cause of drug trafficking essay

Essay on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

Students are often asked to write an essay on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

Introduction.

Drug abuse and illicit trafficking are global problems. These issues affect society’s health, safety, and well-being. Drug abuse refers to the harmful use of drugs, while illicit trafficking involves illegal trade of drugs.

Effects of Drug Abuse

Drug abuse can lead to health problems, including mental disorders and physical illnesses. It can also cause social issues like unemployment, crime, and broken families.

Illicit Drug Trafficking

Illicit drug trafficking is a serious crime. It involves the manufacture, distribution, and sale of illegal drugs. This trade fuels crime, violence, and corruption.

To fight drug abuse and illicit trafficking, we need education, law enforcement, and treatment programs. It’s a fight that needs everyone’s participation.

250 Words Essay on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

The scourge of drug abuse.

Drug abuse is not confined to any demographic or socio-economic strata. It’s a pervasive issue that affects individuals, families, and communities. The repercussions extend beyond health problems, leading to broken families, lost potential, and increased crime rates. The abuse of prescription drugs and new psychoactive substances (NPS) has emerged as a significant concern, highlighting the evolving nature of drug abuse.

Illicit Trafficking: A Global Problem

Illicit drug trafficking fuels organized crime, destabilizes societies, and undermines economic growth. The clandestine nature of drug trafficking makes it a complex issue to tackle. It’s a lucrative business for criminal networks due to the high demand for drugs and the significant profits involved.

The Interplay and Impact

Drug abuse and illicit trafficking form a vicious cycle. Increased availability of drugs due to illicit trafficking leads to higher rates of drug abuse. Conversely, the demand created by drug abuse fuels illicit trafficking. This interplay exacerbates the social and economic issues associated with each problem.

Addressing drug abuse and illicit trafficking requires a holistic approach that includes education, prevention, treatment, and law enforcement efforts. It’s crucial to break the cycle of demand and supply to effectively combat these issues. By understanding the complexities and interconnectedness of drug abuse and illicit trafficking, we can develop more effective strategies to address these global problems.

500 Words Essay on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

Drug abuse and illicit trafficking are significant global issues that continue to pose a serious threat to public health, social stability, and economic development. They are intrinsically linked phenomena that reinforce each other, creating a vicious cycle that is challenging to break.

Illicit Drug Trafficking: A Global Concern

Illicit drug trafficking, on the other hand, is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, and sale of drugs that are subject to drug prohibition laws. It’s a highly profitable, yet dangerous business, often associated with powerful transnational organized crime networks. Its impacts are far-reaching, undermining social and economic development, political stability, and public health.

The Interplay between Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

The relationship between drug abuse and illicit trafficking is symbiotic. The demand for drugs fuels the illicit trade, while the availability of drugs promotes abuse and addiction. This interplay creates a self-perpetuating cycle that exacerbates both problems.

Addressing the Issue

Addressing drug abuse and illicit trafficking requires a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach. This includes prevention efforts aimed at reducing the demand for drugs, harm reduction strategies to minimize the negative health impacts of drug use, and supply reduction measures to disrupt the illicit drug trade.

Education plays a crucial role in prevention. By raising awareness about the dangers of drug use and promoting healthy coping mechanisms, we can help individuals make informed decisions and reduce the likelihood of drug abuse.

In conclusion, drug abuse and illicit trafficking are interconnected global problems that require concerted efforts to address. By understanding their interplay and implementing comprehensive strategies, we can work towards a future free from the devastating impacts of these phenomena. The challenge is daunting, but with the right approach, it is surmountable.

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Science, evidence-based facts, key to help end scourge of drug abuse: UN chief

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The world’s drug problem remains an urgent challenge that threatens to exacerbate COVID-19 pandemic impacts and hinder a healthy and inclusive recovery, warned the UN Secretary General ahead of The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

In a statement published on Friday, Antonio Guterres underscored that trusting science is the “hero and lesson of the pandemic”, and the same action based on evidence is crucial for the responses to drugs.

Worsening problem

The World Drug Report published this week by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ) showed that drug related deaths have nearly doubled over the past decade. Moreover, 10% of HIV cases in 2019, were due to people injecting themselves with harmful substances.

The UN chief warned that although international cooperation has helped limit the proliferation of new psychoactive drugs, the problem is shifting to poorer regions where control systems are weaker.

Meanwhile, dark web drug sales continue to rise, and non-medical use of pharmaceuticals, including opioids, is expanding.

“ Drug trafficking and organized crime fuel and perpetuate cycles of violence and conflict. Armed groups and terrorists’ profit from the illicit drug trade, and the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic has left millions of people even more vulnerable to drug crime and illicit crop cultivation”, Mr. Guterres underscored.

Invest in prevention

The Secretary General pointed out that investing in balanced prevention as well as control of drug use and drug use disorders produces solid returns such as lives saved, healthier populations, improved workforce participation and productivity, and reduced criminal justice costs.

“ Many of the risk factors associated with crime and violent behaviour are also drivers of drug use, and targeted efforts focusing on these overlapping dynamics - including childhood maltreatment and lack of social support - can help to strengthen prevention”, he said.

More partnerships and data

Public-private partnerships - with tech companies, postal and courier services, and shipping companies - represent an essential frontline response in the new fight against drug traffickers, who “are increasingly exploiting the legal cargo trade and postal services to move their illicit product”, added Mr. Guterres, underscoring that better data is also useful to identify trends and enable real-time monitoring of the trafficking routes.

The Secretary General urged Member States to listen to the science and take action, building on agreed international frameworks and drawing on UN support for health and justice initiatives.

He also reminded that greater cooperation and support are needed to help low-income countries take advantage of cutting edge anti-drug enforcement techniques.

‘Share facts on drugs and save lives’

The head of UNODC, Ms. Ghada Waly, echoed the UN chief’s call for leveraging trustworthy, scientific information and the power of community in influencing health choices and addressing the world drug problem.

“Drugs are destroying health and stealing futures, with drug use alone killing almost half a million people in 2019. Awareness of the risks and access to evidence-based treatment and care can help prevent such tragedies”, she said.

In a statement, Ms. Waly explained the theme of this year’s International Day: Share facts on drugs. Save lives . “It highlights the need for evidence-based approaches to equip the public, as well as health and service providers, and decision makers with the tools to inform choices and effective services”, she emphasized.

The campaign highlights key statistics and data drawn from UNODC’s yearly World Drug Report. Thus, providing facts and practical solutions to the current world drug problem, to attain a vision of health for all, based on science.

Ms. Waly urged governments to expand evidence-based prevention and treatment programmes, as well as monitoring and early warning mechanisms to help lower-income countries detect and counter new substances and use trends.

About the day

Through resolution 42/112 of 7 December 1987, the General Assembly decided to observe 26 June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.

Supported each year by individuals, communities, and various organizations all over the world, this global observance aims to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society.

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2 Drug Trafficking

• Published: October 2020
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This chapter addresses drug trafficking in four sections: the nature and extent of the harm; the structure of drug trafficking (considered in terms of source, transit and market); regulation and control; and finally a discussion about drug trafficking as illicit business. Major drug types and supply routes are reviewed, to illustrate the scale of the problem regionally and globally. The usual routines of drug trafficking are discussed, including production, wholesale, kingpins and mules, and street-level dealing. The well-known challenges of interdiction are noted, amounting to the observed failure of the ‘war on drugs’. Finally, we look at empirical evidence that drug trafficking is considered by its protagonists in terms of business enterprise, and the ways this distances them from the harm it causes.

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91 Drug Trafficking Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best drug trafficking topic ideas & essay examples, 🎓 good research topics about drug trafficking, 📌 simple & easy drug trafficking essay titles, ❓ research questions about drug trafficking.

