Drug Trafficking

Anyone living in America, Canada or Europe today and in most other parts of the world is aware of the enormous problem drug abuse poses to society in general. In particular, individuals who are caught up in the problems associated with drug abuse and drug trafficking, as well as their immediate family members and friends, who may also suffer from the problems inherent with this threat to health of individuals and to the social structure are also severely affected.

Drug Trafficking in Central America

Where do the drugs come from, is a question many ask. How do they appear on the streets, in the schoolyards, and in the homes of folks who, sometimes just a few months before becoming involved with drugs were leading normal and productive lives? The drugs come from the insidious criminal practice of drug trafficking, and it has many forms.

Methamphetamine, thought by many to be most dangerous drug in common illegal use, is manufactured in basements, garages, motel rooms, homes and other places. Meth labs are easy to set up, but quite dangerous due to the risk of explosion, fire and toxic chemical spill. After manufacturing, drug trafficking of methamphetamine in powder form takes place. Dealers weigh it and place it in small plastic bags, priced at an enormous profit. While manufacturing takes place in every state, in Canada and large labs in Mexico, the states of Missouri and California for years have been two of the most prolific manufacturers of the drug, despite law enforcement's efforts to stamp it out.

Cocaine, still a problem after all of these years, is imported from South American countries, often through Mexico. Once transported to this country, drug traffickers often mix it with baking soda or other ingredients to turn it into rock cocaine, or crack, a smoke-able and more addictive form of the drug. Then it is sold on the street as "rocks" for high profits.

Marijuana is grown in several Latin American countries and drug traffickers still import vast amounts due to the high profit, though that is not without risk. And, as it has been packaged for years, marijuana is still placed in plastic bags for sale.

Drug trafficking involving heroin, an insidious and addictive drug, brings thousands of pounds of the drug into the country every year. Some of it originates in South America, some in Afghanistan, some in the Middle East. Regardless of the place of origin, drug trafficking in heroin remains a problem to this day, though other drugs like methamphetamine have stolen the limelight for the moment.

Whether drugs are smuggled through underground tunnels, like the one recently found on the San Diego - Mexican border or by boat, plane or ship, there is no way to plug all of the security holes. With porous borders and the lack of adequate resources to identify and apprehend drug traffickers, the trafficking of drugs will continue to be a problem for years to come.