Research Papers. Description of Issue:

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1 Research Papers Forum: [6TH COMMITTEE (LEGAL COMMITTEE (LEGAL)] Issue: [Measures to reduce drug smuggling from Latin America to USA] Chair/Co-chair: [Ieva Aliukonyte, Ksenia Kiselova] Description of Issue: Even though the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) and other government agencies in US are working on minimizing the amount of drugs entering US borders, the drug trafficking remains a significant problem in the United States of America. Mexican drug cartels have become more aggressive and indeed, more violent in their efforts to move product to the north. 1 Despite the government s tremendous effort to strop drug smuggling and to win the war on drugs, USA still remains the world s largest importer of illegal drug substances. Background Information What is drug smuggling? Drug smuggling refers to the act of transporting drugs between countries, regions or inter-states. All kind of drugs such as heroin, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, MDMA and others, most of the time are manufactured in huge amounts in one specific region and later distributed to the rest of the world by illegal drug crime organizations. Despite severe laws preventing this activity, the trade and drug trafficking of drugs continue. There is a significant contribution between drug trafficking and worldwide crime rates. Violence associated with the drug trade is often centered around the movement of drugs between locations and distribution of drugs 2. For communities, drug trafficking results in an increase in gang related crimes, violence, poverty, addiction and abuse levels. Drug Mule someone who is employed to smuggle drugs across borders. The drugs usually are hidden on mules body or in an item they are carrying with themselves, for example, suitcases, animals, makeup or souvenirs. They also might place psychotropic substances inside their body, which includes ingesting the drugs or inserting the drugs into their anus or vagina. In drug trafficking, a mule is the individual who faces the most risks, they might harm themselves or even die during the smuggling process as there is a very high risk of toxic overdose if the balloon or the container with the drugs ruptures. 1 "Drug Smuggling." Alcohol Rehab. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec "Drug Smuggling." Alcohol Rehab. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2016

2 Demand in drug trafficking Drug trafficking arose due demand in the market. Over 200 million people take drugs every year around the world. The fact that the demand for drugs like cocaine and heroin stayed the same for many years contributes to the global drug trafficking. As the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has estimated the levels for heroin consumption are as high as 340 tons per year. Nevertheless, the amount of heroin that is trafficked every year reaches about 450 tons, meaning that almost 100 tons are seized by law enforcement organizations and institutions. Reasons such as the worldwide demand and he profits easily made from drug manufacture, trafficking and distributions attract people to get involved in the illegal drug industry. The significance of this market evolved into a multi-billion dollar business. Drugs and Crime Drug trafficking also challenges the world s stability and security. This has some serious impact on the communities because of its contribution to social disorganization, unemployment rates, gang violence, homicides and assaults. The harm from drug and criminal organizations can be felt even at the most senior levels of government due their high influence in that particular area. Moreover, violent crimes are common when it comes to drug distribution. The levels of street violence become high because drug syndicates use violence as a tool to enforce organizational disciple or solve business conflicts typically over drug purchases. Due the fact that drug market is a competitive one, trading illicit substances can lead to drug related violence as drug dealers and distributors compete among each other. This raises an issue of violence and gang crime for government and law enforcement. In some parts of the world, such as Mexico, the affect of the illegal trafficking of drugs and influence of organized crime is immense 3. During the last four years, almost 35, 000 people, including gang members, innocent civilians and law enforcement officers, had been killed as a result of the illegal drug trade. In this region, violent organized criminal units called drug cartels operate and transport millions of dollars of drugs from the cocaine producing regions of South America to the United States of America and to other regions of the world 4. 3 "Drug Smuggling." Alcohol Rehab. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec "Drug Smuggling." Alcohol Rehab. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2016