• Drug Trafficking and Drug Abuse Drug trafficking contributes to drug abuse in the society. Drug trafficking also contributes to increased criminal activities that affect the security of citizens.
• International Drug Trafficking: Analysis and Solution If an attempt is made to unify the process for all significant areas of drug trafficking, such a system will fail.
• Drug Cartels Problem Overview Drugs have been the major cause of the rise in the levels of corruption, disobedience to the law, and human rights abuses The selection highlights the key challenge of drug cartels in Latin America.
• Cocaine and Methamphetamine: Drug Threat in the United States This shortage of cocaine has been brought due to low production of cocaine In Mexico, and this was as a result of pressure from the United States government to DTOs, large seizure of cocaine consignment […]
• Policy Project: The Drug Trafficking The committee was also in making reports to the convention. Reforms in judicial systems should be advocated to the countries that are signatories of UN convention.
• Drug Trafficking in the UK This is the extent of the information available at the start of the research. The first element that has to be developed is the list of organizations that could potentially be involved with the smuggling […]
• Economics of Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Three major conditions associated with the development and origins of mafias include the abdication of legitimate government power, excessive bureaucratic power, and the financial potential of illegal markets.
• International Drug Trafficking and Its Legal Status The large-scale of the global drug trade has grown primarily due to the levels of financing and expansion that organized crime has invested in the industry.
• Drug Trafficking, National Security and Intelligence In most of the cases, these cartels used carrot-and-stick approach when it came to dealing with security agencies both in their home country and in the United States. The drug cartels in this country use […]
• What Can Law Enforcement Do About Drug Trafficking Therefore, there is a need for the creation and implementation of new federal and local laws that would ensure the appropriateness of police operations in the field of drug trafficking prevention.
• Drug Traffickers Arrest: Intelligence Cycle The case study about the arrest of 7 drug traffickers by Drug Enforcement Agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations agents is a perfect case that required collection of information, processing it to […]
• Illegal Drug Trafficking Rates This is one of the most thriving trades in the world markets owing to the fact that, although majority of nations have criminalized drug trafficking, due to effects of the economic crisis that affected most […]
• Mexican Drug Cartels and Human Trafficking Reports from Mexico says that due to the pressure exerted on the drug cartels by the government, they have resolved in other means of getting revenue and the major one has been human trafficking alongside […]
• Colombian Drug Cartels: Government Response For instance, the Cali cartel participated a great deal in the downfall of the Medellin cartel as it was involved in the manhunt of the leaders of the Medellin cartel which saw the killing of […]
• Mexican Drug Cartels and the War on Drugs The examination of the current research on Mexican drug cartels and the War on Drugs helps to understand the causes of the outburst of violence, define the major tendencies of the Mexican War on Drugs […]
• Drug Cartels in Mexico According to sociologist Luis Astorga, the history of drug cartels in Mexico has a correlation with the political eras in the region. As such, they are the eyes and ears of the drug cartels.
• Drug Trafficking in the US Kleiman argues that drug trafficking in the US has brought about harmful effects to families, children and the greater population of the young people.
• Pre-Colombia Era of Drug Trafficking in the Americas: Andean Cocaine, 1947-1973 This led to the period where cocaine was considered as an illicit drug in most parts of the world. The United States utilized its popularity to spread the word over the continents on the dangers […]
• US Proposed Plan for Reducing Security Threat by Mexican Drug Cartels Terrorism in the modern world has become a big threat to the security of the world and especially the US citizens which is the largest economy in the world.
• Achieving Wealth and Power: Drug Trafficking
• Border Patrol Enforcement Have Impact on Illegal Drug Trafficking
• The Battle Between Border Security and Drug Trafficking
• Can National Governments Prevent Illicit Drug Trafficking?
• Death Penalty for Drug Trafficking: Is It Required?
• Drug Smoking and Drug Trafficking in the World
• The Link Between Drug Trafficking and Gang Violence
• Drug Trafficking and Distribution of Drugs: Overview
• Linking Drug Trafficking and Illegal Immigration
• The Relationships Between Drug Trafficking and Insurgent Terrorists
• Drug Trafficking and Its Effects on America
• Link Between Drug Trafficking and the Financing of Terrorism
• Drug Trafficking and Its Effects on the American Civil War
• Relations Between Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime, and Terrorism Interactions
• Drug Trafficking and Its Effects on the Human Body
• Illicit Trade and Drug Trafficking Proving to Be a Major Problem
• Drug Trafficking and Its Effects on US Policy and Economy
• Joint Interagency Engagement and Drug Trafficking
• Drug Trafficking and Narco-Terrorism as Security Threats
• Mexican Drug War: Drug Trafficking and Its Effects on Mexico
• Drug Trafficking and the Criminal Justice System of America
• Reducing Drug Trafficking In the United States
• Drug Trafficking Between Mexico and The United States
• Terrorism and Drug Trafficking at the South American Borders
• Drug Trafficking: Consequences, and Accountability
• Overview of the Biggest Drug Trafficking Organization
• Drug Trafficking Has Caused the Coffee Industry
• The Economics Behind Drug Trafficking and Cartels in Mexico
• Drug Trafficking Organizations and Counter-Drug Strategies in the US-Mexican Context
• The Fight Against Drugs and Drug Trafficking in America
• The History, Effect, and Cost of Drug Trafficking on Society
• The Long Existed Business of Drug Trafficking in Latin Countries
• Punishments and Laws Associated With Drug Trafficking in the United States
• UN’s Efforts to Control Drug Trafficking in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and Korea
• The United States’ Strategy for Combating Drug Trafficking
• War Against Drug Trafficking and the Drug Crisis in the USA
• Overview of Transnational Criminality and Illicit Drug Trafficking
• United States Drug Trafficking Problem Analysis
• Why Drug Trafficking Causes Gun Violence?
• Would Legalizing Drugs Discourage Drug Trafficking?
• How Can Drug Trafficking Be Controlled?
• Why Does Drug Trafficking Continue to Rise Despite the Risks Involved?
• How Does Drug Trafficking Affect the United States?
• What Is the Connection Between Drug Abuse and Drug Trafficking?
• How Does Drug Trafficking Impact the Economy and the World at Large?
• Why Is It Important to Stop Drug Trafficking?
• When Did Drug Trafficking Become a Problem?
• Is Human Trafficking Bigger Than Drug Trafficking?
• What Is the Difference Between Drug Trafficking and Drug Smuggling?
• How Can We Solve the Problem of Drug Trafficking?
• What Is the Golden Triangle in Drug Trafficking?
• Is Drug Trafficking and Smuggling the Same Thing?
• What Are the Effects of Drug Trafficking in the Country?
• Why Is Drug Trafficking a Threat to Any Nation?
• What Are the Root Causes of Drug Trafficking in Central America?
• How Do Drug Trafficking Organizations Work?
• What Is the Penalty for Drug Trafficking in the USA?
• Is Human Trafficking More Profitable Than Drug Trafficking?
• What Is the Biggest Drug Trafficking Organization in the World?
• Does the FBI Handle Drug Trafficking?
• What Is the Political Effect of Drug Trafficking?
• Did Latin America’s Drug Trafficking Thrive During COVID-19?
• Who Started Drug Trafficking in Colombia?
• How Is Drug Trafficking to Blame for Violence in Latin America?
• What Has the UN Done for Drug Trafficking?
• Drug Abuse Research Topics
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Drug trafficking.

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Organized crime groups are benefiting from a convergence of crimes and are using the same routes for different illicit activities including the trafficking of drugs, arms and wildlife.

Criminal networks traffic a range of drugs including cannabis, cocaine, heroin and synthetics such as methamphetamine and fentanyl.   As international borders become increasingly porous, global abuse and accessibility to drugs have become increasingly widespread.

This international trade involves growers, producers, transporters, suppliers and dealers. It affects all of our member countries, undermining political and economic stability, ruining the lives of individuals and damaging communities. The end-users and addicts are often the victims of a powerful and manipulative business.

Drug trafficking is often associated with other forms of crime, such as money laundering or corruption. Trafficking routes are used by criminal networks to transport other illicit products including firearms, uncut diamonds and live pangolins creating a convergence of crime. As criminals devise ever-more creative ways of disguising illegal drugs for transport, law enforcement officials face challenges in detecting such concealed substances. In addition, new synthetic drugs are produced on a regular basis, so police need to be aware of new trends and products on the illicit market.

Since the types of drugs trafficked and the routes used are constantly evolving, it is essential that countries work together in a united and coordinated way. At INTERPOL, we offer a range of services including training and operational support to help law enforcement agencies around the world increase their capacity to detect and investigate drug trafficking.

