The War on Drugs
...a Rica ships cocaine from South American countries. Marijuana is produced for use within the country, but only small amounts. Also, like Costa Rica, cocaine abuse is on the rise within the country ("El Salvador," www). In Guatemala, shipments of cocaine and heroin from South American countries are commonplace. Guatemala is a minor producer of cannabis as well as opium poppy mainly for domestic consumption. Guatemala's geographical closeness to Mexico makes it a major area for drug shipments. Also in this country, money laundering is a very serious problem, as well as corruption within the government ("Guatemala," www). Honduras is another Central American country involved in the shipment of drugs from South American countries. Most of the time, the drugs they ship are narcotics. It produces a large amount of cannabis for local consumption, and corruption is a major problem. This country is a vulnerable spot for money laundering as well ("Honduras," www). Nicaragua is a major shipping port for cocaine. Most of this cocaine goes to the United States, but some also goes elsewhere. Also, Nicaragua uses a "arms-for-drugs" dealing method, meaning that in return for the drugs they sell and trade, they get weaponry ("Nicaragua," www). The last, but certainly not the least, country of Central America is Panama. Panama is also a major port for cocaine, and is a major money laundering country. Currently in Panama, there are no current signs of coca production. Panama perpetually has major corruption within the government as most of the countries in Central America do ("Panama," www). The reason that it is so difficult to stop this drug war is that drugs are coming from so many diverse places, and entering the United States, as well as other countries by using many smuggling techniques. Many separate drug routes are used throughout the world. For example, New Mexico is one of the major problem areas for drugs entering the United States from Mexico. Some of the major drugs that come from Mexico include cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamines. These drugs are mainly transferred by major drug trafficking organizations ("New Mexico Drug Threat Assessment," www). Cocaine gets to New Mexico mainly through Mexico's Drug Trafficking Organizations(DTO) and other criminal groups. The organization that causes the most problems in New Mexico is based in Ciudad-Juarez, Mexico. Much of the cocaine that gets across the United States-Mexico line is transported by this organization. The primary route used for this DTO is the El Paso-Juarez Corridor. Now, this DTO is beginning also to use the Gulf of Mexico as a route ("New Mexico Drug Threat Assessment," www). These drugs are not shipped exclusively to New Mexico. Mexico uses New Mexico to transport the drugs to other cities, such as Chicago, Illinois; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Kansas City, Missouri; and Denver, Colorado. Primary interstates that are used for shipping these drugs by vehicle are Interstates 10, 25, 40, as well as US 54 ("New Mexico Drug Threat Assessment," www). Many of these same routes are used to transport other drugs, such as methamphetamines, marijuana, and heroin. The techniques for smuggling are also very similar. The flow is constant, and it is very hard to stop this flow because of sneaky these people are with smuggling their drugs into the country, so as a result, most of the drugs pass through the border undetected. When it comes to smuggling drugs, there are many techniques that are used to transport drugs from country to country. One technique that is very common is by way of vehicle. Using the glove compartments as storage for the drugs is a common practice. In some cases, the seats will be removed and the drugs will be stored underneath them. One more technique that is used when transporting drugs by car is by placing the drugs in the steering wheel. Using the airbag compartment as storage is one of the very sly ways that drug trafficking organizations smuggle drugs into other countries ("New Mexico Drug Threat Assessment," www). Another technique that is common is to use women and children as transportation devices. Women may use purses, or carry their baby and wrap the drugs inside of the blankets. Teenagers are also used in the transportation of drugs across the border. Teenagers may use backpacks, purses, hats, or excess clothing to carry these drugs ("New Mexico Drug Threat Assessment," www). With all of these different forms of smuggling drugs, it is easy to see why this drug war is very hard to stop. Drug cartels are constantly finding more ways to transport these drugs, which makes the task of stopping this drug war increasingly problematic. Throughout the world, few countries are more involved in the production and transportation of drugs more than Mexico. Mexico produces many types of drugs, and also is able to transport them to other countries by very intricate means. Some of the major drugs that Mexico grows and manufactures, as well as transports are heroin, ketamine, and marijuana. Heroin is a major drug throughout the world....