Combating Drug Trade Along the Southwestern Border Proposed Strategy for Combating the Drug Trade along the Southwestern Border

The issue of drug trafficking and smuggling has been a serious concern for both Mexico and the United States for decades. Mexico has been identified as the primary supplier of narcotics to the U.S., with the Southwestern border accounting for between 90 and 95% of all illicit drugs smuggled illegally into the U.S. market. In 2007, the presidents of the two countries held a summit, where they pledged to work together, collaboratively in the fight against drug trafficking. Today, substance use accounts for approximately 26% of crimes committed in the U.S. Both the U.S. and the Mexican governments recognize the security threat posed by illicit drug use, and have committed themselves to addressing the problem once and for all. The two countries have implemented numerous initiatives geared at curbing the growth of the drug trade. In the U.S. for instance, the DOJ has implemented a variety of initiatives that range from extraditing kingpins to treating addicts, training law-enforcement officers, conducting anti-drug campaigns, conducting prevention and treatment research, developing drug courts, and investing in drug-interdiction technologies. Mexico too has implemented its own share of strategies, most of which are focused on collaboration and information-sharing with U.S. agencies. Most of the initiatives implemented by both countries have, however, focused on intercepting drugs and drug proceeds, with only very few focusing on destroying the market for these illicit substances. This proposal provides the stepping stone for a project seeking to inhibit the growth of the drug trade by developing strong and resilient border communities that promote healthy lifestyles and resist criminal activities.

Summary

Bilateral cooperation between Mexico and the United States has become one of the most significant hallmarks of inter-American relations (Dell, 2012). In 2007, the presidents of the two countries organized a summit to devise ways of addressing matters of mutual concern important to both governments. In that summit, the issue of drug consumption and drug trafficking was identified as one of the most pressing concerns facing both countries (Murataya & Gonzales, 2011; Dell, 2012). Across the globe, nations have formed alliances geared at addressing issues of drug trafficking and consumption (Dell, 2012). Owing to the complexity of the illegal drug market, it is prudent that afflicted countries collaborate to develop effective campaigns and strategies to fight the consumption and trafficking of narcotics. The U.S.-Mexico summit held in 2007 symbolizes that both countries understand the negative effects of narcotics, Mexico as a principal transporter and supplier, and the U.S. as a core consumer. There are a number of lessons that one could learn from the cooperative anti-narcotics efforts between these two countries and many other countries across the globe. The first of these lessons is that the narcotics market has boomed at the cost of billions of dollars and many lost lives. Moreover, cooperative counternarcotics efforts are key if the world is to put up an effective fight against illegal drugs. Based on these lessons, this text develops a counternarcotics program, with promising strategies and initiatives that could be used to combat the flow of drugs along the southwestern border. It begins with a brief description of how illegal drug activities along the border with Mexico affect the economies and general populations of both countries. It also reviews what other researchers have said about the issue, particularly about the nature of the trade, and initiatives that have previously been implemented to curb the same. Finally, it presents the objectives of the proposed program, its strategies and initiatives, what it intends to achieve, and the financial requirements that would facilitate its effective implementation.

Problem Statement

Drug-related violence has increased dramatically in both Mexico and the United States since 2007 (Dell, 2012). In Mexico, over 50, 000 lives were lost as a result of drug-related violence between 2007 and 2010 (Dell, 2012). The case is no different in the United States, with the Federal Bureau of Investigations reporting in 2007 that approximately 3.9% of homicides in which circumstances are known are usually drug-related (BJS, 2015). In a 2007 National Crime Victimization Survey, 26% of crime victims interviewed revealed that the offender was using illegal drugs (BJS, 2015). Moreover, it was revealed that over 41% of crimes committed against college students and 38% of those committed against the rest of the population are committed by offenders using illegal drugs (BJS, 2015). About a quarter of all robberies in the U.S. and 2 of every 5 sexual assault cases are committed by offenders perceived to be using illegal drugs (BJS, 2015). Moreover, 35% of workplace violence cases are perpetrated by offenders using illicit drugs (BJS, 2015). These statistics point to illegal drug use as a serious social concern in both Mexico and the United States.

It has since emerged that Mexico is the largest supplier of drugs to the U.S. illicit drug market (Dell, 2012). The

market (Dell, 2012). Mexico-based transnational criminal organizations continue to expand their illegal activities and to dominate the illegal drugs supply chain throughout the United States (Dell, 2012). According to the White House, between 90 and 95% of cocaine entering the United States market passes through the Southwestern border (the border with Mexico) (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2013). The White House report also shows the border to be notorious for the smuggling of illegal weapons and drug-related bulk currency from the United States to Mexico (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2013). These smuggling activities pose a security threat to both countries, and have a hand in fueling the violence in the interior of Mexico, as well as along the Southwest border (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2013).
Multiple initiatives have already been implemented to deal with the illegal activities occurring along the Southwestern border (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2013). The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has established eleven domestic centers along the border, which work collaboratively with the El Paso Intelligence Center to address drug-related matters at the border through information and intelligence sharing (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2013). Recent years have, however, seen both countries reduce their domestic efforts and engage in bilateral partnerships geared at confronting the organizations that profit from illegal drug trade along the border (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2013). Most of the ongoing counternarcotics efforts are based on the concepts of mutual trust and shared responsibility (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2013). U.S. law enforcement officers share intelligence and information with their Mexican counterparts, and engage in collaborative training as a way of reducing the illegal activities taking place at the border (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2013). Most of their efforts have been focused on stemming the flow of illicit proceeds and weapons, disrupting drug trafficking organizations notorious along the border, and interdicting drugs and other illegal substances that attempt to make their way across the border.

Very few initiatives have focused on destroying the market to which these illegal substances are supplied. The proposed program provides a plan on how Mexican and U.S. law enforcement agencies can work together to destroy this market for illegal substances by developing resilient border communities that promote healthy lifestyles and resist criminal activities.

Literature Review

This literature review comprises of two distinct sections. The first section reviews literature touching on the nature and characteristics of Mexican drug trafficking groups, including their organizational structure, their activities and modes of operation, and their power to corrupt. Understanding what other researchers have said about the features and operation of such groups is crucial in developing effective strategies for curbing their growth and operation along the Southwestern border.

The second section reviews literature touching on the specific initiatives implemented by both Mexico and the United States to combat illegal smuggling activities along the border.

Nature and Characteristics of Mexican Drug Trafficking Groups

Illicit Activities: A 2001 report by the United Nations (UN) showed that Mexican drug-trafficking groups, unlike other organized crime groups in the U.S. and across the world, are focused exclusively on the drug market (UN, 2001). These groups are not diversified in terms of other illegal activities, and as such, any activity they engage in is usually geared at furthering their trafficking business (UN, 2001). The UN report compares the illicit activities of several groups, including Mexican drug organizations, Asian groups, Russians, and Cosa Nostra (UN, 2001). It concludes that only Mexican drug groups, of all those examined, restrict themselves to drug trafficking as their principal trade (UN, 2001). The activities of all other drug groups are opportunity --driven; that is, "members engage in whatever opportune illicit venture exists at a given time and place" (UN, 2001, p. 5). This argument is supported by Kelly and his colleagues (1994), who conducted an analysis of various Asian street gangs in California including the Four Seas, the Bamboo United and Wah Ching. The researchers found that Asian organized crime groups often engage in a plethora of illicit…