Supporting global collaboration to tackle widescale drug trafficking

We share intelligence and provide insight into drug trends

Our global operations help combat illicit drug flows

International cooperation is vital to combatting drug trafficking

Related news

Record seizures in INTERPOL operation against drug trafficking

Sting operation leads to Brazil arrest of one of South America’s most wanted fugitives

Greater strategic alignment key to facing Europe’s crime threats

Europe: Drug trafficking, organized crime increasing by “an order of magnitude”

Illicit firearms: Operation Trigger IX nets 14,260 arrests across Latin America

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• > Transnational Criminology
• > Drug Trafficking

Book contents

• Frontmatter
• 1 Introduction: Trafficking as Transnational Crime
• 2 Drug Trafficking
• 3 Human Trafficking
• 4 Wildlife Trafficking
• 5 Diamond Trafficking
• 6 Arms Trafficking
• 7 Antiquities Trafficking
• 8 Conclusion: A Social Theory of Transnational Criminal Markets

2 - Drug Trafficking

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2021

The nature and extent of the harm

Drug trafficking is considered to be the largest revenue generator globally among the variety of transnational criminal markets (Reuter 2014), and despite the huge criminal justice infrastructure aimed at reducing drug trafficking, the problem is getting worse. The number of people using drugs worldwide was estimated by the World Drug Report to be 30 per cent higher in 2019 than it was 10 years earlier, in 2009 (UNODC 2019). Globally, 11 million people injected drugs in 2017, while 271 million people were estimated to have used illegal drugs in that year, which is 5.5 per cent of the global population aged between 15 and 64. The harm caused by drug misuse is a continuing global crisis. In the US alone, 47,000 opioid overdose deaths were recorded in 2017, up 13 per cent from 2016. More drugs are being illegally produced than ever before (for cocaine in 2017 a 25 per cent increase on 2016, at 1,976 tons), and more are being seized. Synthetic drugs are a growing part of the problem, with synthetic opioids such as fentanyl finding a market in North America and tramadol in West, Central and North Africa (UNODC 2019).

The picture, as we shall see, is one of a catastrophic failure of law and policy to control this global criminal market. The criminal justice supply-chain intervention approach has not reduced illicit drug consumption despite sometimes very large seizures. At the demand end, government initiatives targeted at treatment and prevention are not reaching enough users, with the 2019 World Drug Report finding that globally only around one in seven people with drug disorders received treatment. The figure is considerably less than this in prisons where clandestine but widespread illicit drug use takes place, usually without access to standard harm-reduction measures such as needle exchange programmes or substitution therapy, giving prisoners an elevated risk of contracting serious diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C (UNODC 2019). Drug policies are a source of racial injustice, such as the much-debated difference in sentencing dispositions for crack versus powder cocaine, the first more likely to be found in the possession of black offenders, the second in the hands of whites.

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• Drug Trafficking
• Simon Mackenzie , Sheffield Hallam University
• Book: Transnational Criminology
• Online publication: 25 February 2021
• Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.46692/9781529203851.003

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• v.26(4); 2017 Aug

Drugs, Violence, and Trauma in Mexico and the USA

Juan carlos puyana.

a Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Juan Carlos Jacob Puyana

b School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

Andres Mariano Rubiano

c Department of Neurosciences and Neurosurgery, El Bosque University, Bogotá, Colombia

Jorge Hernan Montenegro

d School of Medicine, South-Colombian University, Neiva, Colombia

Glyn O. Estebanez

e Department of Surgery, North Hampshire Hospital, Basingstoke, UK

Alvaro Ignacio Sanchez

f Department of Surgery, Valle University, Cali, Colombia

Felipe Vega-Rivera

g Department of Surgery, Angeles Lomas Hospital, Mexico City, Mexico

The impact of illicit drug markets on the occurrence of violence varies tremendously depending on many factors. Over the last years, Mexico and the USA have increased security border issues that included many aspects of drug-related trade and criminal activities. Mexico experienced only a small reduction in trauma deaths after the enforcement of severe crime reinforcement policies. This strategy in the war on drugs is shifting the drug market to other Central American countries. This phenomenon is called the ballooning effect, whereby the pressure to control illicit drug-related activities in one particular area forces a shift to other more vulnerable areas that leads to an increase in crime and violence. A human rights crisis characterized by suffering, injury, and death related to drug trafficking continues to expand, resulting in the exorbitant loss of lives and cost in productivity across the continent. The current climate of social violence in Central America and the illegal immigration to the USA may be partially related to this phenomenon of drug trafficking, gang violence, and crime. A health care initiative as an alternative to the current war approach may be one of the interventions needed to reduce this crisis.

Introduction

The trade of psychoactive and other drugs has existed since ancient times. The criminalization of drug possession and trade most likely occurred during the Middle Ages, and such prohibitive legislation has continued to the present day [ 1 ]. Illegal drug trafficking is a global black market. The impact of this market on the occurrence and magnitude of violence varies tremendously depending on many factors including the socioeconomic and cultural background of the countries and the regions affected by it [ 2 ]. The suffering, caused by the whole spectrum of “illegal drugs,” is tremendously diverse and affects all socioeconomic levels, and it demands the implementation of a wide range of interventions, not simply criminal penalization [ 2 ]. In this narrative review, the association between violence and the illicit drug trade in Mexico and the USA is analyzed, including its impact on the human crisis at the border and in neighboring regions.

The Context of Violence and Illicit Drug Trade in Mexico

In the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, drugs such as marijuana, opiates, and cocaine were commonly used in Mexico, predominantly for medical reasons [ 3 ]. Opium derivatives such as morphine and heroin, and pharmaceuticals such as cocaine, coca wines, and marijuana cigarettes, were prescribed by doctors and easily obtained in pharmacies, popular markets, and even hardware stores. The cultivation of opium in Mexico began during the latter part of the 19th century, primarily in northwestern states like Sinaloa, Sonora, Chihuahua, and Durango [ 3 ]. With increased consumption within the Mexican population, authorities put in place regulations to ensure improved production quality in an attempt to protect the consumers. However, the Mexican government at that time did not deem it necessary to prohibit the production and use of these drugs. The implementation of drug prohibition in the USA in the 1920s created ideal conditions for drug trafficking, with legal commerce on one side of the USA-Mexico border and prohibition on the other [ 3 ]. In 1917, the Mexican congress passed an amendment that prohibited the trade of opium, morphine, ether, cocaine, and marijuana under pressure from the US government. The key reasoning for outlawing the commerce of these substances was that they were deemed “noxious to health.” Despite these obstacles, the illicit drug trade continued to grow, with much of the smuggling activity taking place via Mexicali and Tijuana in the Baja California territory. In the 1930s, as a response to the passing of the USA marijuana tax act, marijuana production increased substantially in Mexico [ 3 ]. In 1947, the Mexican government created the Federal Security Agency, a police force with power to intervene in drug-related issues. The initial investigations of the agency revealed that several politicians within the border regions were directly involved in, and in some cases even in control of, the illegal trafficking businesses. In most border cities, the individuals involved in the drug trade were merchants, including people from all social classes. Later, these individuals and their future generations succeeded in establishing a drug-trafficking dynasty that allowed their illicit businesses to grow and spread nationwide [ 3 ]. It was estimated that by the 1960s there were approximately 300 clandestine airfields in Northern Mexico, making the country extremely appealing to the Colombian cartels that were looking for a suitable center for distribution to the USA. By the late 1970s the drug-trafficking business in Mexico and its related violence had grown dramatically in collaboration with the Colombian cartels. Regular confrontations began between rival trafficking groups and also against the police within urban areas of several cities. The trade of marijuana from Mexico to the USA was further enhanced by the demands of some soldiers addicted to drugs returning from war areas in the Far East [ 3 ].

