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Discover the Trade – Global Drug Trafficking Pt. 1

August 8, 2011

Criminology, Drug Trade, Featured Content

This is the first post in a new five-part series on Global Drug Trafficking. The following posts will be (consecutively) Production, Manufacture, Distribution and Sale.

Drug trafficking is a global illicit trade. UNOCD (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) continuously monitors the global drug market to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics within the trade. These posts will be supported mainly with information retrieved from the UNODC website.

First I will explain some general facts in this post, so you might better understand the global drug trade.

What are drugs?

Drugs are substances that, when absorbed into the body, alter normal bodily function. As you can see, that is an extremely wide variety of substances. Caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol, and of course medicinal substances (such as for instance Prozac or Valium, or even Ibuprofen) are all drugs. These are mostly drugs that people are allowed, by law, to use.

A short history of drugs in the illicit trade

There was a time when cocaine and heroine were over-the-counter products, but in 1912, first steps toward the prohibition of drug trade were made. The International Opium Convention, a treaty signed by the countries with major marine power brought an end to the trade of opium. In the past you have probably been told that the East India Company mostly traded in spices and tea, but they were actually highly involved in the global drug trade.

In 1931, the Paris Convention was signed to prohibit the production and distribution of drugs in the more general sense. In 1961, The international treaty Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs was signed to include the vast variety of synthetic drugs that had been invented in the 30 years that had passed. The production and distribution of specific (narcotic) drugs except those under license for medical treatment or research was prohibited.

More treaties have been signed since 1961, but none were as ground-breaking as these three.

In the global drug trade, drugs banned by these conventions are sold. There are several categories.

  • Depressants
    • Opiates: i.e. morphine, heroin, opium, codeine, methadone (not illegal but also depressant are i.e. alcohol, antihistamines and antipsychotics)
  • Stimulants
    • i.e. cocaine, MDMA (a.k.a. ecstasy or XTC), amphetamines (not illegal but also stimulant are i.e. nicotine, caffeine and methylphenidate a.k.a. Ritalin)
  • Hallucinogens
    • i.e. LSD, mescalin, cannabis (a.k.a. marijuana)

Use of illicit drugs

Worldwide, there are millions of drug (ab)users. Click the following graphs to view them in larger size. (Source: 2010 UNODC World Drug Report).

What I find interesting about this graph is to see how much the preferences of drug users have changed. Opiate and cocaine-type use has declined significantly, whereas amphetamines and other designer (synthetic) drugs have become more popular.

Interestingly, the only increase in use in opiates is found in Africa. This can mainly be explained by the decrease in price of the drug.

(By looking at this graph, keep in mind that these numbers are relative to the continent’s/country’s number of inhabitants. For instance: the low estimate for cannabis users in Europe and Africa are roughly similar, keep in mind that Africa has a little over 1 billion inhabitants, whereas Europe “only” has 731 million. The percentage of users in each continent is much different.)

How come the illegal drug trade still exists?

There are numerous organizations worldwide that fight against the illicit drug trade. The War on Drugs is a U.S. campaign to end the drug trade – with the help of the military. Many people have been hurt in this “war” (financially, physically and mentally), and many people will continue to be hurt.

Despite the efforts to bring an end to drug use and the market, it still is booming. Very shortly put, this has everything to do with corruption. The levels of corruption surrounding the drug trade are astounding. I have heard of techniques to get drugs across borders that made my jaw drop; there are those who hide the drugs within their bodies, have ways of hiding the drugs within fabrics, etcetera. The lengths people go to hide, ship and sell drugs are extreme.

If you worked at an airport for a meager salary of $1000 a month, with a pile of debts as high as the Empire State Building, would you not accept $5000 to leave open a door at a certain time, thereby indirectly enabling the business? It’s easy money, and it’s extremely hard for the government agencies to track you down.

And you have the people in positions of power that are involved in the illegal drug trade, too. For instance, a few years ago, a harbor captain in a Mexican harbor was arrested and sentenced for enabling the drug trade. He was responsible for the authorization of ships as they came in and went out of the harbor. These people often make millions of dollars simply by cooperating and enabling the business.

***

What are your ideas about the global drug market?

While the War on Drugs could open an entirely different can of worms, what are your thoughts on it?

What would you do if you were in the position of the airport employee?

Please share your thoughts and ideas!

 

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About Manon Eileen

Dutch 23-year-old SF/F YA writer, BSc in Psychology and soon MA in Global Criminology. She is creative, easily bored, and craves tea all the time. Also: "science isn't about why, it's about why not" - Cave Johnson.

