The Columbian Drug Cartel, Research Paper Example

The objective of this research is to fully explain the Columbian Drug Cartel and how it operates and further explain how the cartel operates its illegal drug distribution throughout the United States and other countries. Columbian drug traffickers dominated and controlled 80% of the cocaine trade to the United States and other countries by the 1980’s. They were able to keep their capital and obtain sophisticated means of transporting drugs such as submarines.

Because of the continued two-party system for Presidential and Congress in Columbian elections there was no way of controlling the guerrilla political control over the county. Columbian officials were easily paid off and in some cases were afraid to fight the power that the cartel had. Often many officials that did not give into the demands of the cartel were assassinated. The cartel, like the mob would often use threats of violence to people’s family and children to get what they wanted.  In 1990 when there was hope to bring in liberal form of government through Cesar Trujillo three of the candidates were assassinated by what was thought of the guerrillas and Columbian drug war lords. The cartel was found to be responsible for the assassinations and the other criminal acts. They felt threatened by the anticipated liberal government that was attempting to come into existence in Columbia. They wanted to keep power and control over the government and wanted no attempt for democracy and liberation in Columbia. The Marxist guerrillas attempted to overthrown the government on many situations but were unsuccessful. “The guerrillas were funded by the drug cartels in hopes to succeed the Presidency especially following the collapse of the Soviet Union’s totalitarian power.” (Columbia History). The guerrillas were a strength for the cartel because they did all of the dirty work for the cartel whilst the cartel operated the mindful part of the business and the guerrillas handled the physical victimization parts necessary to keep people under control.   The most powerful Medellin cartel even stepped it up a notch in the 1990’s ordering illegal political assassinations and car bombings. “The United States funded Plan Columbia in 2000 with effort to shut down the production of illegal drug transport in Columbia.” (Columbia History). Millions of dollars were spent on this program to no avail. The incentive was aimed at the peasant workers abandoning the production and caring of the cocoa leaf plantation in the areas. The plan has been pushed forward under independent leader Uribe but there are no facts to prove the Columbian drug production has decreased.

Columbian cartels are illegal trafficking organizations whose main purpose is to traffic narcotics and other drugs to the United States and other countries. This is strictly a form of business and domination over the drug world. The major criminal organizations in the Columbian cartel were the Cali Cartel, Medellin Cartel and Notre Del Valle Cartel. The Black Eagles, AUC, ELN and FARC are also participants in the cartel. Within each sub-cell of the cartel organizations are the narco-trafficking, military, legal, political and financial divisions. The cartel operates just like a legitimate business except it promoting an illegal substance and the cartel is protected politically because the leaders fear the cartel and many leaders are crooked and take payoffs.

Most cartels began trafficking marijuana at the onset of its operation many years ago and eventually led to the cocoa plant production of cocaine which was more profitable. In order to hide the large sums of money coming in from the sale of the drugs the cartel hid the money under fake businesses this gave rise to money laundering.  Often the cartel gained some independence through bribery of high political officials. Most government officials that cooperated were spared the violence from the cartel but the lower political officials that did not were often killed. Cartel leaders have their own hired assassins to ensure there will be elimination of anyone posing threat to the organization. In 1995 it was learned that the Cali Cartel had illegal monitor devices and bugs within the U.S. Embassy in Bogota the Ministry of Defence. The cartel has its own effective operation to demise any force that comes their way. They operate similar to the Mob.

Often the cartel gains good graces with the public and government by assisting with criminal help such as assisting with kidnapping hostage situations. They never make their charitable donations public but they are well known thus word gets out. They never give true charity for there is always an alterior motive which is to keep their high dollar business afloat.

The cartel ships most of their drugs into the United Kingdom by ship freight cargo. They further use ‘mules’ to transport drugs via airline industries especially through the larger Heathrow Airport of London. Often women were used to smuggle as ‘mules’.  Small airports in Miami, Florida and other bay areas are essential to the transportation of illegal drugs. “Smugglers move the cocaine drug by light aircraft to the Caribbean where it is transferred to either Holland or Germany to make its way there or to the United Kingdom.” (Burrows 2009). This consisted of a multi-international operation which gave way to supplying all of Europe once it was smuggled to London, UK or Germany and Holland.

