Globalization of Crime

Answer

Drug Trafficking

Globalization has brought about positive as well as negative changes across the world. Crime usually used to be perpetrated on local level, however with the opening up of borders and air space, globalization of crime increased. Criminals have developed new techniques and tactics of engaging in their trade, managing to evade current restrictions and deterrence measures. This paper focuses on drug trafficking as one of the major global and contemporary crime, usually categorized as part of organized crime. The paper provides as assessment of the intended and unintended consequences of criminal justice policies aimed at addressing drug trafficking, the paper further looks into the current and future states of the  crime, more on the steps  required by the local and federal criminal justice system to counter the negative consequences of drug trafficking.

More than 40 years since war against drugs was declared the problem persists (Jenner (2011). The opening up of marketing enabled well and organized individuals to engage in drug trafficking one of the illicit trade. Drugs have always had negative impacts on the society in general in terms of health and economy, hence the prohibition and declaration of their illegality.

The drug business is a very lucrative and elaborate industry. According to Klingner & Espinosa (2014), quite a number of illegal drugs are highly trafficked across nations. Examples of these include heroin, cocaine, morphine and lab chemicals. According to Jenner (2011), the largest and profitable industries in the world, market is illicit drugs, estimated at over $500 billion every year Jenner (2011). This illegal business has managed to survive over 40 years Jenner (2011). One of the reasons for the self-sustainability of the illegal business of drug trafficking is orchestrated by several interconnectedness stages. These stages starts from the process of cultivation, consumption and drug trafficking which ranks as the most troublesome stage Jenner (2011). The cultivation stage facilitates growth of the plants that extracts of drugs come from. Cartels are key in securing these drugs. For instance, in Colombia, the cocaine industry is so big and is controlled by cartels who have become a nuisance for the security agencies.  The cultivation is prompted by the ready markets. Consumers are the target and act as a source of inspiration for production and manufacture of the drugs (Calderón, 2015).

Jenner (2011) further notes that drug trafficking is the most crucial and most dangerous phase of the illicit drug market. Millions of illegal drugs pass across international boundaries on daily basis, from violent traffickers and dealers to other dealers and consumers. The illegal trafficking has even gone higher with traffickers concealing and embracing techniques that threaten their lives. The traffickers do this to evade the hands of security agencies who are aware of the cartels and traffickers.

According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (2017a), heroin and cocaine are among the widely trafficked drugs in the world. An estimate of 90 percent of the trafficked heroin comes from opium poppy that is highly cultivated in Afghanistan. Most of the heroin coming from Afghanistan is trafficked and consumed in Russian Federation, Europe, and other countries enroute to these destinations (UNODC, 2017a).  Traffickers using the route to Russian Federation usually take advantage of the existing ethic links and cross border social links in the Central Asia states. The drug is usually moved in smaller amounts using private and commercial vehicles. In contrast, traffickers to Europe seem to be more organized as they use larger shipments that cross various borders some with higher interdiction capacity (Rosen & Bagley, 2015).

On the other hand, when it comes to cocaine trafficking, most of the bulk of the proceeds usually come from the Andean region and transported to parts of northern America, more so Central America and Europe through West Africa (Rosen & Zepeda, 2016). Some of the drugs are shipped to the Southern cone of South America. In U.S., consumption of cocaine has experienced along tern decline since 1980 and this drop has been persistent in the year 2006 (UNODC, 2017a).The reason for this continued decline is law enforcement efforts in the Latin America where it is sourced. The efforts have spearhead/heighted competition and this has translated into violence between trafficking groups who jostle for market dominance.

According United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), (2017a), trafficking of cocaine from South to North America has continued to change because of law enforcement. The cocaine that originates from Colombia is trafficked using sea to Mexico or Central America then transposed to US and Canada by land. The cocaine in US is mainly trafficked by the Mexican.  The statistics of US estimate that 90 percent of the cocaine passes across the US Mexico border and an estimated 70 percent of cocaine come from Colombia via Pacific, while 20 percent via Atlantic and the remaining percent is through Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Caribbean (UNODC), 2017a). By 2008, it was estimated that 196 tons of cocaine were required to meet the demand and this was valued at US$ 38 billion (UNODC), 2017a). This is a demonstration of the huge drug trafficking industry operating across the world. The history and the previous records on drug trafficking demonstrate a global problem as some of these drugs are on high demand in all parts of the world. There are established cartels that deal in these products and some of them are influential in the society by virtue of the material possessions they have acquired from the proceeds of the business.

