Karl Reiner: There is a war raging in our backyard

By Karl
Reiner

The production and
distribution of illegal drugs is big business. According to
estimates compiled by the Office of National Drug Control Policy,
American consumers spend about $65 billion per year on illegal drug
products. If the illegal drug trade was ranked as an American
business, it would be among the nation’s 30 largest
enterprises. Its annual dollar volume would put it in 28^th
place, producing slightly less revenue than Boeing and just
ahead of COSTCO.

The illegal drug
business operates with low overhead costs, pays virtually nothing in
taxes and employs a quick and brutal method of resolving disputes
among vendors and customers. Even when the losses inflicted by law
enforcement are factored in, the return on investment is high.
Despite the risks, the drug trade will always attract people
primarily interested in large monetary gains.

Although some Tucsonans
may be unaware of the problem, the 350 mile Arizona-Mexico border has
become a haven for some of the Mexican trafficking organizations
servicing the illegal drug market in the United States. Located only
65 miles from the border, Tucson is considered by the Drug
Enforcement Administration to be a transshipment hub for a portion of
the cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine smuggled into
Arizona.

The contraband moves
across the border hidden in commercial trucks and private vehicles.
As an alternative shipping method, it is transported through rough
border terrain areas on pack animals and by human backpackers.
Although local drug production is reported to be minimal, Tucson is a
site where illegal drugs are warehoused prior to distribution to
other stateside locations.

The slowing national
economy is not having much of an effect on the drug trade. U.S.
Customs and Border Protection reports a 200 percent increase in the
amount of heroin seized at Arizona’s ports of entry thus far in
2008. Due to the lucrative nature of the U.S. market, competition is
ferocious in the drug underworld. In Mexico, rival gangs are
battling each other for control of the transportation routes.

Prodded into action by
the U.S. government after years of ignoring the problem, Mexican
authorities are now attempting to suppress the traffickers. Army
units have been deployed to support the police. More than 48,000
traffickers have been reported arrested in Mexico since late 2006.

The drug lords are
hitting back, often killing at will. The chief of Sonora’s
state police was ambushed and killed in Nogales, Sonora in early
November. The highly respected officer was one of the latest
casualties in the escalating fight between the powerful drug cartels
and law enforcement.

Through November, the
city has suffered 103 confirmed homicides, up from 52 for the entire
year 2007. The new murder rate record is a cause for concern. As a
consequence of the spreading violence, the State Department added
Nogales, Senora to its travel alert list. The travel warning has
hurt the city’s once vibrant tourist business because the
number of visitors from Arizona has drastically dropped.

As the drug gangs fight
with each other for control of the profitable routes into the United
States and resist the government’s effort to crack down on
organized crime, casualties soar. Across Mexico, over 4,000 people
have been killed thus far this year. By way of comparison, the U.S.
has suffered 4,207 military deaths in Iraq since 2003.

The drug mobs have
amassed massive amounts of money and firepower, enabling them to
often outgun the police. Mexican officials point out that many of
the 24,000 illegal firearms they have seized originated in the United
States.

Awash in ill-gotten
cash, the mobs have the ability to corrupt officials at the highest
level. In one of the latest scandals, senior officials in the
Mexican attorney general’s office and an employee of the U.S.
Embassy were arrested for cooperating with the mobs.

Mexican authorities
have begun moving to clean up the country’s scandalously
corrupt police forces. Mexican President Calderon has candidly
agreed with estimates that about half of the members of the state and
local police forces are untrustworthy and that the federal service is
riddled with corrupt officers.

Earlier this month, the
U.S. government released $197 million of a $400 million aid package
to Mexico. Providing equipment sorely needed in the drug battle, it
is an indication of a closer and more cooperative effort by the two
governments as they attempt to deal with the problem.

Tucson police believe
drug-related crime is responsible in part for Tucson’s soaring
homicide rate. The residents of Tucson have reason to feel less
secure. If the ongoing struggle along the border slides up the
supply chain, we should be prepared to see an increase in violence in
Tucson.