Undercover Sentinels at the Drug Gates

Abstract

The illicit production and trafficking of drugs are a major threat to the United States and insidious to the people and fragile societies of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Deportations from the U.S. exacerbate this tragedy. Congress approved a law in 1996 requiring all non-U.S. convicts to be deported to their home countries where making a living often involves interacting with organized crime. By law, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) operates only in the U.S. and cannot unilaterally investigate and arrest high-level drug traffickers overseas. Given enforcement deficiencies of reducing drug supplies in producing countries, the Organization of American States (Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission - CICAD) provides a vehicle to LAC drug enforcement officials for capacity building and international information exchange. This article reflects on the effectiveness of three such initiatives: jetway surveillance, interruption of the flow of precursor chemicals used in drug production, and trafficking via the Internet.

Keywords: Drug enforcement. Training. Jetway surveillance. Precursor chemicals. Internet drug trafficking. Silk Road. Organization of American States (OAS).