Essay Example on Drug Abuse: The Economic Cost and DEA's Role in Mitigation

Introduction

Drug abuse is a big problem in the country. Other than the victims, families and communities are also affected. The economic cost of drug abuse runs into millions of dollars. To reduce this, the Drug Enforcement Authority (DEA) enforces substance laws and brings to the criminal and civil justice system individuals involved in the growing, manufacture, as well as the distribution of controlled substances. Over the years, DEA has carried out various programs aimed at addressing drug abuse. The organization has also made several arrests aimed at dismantling cartels involved in the manufacture and distribution of drugs in the United States. It has been argued that the arrests have not borne the expected fruits since the country still grapples with the problem of drug abuse. Operation Xcellator is one of the biggest operations carried out by the DEA. It was announced to the public on the 25th of February 2009 (Department of Justice, 2009). This paper seeks to review the operation, the subsequent prosecution, as well as the impact it had on the distribution of drugs in the targeted jurisdiction.

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Review of the Operation

This multi-agency law enforcement investigation took 21 months and led to the arrest of more than 700 individuals on different narcotics-related charges. More than 23 tons of narcotics and an estimated $59.1 million were also seized. The operation had targeted a major Mexican drug trafficking cartel, the Sinaloa Cartel. The leadership of the cartel included Joaquin Guzman, popularly known as El Chapo, who was recently sentenced to life imprisonment by a US court. The cartel was involved in the transport of large quantities of narcotics, including marijuana and cocaine from Mexico into the US. The narcotics were then distributed through a network of distribution cells both in the US and Canada. The indicted individuals were charged with various crimes such as violation of the regulations found in the Controlled Substances Act, conspiracy to transport controlled substances into the country, among others. While announcing the arrest, Attorney General Holder acknowledged the threat that international drug trafficking cartels pose to the safety and security of communities around the country (Department of Justice, 2009).

DEA Enforcement Operations and Strategies

The DEA acting administrator, Michele Leonhart, termed the operation as the hardest hitting and largest operation ever to target a cartel of Sinaloa's magnitude. Over the 21 months in which the investigation had taken place, the DEA had focused on disrupting the cartel's domestic operations by arresting the heads of various distribution cells. The Mafia-style strategy sought to use the low-level flunkies as informants on the activities of the cartel and its senior leadership (Lawson, 2011). The DEA also stripped the cartel of millions of dollars hence hurting their operations further. However, as mentioned earlier, the operation was not solely carried out by the DEA. The multi-agency team also had analysts and agents from the FBI, Customs, and Border Protection, among others (Department of Justice, 2009).

Subsequent Prosecutions

Following the arrests, federal charges against the individuals were unsealed in Minnesota, California, and Maryland. The cases were handled by prosecutors in eleven judicial districts. The Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section of the Criminal Division also offered assistance in the prosecution (Department of Justice, 2009). Close to a third of all those arrested were either acquitted by jurors or the prosecution failed due to lack of enough evidence. Others become undercover agents for DEA or jumped bail (Spagat & Mendoza, 2010).

Impact of the Operation on the Supply of Narcotics

Speaking during the announcement, DEA's acting administrator stated that an impact on the supply of drugs had been seen during the operation. The prices of cocaine more than doubled, and the purity fell by a third. According to her, this was as a result of reduced supply of cocaine in the US caused by the operation (Frieden, 2009). However, though Leonhart had termed the operation as a crushing blow to the Sinaloa cartel, its impact was questioned long after the operation. Majority of those arrested were low-level American smugglers who knew nothing about the Mexican cartel they worked for. Those arrested were swiftly replaced, and the operations went on. The Sinaloa Cartel still ranked among the top cartels in Mexico even after the operation. Just like all the operations before this, the effect was felt at the local level for a short time after which the market corrected itself. Therefore, in the long-term, the operation achieved little. Even after the arrest of El Chapo in 2016, the cartel continued operating. Even with El Chapo in prison, Sinaloa cartel, which is one of the most powerful cartels in the Western hemisphere, has not been hurt (Romero, 2019).

Conclusion

Substance abuse remains a huge problem in the US. Over the years, DEA has struggled to bring the situation under control. Operation Xcellator is among the biggest operations in the history of DEA. However, it only managed to capture low-level members of the Sinaloa cartel, whose operations in the US are still significant even today. The organized nature of the cartel makes it difficult for DEA to penetrate the top leadership. Resultantly, the war on drugs has not yet been won. Though the DEA has termed the arrest and imprisonment of El Chapo as a major win for the country, skeptics argue that the war is still far from over.

References

Department of Justice. (2009, February 25). Hundreds of Alleged Sinaloa Cartel Members and Associates Arrested in Nationwide Takedown of Mexican Drug Traffickers. Retrieved from The United States Department of Justice: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/hundreds-alleged-sinaloa-cartel-members-and-associates-arrested-nationwide-takedown-mexican

Frieden, T. (2009, February 25). Arrests 'crushing blow' to Mexican drug cartel, U.S. officials say. Retrieved from CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/25/holder.drug.cartel/index.html

Lawson, G. (2011, April 18). How the Cartels Work. Retrieved from Rolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/how-the-cartels-work-245912/

Romero, L. G. (2019, July 22). El Chapo is in Prison, but Mexican Drug Cartels are Still Thriving. Retrieved from Pacific Standard: https://psmag.com/social-justice/drug-cartels-are-too-big-to-fail-or-jail

Spagat, E., & Mendoza, M. (2010, January 1). Cartel arrests fail to curb drug trade. Retrieved from NBC News: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/40458398/ns/world_news-americas/t/cartel-arrests-fail-curb-drug-trade/#.XTcguugzaM8