Deliberating on the future of drug trafficking, the crime remains a headache to many states across the world even as efforts are underway to try to establish suitable avenues or strategies to curb the problem (UNODC), 2017a). It becomes prudent to dig deeper and understand some of the forces or causes driving increased interest in the drug trafficking business to assess the future.  According to Aguilar, Foltz, Jackson & Oberg (2017) drug trafficking causes are linked to the historical changes or policies and the ever-changing environment of doing business orchestrated by technology.

According to Aguilar, Foltz, Jackson & Oberg (2017), drug trafficking is viewed like any other business and therefore, trends are similar to any other business. Globalization of crime is a problem that began with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the time when Berlin wall crumbled down and the efforts by Western economists to organize affairs on the premises of western capitalism commenced (Aguilar, Foltz, Jackson & Oberg, 2017). The concept of western capitalism holds a belief of free market and free flow of goods across borders and international borders as well as movement of capital and labour (Aguilar, Foltz, Jackson & Oberg, 2017). The transportation revolution facilitated free movement of goods and services as well as people across the international boundaries. Advancement in technology and the advent of World Wide Web expanded further the way people could communicate. These are critical factors that have played tremendous role in drug trafficking and would continue to remain relevant in the near future. For drugs to be trafficked from one destination to another, it requires individuals, communication and markets. Therefore, it is understood that the demand for these drugs exists and drug traffickers have to ensure that they satisfy the same.

Similarly, the drug trafficking business is lucrative with those associated or involved living flamboyant lifestyles that any other person envy to live (Aguilar, Foltz, Jackson & Oberg, 2017). This therefore pushes individuals to join the illegal business. Other factors are security compromises, poverty, lack of unemployment, peer group influence, poor parental/parental negligence, absence of salient laws that may deter or discourage the drug traffickers’ from engaging in the trade (Chambers, W., & Hale, R. (2012). Therefore, having these factors in mind would inform the necessary course of actions with positive impacts. The future of this problem looks deem if the federal and local criminal justice system does not take appropriate decisive measures.

Solution to drug trafficking is therefore multifaceted. Both Local and Federal governments have a big role in ensuring that this contemporary problem ends. One way is to facilitate through enactment of legislations that specifically addresses the problem of drug abuse and drug trafficking (Kan, 2016). These laws will provide a framework that would eventually ensure that individuals involved in drug trafficking face full force of the law. The government further has to develop appropriate strategies that would deter the business of drug trafficking to thrive. One measure would be restricting free trade and intensifying border security (Sherman & Tree, 2010). Any inlet point in a state or a country be in a seaport, an airport, a land border should be under strict surveillance to deter any movement of the drugs. The human element will play a critical role to ensure achievement of this. People compromise because of vanity as some may take bribes and allow free movement. Therefore, integrity becomes of essence and vetting of such officers remain essential to ensure that the people charged with responsibility of stopping these movement are trust worth and execute their mandate professionally without compromise (Sherman & Tree, 2010). Furthermore, it would require acquisition of appropriate gadgets or equipment that would aid in detection. Therefore, the Federal government has to beware and provide budget for the same. The cost of drug abuse among the populace especially on health is assessed to be higher and therefore, putting measures to ensure that citizens are not exposed to these illegal drugs will go miles in reducing government expenditures on medication and health in general (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). (2017b).

The criminal justice system is a key institution that works to support the efforts and the aspiration of states. It is therefore, imperative that this body is empowerment and accorded with the assistance they deserve to undertake their duties diligently. Countries and states are not banana republic as they are led by law structures and these laws have to be used to sanitize the society and root out the illegal businesses.

Criminal policies across the aims have various purposes but most of them aim is to curtail the drug trafficking business by dismantling the cartels behind the trade. Achieving this has been recorded in various policy papers and even good laws established to help in eradicating the illegal business. According to Feinsterin (2015), the laws and bills major focus is eradicating or combating the menace. For instance, in 2015, the Senate in the US passed a bill aimed at combating transnational drug trafficking (Feinsterin, 2015). The motive that led to the passage of the bill was based on the repercussion moreso the negative impacts the drugs being imported in the country had on people health. Furthermore, the bill was motivated by failures in the existing law that made the department of Justice unable to carry out its mandate better. Under the previous laws, it was difficult to build case against foreign individuals and kingpins in drug business more so those that came from Peru and Colombia (Feinsterin, 2015). The loopholes in the law therefore, worked to the advantage of the drug barons who knew how to evade the charges. Therefore, with many loopholes in the legal justice system, the drug barons increase their global trafficking of these illegal drugs. The kingpins from Colombia and Peru were fond of using Mexican drug trafficking entities as their links or intermediaries when it came to transportation of the illegal narcotics in to U.S.

