Cocaine smuggling has turned out to be a concern in many countries. According to multiple sources including the BBC and CNN, cocaine is smuggled worth billions of US dollars each year through many trading routes. The smuggling of cocaine — one of the leading illegal drugs — that undermines political and economic stability, perpetuates violence and corruption and ruins the lives of individuals and communities is rising. Though there are limited outcomes of the efforts, global efforts have been strengthened to fight cocaine smuggling, along with reducing its production. Even if there can be a shift to alternative or new routes or methods of transportation, tackling major trading routes can be an effective strategy in fighting cocaine trafficking and can help reduce it.
Fighting major routes can disrupt supply chains, reduce the availability of cocaine, one of the leading illegal drugs, in local markets and decrease its overall demand. By targeting major routes, law enforcement agencies can also dismantle criminal organizations involved in cocaine trafficking that can lead to long-term reductions in illegal cocaine related activities. Notably, there are many air, sea and land routes globally that are used by drug cartels to transport large quantities of cocaine into various destinations including the United States and Europe. Major air routes include the air routes from South America to Europe, sea routes include the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific route and land routes include Mexico, West Africa and Central America. Many routes including Mexico and Ecuador are being used as cocaine smuggling routes due to their proximity to cocaine-producing countries in South America.
Photo credit: https://edition.cnn.com/.
Optimistically saying, fighting trading routes has been emphasized in fighting cocaine smuggling in different regions and countries. Law enforcement-based and other steps have been helping in the fight. Cross-border cooperation and intelligence sharing, cooperation between law enforcement agencies within the country are crucial steps — and often useful — in tackling cocaine smuggling routes. Joint efforts are taken in different countries including Colombia, Mexico and Europe. In Europe, law enforcement agencies, along with cross-border cooperation, have intervened in major smuggling routes of cocaine by working together, leading to the dismantling of organized crime groups involved in cocaine trafficking and significant arrests. Among other things, law enforcement based initiatives to disrupt drug trafficking organizations and dismantle their operations through major trading routes are notable.
But because of various flaws in the steps, there are limited outcomes. Pertinently saying, there is a lack of steps to improve the coordination between different countries (such as cocaine producing, countries used as cocaine smuggling routes and the destination countries of smuggling) and address corruption within government agencies and law enforcement bodies. Amongst the others, there is a lack of political will in fighting cocaine smuggling routes because of various causes including the beneficial outcomes for the countries that produce and supply cocaine. These flaws have been allowing the cocaine trade to continue thriving, undermining the effectiveness of international efforts to combat it in many regions and countries including South America.
Photo credit: https://theconversation.com/.
Addressing the flaws and challenges is vital to fighting cocaine smuggling in different regions. But the efforts to address the challenges must involve increased international cooperation, transparency in the efforts of law enforcement agencies and the allocation of resources dedicated to disrupting and dismantling criminal networks involved in cocaine smuggling. But along with fighting major trading routes, efforts are also vital to prevent cocaine smuggling in alternative or new routes. Dealing with the constant adaptation of smuggling tactics by criminal organizations will be helpful in fighting it many times —successfully.
But political will, which is surprisingly absent in many countries, is also vital. It will help implement strict laws and regulations on the production of cocaine, fight cocaine smuggling and ensure the safety of communities in many countries successfully. A strong political will can also facilitate cocaine-producing countries and destination countries to work towards dismantling the drug trafficking networks and protecting their citizens from the harmful effects of cocaine trafficking.
