Research Part 2

3 page part 2 

Running head: FIGHTING DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONS

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SURVEILLANCE: A NECESSITY OR NUISANCE 4

FIGHTHING DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONS 3

Week 4 Outline

Fighting Drug Trafficking Organizations

Student Name

American Military University

HLSS498

Professor

Date

Research Question

Where other approaches have failed, can policy makers, law enforcement, and homeland security assets effectively apply counter terrorism tactics to solve the ongoing issue with drug trafficking organizations?

Thesis

An analysis of current counter drug trafficking tactics fails in comparison to current counter terrorism tactics and indicates a severe lack of focus on this ongoing homeland security problem.

Outline

Introduction

I. Drug Trafficking- Not an epidemic exclusive to the United States and Mexico, but there are clear indicators that the problem is increasing exponentially and needs to be fixed.

A. Drug trafficking, as well as the crime that goes with it, can and does have devastating effects on the economy, the environment, and the American people.

B. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2017) has proven a solid nexus between illicit substance manufacturing and abuse, organized crime, illicit financial flows, corruption and terrorism (para. 1).

C. Therefore, this paper will show that not only is the manufacturing and trafficking of illicit substances an underestimated threat, but it also leads to and can enable other crimes, including terrorism.

Main Point One- Background

II. History- Drug trafficking has been an ongoing and seemingly out of control problem for decades. Despite knowing the issues related to these organizations, counter trafficking tactics have been unsuccessful. Drug trafficking is a multibillion dollar industry and fighting it costs just as much.

III. Major organizations- There are seven major organizations that move the most amount of illicit substances, the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Zetas, Gulf Cartel, Juarez Cartel, BLO, LFM, and the Tijuana Cartel (Department of Justice, 2011, p. 7).

IV. Most commonly trafficked substances and routes in which they are most often smuggled- With the exception of MDMA, which is trafficked mostly from Asian organizations based in Canada, nearly all illicit substances travel through the America-Mexico border. The most common of these, is methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana (Department of Justice, 2011, p.7).

A. MDMA, as well as methamphetamines and marijuana can be manufactured indoors, and synthetically. Cocaine and heroin, however, come from plants which require a certain climate. Coincidentally, the temperature and soil composition in some Mexican areas is ideal, however, very few United States climates are suitable for manufacturing cocaine and heroin.

Main Point Two- Consequences

V. Negative effects- on the economy, environment, and American and Mexican citizens.

A. Drug Trafficking costs hundreds of billion dollars a year, between lost revenue, health care costs, litigation and the law enforcement response (Brouwer, Case, Ramos, Magis-Rodriquez, Patterson, & Strathdee, 2006).

1. In addition to smuggling drugs, in many cases, other items are smuggled as well, such as money, cars, humans, arms, and medications.

2. The environment is not immune to the negative side effects of drug manufacturing. In addition to physical effects, such as building tunnels and canals, the groundwater can be affected, as well as animal life, plant life, and soil composition can be altered drastically (Boxall, 2004).

3. As the problem continues to grow, the costs of litigation, incarceration, and rehabilitation of offenders grows. Additionally, the added and ongoing risks to law enforcement personnel, local citizens, and crime between cartels, further signifies the effect these organizations have on people.

Main Point Three- Current Initiatives

VI. Current counternarcotic and counter trafficking initiatives

A. While there have been successful law enforcement raids, overall, drug trafficking is a multibillion dollar industry that continues to grow. With no legitimate and effective tactic, drug trafficking could potentially be the biggest problem the United States faces in decades to come.

B. There are multiple agencies tasked with fighting the war on drugs. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as well as state, local, and other federal police officers handle the law enforcement side of counter trafficking. The El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), a fusion center ran by the DEA, acts as an information hub to all counternarcotic components. Lastly, there are federally funded programs as well as international task forces, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

VII. Current counterterrorism initiatives

A. Counterterrorism initiatives are certainly an important matter. So much so, that the United States government spends billions of dollars every year on these efforts. There are multiple agencies, task forces, and military units designated strictly for counterterrorism, and considering the lack of terrorism within the United States, one would estimate that these initiatives are successful.

B. According to Sahadi (2015), it is estimated that the United States spends at least one hundred billion dollars a year in counterterrorism efforts. However, the price may be significantly more, considering that much of the intelligence portion of counterterrorism is classified, making estimations difficult (Sahadi, 2015).

