Like supermarkets, restaurants and purveyors of sourdough bread, the illegal drugs trade went digital to serve its customers during lockdown, and could stay that way when the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
By Michael Webster: Syndicated Investigative Reporter
Four decades ago, the U.S. government declared a "War on Drugs. On July 14, 1969 in a special message to Congress, President Richard Nixon identifies drug abuse as "a serious national threat." Citing a dramatic jump in drug-related arrests and street crime between 1960 and 1967, Nixon calls for a national anti-drug policy at the state and federal level.
In June 1971 Nixon officially declares a "war on drugs," identifying drug abuse as "public enemy No. 1."
It is estimated that the U.S. has blown over a trillion dollars on the so called War on Drugs since its inception. That does not take into account the billions we have given to other governments like Mexico and Columbia for their wars on drugs. 20 billion more dollars is expected to be channeled to other governments from the United States this year.
The U.S. federal government spent over $15 billion dollars in 2010 alone on the War on Drugs, at a rate of about $500 per second. State and local governments spent at least another 25 billion dollars in 2010.
Arrests for drug law violations this year are expected to exceed the 1,663,582 arrests of 2009. Law enforcement made more arrests for drug abuse violations (an estimated 1.6 million arrests, or 13.0 percent of the total number of arrests) than for any other offense in 2009.
Someone is arrested for violating a drug law every 19 seconds.
Police arrested an estimated 858,408 persons for cannabis violations in 2009. Of those charged with cannabis violations, approximately 89 percent were charged with possession only. An American is arrested for violating cannabis laws every 30 seconds.
Since December 31, 1995, the U.S. prison population has grown an average of 43,266 inmates per year. About 25 per cent are sentenced for drug law violations.
"The UNODC (2005) estimates that the world retail market for cannabis was about 125 Billion circa 2003; more than the retail markets for cocaine and opiates combined.
The US is believed to be the largest contributor to this estimate, but the exact size of that market is far from settled. Indeed, some of the estimates of the US market vary by a factor of 10. "The estimates indicate that North America and Western/Central Europe account for 45% and 28% of the world cannabis market, respectively. The estimates of input-output model suggest that each past year user in North America consumed 165 grams of cannabis herb at almost 10 per gram.
With
approximately 25 million past-year users in the US during this time,
the calculations imply that retail cannabis expenditures in the US
exceeded 40 billion. This is more than four times the retail estimate
generated by the White House’s Office of National Drug Control
Policy for 2000."
Today, both North and South America faces unprecedented levels of violence and, while Mexican cartels do not have the political motives of the FARC or the ELN, the magnitude of Norco violence is the greatest it has ever been.
Since December 2008, the U.S. government has delivered a total of $408 million in equipment, technical assistance, and training to Mexico and we are committed to delivering $500 million in assistance this calendar year.
That assistance delivered to date has trained over 57,033 Mexican police and justice sector officials, provided $29 million in non-intrusive inspection equipment, and provided 11 helicopters, including eight Bell 412’s and 3 UH-60M Black Hawks.
Juan José Esparragoza Moreno is a Sinaloa Cartel drug lord. He is a former Mexican Federal Judicial Police (PJF) officer Esparragoza is currently wanted in the United States DEA where there is a USD$5 million reward for information leading to his capture, while Mexico is offering a $2 million dollars reward.
Some major drug trafficking organizations in Mexico have splintered and increasingly fight among themselves, and are now expanding into enterprises beyond drug trafficking such as extortion, kidnapping, immigrant smuggling, protection rackets, and domestic drug retailing.
As pressure intensifies on criminal groups in both Mexico and Colombia, drug traffickers increasingly look to Central America as a sanctuary. Weak institutions, populations mistrustful of their governments after years of civil war, and remote, often unpatrolled national borders allow free reign to drug trafficking organizations from Mexico and South America as well as violent gangs with roots in our own cities.
The situation in Central America is dire, with the per capita murder rates in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras among the highest in the world.
CIA and Contra cocaine trafficking
Further information: CIA and Contras cocaine trafficking in the US
A lawsuit filed in 1986 by two journalists represented by the Christic Institute showed that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other parties were engaged in criminal acts, including financing the purchase of arms with the proceeds of cocaine sales.
Senator John Kerry's 1988 U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations report on Contra drug links concludes that members of the U.S. State Department "who provided support for the Contras are involved in drug trafficking... and elements of the Contras themselves knowingly receive financial and material assistance from drug traffickers." The report further states that "the Contra drug links include... payments to drug traffickers by the U.S. State Department of funds authorized by the Congress for humanitarian assistance to the Contras, in some cases after the traffickers had been indicted by federal law enforcement agencies on drug charges, in others while traffickers were under active investigation by these same agencies."
In 1996, journalist Gary Webb published reports in the San Jose Mercury News, and later in his book Dark Alliance, detailing how Contras, with the assistance of the U.S. government had distributed crack cocaine into Los Angeles to fund weapons purchases.
Webb's premise regarding the US Government connection was initially attacked at the time by the corporate media. It is now widely accepted that Webb's main assertion of government "knowledge of drug operations, and collaboration with and protection of known drug traffickers" was correct.In 1998, CIA Inspector General Frederick Hitz published a two-volume report that while seemingly refuting Webb's claims of knowledge and collaboration in its conclusions did not deny them in its body. Hitz went on to admit CIA improprieties in the affair in testimony to a House congressional committee. Mainstream media has since reversed its position on Webb's work acknowledging his contribution to exposing a scandal it had ignored
Crime and violence anywhere in this hemisphere threatens the United
States as well as its neighbors. And the spill over is threatening the well being of all Americans.
Source: Office of National Drug Control Policy
Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation
U.S. Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics
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Jeffrey A. Miron & Kathrine Waldock: "The Budgetary Impact of Drug Prohibition," 2010.
Testimony of Ambassador William R. Brownfield
Assistant Secretary of State
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps,
and Global Narcotics Affairs
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For related articles go to or google: www.usborderfirereport.com
Michael
( Mick) Webster Syndicated Investigative Reports are read worldwide,
in 100 or more U.S. outlets and in at least 136 countries and
territories. He publishes articles in association with global news
agencies and media information services with more than 350 news
affiliates in 136 countries.
He served as a trustee on trade
Union funds. A noted Author, Lecturer, Educator, Emergency Manager,
Counter-Terrorist, War on Drugs and War on Terrorist Specialist,
Newspaper Publisher. Radio News caster. Labor Law generalist,
Teamster Union Business Agent, General Organizer, Union Rank and File
Member Grievances Representative, NLRB Union Representative, Union
Contract Negotiator, Workers Compensation Appeals Board Hearing
Representative. Mr. Webster represented management on that side of
the table as the former Director of Federated of Nevada. Mr. Webster
publishes on-line newspapers at www.lagunajournal.com
and www.usborderfirereport.com
and
does investigative reports for print, electronic and on-line News
Agencies.
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