The Columbian National Police have recently detected a high technological submarine that is in existence to traffic their narcotics shipments. This submarine was supposedly built with technology of the United States and Russia. Word has it that they did it under false pretences. This is totally bogus. Who would allow such building of a submarine to the Columbians who are known for trafficking of dope and cocaine?  Because the organization’s leaders are from seasoned families in the Columbian area they know the area well which makes it very easy for them to orchestrate trafficking almost anywhere in the world.

“The Meddelin Cartel joined forces with Carlos Ledher marijuana king pen and convinced the leaders they could smuggle large amounts of cocaine into the United States directly through small planes eliminating the need for small suitcase trips.” (Columbian Cartels). The refuelling for the planes took place in the Caribbean Islands. Research shows it was easy to refuel and get back in the sky without much trace. Further Caribbean leader were probably in on the payoffs.  The Cali Cartel began to fight with the Meddelin Cartel and eventually overthrew them. They secretly would supply the police with information against the other cartel and continued to invest heavily in their schemes. Many of the arrangements made with the DEA became their own demise but it is believed they are still operating illegal trafficking from their prison cells.

After the demise of these two prominent cartels the police focused on the smaller trafficking sources such as the jungle labs. Drugs began to smuggle from Columbia to Mexico instead of the United States and the United Kingdom. The Mexican government was not about to tolerate transference to their country hence took measures to shut this down. Facts show that Mexican cartels control over 75% of the heroin trafficking today. Cocaine is still being shipped throughout Columbia to the United States via small aircraft and freight by ship but it is not being done by the two major sources directly from Columbia.

“After the Mexican government put tighter controls on the airline facilitation into Columbia airspace the Columbian drug trafficking decreased by nearly 95%.” (Stratfor 2008). Further research shows transport via waterways has decreased nearly 65%. This domination by the Mexican government has forced out transportation ways for Columbians to traffic their cocaine through Mexico airways and waterways and eliminated inner trafficking of drugs to Mexico. This is one of the most proactive means Mexico could have taken to aid the United States and the United Kingdom to help eliminate this albatross.

“Research shows that minor border stops and interdiction on the high seas is not the best means to end this drug trafficking. Keeping the traffickers off balance is the key to ending the trafficking forever.” (Burnett 2009).  Just as seen with the Mexican government taking a proactive stance to stop the trafficking where it hurts it the best means to keep the rate of trafficking from Columbia to the United States at a decrease. Interdiction mainly pushes the trafficking problem from one country to another and does not eliminate it. It is like putting a Band-Aid on a cut. It is a temporary form.

Since the minimization of drugs to the United States and most of the United Kingdom the drug trafficking has now moved to countries like Guatemala in Central America where it is much easier to defy government and to bribe upper officials. “Drug trafficking of marijuana into Florida was shut down in the 1980’s and now the problem has moved else where.” (Burnett 2009).  Many of the traffickers were captured and killed but there is still trafficking out of Columbia just to other weaker and more susceptible countries.

Drug trafficking will always exist and cartels will transfer from one country to another. The only way to keep this illegal trafficking is for loyal DEA agents to keep abreast with the situation and do what the Mexicans did, shut it down from the beginning.

Works Cited

Columbia History (2009) Retrieved November 27, 2009 from, http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Colombia-HISTORY.html

Burrows, M. (2009) How Does it Get Here? Retrieved November 27, 2009 from, http://www.thesite.org/drinkanddrugs/drugculture/drugstrade/howdoesitgethere

The Columbian Cartels (2009) Retrieved November 27, 2009 from, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/business/inside/colombian.html

Stratfor (2008) Mexican Drug Cartels: Government Progress and Growing Violence Retrieved November 27, 2009 from, http://www.stratfor.com/needtoknow/MEXICANCartels2008.pdf

Burnett, J. (2009) War on Drugs Hasn’t Stemmed Flow of Drugs into the U.S. Retrieved November 27, 2009 from, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9213877