Faced with the increasing influx of illicit drugs into the USA from Mexico, President Nixon's government launched a plan for rigorous inspection of vehicles crossing the border [ 2 ]. Around the same time, the Mexican government initiated a series of military operations against the drug traffickers and their plantations, destroying tons of drugs. However, despite these actions, drugs continued to flow into the US market as Colombian marijuana replaced Mexican marijuana and the business relationship between the “cartels” of both countries began to flourish. This alliance resulted in an era of unparalleled success for drug trafficking, fueled by the increasing demand for Andean cocaine during the 1980s and the 1990s [ 3 , 4 , 5 ].

The US “war on drugs” policy attempted to tackle the trafficking problems within Mexico. Mexican cartels including the “Sinaloa” and the “Tijuana” cartels were prosecuted. Despite these apparent successes, drug-related violence increased, largely as a result of the new strategies used by traffickers following the dissolution of the Colombian cartels [ 5 ]. Mexico now serves as the new stage for the war on drugs. US authorities have estimated that close to 90% of the cocaine entering the country crossed the USA-Mexico land border [ 6 ]. Mexico is currently experiencing a situation comparable to that of Colombia two decades ago, with increased violence, kidnappings, and murders, and a rampant increase in crime, with two critical disadvantages [ 5 ]. Firstly, the government is attempting to tackle a social problem, whose participants infect different levels of the country's social spectrum with corruption, bloody intimidating behavior, and a total disregard for authority. Second, the territory of Mexico is extensive and is more difficult to control, with expansion into less organized countries on the extremely vulnerable south region due to a poor socioeconomic status leading to public insecurity worsened by limited law enforcement institutions [ 6 ].

Drug-Related Violence and Injuries in Mexico

The first national addiction survey in Mexico was conducted in 1988 [ 3 ]. Marijuana, inhalants, and tranquilizers were the most commonly used drugs, along with tobacco and alcohol. Compared to the consumption in the USA, the prevalence in Mexico was less than one tenth for each drug and age group [ 3 ]. In a more recent survey conducted in an emergency room in Mexico City, 7.5% of the patients reported illicit drug use during the preceding twelve months, with marijuana and cocaine being the most frequently used (i.e., 66 and 38%, respectively) [ 7 , 8 ]. Drug-related violence is a major problem in Mexico, with official figures reporting the occurrence of approximately 28,000 drug-related killings in the past 4 years [ 9 ]. Between January and September of 2009, there were 5,874 drug-related murders in Mexico, an increase of almost 5% over the same period the previous year [ 10 ]. Agovernment analysis of the 6,000 people who died in 2008 as a result of organized crime violence revealed that 9 out of 10 of those deaths involved either individuals associated with the drug trade or law enforcement officials [ 11 , 12 ]. In 2008, the Mérida Initiative was started as a plan to support the Mexican war against drugs, including the war in other Central American countries [ 4 ]. Close to USD 1.4 billion were offered to reinforce and bring technical assistance to the law enforcement in Mexico. Under this plan, fourteen new prisons were built, with a capacity of 20,000 prisoners/prison. According to government sources, crime related to drug-trafficking peaked in 2007, and it has been decreasing since 2008 [ 13 ]. Forty-six percent of the Mexican population is considered poor and at least 28% is considered as socially vulnerable to extreme poverty. A report of 2012 showed that at least 11.5 million Mexican citizens did not have enough income to cover basic social needs such as health, a home, education, and food [ 14 ]. According to studies in Mexico, the number of homicides grew from 8,867 in 2007 to 27,199 in 2011 [ 15 ]. In 2010 and 2011, violence-related to drug-trafficking was associated with 63.4 and 53.8% of the total intentional deaths in Mexico [ 15 ]. The increased risk and intensity of violence and its relation to the proximity to the USA-Mexico border was exemplified by the fact that the border city of Juárez was the scene of more than one fifth of recent drug-related murders [ 15 ]. In 2012, drug trafficking and organized crime style homicides were most concentrated in the central and eastern border region, as well as in central Pacific coast states [ 15 ].

The Context of Violence and Illicit Drug Trade in the USA

The first law prohibiting the use of a specific drug in the USA was a San Francisco ordinance that banned the smoking of opium in 1875 but not other forms of opium consumption [ 16 ]. This was followed by other laws throughout the country and federal laws which barred Chinese people from trafficking in opium [ 16 , 17 ]. Though the laws affected the use and distribution of opium by Chinese immigrants, no action was taken against the producers of such products as tincture of opium and alcohol, commonly taken as a medicine by US citizens [ 16 , 17 ]. Between 150,000 and 200,000 opiate addicts lived in the USA in the late 19th century, and approximately three-quarters of these addicts were women who had been given the drug by physicians or pharmacists for the relief of painful menstruation [ 17 ]. In the USA, the road to prohibition of cocaine began in the early part of the twentieth century. Newspapers began reporting stories of “cocaine addicts' violent behavior” and creating a national sense of panic. This public concern culminated in the passing of the Harrison Act in 1914, which required sellers of opiates and cocaine to apply for a license [ 16 , 17 ]. Although its original purpose was to create paper trails of drug transactions between doctors, drug stores, and patients, the Harrison Act soon became a prohibitive law. However, due to its vague wording, the US judicial system did not initially accept drug prohibition. Prosecutors argued that possessing drugs was a tax violation, as no legal licenses to sell drugs were in existence; hence, a person possessing drugs must have purchased them from an unlicensed source. After some time, this was accepted as federal jurisdiction under the interstate commerce clause of the US Constitution. In 1919, the Supreme Court ruled that the Harrison Act was constitutional and physicians could not prescribe narcotics solely for maintenance [ 17 ]. In a landmark trial, the court upheld that it was a violation of the Harrison Act even if a physician provided a prescription of a narcotic for the treatment of an addict, and thus they would be subject to criminal prosecution [ 16 , 17 ]. The original advocates of the Harrison Act did not support the prohibition of the drugs involved and this was also true of the Marijuana Tax Act introduced in 1937 [ 17 ]. This latter act allowed the levying of a tax on cannabis trade and also introduced fines, and even jail sentences, for the handlers of hemp and marijuana who violated strict governmental procedures. The passing of the marijuana tax act was successful despite a last-minute opposition from the American Medical Association, which believed that it would prevent a potentially useful medical treatment being provided to the public [ 17 ]. Following the end of WWII, the lack of a consistent prohibitory policy resulted in a rise in drug use among young people. The absence of uniform regulation of drug prohibition led to several significant milestones, including the introduction of the single convention on narcotic drugs in 1961 and the passing of the Controlled Substances Act in 1970. In 1972, Nixon launched the so-called war on drugs which was continued by Reagan who created the position of the drug “czar” within the US government. This approach was adopted largely due to the burden of the illegal drug trade in Miami during the 1970s and 1980s [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]. During this period marijuana imports were replaced by cocaine and the vast sums of money being made by the traffickers in Miami began to fuel the economic growth that took place in the city during that period. The money managed by the traffickers began to flow in large quantities into various legitimate businesses including banks, restaurants, and nightclubs. The intense gangland violence associated with the trade and the lawless and corrupt atmosphere in Miami at that time resulted in the gangsters called the “Cocaine Cowboys.” Most of those gangs were associated with the Colombian cartels from Medellin and Cali. During that time, the US government called for increased levels of law enforcement and economic assistance for Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia with the initiation of the US International Counter Narcotics Strategy [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. It was also announced that US help would be dispatched to Colombia to advise and assist security forces in counter narcotics techniques. One of the key strategies initiated to tackle the problem of drug trafficking was the USD 1.5 billion-financed program known as “Plan Colombia” [ 20 , 21 , 22 ].

Drug-Related Violence and Injuries in the USA

According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health [ 23 ], 35.3 million Americans aged 12 and older reported having used cocaine, and 8.5 million reported having used crack. An estimated 2.4 million Americans were current users of cocaine and 702,000 were current users of crack. There were an estimated 977,000 new users of cocaine in 2006, most of whom were aged ≥18 years when they first used cocaine. Among young adults aged 18–25 years, the 2006 use rate was 6.9% (no significant difference from 2005) [ 23 ]. According to a 2007 survey, cocaine use among students remained at an unacceptably high level, with 3.1% of 8th graders, 5.3% of 10th graders, and 7.8% of 12th graders having tried cocaine. Additionally, the survey revealed that 0.9% of 8th graders, 1.3% of 10th graders, and 2.0% of 12th graders were current cocaine users [ 12 ]. In 2008, 2.1% of the US population aged ≥12 years was estimated to have used cocaine in the previous year, and this figure fell from 2.5% in 2006 to 2.3% in 2007 [ 24 ].