C. The Department of State, for example, operates an entire bureau tasked with counterterrorism efforts. Under Bureau of Counterterrorism, there are twelve programs and initiatives, solely focused on terrorism, including the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, and the Antiterrorism Assistance Program (Department of State, n.d.).

Main Point Four- The Real Debate

VIII. Comparing and contrasting drug trafficking and terrorism

A. No researcher can put a price on homeland security, but, it has been evident that while the United States’ focus has been on terrorism, these extremely dangerous and somewhat violent criminals have been crossing borders and smuggling drugs nonstop.

B. Illuminating the nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism, indicates that efforts may be focused in the wrong place.

Main Point Five- Answering the Question

IX. Applying counter terrorism tactics to fighting the war against drugs.

A. Shifting focus and resources from terrorism to trafficking will be no easy feat. However, considering the devastating effects drugs are having on American society, it is clear that this problem is ongoing and needs to be fixed at all costs.

B. If the effort towards trafficking was as forceful as the effort towards terrorism, there is a chance that both threats could be handled at the same time. Securing airspace from terrorists has been widely successful; however, an entire underground network exists for traffickers.

Conclusion

While this is just a brief overview of drug trafficking organizations, further research will show that this is an ongoing epidemic. In short, the effects are endless, on the economy and the environment. Therefore, further research into counter drug trafficking tactics is crucial. Secondly, an evaluation of current counterterrorism methods is necessary. Given the vast consequences of both activities, determining which deserves the most resources is no easy task. However, with continued research, it will prove that counterterrorism tactics can be effectively applied to counter trafficking operations to reduce and deter this ongoing problem.

Resources

Boxall. (2004). The environmental side effects of medication. EMBO Reports, 5(12), 1110-1116. doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400307

Brouwer, K. C., Case, P., Ramos, R., Magis-Rodríguez, C., Bucardo, J., Patterson, T. L., & Strathdee, S. A. (2006). Trends in production, trafficking and consumption of methamphetamine and cocaine in Mexico. Substance Use & Misuse, 41(5), 707–727. http://doi.org/10.1080/10826080500411478

Cook. (2008). Mexico’s drug cartels. Washington, D.C., Congressional Research Service.

Department of Homeland Security. (2010). Counternarcotics doctrine. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/dhs-counternarcotics-doctrine-2010-06-15

Department of Justice. (2010). Impact of drugs on society. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs38/38661/drugImpact.htm

Department of State. (2013). International narcotics control strategy report (1). Retrieved from Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs website: https://edge.apus.edu/access/content/group/security-and-global-studies-common/Intelligence%20Studies/INTL446/Content/Week%206/INCSR2013

Drug Enforcement Administration. (n.d.). Controlled Substances Act. Retrieved from https://www.dea.gov/druginfo/csa.shtml

González, F. (2015). Drug trafficking organizations and local economic activity in Mexico. PLoS ONE, 10(9), e0137319. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0137319

Government Accountability Office. (2009). Drug control: Better coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and an updated accountability framework can further enhance the DEA’s efforts to meet post 9/11 responsibilities (09-63). Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-63

Longhini. (2014). Ex-smugglers reveal tricks of the Chicago drug trade, including methods of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-smugglers-reveal-tricks-of-the-chicago-drug-trade/

Moore, L. D., & Elkavich, A. (2008). Who’s using and who’s doing time: Incarceration, the war on drugs, and public health. American Journal of Public Health, 98(5), 782–786. http://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2007.126284

National Drug Intelligence Center. (2011). National drug threat assessment. Department of Justice. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs44/44849/44849p

Office of National Drug Control Policy. (2016). National drug control strategy. Retrieved from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/ondcp/policy-and-research/2016_ndcs_final_report

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (n.d.). Drug mules: Swallowed by the illicit drug trade. Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org/southasia/frontpage/2012/october/drug-mules_-swallowed-by-the-illicit-drug-trade.html

Werb, Rowell, Guyatt, Kerr, Montaner, & Wood. (2011). Effect of drug law enforcement on drug market violence: A systematic review. International Journal of Drug Policy, doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2011.02.002

Running Head:

HOMELAND SECURITY AFTER 9/11

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HOMELAND SECURITY AFTER 9/11 2

Title

Student’s name

Instructor

Course

Date

HOMELAND SECURITY AFTER 9/11

Introduction

After the glaring terrorist attacks that took place in the United States on 9/11 in 2001, the Department of Homeland security became a critical nationwide concern. “Law enforcement bodies and their respective roles were changed right from the local, federal, and state levels” (McEntire, 2018).