View all posts by Manon Eileen →
  • Patrick Chapman

    Hi Manon,

    I think you raise an excellent topic here. A subject that is all too often brushed under the carpet. Firstly whilst I’m not ignoring the low level corruption that might take place in this business, such as airport employees taking bribes etc. I think it’s well worth examining the structure’s and institutions that are in place to combat the drug trade. These would be the police, customs, military, courts and prisons. The cost in the US alone since January 1st of this year is somewhere in the region of $32 billion dollars already and rising. The US houses some 5 million prisoners on drug related crimes. The highest prison population per capita of population than any other nation in the world. The war on drugs is now an industry in of itself. Now, with most industries we look for profit or efficiencies. But since the war on drugs has started, costs have just escalated, whilst demand for drugs has increased almost ten times. A complete failure of these institutions to  stop the drug trade. The prison system in the US is privately owned and continually lobbies govt for stiffer and tougher sentences on drug users and dealers. Since they make larger profits the more prisoners they house. So they have a an incentive to keep the existing enforcement. 

    It’s well worth remembering that the only reason violent criminal enterprises are involved in the drug trade, is because of the illegality of the trade. An illegality that has increased the profits of selling drugs to levels that make it very lucrative to import. Since without the war on drugs cocaine & heroine would be a fraction of what they cost on the street. Not only that, but the drugs would be unadulterated by all the buffing ingredients (sometimes sand) that are added so as to increase the profits for the lower end dealer.

    My question is a moral one really. What outlandish world did we create that suggested that I could tell you what you can and cant digest with your own body? Regardless of the harm it may do you, it would be your choice of course. But this is the world that’s been created by the ‘war on drugs’. It means some people get executed in certain countries, all so their govts can reap some subsidy from the US foreign office. Personally I am less concerned with the drug trade itself., moreover it is the war on drugs trade that needs hauling in. I hope I make sense.

  • Patrick Chapman

    Hi Manon,

    I think you raise an excellent topic here. A subject that is all too often brushed under the carpet. Firstly whilst I’m not ignoring the low level corruption that might take place in this business, such as airport employees taking bribes etc. I think it’s well worth examining the structure’s and institutions that are in place to combat the drug trade. These would be the police, customs, military, courts and prisons. The cost in the US alone since January 1st of this year is somewhere in the region of $32 billion dollars already and rising. The US houses some 5 million prisoners on drug related crimes. The highest prison population per capita of population than any other nation in the world. The war on drugs is now an industry in of itself. Now, with most industries we look for profit or efficiencies. But since the war on drugs has started, costs have just escalated, whilst demand for drugs has increased almost ten times. A complete failure of these institutions to  stop the drug trade. The prison system in the US is privately owned and continually lobbies govt for stiffer and tougher sentences on drug users and dealers. Since they make larger profits the more prisoners they house. So they have a an incentive to keep the existing enforcement. 

    It’s well worth remembering that the only reason violent criminal enterprises are involved in the drug trade, is because of the illegality of the trade. An illegality that has increased the profits of selling drugs to levels that make it very lucrative to import. Since without the war on drugs cocaine & heroine would be a fraction of what they cost on the street. Not only that, but the drugs would be unadulterated by all the buffing ingredients (sometimes sand) that are added so as to increase the profits for the lower end dealer.

    My question is a moral one really. What outlandish world did we create that suggested that I could tell you what you can and cant digest with your own body? Regardless of the harm it may do you, it would be your choice of course. But this is the world that’s been created by the ‘war on drugs’. It means some people get executed in certain countries, all so their govts can reap some subsidy from the US foreign office. Personally I am less concerned with the drug trade itself., moreover it is the war on drugs trade that needs hauling in. I hope I make sense.

    • http://www.manoneileen.com Manon Eileen

      Hi there, Patrick, thank you for reading and for your thoughtful reply.

      I agree with you on most points. I wanted to write more about the war on drugs but unfortunately I already passed 800 words in this introductory post on the global trade of drugs. But I’m sure I will write a post on it in the future. 

      The prison system in the US is sick (7 out of 10 million people incarcerated worldwide are captive in the US). It is indeed all about the privately owned businesses and the huge profits that are made. It’s already been proven many times, in research, that the prison system of the US does not work and is even counterproductive (to illustrate, I wrote this article a while back: http://www.manoneileen.com/2011/03/18/solitary-confinement-its-nothing-but-torture/ ). I doubt anything will change any time soon, though.

      I have recently written an essay on the war on drugs (in Dutch, unfortunately), in which I vouched for the legalization and decriminalization of all drugs. Using drugs is, indeed, a choice only an individual can make. A great example of how legalization or at least toleration of drugs could work out is the current state of affairs regarding marijuana use and sale in The Netherlands (where I live). There are some loopholes (such as the fact that actual cultivation of the plant is not legal and is punishable), but other than that we rarely have any problems regarding the use and sale of weed. Quality of the product is somewhat controlled, the coffeeshops are controlled and no harm comes to basically anyone. People can safely use when they want to.

      I recently read a report that said that there are fewer marijuana users in The Netherlands than in the US, which I found interesting. People love what they can’t get? It’s an interesting question.

      Did you know the US actively forces countries to participate in the war on drugs? It is known that they threaten countries with a boycot if they do not participate, even if it’s not in the country’s own benefit. The problem is that these countries are often too scared to act against the US because of the harm it could do them, economically and politically. It’s rather depressing.

      Thanks again for stopping by, Patrick, I appreciate it!

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