Eradicating the Drug Trade

1
Eradicating the Drug Trade?

• Policies and Solutions

2
How do Governments Deal With the Drugs Trade?

• Role of international crime
• 2003 UK created Serious Organised Crime Agency

3
Reagan and War on Drugs

• Calling for a war on drugs
• (1) moving problem to supply side
• (2) national security connotations
• Spending from education to military 70/30

4
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
5
Solutions

• Eradication

6
Solutions

• Eradication
• (1) Roundup environmental problems
• (2) Operation Fulmiant but troops needed for
  war against guerrillas
• (3) number of hectares under production increased
• (4) create common enemy

7
Solutions

• Interdiction

8
Solutions

• Interdiction
• 2001 111 metric tons of cocaine/2,506kg of heroin
  captured
• Each year 60m enter US on 675,000 commercial
  flights/370m by 116m vehicles 65 cocaine enter
  via US/Mexican border
• Texas/Alabama/Mexico/South Africa
• Drugs barons expect this

9
Solutions

• Attack Profits A billion dollar industry
• conducted in 20
  bills
• - Operation Dinero 1995
• - worldwide issue

10
Solutions

• Substitution
• (1) Price for coca 10 times that for legal crops
• (2) poverty 40 of Colombians live in poverty
  same other countries

11
Solutions

• Extradition 1979 President Turbay on 60
  Minutes in US
• silver or lead
• Very few ever been extradited Carlos Lehber in
  1988 betrayed?
• 1989 Manuel Noriega in Panama

12
Solutions

• Military Options
• (1) Crackdown in 1984 1989
• (2) Tranquilandi complex 125m assets seized
• 40 increase in price in New York
• (3) geography/corruption

13
Solutions

• Chemicals
• Ether/acetone
• from the US
• Legislation
• MEK from Europe

14
Solutions

• Negotiation
• Same treatment as guerrillas
• 1990 Medellin Cartel surrendering
• Land/guards

15
Solutions

• Certification
• Every March
• NAFTA/Fox complicates situation with Mexico
• Education
• Legalisation?
• (1) obtain taxes/reduce power of international
  criminals
• (2) nothing else worked so why not try something
  new?

16
Plan Colombia

• 1.3b project - 2.2m a day
• 900m military/200m substitution/200m diverse
  projects
• Colombia now 3rd largest recipient of US aid in
  the world Israel/Egypt
• 2 advantages
• (1) reduce drugs
• (2) reduce money for guerrillas and therefore
  have to negotiate

17
Afghanistan

• Taliban taxing drugs leaving country
• US dislike of both drugs money being used to
  fund terrorism
• US action post 11 September 2001
• (1) war against terrorism
• (2) stop opium production
• Similar to Plan Colombia as military solution to
  drugs problem

18
US Policy

• Plan Colombia and action in Afghanistan give rise
  to a number of issues regarding US foreign policy
• (1) sovereignty of countries?
• (2) world unipolar?
• (3) world changed since 1991 but is US still
• using old methods?

19
Outcomes

• Not just Afghanistan Colombia but US presence
  in Peru/Bolivia also increased drastically
• 80 of Europes heroin still comes from
  Afghanistan
• Colombia still a major player
• Similar to cartels that if manage to stop one
  country industry simply continues elsewhere
  simply too much money involved

20
Is it a problem that can ever be solved?

• (1)Increased popularity of ectasy in Miami club
  scene
• (2) increase in people smoking heroin

21
Conclusions

• Eradication
• Interdiction
• Attack profits
• Substitution
• Military option
• Chemicals
• Extradition
• Negotiated
• Certification
• Education
• Legalisation

22
Conclusions

• Massive issue in international relations
• (1) poverty
• (2) globalisation
• (3) US foreign policy
• (4) sovereignty of countries