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| Stacks of cocaine in a 2013 bust which netted $500 million worth of drugs. |
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Drug Update
We don't hear as much about the effects of the Mexican Drug Trade on Americans so I thought I'd give an update on what's happening. A day or two ago, $50 million worth of heroin was seized from two men who operated between the New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania area; To put it in perspective, the 150 pounds or so of heroin captured had enough doses for every person in New York City-at least 8 million people. Although we may not see any evidence of narcotics trafficking in the Bay Area, elsewhere, the war on drugs still continues-subtly, for the most part, or sometimes not so subtly, as in this case. With the recent legalizations of marijuana in certain states, is drug trafficking becoming even more widespread in the U.S.? We'll find out soon.
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I'm surprised that the Mexican Drug Cartel has influences in states as far north as New York and Pennsylvania. Usually the Cartel works in states close to its borders: New Mexico, Arizona, and California. In fact, just last year 500 pounds of meth valued at 18 million dollars was seized from drug traffickers with links to Mexico's Sinaloa Federation drug cartel. This seizure took place in Contra Costa county, which is a county that borders San Francisco to the west. It is shocking how the Mexican drug cartel groups are able to cross the border with these insanely large amount of drugs, without alerting government officials.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/22-Arrested-500-Pounds-of-Meth-Seized-in-California-Mexican-Cartel-Bust-AG-279817432.html
Interesting to hear about how widespread the Drug Cartel is in the United States. I wonder how the Mexican Drug Cartel or other foreign cartels affect other parts of the world? I know the U.S. has had a long struggle in curbing drug sales and usage but how severe is it compared to that of other nations? Just some possible thoughts and curiosities about this international issue. Thanks for sharing, I know a lot of times people seem to only focus on marijuana and the spread of its legalization that the other drug types and issues go unaddressed.
ReplyDeleteI think that the legalization of marijuana will actually lower the black-market drug trade, as it will make buying it legal now. Just for this, illegal trafficking of marijuana will decrease, and I think it would make other drug trades shrink also, as people have access to one type of drug, so they may not try to get into the illegal ones. However, there may also be people who like doing it mostly because it is illegal, so they may move on to harder and illegal drugs.
ReplyDeleteI find it very dismaying to acknowledge the fact that the drug trade and cartel related activities are still very strong in Mexico. It has been an occurring event since my father was a child, and according to the article that I'll list below; around 100,000 people have been either killed or gone missing in the past 9 years in Mexico. While the longevity of the cartel may have been prolonged by the stagnant economy, with a massive impoverished proportions, 52%, it most likely is the leading cause of emigration of Mexican citizens to US soil. Though the issue is if as Nathan said if some of these drugs are legalized. While most of the trafficked drugs have no medicinal benefit, what relief could occur if some of these substances are legalized.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thenation.com/article/180587/how-mexican-drug-trade-thrives-free-trade
I was surprised to hear how much influence the drug cartels have in the US. In 2011, over 1,200 communities in America reported drug cartel presence. Not only is drug cartel activity very widespread, its presence has been in America for a long time. Cartels became America's number 1 supplier of illegal drugs in the year 1990 and have lasted until today.
ReplyDeleteNice post Kevin, it's quite thought provoking. I agree with Nathan, while illegal trafficking of marijuana will decrease, I think the black market drug trade of other drugs will increase. Marijuana is often referred to as the gateway drug. If the gateway drug is so widely accepted and easy to obtain, I predict that more people will want to get other harder and illegal drugs.
ReplyDeleteI think one rapidly growing issue in the U.S. is decriminalizing drugs, not just marijuana, but even more than that. Many people, especially libertarians, believe in totally ending the Drug War to cut spending on fighting it. This way citizens who don't use or care about drugs won't have to pay taxes to defend against them, and once the drugs are legalized, the government can place heavy taxes on these drugs to generate revenue, all without taxing every single citizen. With regards to how this will affect the cartel's influence on the U.S., will it increase or decrease? Thoughts?
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