The Congress played its part after the attacks by passing the “Patriot Act”. This act was aimed at restructuring the local, national, and state system of government together with helping distribute powers to the law enforcement bodies across the different agency departments. In this research paper, I will illustrate and look at the way how the homeland defense was reorganized and the national strategy that has been put in place to prevent and to disrupt another terrorist attack.

Research question

Several national intelligence issues continue posing threats to the future of the department of homeland security, which includes strict system of government structures, the inadequacy of funds, lack of coordination and disintegration instead of integration (Gaines, & Kappeler, 2019). However, it is essential to look at the various strategies that have been put in place t ensure that a repeat of the 9/11 attack is never witnessed on our soil and in any other area across our borders. Therefore, the article will answer the question on the various steps and measures that have been put in place by the department of homeland security in their preparedness.

Purpose statement

The most prominent future intelligence challenges today encountering the department of homeland security can be attributed to the 9/11 attacks. Various measures were put in place by George Bush’s government to ensure that a repeat of the same will not be witnessed in the future (Alizadeh, 2019).

Literature review

The characteristics of terrorism make it very difficult and very dangerous, combating it. The strategies and tactics of conventional combat have to be tailored and modified in a way that will help in addressing novel distinctiveness. The 9/11 attacks brought a challenge to the administration that was far beyond the used natural disasters challenges that had decades been the biggest challenge. The attacks suggested the possibility of other attacks in the future that would engage more of society.

The United States and the partners across the globe have been trying their best to waging an unremitting war on terror whether abroad or at home. “Over the short term, the government has been working on trying to prevent terrorist attacks and denying weaponry of mass destruction to rogue states and terrorists” (Alizadeh, 2019). The terror war has changed over time and it is today a divergent kind of war that today involves a battle of arms as well as a battle of ideas.

Today, various strategies are implemented by the department of homeland security to prevent terrorist attacks like that, which happened on September 11. One of the major ways homeland security has been working on is denying terrorists as well as weapons and materials that are related to the terrorists from gaining entry into the United States (Shiekh, 2019). The other way is disrupting the terrorist’s ability to operate within the United States’ borders and trying to put off the materialization of vicious Islamic radicalization, which denies terrorists future human resources and helps in defeating domestic radicalism.

By denying the terrorist enemies the ability to travel internationally, especially across and within the United States’ borders, it severely inhibits their effectiveness. The terrorists are also hindered from identifying and surveying their possible targets; they cannot conduct planning and launch any attack within our borders (Johnson, & Hunter, 2017).

The department has also been able to strengthen travel and document security while at the same time improving information sharing within the domestic and international partners while at the same time improving the screening of all people that are visiting the united states as well as the cargo that is entering the country.

Strengthening our layered systems of protection, which starts overseas continuing along our borders at the ports and the roadway, railways, and the skies, have been a very fundamental aspect that has been used by the department of homeland in protecting the country against terrorists, weapons as well as all the other related materials from getting access in the United States.

Through the improvement o screening of visa applicants, it has been possible helping in managing access through entry ports. Improving screening means that there is the capability of identifying potential visitors who may pose security terrorization. This is done through enhanced interview techniques, collection and comparison of biometrics, and doing background checks among other measures.

“The infusion of technology in conflicts has resulted in changes to the strategy and tactics used in a war, which today determines who achieves victory” (Lahneman, 2018). The homeland security has a responsibility of ensuring physical security which is the safety of personnel, hardware, software, and networks, from physical actions and events which are capable of causing serious damage or loss (Napolitano, 2019).

References

Alizadeh, M. (2019). Police Policy Shifts After 9/11: From Community Policing to Homeland Security: a New York Case Study. Springer Nature.

Alizadeh, M. (2020). Research on Community Policing and Homeland Security. In Police Policy Shifts After 9/11 (pp. 7-14). Springer, Cham.

Gaines, L. K., & Kappeler, V. E. (2019). Homeland Security and Terrorism. Pearson.

Johnson, T. C., & Hunter, R. D. (2017). Changes in homeland security activities since 9/11: an examination of state and local law enforcement agencies’ practices. Police Practice and Research, 18(2), 160-173.

Lahneman, W. J. (2018). Homeland security intelligence. Introduction to Homeland Security, 97-122.

McEntire, D. A. (2018). Introduction to Homeland Security: Understanding Terrorism Prevention and Emergency Management. John Wiley & Sons.

Napolitano, J. (2019). How Safe are We?: Homeland Security Since 9/11. Hachette UK.

Shiekh, I. ((2019). Democracy and Homeland Security: Strategies, Controversies, and Impact.