In the absence of any legal means of settling disputes regarding business transactions, violence remains the predominant method for resolving disagreements within the illicit drug market. Additionally, individuals involved in the dealing of drugs often carry firearms for protection against any rival gangs or individuals, a point emphasized by a study that showed that approximately 80% of 19-year-old cocaine dealers in Pittsburgh carried armed weapons [ 25 ].

In 2005, approximately one third of all homicides were precipitated by other criminal activities, including drug trading, and in 2009, just in New York State, 54,000 hospital discharges were related to drugs [ 26 ]. According to the American Corrections Association, state prisons held 253,300 inmates for drug offenses in 2005, as shown in Figure ​ Figure1. 1 . The average daily cost per state prison inmate per day in the USA is USD 67.55 (KWD 20.46), meaning that the USA spent approximately USD 17,110,415 per day to imprison drug offenders, or USD 6,245,301,475 per year [ 27 , 28 , 29 ].

Trend of drug-related crimes committed in the USA, Mexico, and Colombia from 2003 to 2012 [ 32 , 33 , 34 ].

Over the past 40 years, more than USD 2.5 trillion have been spent fighting the illicit drug trade. Despite this, the war on drugs continues to be a human rights challenge, with not only a failed reduction in the introduction of drugs into the USA, but also with increasing levels of drug use and a number of lives lost due to the violence generated by these activities. The impact of this violence and related injuries is far more devastating in poor economies, causing a long-term stigma on these societies that may have spread beyond what could be predicted at any time in history. The current climate of social violence in Central America and the illegal immigration to the USA could be partially related to this phenomenon of drug trafficking, gang violence, and crime. A health care alternative policy shifting the actual criminal justice-based approach could minimize the human rights crisis that is increasing in the border region. Drug-related war areas in countries like Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala have created a humanitarian crisis driving illegal immigrants to the USA-Mexico border. In 2014, more than 57,000 illegal immigrants cross the USA-Mexico border [ 30 ]. The history of Central American gang violence dates to the 1980s, when civil wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua sent thousands of people north in search of refuge. Some of the immigrants found their way into gangs in Los Angeles that wound up seeding drug-related violence back home, often after their members were deported from the USA. The explosion of the drug war in Mexico after the Mérida initiative exacerbated the gang-related violence in the other Central American countries. Of 178 suspected drug flights to and from South America in 2007, 132 were coming and going from the Caribbean. By 2011, only about 20 suspected drug flights were using the Caribbean as a waypoint. The rest of the traffic was arriving from or departing to Honduras [ 30 ]. The level of poverty and unmet social needs in countries such as Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua is correlated with the level of violence and crime (Fig. ​ (Fig.2). 2 ). This correlation is alarming considering certain areas of Honduras are home to some of the highest murder rates per capita in the world. As the war-on-drugs policy continues, the human rights crisis in Central America increases, affecting not only those countries, but also their neighboring countries (Colombia and the USA). Recent reports from the health sector have provided different strategies for antidrug policy development in order to minimize the interaction between drug trafficking, drug consumption, injuries, and human rights violations [ 31 ]. The implications of these aspects are really important for clinical, social, and public policies as they are all connected. Drug abuse is a clinical disease motivated in part by social issues including family dysfunction, a lack of educational opportunities, and the absence of economic development policies. Many of these same aspects promote drug trading as an easy way to escape these issues. If public policies are not reinforced in order to tackle these social problems, we will maintain a vicious circle fueling the root of these situations. War-on-drugs policies are an easy way of bring “control” to a situation that needs deeper social changes that are possible only with public policies of education and wellbeing, including economic development and health care policies for drug abuse treated as a medical disease.

Trend of intentional homicides in countries strongly involved in drug trafficking in the American region from 1999 to 2012 [ 35 ].

The limitations of this review include that it is a narrative report and many other sources of information might not be accessible. The interpretation of the information sources could have been biased by the perception of the authors who are involved in the management of trauma patients in affected countries.

A human rights crisis related to drug trafficking continues to expand across the American continent, directly generating an ever increasing number of injuries and deaths resulting in the exorbitant loss of lives and cost in productivity. The current climate of social violence in Central America and the illegal immigration to USA could be partially related to this phenomenon of drug trafficking, gang violence, and crime. A health care initiative as an alternative to the current war approach may be one of the interventions needed to reduce this crisis.

Disclosure Statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the support of the MEDITECH Foundation research group and the work of the students of the Public Health, Social Development and Human Rights research group of South Colombian University in Neiva (Colombia).

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Add a method, remove a method, edit datasets, dynamics of drug trafficking: results from a simple compartmental model.

4 Sep 2024  ·  Nuno Crokidakis · Edit social preview

In this work we propose a simple model for the emergence of drug dealers. For this purpose, we built a compartmental model considering four subpopulations, namely susceptibles, passive supporters, drug dealers and arrested drug dealers. The target is to study the influence of the passive supporters on the long-time prevalence of drug dealers. Passive supporters are people who are passively consenting to the drug trafficking cause. First we consider the model on a fully-connected newtork, in such a way that we can write a rate equation for each subpopulation. Our analytical and numerical results show that the emergence of drug dealers is a consequence of the rapid increase number of passive supporters. Such increase is associated with a nonequilibrium active-absorbing phase transition. After that, we consider the model on a two-dimensional square lattice, in order to compare the results in the presence of a simple social network with the previous results. The Monte Carlo simulation results suggest a similar behavior in comparison with the fully-connected network case, but the location of the critical point of the transition is distinct, due to the neighbors' correlations introduced by the presence of the lattice.

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Dallas man charged with federal drug trafficking violation resulting in death in the Eastern District of Texas

PLANO, Texas – A Dallas man has been charged with a federal drug trafficking violation related to the death of two women in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. 

Durran Allistair Walker, 46, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on August 15, 2024, in the Eastern District of Texas. The indictment charges Walker with the distribution of nitazene, a synthetic opioid, resulting in death. Walker made his initial appearance on September 16, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bill Davis.

According to the indictment, in January of 2024, Walker is alleged to have sold pills to two young women from The Colony, Texas, who overdosed and died from the drugs. Nitazenes are a new type of synthetic opioid which can be up to 40 times stronger than fentanyl. These deaths are the first known nitazene overdoses in this area.  A search of Walker’s residence at the time of his arrest led to the seizure of additional pills.

If convicted, Walker faces up to life in federal prison.

This case is being investigated by the The Colony Police Department; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Brooks.

