Criminal Justice System as a Framework

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Please see response below, which is also attached for better formatting. I also attached an informative article about drug trafficking.

RESPONSE:

1. Using the Library and other sources, summarize the drug trafficking problem. Consider the magnitude of the products that are delivered to the U.S., the countries where these drugs originate, the law enforcement resources that are committed to the problem, and the role of the military in this international crime.

Let's take a closer look at the four areas listed in the question above.

1. Magnitude of the products

According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency (2004), the illegal drug market in the United States is one of the most profitable in the world. As such, it attracts the most ruthless, sophisticated, and aggressive drug traffickers. It reports that drug law enforcement agencies face an enormous challenge in protecting the country's borders. Each year, according to the U.S. Customs Service:

"60 million people enter the United States on more than 675,000 commercial and private flights. Another 6 million come by sea and 370 million by land. In addition, 116 million vehicles cross the land borders with Canada and Mexico. More than 90,000 merchant and passenger ships dock at U.S. ports. These ships carry more than 9 million shipping containers and 400 million tons of cargo. Another 157,000 smaller vessels visit our many coastal towns. Amid this voluminous trade, drug traffickers conceal cocaine, heroin, marijuana, MDMA, and methamphetamine shipments for distribution in U.S. neighborhoods." http://www.policyalmanac.org/crime/archive/drug_trafficking.shtml

2. Countries where the drugs originate

According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency (2004), varied groups traffic and distribute illegal drugs. For example, it reports that criminal groups operating from South America smuggle cocaine and heroin into the United States via a variety of routes, including land routes through Mexico, maritime routes along Mexico's east and west coasts, sea routes through the Caribbean, and international air corridors. Furthermore, criminal groups operating from neighboring Mexico smuggle cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, amphetamine, and marijuana into the United States. These criminal groups have smuggled heroin and marijuana across the Southwest Border and distributed them throughout the United States since the 1970s. In addition to distributing cocaine and methamphetamine in the West and Midwest, these Mexico-based groups now are attempting to expand the distribution of those drugs into eastern U.S. markets. http://www.policyalmanac.org/crime/archive/drug_trafficking.shtml

Likewise, according to the US Drug Enforcement Agency (2994), the use of the drug 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), also known on the street as "Ecstasy," has increased at an alarming rate in the ...