3 Political Impact In the 1960s Marijuana was a popular drug substance transported from the Latin American region. In the later decades, cocaine became a major drug product, which is smuggles from Colombia and Mexico via Jamaica. Due the development of significance in drug trafficking to USA, " the Reagan Administration began "certifying" countries for their attempts at controlling drug trafficking 5. This provided the permission for the US to intervene in activities that are related to illegal drug transportation in South Latin America. During the 1980s, the Unites States established new, stricter policy concerning drug transport through the sea. This has led to an influx in drug smuggling across the borders between Mexico and Unites States. The activity of drug cartels in Mexico increased accordingly. By the early 1990s, so much as 50% of the cocaine available in the United States market originated from Mexico, and by the 2000s, over 90% of the cocaine in the United States was 5 O'Neil, Shannon (July August 2009). "The Real War in Mexico: How Democracy Can Defeat the Drug Cartels". Foreign Affairs. 88 (4): JSTOR

4 imported from Mexico 6. However, in the mid-1990s the major Columbian cartels experienced a fall. Between 1996 and 2000 visible changes occurred in the drug market in the United States and the consumption of cocaine had dropped by 11%. Another program called the Merida Initiative was presented in 2008 to further prevent drug trafficking in Mexico. This program increased US security assistance to $1.4bn over several years, which helped supply Mexican forces with "high-end equipment from helicopters to surveillance technology 7. Despite the US effort, Mexican cartels manage to overcome all the obstacles and remain stable in the market allowing to continue the activities of drug smuggling across the US-Mexico border. Throughout the 20 th century, various types of narcotics were entering the US borders, opiates in the 1940s, marijuana in the 1960s, heroin in the 1970s and later on cocaine. Most of these imports come from Mexico, In the United States, around 195 cities have been infiltrated by drug trafficking that originated in Mexico 8.Mexican drug cartels Profits of, approximately, 10 billion dollars come from the USA, not just providing the cartels with the money needed for survival, but also deepening America s economic dependence on drugs. 6 O'Neil, Shannon (July August 2009). "The Real War in Mexico: How Democracy Can Defeat the Drug Cartels". Foreign Affairs. 88 (4): JSTOR Quinones, Sam (March April 2009). "State of War". Foreign Policy. 171: JSTOR Epstein, RJ (18 November 1989). "Drug Wars in the United States". British Medical Journal. 299 (6710): doi: /bmj JSTOR

5 Colombia s involvement The trade route that began in the 1960s involved Pre, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela and Cuba. The coca paste, which was produced by farmers in Peru and Bolivia, was passed to Columbian smugglers, who would process the coca paste into cocaine in Columbia and then would transport it through Cuba. This trade established collaboration between Cuban and Colombian organized crime. The final destination of cocaine is Miami, Florida and Union City, New Jersey. During 1970s the relations between Cuban and Columbian drug syndicates had weakened as Columbian cartels wanted to gain more power. In the 1980s and 1990s, Columbia became one of the most important locations in the drug trade industry in the Western Hemisphere. While the smuggling of drugs such as marijuana, poppy, opium and heroin became more ubiquitous during this time period, the activity of cocaine cartels drove the development of the Latin American drug trade. The trade emerged as a multinational effort as supplies (i.e. coca plant substances) were imported from countries such as Bolivia and Peru, were refined in Colombian cocaine labs and smuggled through Colombia, and exported to countries such as the US 9. Even though Columbia participated in the drug trade since the 1930s, it was in 1970s when it became a dominant player in the drug world. Having been an export of Colombia since the early 1950s, cocaine remained popular for a host of reasons. Colombia's location facilitated its transportation from South America into Central America, and then to its destination of North America. This continued into the 1990s, when Colombia remained the chief exporter of cocaine 10. The drug trafficking business in Columbia can be divided into several stages towards the latter half of the 20 th century. By the 1980s the country was the main place for the distribution and sale of cocaine. As the drug producers gained more power, they centralized more and formed what is now known to be drug cartels. During the 1980s, the estimation of illegal drug value in Columbia varied from 2 billion dollars up to 4 billion dollars. Such amount made up about 7-10% of the GNP of Columbia during that time. For the following decade the value of illegal drugs stayed, more or less, within the same level. As the Colombian GNP rose throughout the 90's ($68.5bn in 1994 and $96.3bn in 1997), illegal drug values began to comprise a decreasing fraction of the national economy 11. By the early 1990s, Columbian drug smugglers led in the exportation of cocaine, however there were increasingly more confrontations within the state, primarily between cartels and government institutions. 9 Thoumi, Francisco (Jul 2002). "Illegal Drugs in Colombia: From Illegal Economic Boom to Social Crisis". Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science: Cross-National Drug Policy. 582: doi: / JSTOR Rocha Garcia, Ricardo (2003). "Drug Trafficking and Its Impact on Colombia: An Economic Overview". Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies. 28 (55/56): JSTOR Thoumi, Francisco (Jul 2002). "Illegal Drugs in Colombia: From Illegal Economic Boom to Social Crisis". Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science: Cross-National Drug Policy. 582: doi: / JSTOR