A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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• Gender differences in corruption
• Theories explaining the gender–corruption nexus
• Gendered impacts of corruption
• Anti-corruption and gender mainstreaming
• Manifestations of corruption in education
• Costs of corruption in education
• Causes of corruption in education
• Fighting corruption in education
• Core terms and concepts
• The role of citizens in fighting corruption
• The role, risks and challenges of CSOs fighting corruption
• The role of the media in fighting corruption
• Access to information: a condition for citizen participation
• ICT as a tool for citizen participation in anti-corruption efforts
• Government obligations to ensure citizen participation in anti-corruption efforts
• Teaching Guide
• Brief History of Terrorism
• 19th Century Terrorism
• League of Nations & Terrorism
• United Nations & Terrorism
• Terrorist Victimization
• Exercises & Case Studies
• Radicalization & Violent Extremism
• Preventing & Countering Violent Extremism
• Drivers of Violent Extremism
• International Approaches to PVE &CVE
• Regional & Multilateral Approaches
• Defining Rule of Law
• UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
• International Cooperation & UN CT Strategy
• Legal Sources & UN CT Strategy
• Regional & National Approaches
• International Legal Frameworks
• International Human Rights Law
• International Humanitarian Law
• International Refugee Law
• Current Challenges to International Legal Framework
• Defining Terrorism
• Criminal Justice Responses
• Treaty-based Crimes of Terrorism
• Core International Crimes
• International Courts and Tribunals
• African Region
• Inter-American Region
• Asian Region
• European Region
• Middle East & Gulf Regions
• Core Principles of IHL
• Categorization of Armed Conflict
• Classification of Persons
• IHL, Terrorism & Counter-Terrorism
• Relationship between IHL & intern. human rights law
• Limitations Permitted by Human Rights Law
• Derogation during Public Emergency
• Examples of States of Emergency & Derogations
• International Human Rights Instruments
• Regional Human Rights Instruments
• Extra-territorial Application of Right to Life
• Arbitrary Deprivation of Life
• Death Penalty
• Enforced Disappearances
• Armed Conflict Context
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
• Convention against Torture et al.
• International Legal Framework
• Key Contemporary Issues
• Investigative Phase
• Trial & Sentencing Phase
• Armed Conflict
• Case Studies
• Special Investigative Techniques
• Surveillance & Interception of Communications
• Privacy & Intelligence Gathering in Armed Conflict
• Accountability & Oversight of Intelligence Gathering
• Principle of Non-Discrimination
• Freedom of Religion
• Freedom of Expression
• Freedom of Assembly
• Freedom of Association
• Fundamental Freedoms
• Definition of 'Victim'
• Effects of Terrorism
• Access to Justice
• Recognition of the Victim
• Human Rights Instruments
• Criminal Justice Mechanisms
• Instruments for Victims of Terrorism
• National Approaches
• Key Challenges in Securing Reparation
• Topic 1. Contemporary issues relating to conditions conducive both to the spread of terrorism and the rule of law
• Topic 2. Contemporary issues relating to the right to life
• Topic 3. Contemporary issues relating to foreign terrorist fighters
• Topic 4. Contemporary issues relating to non-discrimination and fundamental freedoms
• Module 16: Linkages between Organized Crime and Terrorism
• Thematic Areas
• Content Breakdown
• Module Adaptation & Design Guidelines
• Teaching Methods
• Acknowledgements
• 1. Introducing United Nations Standards & Norms on CPCJ vis-à-vis International Law
• 2. Scope of United Nations Standards & Norms on CPCJ
• 3. United Nations Standards & Norms on CPCJ in Operation
• 1. Definition of Crime Prevention
• 2. Key Crime Prevention Typologies
• 2. (cont.) Tonry & Farrington’s Typology
• 3. Crime Problem-Solving Approaches
• 4. What Works
• United Nations Entities
• Regional Crime Prevention Councils/Institutions
• Key Clearinghouses
• Systematic Reviews
• 1. Introduction to International Standards & Norms
• 2. Identifying the Need for Legal Aid
• 3. Key Components of the Right of Access to Legal Aid
• 4. Access to Legal Aid for Those with Specific Needs
• 5. Models for Governing, Administering and Funding Legal Aid
• 6. Models for Delivering Legal Aid Services
• 7. Roles and Responsibilities of Legal Aid Providers
• 8. Quality Assurance and Legal Aid Services
• 1. Context for Use of Force by Law Enforcement Officials
• 2. Legal Framework
• 3. General Principles of Use of Force in Law Enforcement
• 4. Use of Firearms
• 5. Use of “Less-Lethal” Weapons
• 6. Protection of Especially Vulnerable Groups
• 7. Use of Force during Assemblies
• 1. Policing in democracies & need for accountability, integrity, oversight
• 2. Key mechanisms & actors in police accountability, oversight
• 3. Crosscutting & contemporary issues in police accountability
• 1. Introducing Aims of Punishment, Imprisonment & Prison Reform
• 2. Current Trends, Challenges & Human Rights
• 3. Towards Humane Prisons & Alternative Sanctions
• 1. Aims and Significance of Alternatives to Imprisonment
• 2. Justifying Punishment in the Community
• 3. Pretrial Alternatives
• 4. Post Trial Alternatives
• 5. Evaluating Alternatives
• 1. Concept, Values and Origin of Restorative Justice
• 2. Overview of Restorative Justice Processes
• 3. How Cost Effective is Restorative Justice?
• 4. Issues in Implementing Restorative Justice
• 1. Gender-Based Discrimination & Women in Conflict with the Law
• 2. Vulnerabilities of Girls in Conflict with the Law
• 3. Discrimination and Violence against LGBTI Individuals
• 4. Gender Diversity in Criminal Justice Workforce
• 1. Ending Violence against Women
• 2. Human Rights Approaches to Violence against Women
• 3. Who Has Rights in this Situation?
• 4. What about the Men?
• 5. Local, Regional & Global Solutions to Violence against Women & Girls
• 1. Understanding the Concept of Victims of Crime
• 2. Impact of Crime, including Trauma
• 3. Right of Victims to Adequate Response to their Needs
• 4. Collecting Victim Data
• 5. Victims and their Participation in Criminal Justice Process
• 6. Victim Services: Institutional and Non-Governmental Organizations
• 7. Outlook on Current Developments Regarding Victims
• 8. Victims of Crime and International Law
• 1. The Many Forms of Violence against Children
• 2. The Impact of Violence on Children
• 3. States' Obligations to Prevent VAC and Protect Child Victims
• 4. Improving the Prevention of Violence against Children
• 5. Improving the Criminal Justice Response to VAC
• 6. Addressing Violence against Children within the Justice System
• 1. The Role of the Justice System
• 2. Convention on the Rights of the Child & International Legal Framework on Children's Rights
• 3. Justice for Children
• 4. Justice for Children in Conflict with the Law
• 5. Realizing Justice for Children
• 1a. Judicial Independence as Fundamental Value of Rule of Law & of Constitutionalism
• 1b. Main Factors Aimed at Securing Judicial Independence
• 2a. Public Prosecutors as ‘Gate Keepers’ of Criminal Justice
• 2b. Institutional and Functional Role of Prosecutors
• 2c. Other Factors Affecting the Role of Prosecutors
• Basics of Computing
• Global Connectivity and Technology Usage Trends
• Cybercrime in Brief
• Cybercrime Trends
• Cybercrime Prevention
• Offences against computer data and systems
• Computer-related offences
• Content-related offences
• The Role of Cybercrime Law
• Harmonization of Laws
• International and Regional Instruments
• International Human Rights and Cybercrime Law
• Digital Evidence
• Digital Forensics
• Standards and Best Practices for Digital Forensics
• Reporting Cybercrime
• Who Conducts Cybercrime Investigations?
• Obstacles to Cybercrime Investigations
• Knowledge Management
• Legal and Ethical Obligations
• Handling of Digital Evidence
• Digital Evidence Admissibility
• Sovereignty and Jurisdiction
• Formal International Cooperation Mechanisms
• Informal International Cooperation Mechanisms
• Data Retention, Preservation and Access
• Challenges Relating to Extraterritorial Evidence
• National Capacity and International Cooperation
• Internet Governance
• Cybersecurity Strategies: Basic Features
• National Cybersecurity Strategies
• International Cooperation on Cybersecurity Matters
• Cybersecurity Posture
• Assets, Vulnerabilities and Threats
• Vulnerability Disclosure
• Cybersecurity Measures and Usability
• Situational Crime Prevention
• Incident Detection, Response, Recovery & Preparedness
• Privacy: What it is and Why it is Important
• Privacy and Security
• Cybercrime that Compromises Privacy
• Data Protection Legislation
• Data Breach Notification Laws
• Enforcement of Privacy and Data Protection Laws
• Intellectual Property: What it is
• Types of Intellectual Property
• Causes for Cyber-Enabled Copyright & Trademark Offences
• Protection & Prevention Efforts
• Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
• Cyberstalking and Cyberharassment
• Cyberbullying
• Gender-Based Interpersonal Cybercrime
• Interpersonal Cybercrime Prevention
• Cyber Organized Crime: What is it?
• Conceptualizing Organized Crime & Defining Actors Involved
• Criminal Groups Engaging in Cyber Organized Crime
• Cyber Organized Crime Activities
• Preventing & Countering Cyber Organized Crime
• Cyberespionage
• Cyberterrorism
• Cyberwarfare
• Information Warfare, Disinformation & Electoral Fraud
• Responses to Cyberinterventions
• Framing the Issue of Firearms
• Direct Impact of Firearms
• Indirect Impacts of Firearms on States or Communities
• International and National Responses
• Typology and Classification of Firearms
• Common Firearms Types
• 'Other' Types of Firearms
• Parts and Components
• History of the Legitimate Arms Market
• Need for a Legitimate Market
• Key Actors in the Legitimate Market
• Authorized & Unauthorized Arms Transfers
• Illegal Firearms in Social, Cultural & Political Context
• Supply, Demand & Criminal Motivations
• Larger Scale Firearms Trafficking Activities
• Smaller Scale Trafficking Activities
• Sources of Illicit Firearms
• Consequences of Illicit Markets
• International Public Law & Transnational Law
• International Instruments with Global Outreach
• Commonalities, Differences & Complementarity between Global Instruments
• Tools to Support Implementation of Global Instruments
• Other United Nations Processes
• The Sustainable Development Goals
• Multilateral & Regional Instruments
• Scope of National Firearms Regulations
• National Firearms Strategies & Action Plans
• Harmonization of National Legislation with International Firearms Instruments
• Assistance for Development of National Firearms Legislation
• Firearms Trafficking as a Cross-Cutting Element
• Organized Crime and Organized Criminal Groups
• Criminal Gangs
• Terrorist Groups
• Interconnections between Organized Criminal Groups & Terrorist Groups
• Gangs - Organized Crime & Terrorism: An Evolving Continuum
• International Response
• International and National Legal Framework
• Firearms Related Offences
• Role of Law Enforcement
• Firearms as Evidence
• Use of Special Investigative Techniques
• International Cooperation and Information Exchange
• Prosecution and Adjudication of Firearms Trafficking
• Teaching Methods & Principles
• Ethical Learning Environments
• Overview of Modules
• Module Adaption & Design Guidelines
• Table of Exercises
• Basic Terms
• Forms of Gender Discrimination
• Ethics of Care
• Case Studies for Professional Ethics
• Case Studies for Role Morality
• Additional Exercises
• Defining Organized Crime
• Definition in Convention
• Similarities & Differences
• Activities, Organization, Composition
• Thinking Critically Through Fiction
• Excerpts of Legislation
• Research & Independent Study Questions
• Legal Definitions of Organized Crimes
• Criminal Association
• Definitions in the Organized Crime Convention
• Criminal Organizations and Enterprise Laws
• Enabling Offence: Obstruction of Justice
• Drug Trafficking
• Wildlife & Forest Crime
• Counterfeit Products Trafficking
• Falsified Medical Products
• Trafficking in Cultural Property
• Trafficking in Persons
• Case Studies & Exercises
• Extortion Racketeering
• Loansharking
• Links to Corruption
• Bribery versus Extortion
• Money-Laundering
• Liability of Legal Persons
• How much Organized Crime is there?
• Alternative Ways for Measuring
• Measuring Product Markets
• Risk Assessment
• Key Concepts of Risk Assessment
• Risk Assessment of Organized Crime Groups
• Risk Assessment of Product Markets
• Risk Assessment in Practice
• Positivism: Environmental Influences
• Classical: Pain-Pleasure Decisions
• Structural Factors
• Ethical Perspective
• Crime Causes & Facilitating Factors
• Models and Structure
• Hierarchical Model
• Local, Cultural Model
• Enterprise or Business Model
• Groups vs Activities
• Networked Structure
• Jurisdiction
• Investigators of Organized Crime
• Controlled Deliveries
• Physical & Electronic Surveillance
• Undercover Operations
• Financial Analysis
• Use of Informants
• Rights of Victims & Witnesses
• Role of Prosecutors
• Adversarial vs Inquisitorial Legal Systems
• Mitigating Punishment
• Granting Immunity from Prosecution
• Witness Protection
• Aggravating & Mitigating Factors
• Sentencing Options
• Alternatives to Imprisonment
• Death Penalty & Organized Crime
• Backgrounds of Convicted Offenders
• Confiscation
• Confiscation in Practice
• Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA)
• Extradition
• Transfer of Criminal Proceedings
• Transfer of Sentenced Persons
• Module 12: Prevention of Organized Crime
• Adoption of Organized Crime Convention
• Historical Context
• Features of the Convention
• Related international instruments
• Conference of the Parties
• Roles of Participants
• Structure and Flow
• Recommended Topics
• Background Materials
• What is Sex / Gender / Intersectionality?
• Knowledge about Gender in Organized Crime
• Gender and Organized Crime
• Gender and Different Types of Organized Crime
• Definitions and Terminology
• Organized crime and Terrorism - International Legal Framework
• International Terrorism-related Conventions
• UNSC Resolutions on Terrorism
• Organized Crime Convention and its Protocols
• Theoretical Frameworks on Linkages between Organized Crime and Terrorism
• Typologies of Criminal Behaviour Associated with Terrorism
• Terrorism and Drug Trafficking
• Terrorism and Trafficking in Weapons
• Terrorism, Crime and Trafficking in Cultural Property
• Trafficking in Persons and Terrorism
• Intellectual Property Crime and Terrorism
• Kidnapping for Ransom and Terrorism
• Exploitation of Natural Resources and Terrorism
• Review and Assessment Questions
• Research and Independent Study Questions
• Criminalization of Smuggling of Migrants
• UNTOC & the Protocol against Smuggling of Migrants
• Offences under the Protocol
• Financial & Other Material Benefits
• Aggravating Circumstances
• Criminal Liability
• Non-Criminalization of Smuggled Migrants
• Scope of the Protocol
• Humanitarian Exemption
• Migrant Smuggling v. Irregular Migration
• Migrant Smuggling vis-a-vis Other Crime Types
• Other Resources
• Assistance and Protection in the Protocol
• International Human Rights and Refugee Law
• Vulnerable groups
• Positive and Negative Obligations of the State
• Identification of Smuggled Migrants
• Participation in Legal Proceedings
• Role of Non-Governmental Organizations
• Smuggled Migrants & Other Categories of Migrants
• Short-, Mid- and Long-Term Measures
• Criminal Justice Reponse: Scope
• Investigative & Prosecutorial Approaches
• Different Relevant Actors & Their Roles
• Testimonial Evidence
• Financial Investigations
• Non-Governmental Organizations
• ‘Outside the Box’ Methodologies
• Intra- and Inter-Agency Coordination
• Admissibility of Evidence
• International Cooperation
• Exchange of Information
• Non-Criminal Law Relevant to Smuggling of Migrants
• Administrative Approach
• Complementary Activities & Role of Non-criminal Justice Actors
• Macro-Perspective in Addressing Smuggling of Migrants
• Human Security
• International Aid and Cooperation
• Migration & Migrant Smuggling
• Mixed Migration Flows
• Social Politics of Migrant Smuggling
• Vulnerability
• Profile of Smugglers
• Role of Organized Criminal Groups
• Humanitarianism, Security and Migrant Smuggling
• Crime of Trafficking in Persons
• The Issue of Consent
• The Purpose of Exploitation
• The abuse of a position of vulnerability
• Indicators of Trafficking in Persons
• Distinction between Trafficking in Persons and Other Crimes
• Misconceptions Regarding Trafficking in Persons
• Root Causes
• Supply Side Prevention Strategies
• Demand Side Prevention Strategies
• Role of the Media
• Safe Migration Channels
• Crime Prevention Strategies
• Monitoring, Evaluating & Reporting on Effectiveness of Prevention
• Trafficked Persons as Victims
• Protection under the Protocol against Trafficking in Persons
• Broader International Framework
• State Responsibility for Trafficking in Persons
• Identification of Victims
• Principle of Non-Criminalization of Victims
• Criminal Justice Duties Imposed on States
• Role of the Criminal Justice System
• Current Low Levels of Prosecutions and Convictions
• Challenges to an Effective Criminal Justice Response
• Rights of Victims to Justice and Protection
• Potential Strategies to “Turn the Tide”
• State Cooperation with Civil Society
• Civil Society Actors
• The Private Sector
• Comparing SOM and TIP
• Differences and Commonalities
• Vulnerability and Continuum between SOM & TIP
• Labour Exploitation
• Forced Marriage
• Other Examples
• Children on the Move
• Protecting Smuggled and Trafficked Children
• Protection in Practice
• Children Alleged as Having Committed Smuggling or Trafficking Offences
• Basic Terms - Gender and Gender Stereotypes
• International Legal Frameworks and Definitions of TIP and SOM
• Global Overview on TIP and SOM
• Gender and Migration
• Key Debates in the Scholarship on TIP and SOM
• Gender and TIP and SOM Offenders
• Responses to TIP and SOM
• Use of Technology to Facilitate TIP and SOM
• Technology Facilitating Trafficking in Persons
• Technology in Smuggling of Migrants
• Using Technology to Prevent and Combat TIP and SOM
• Privacy and Data Concerns
• Emerging Trends
• Demand and Consumption
• Supply and Demand
• Implications of Wildlife Trafficking
• Legal and Illegal Markets
• Perpetrators and their Networks
• Locations and Activities relating to Wildlife Trafficking
• Environmental Protection & Conservation
• CITES & the International Trade in Endangered Species
• Organized Crime & Corruption
• Animal Welfare
• Criminal Justice Actors and Agencies
• Criminalization of Wildlife Trafficking
• Challenges for Law Enforcement
• Investigation Measures and Detection Methods
• Prosecution and Judiciary
• Wild Flora as the Target of Illegal Trafficking
• Purposes for which Wild Flora is Illegally Targeted
• How is it Done and Who is Involved?
• Consequences of Harms to Wild Flora
• Terminology
• Background: Communities and conservation: A history of disenfranchisement
• Incentives for communities to get involved in illegal wildlife trafficking: the cost of conservation
• Incentives to participate in illegal wildlife, logging and fishing economies
• International and regional responses that fight wildlife trafficking while supporting IPLCs
• Mechanisms for incentivizing community conservation and reducing wildlife trafficking
• Critiques of community engagement
• Other challenges posed by wildlife trafficking that affect local populations
• Global Podcast Series
• Apr. 2021: Call for Expressions of Interest: Online training for academics from francophone Africa
• Feb. 2021: Series of Seminars for Universities of Central Asia
• Dec. 2020: UNODC and TISS Conference on Access to Justice to End Violence
• Nov. 2020: Expert Workshop for University Lecturers and Trainers from the Commonwealth of Independent States
• Oct. 2020: E4J Webinar Series: Youth Empowerment through Education for Justice
• Interview: How to use E4J's tool in teaching on TIP and SOM
• E4J-Open University Online Training-of-Trainers Course
• Teaching Integrity and Ethics Modules: Survey Results
• Grants Programmes
• E4J MUN Resource Guide
• Library of Resources

