Assignment 2: Drug Trafficking In The United States

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Drug Trafficking in the United States Shiann Allshouse ENG122: English Composition II Marsha Beckwith-Howard November 4, 2012 Drug Trafficking in the United States Drug law enforcement agencies face daily challenges in protecting the country's borders from drug traffickers trying to smuggle illegal drugs into the United States. This has been an ongoing problem for many years. Despite the efforts of the law enforcement, the amount of illegal drugs coming into the United States continues to grow. The two most common illegal drugs that drug traffickers try to get pass the border are methamphetamine and crack cocaine. The various ways of transporting the illegal drugs into the United States include concealing…show more content…
Approximately 8,000 methamphetamine laboratories were seized and reported to the National Clandestine Laboratory Database at the El Paso Intelligence Center in 2001. In 2001, 298 seized super labs were reported to EPIC. This represents a rise in the number of super labs from 2000, in which the total number of super labs totaled 168. Further, for all of calendar year 2000, the Tijuana Residence Office reported just two seized methamphetamine laboratories. During calendar year 2001, the number of clandestine laboratories seized in Baja California Norte increased substantially, with 24 clandestine laboratories seized as of December 2001. The majority of these laboratories have been seized in the cities of Tijuana and Mexicali. Due to the proximity of these laboratories to the United States, it is believed that the majority of the methamphetamine was bound for the United States.…show more content…
Colombian and Mexican groups continue to smuggle cocaine to the United States at significant levels, and the result is an increase in the number of both drug distributors and drug users. In particular, gangs such as the Crips and Bloods, Dominicans, and Jamaicans are actively involved nationally in selling cocaine. These gangs are responsible for widespread cocaine-related violence. During the first 6 months of 1995, cocaine prices ranged from $10,500 to $36,000 per kilogram. The heroin market in the United States is dominated by high purity heroin from Southeast Asia. In addition, virtually all the heroin produced in Mexico is destined exclusively for distribution in the United States. South American heroin produced in Colombia is readily available in the Northeast and along the East Coast and is trafficked primarily by independent Colombian traffickers. During the first 6 months of 1995, heroin prices ranged from $100,000 to $260,000 per kilogram. Other dangerous drugs include methamphetamines, produced predominantly in the Western and Southwestern United States; LSD, with most laboratories located on the West Coast; PCP, with production centered in the Los Angeles area; and marijuana, the most readily available and widely abused drug in the United States. (Police Chief Volume: 63 Issue: 3 Dated March 1996 Pages: 18-19,
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