6 Statistics on drug trafficking: 1) The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) makes over 30,000 arrests each year related to the sales and distribution of illegal narcotics.

7 2) Drug trafficking in Mexico is a business worth over $50 billion per year. 3) It is believed that the loss of the drug trafficking industry in Mexico would cause that country s economy to shrink by over 63 percent. 4) Illicit drug use is associated with several leading causes of death in the United States, including suicide, homicide, motor-vehicle injury, HIV infection, pneumonia, violence, mental illness and hepatitis. Key Terms Drug trafficking - a global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws 12. Drug cartel - an illicit cartel formed to control the production and distribution of narcotic drugs. DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) - federal agency responsible for enforcing laws and regulations governing narcotics and controlled substances; goal is to immobilize drug trafficking organizations. War on drugs - War on drugs is a series of actions tending toward a prohibition of illegal drug trade. It is a campaign adopted by the U.S. government along with the foreign military aid and with the assistance of participating countries, to both define and to end the import, manufacture, sale, and use of illegal drugs. Countries and Organizations Involved As it has been described and explained previously these countries are at the center of the issue: Mexico Columbia USA Other countries that are the part of the committee, but maybe are not involved directly or do not have such significant impact on the issue of drug trafficking between Latin America and the US. Nevertheless, these 12 Rebecca.wabwoba. "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime." Drug Trafficking. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec

8 countries are also important as they might contribute to the overall worldwide drug trafficking/smuggling: UK France Japan DPRK China Russia Germany Australia Sweden United Arab Emirates Canada Syria Somalia Ethiopia Brazil India Useful Sources 1) United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (1998) 2) 3) Expectations for Position Papers These are examples of the questions that you are expected to think about and answer in your Position Papers What is my country s opinion on drug smuggling/trafficking between Latin America and USA? What is my country s position in the issue? Is my country deeply involved? Does the issue of drug trafficking have an effect on my country? Is it a relevant problem there? What has my country done to prevent drug smuggling? Is my country a part of some kind of convention or a pact for fighting against the issue of drug smuggling?

9 Sources 1. "Drug Smuggling." Alcohol Rehab. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec O'Neil, Shannon (July August 2009). "The Real War in Mexico: How Democracy Can Defeat the Drug Cartels". Foreign Affairs. 88 (4): JSTOR Quinones, Sam (March April 2009). "State of War". Foreign Policy. 171: JSTOR Epstein, RJ (18 November 1989). "Drug Wars in the United States". British Medical Journal. 299 (6710): doi: /bmj JSTOR Thoumi, Francisco (Jul 2002). "Illegal Drugs in Colombia: From Illegal Economic Boom to Social Crisis". Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science: Cross-National Drug Policy. 582: doi: / JSTOR Rocha Garcia, Ricardo (2003). "Drug Trafficking and Its Impact on Colombia: An Economic Overview". Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies. 28 (55/56): JSTOR Rebecca.wabwoba. "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime." Drug Trafficking. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec