Blog Post # 11 76 Arrests have been made due to Mexico and Arizona Drug-Smuggling Ring

On Monday October 31,2011 a drug smuggling ring was broken up by law enforcement when over the past few months 76 arrests have been made for people trying to transport huge amounts of marijuana across the Mexican border. Law enforcement has focused on eliminating the amounts of drugs being distributed in these common areas such as Mexico and Arizona. The biggest problem for law enforcement agencies has been stopping the Sinaloa drug cartel and putting an end to their organization. The Sinaloa cartel is ran by Joaquin Guzman and police officials have not even been able to get close to him. Globally Drug smuggling has been the hardest crime to stop. Recent reports have stated that the global drug trade generated an estimated $321.6 billion in the U.S. in 2003. The distribution of drugs has grown tremendously over the years and many nations are affected by this global problem. Drug smuggling is a billion dollar a year industry and no country fully has the situation under control. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Drug Threat Summary 2009, Mexican and Colombian criminal groups launder $18 to $39 billion in wholesale drug profits each year. There are so many people in law enforcement who engage in drug smuggling which also makes it harder to stop. For example a Homeland Security official stationed at the border was arrested because he had packages of marijuana hidden in his government issued vehicle. Also a Border patrol agent was prosecuted for accepting bribes by drug smugglers and allowing them to transport their drugs into the U.S. In the U.S. we hear and see about the problem with drug smuggling all the time, but it is likely to occur in every country and every nation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/us/officials-bust-drug-smuggling-ring-linked-to-mexican-cartel.html?src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Findex.jsonp