Therefore, the Transitional Drug Trafficking Act of 2015 to some extend acts as a caution to those intending to traffic drugs in the country and any other precursor chemicals intended to be used to make drugs (Feinsterin, 2015). Such laws would help to greater extend to reduce the number of drug traffickers. It is worth noting, that laws would require adjustment as the nature of crimes or as the drug traffickers improvise or adapt to new strategies and tactics to achieve their goals. It is therefore, important that the countries forefront in fighting drug trafficking put this into consideration to curb any loopholes likely to be exploited (Kan, 2016).

Unintended consequences may as well arise from the efforts by the criminal justice system in combating drug trafficking.  The likelihood of arresting and prosecuting innocent individuals is likely to increase. Some of the traffickers are tricked and lured to traffic drugs without their prior knowledge. Upon interception of such individuals, they have to face the full wrath of the law in equal measure (Nguyen & Rose, 2016).

The second unintended consequences is the increasing legalization of some of the conventionally know illicit drugs such as some illicit drugs such as marijuana, hence are harnessed for clinical purposes. There is a room for such opportunities and exclusions to be misused by the members of the public. Drugs can be easily trafficked under the disguise of medicinal purpose. This may cause a very bigger challenge to the state or policy makers as the cases of drug use and trafficking are likely to increase (Jenner, 2011).

Separately, it is worth noting that states and countries have adopted other measures aimed at addressing drug trafficking.  For instance, U.S. has focused on the international antidrug efforts on war against drug, trafficking through interdiction, and checking on international funding. Through interdiction, efforts are underway to intercept illegal drugs before it enters the hands of consumers. This approach aims at dealing with the drugs barons head-on through identifying the traffickers and facilitators (Jenner, 2011). This approach from the policy   perspective helps reduce or limit supply of the drugs and this affects the prices as they increase, and in the long run lead to decreased consumption. Decrease in consumption because of high prices also will affect the quantity of such drugs on transit. Nevertheless, dismantling the drug industry through interdiction has not achieved expected results because not all countries across the world employ the approach (Gachuz, 2016). It would have been easily attainable if countries across the world joined in this concerted efforts. Similarly, supply of drugs is relatively inelastic implying that marginal demand does not always change as price goes down (Gachuz, 2016). Therefore, policy makers would have considered this, which means that the business of trafficking is likely to be competitive and therefore would continue to thrive.

According to Jenner (2011), the other option that the government should consider is legalizing of the drugs. This would ease tension and bring to an end violent aspect usually associated with the drug trafficking. However, this option even though may appear admirable it opens a Pandora window of misuse and substandard products that will have consequences that are more negative on the lives of the citizens. Furthermore, criminal and street gangs will take advantage by distributing drugs in a legal way but using proceeds to engage in other violent activities (Gachuz, 2016). Furthermore, minors could start using drugs, with high cases of people using the same in public places interfering with the normal lives of the other citizens.

The option of government regulating new legal drugs industry is believed to be the best to solve the menace. The government should regulate the entire process from cultivation, consumption and selling. This has been achieved by the US in the tobacco industry as substantial legislations have played a pivotal role in ensuring that Federal and State governments regulate the industry. The regulations should as well guide the process of distribution to ensure that specific distribution channels are the only mandated to expedite the function.

Conclusively, drug trafficking is one of the major global crime thriving.  Drug trafficking as one of the transnational organized crime remains a major threat to the peace, security and development to all nations worldwide. The opening up of markets and advancement of technology has made it easier for traffickers to transport these illicit drugs. Weak criminal justice systems across the world have also provided loopholes for the drug traffickers to continue thriving in the illegal business. Solving and combating drug trafficking remains a big challenge for the entire world and would require that every state demonstrate commitment and efforts in eradicating the same. Setting up of specific legislations that focus on stemming out the kingpins would go miles is helping the world become a drug free world. Proposals of legalizing and regulating drug market would require stringent laws and supervision to have positive impact. Identifying and appreciating the challenges and issues that affect the society would also be important to be evaluated to inform the appropriate actions that federal and local government should adopt to combat drug trafficking. Eradicating drug trafficking menace is a daunting task but will positive thinking and goodwill from all, partners; drug trafficking problem is manageable.