an underestimated threat, but it also leads to and can enable other crimes, including terrorism.
Main Point One- Background
II. History- Drug trafficking has been an ongoing and seemingly out of control problem for decades. Despite knowing the issues related to these organizations, counter trafficking tactics have been unsuccessful. Drug trafficking is a multibillion dollar industry and fighting it costs just as much.
III. Major organizations- There are seven major organizations that move the most amount of illicit substances, the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Zetas, Gulf Cartel, Juarez Cartel, BLO, LFM, and the Tijuana Cartel (Department of Justice, 2011, p. 7).
IV. Most commonly trafficked substances and routes in which they are most often smuggled- With the exception of MDMA, which is trafficked mostly from Asian organizations based in Canada, nearly all illicit substances travel through the America-Mexico border. The most common of these, is methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana (Department of Justice, 2011, p.7).
A. MDMA, as well as methamphetamines and marijuana can be manufactured indoors, and synthetically. Cocaine and heroin, however, come from plants which require a certain climate. Coincidentally, the temperature and soil composition in some Mexican areas is ideal, however, very few United States climates are suitable for manufacturing cocaine and heroin.
Main Point Two- Consequences
V. Negative effects- on the economy, environment, and American and Mexican citizens.
A. Drug Trafficking costs hundreds of billion dollars a year, between lost revenue, health care costs, litigation and the law enforcement response (Brouwer, Case, Ramos, Magis-Rodriquez, Patterson, & Strathdee, 2006).
1. In addition to smuggling drugs, in many cases, other items are smuggled as well, such as money, cars, humans, arms, and medications.
2. The environment is not immune to the negative side effects of drug manufacturing. In addition to physical effects, such as building tunnels and canals, the groundwater can be affected, as well as animal life, plant life, and soil composition can be altered drastically (Boxall, 2004).
3. As the problem continues to grow, the costs of litigation, incarceration, and rehabilitation of offenders grows. Additionally, the added and ongoing risks to law enforcement personnel, local citizens, and crime between cartels, further signifies the effect these organizations have on people.
Main Point Three- Current Initiatives
VI. Current counternarcotic and counter trafficking initiatives
A. While there have been successful law enforcement raids, overall, drug trafficking is a multibillion dollar industry that continues to grow. With no legitimate and effective tactic, drug trafficking could potentially be the biggest problem the United States faces in decades to come.
B. There are multiple agencies tasked with fighting the war on drugs. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as well as state, local, and other federal police officers handle the law enforcement side of counter trafficking. The El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), a fusion center ran by the DEA, acts as an information hub to all counternarcotic components. Lastly, there are federally funded programs as well as international task forces, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
VII. Current counterterrorism initiatives
A. Counterterrorism initiatives are certainly an important matter. So much so, that the United States government spends billions of dollars every year on these efforts. There are multiple agencies, task forces, and military units designated strictly for counterterrorism, and considering the lack of terrorism within the United States, one would estimate that these initiatives are successful.
B. According to Sahadi (2015), it is estimated that the United States spends at least one hundred billion dollars a year in counterterrorism efforts. However, the price may be significantly more, considering that much of the intelligence portion of counterterrorism is classified, making estimations difficult (Sahadi, 2015).
C. The Department of State, for example, operates an entire bureau tasked with counterterrorism efforts. Under Bureau of Counterterrorism, there are twelve programs and initiatives, solely focused on terrorism, including the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, and the Antiterrorism Assistance Program (Department of State, n.d.).
Main Point Four- The Real Debate
VIII. Comparing and contrasting drug trafficking and terrorism
A. No researcher can put a price on homeland security, but, it has been evident that while the United States’ focus has been on terrorism, these extremely dangerous and somewhat violent criminals have been crossing borders and smuggling drugs nonstop.
B. Illuminating the nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism, indicates that efforts may be focused in the wrong place.
Main Point Five- Answering the Question
IX. Applying counter terrorism tactics to fighting the war against drugs.
A. Shifting focus and resources from terrorism to trafficking will be no easy feat. However, considering the devastating effects drugs are having on American society, it is clear that this problem is ongoing and needs to be fixed at all costs.
B. If the effort towards trafficking was as forceful as the effort towards terrorism, there is a chance that both threats could be handled at the same time. Securing airspace from terrorists has been widely successful; however, an entire underground network exists for traffickers.
Conclusion
While this is just a brief overview of drug trafficking organizations, further research will show that this is an ongoing epidemic. In short, the effects are endless, on the economy and the environment. Therefore, further research into counter drug trafficking tactics is crucial. Secondly, an evaluation of current counterterrorism methods is necessary. Given the vast consequences of both activities, determining which deserves the most resources is no easy task. However, with continued research, it will prove that counterterrorism tactics can be effectively applied to counter trafficking operations to reduce and deter this ongoing problem.
Resources
Boxall. (2004). The environmental side effects of medication. EMBO Reports, 5(12), 1110-1116. doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400307
Brouwer, K. C., Case, P., Ramos, R., Magis-Rodríguez, C., Bucardo, J., Patterson, T. L., & Strathdee, S. A. (2006). Trends in production, trafficking and consumption of methamphetamine and cocaine in Mexico. Substance Use & Misuse, 41(5), 707–727. http://doi.org/10.1080/10826080500411478
Cook. (2008). Mexico’s drug cartels. Washington, D.C., Congressional Research Service.
Department of Homeland Security. (2010). Counternarcotics doctrine. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/dhs-counternarcotics-doctrine-2010-06-15.pdf
Department of Justice. (2010). Impact of drugs on society. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs38/38661/drugImpact.htm
Department of State. (2013). International narcotics control strategy report (1). Retrieved from Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs website: https://edge.apus.edu/access/content/group/security-and-global-studies-common/Intelligence%20Studies/INTL446/Content/Week%206/INCSR2013.pdf
Drug Enforcement Administration. (n.d.). Controlled Substances Act. Retrieved from https://www.dea.gov/druginfo/csa.shtml
González, F. (2015). Drug trafficking organizations and local economic activity in Mexico. PLoS ONE, 10(9), e0137319. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0137319
Government Accountability Office. (2009). Drug control: Better coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and an updated accountability framework can further enhance the DEA’s efforts to meet post 9/11 responsibilities (09-63). Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-63
Longhini. (2014). Ex-smugglers reveal tricks of the Chicago drug trade, including methods of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-smugglers-reveal-tricks-of-the-chicago-drug-trade/
Moore, L. D., & Elkavich, A. (2008). Who’s using and who’s doing time: Incarceration, the war on drugs, and public health. American Journal of Public Health, 98(5), 782–786. http://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2007.126284
National Drug Intelligence Center. (2011). National drug threat assessment. Department of Justice. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs44/44849/44849p.pdf
Office of National Drug Control Policy. (2016). National drug control strategy. Retrieved from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/ondcp/policy-and-research/2016_ndcs_final_report.pdf
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (n.d.). Drug mules: Swallowed by the illicit drug trade. Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org/southasia/frontpage/2012/october/drug-mules_-swallowed-by-the-illicit-drug-trade.html
Werb, Rowell, Guyatt, Kerr, Montaner, & Wood. (2011). Effect of drug law enforcement on drug market violence: A systematic review. International Journal of Drug Policy, doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2011.02.002