In doing so over the years, these TCOs have become increasingly wealthy and powerful throughout the Western Hemisphere — so much so that in some regions of Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America , they compete well for primacy with governments.
Coast Guard. In Latin America, the TCOs often resort to extraordinary violence to address challenges by rivals, compel behavior of the local populace, and resist attempts by the local government to check their actions.
This violence severely destabilizes the entire hemisphere. Closer to home, TCO violence is a significant contributor to the out-migration that has driven the consistently large numbers of migrants arriving at the United States southern border.
Indeed, from October to December , U. Customs and Border Protection CBP and its Border Patrol interdicted an average of 72, migrants at the southwest border , which translates to 1.
Most come from the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, although of late, relatively large numbers of Mexican nationals are being interdicted trying to cross the U.
The illegal drug trade provides a vast source of funding for the TCOs. But trafficking in illegal narcotics provides the bulk of funding. Leaving aside for a moment the increased border control measures associated with the COVID pandemic , this trafficking typically occurs across two main vectors: the land border and the maritime border. CBP, principally its Office of Field Operations, is the lead agency for United States border security issues, both at and between the ports of entry.
In Fiscal Year , CBP seized over 42, pounds of cocaine, 5, pounds of heroin, , pounds of marijuana, , pounds of methamphetamine, and 3, pounds of fentanyl. The fentanyl seizures, while the smallest in total, are perhaps the most troubling given the deadly potency of that particular drug.
Moreover, fentanyl seizures have consistently increased in size over the last five years, and recent reports indicate huge increases of fentanyl seized by Mexican authorities on their side of the border. TCOs ship their wares to the land border hidden in tractor trailer trucks, cars, and in some cases, people.
In addition to using these same means between ports of entry , TCOs also breach existing border barriers by using tunnels and have increasingly employed drones to move shipments of drugs into the United States, amongst other purposes.
Drug cartels and TCOs have a long history of using maritime means to attempt to bring drugs into the United States. They include:. First, the Coast Guard is unique amongst federal agencies because it is at all times both a military armed force and law enforcement agency.
And the overall rate of change is accelerating, partly as a result of globalisation. Activities related to trafficking are becoming concentrated in particular geographic areas, while instability in regions neighbouring the EU could have profound effects on the drug market in Europe. Significant domestic demand already exists along all trafficking routes and may be growing, with drug trafficking acting as an additional destabilising factor in countries that are already faced with other serious political, social, health and economic problems.
These challenges are being met in a number of ways, including through:. Whatever the class of drug, a central aim of the activities of Europol and its partners, beyond the apprehension of traffickers and the interdiction of supplies, is to undermine the twin motives—profit and power—that perpetuate this scourge. Skip to main content. Number of items found: How-to guide. Landing page. Education and awareness-raising: citizens should learn more about organized crime and how it affects everyday lives.
Express your concerns to policy and decision makers so that this global threat is considered by politicians to be a top priority among the public's major concerns. Intelligence and technology: criminal justice systems and conventional law enforcement methods are often no match for powerful criminal networks.
Better intelligence methods need to be developed through the training of more specialized law enforcement units, which should be equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Assistance: developing countries need assistance in building their capacity to counter these threats.
As the guardian of the three international drug control treaties namely,. Resources like the annually published World Drug Report present comprehensive information on the illicit drug situation. Emphasis is laid on building capacities of law enforcement agencies from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka to enable them to detect and prevent diversions of precursors from licit trade, as well as through smuggling.
0コメント