Module 3: Organized Crime Markets

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E4J University Module Series: Organized Crime

Introduction and learning outcomes, drug trafficking.

• Firearms trafficking
• Wildlife and forest crime
• Counterfeit products trafficking
• Manufacturing of and trafficking in falsified medical products
• Trafficking in cultural property
• Trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants
• Case studies and exercises
• Thinking critically through fiction

Possible class structure

Core reading, advanced reading, student assessment.

• Review and assessment questions
• Research and independent study questions

Additional teaching tools

Published in April 2018, updated in February 2020

Regional Perspectives: Pacific Islands Region - added in November 2019

Regional Perspectives: Eastern and Southern Africa - added in April 2020

  This module is a resource for lecturers  

Regulatory framework.

Of all the illicit products trafficked by organized crime, drug trafficking is the most (in)famous and it has received systematic attention over the last decades. There are three international drug control conventions that regulate a range of activities connected to drugs, including the production, distribution and possession of controlled substances for medical and scientific purposes. The 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, as amended in 1972 merged pre-existing multilateral treaties, and sought to streamline control by establishing the International Narcotics Control Board, which replaced pre-existing supervisory bodies. The Convention's aim was to assure adequate supplies of narcotic drugs for medical and scientific purposes, while preventing their diversion into the illicit market and abuse. It exercises control over more than 120 narcotic drugs (INCB, 2018).

The Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 extended the international drug control system to certain psychotropic substances including hallucinogens, central nervous stimulants, and sedative-hypnotic, such as LSD, amphetamines, and barbiturates. Finally, the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 extended the control regime to substances frequently used in the illicit manufacture of controlled drugs (so-called precursors), and focuses on the growing problem of transnational trafficking while strengthening the framework of international cooperation in criminal matters, including extradition and mutual legal assistance.

These three conventions enjoy broad global support, and therefore reflect and promote international consensus and cooperation against illicit drug trafficking. Since international drug control has long been a priority, in 1946 the Economic and Social Council established Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the central policy-making body of the United Nations in drug related matters. The Commission continues to meet annually to address international drug control issues and common strategies (UNGA, 2016). For instance, the Commission decides whether new substances should be included in one of the schedules or tables of the three drug control conventions and if there are moving across or deletions in the schedules and tables.

Market and trends

Over the past decades, there has been concerted global effort to track illicit drug production, drug trafficking as well as governments' interventions on illicit drug markets. Therefore, the available data on cultivation and seizures of controlled drugs and on trends of drug use provides a useful overview of the extent of drug trafficking in recent years (UNODC, 2017; UNODC, 2019).

Although drugs continue to represent a major source of revenue for organized criminal groups, business models are changing. Criminals are exploiting new technologies and networks, such as the Darknet (i.e. an encrypted virtual network), that are altering the nature of the illicit drug trade and the types of players involved (UNODC, 2017). For instance, it has been found that organized criminal groups operating in virtual networks tend to have looser ties and to be organized in horizontal structures (as opposed to vertical or hierarchical structures); also, studies have highlighted that smaller groups have become more significant. In addition, fewer groups are exclusively dedicated to drug trafficking, since a considerable number also operates in other illicit sectors. In the last years, law enforcement agencies have infiltrated and shut down a series of Darknet drug markets (such as AlphaBay, Hansa, Wall Street Market, etc.) which, as online surveys show, resulted in a potential decline in the proportion of users purchasing drugs on the darknet in 2018, notably in North America, Oceania and Latin America (UNODC, 2019).

The 2019 World Drug Report estimates that in 2017 over a quarter of a billion people had used drugs at least once in the previous year. Overall, drug consumption has increased by 30% between 2009 and 2017 - from 210 million to 271 million -, in part as a result of global population growth, with higher prevalence over time of the use of opioids in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America, and in the use of cannabis in North America, South America and Asia. Over the last decade, there has been a diversification of the substances available on the drug markets. In addition to traditional plant-based substances, such as cannabis, cocaine and heroin, the dynamic market for synthetic drugs substantially grew together with the non-medical use of prescription medicines.

Regarding drug supply, the same UNODC Report highlights that cannabis continues to be the most widely produced drug worldwide and this market is undergoing transition and diversification in countries that allow non-medical use of cannabis. Global coca bush cultivation showed a clear upward trend over the period 2013-2017l, increasing by more than 100 per cent. Estimated global illicit manufacture of cocaine reached an all-time high of 1,976 tons in 2017; in the same year, about 70 per cent of the area under coca bush cultivation was located in Colombia, 20 per cent in Peru and 10 per cent in the Plurinational State of Bolivia. At the same time, the global quantity of cocaine seized in 2017 increased by 13 per cent from the previous year, helping to keep cocaine supply in check even though cocaine use is on the rise in North America and Western and Central Europe. 2018 saw a decline in the cultivation of opium poppy, primarily as a result of a drought in Afghanistan which nonetheless was again the country responsible for the vast majority of the world's illicit opium poppy cultivation and opium production in that year.

As for the global synthetic drugs market, it is generally more complex to study for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the information on synthetic drug manufacturing is more limited than that available on plant-based drugs (cocaine, opiates and cannabis) and this is largely due to the fact that synthetic drugs can be manufactured anywhere, as the process does not involve the extraction of active constituents from plants that have to be cultivated in certain conditions for them to grow. The challenges in tracking synthetic drug production prevents an accurate estimation of the volume of the corresponding market worldwide. Nevertheless, data on synthetic drug seizures and drug use suggest that the supply of synthetic drugs is expanding. In 2017, South-East Asia emerged as the world's fastest-growing methamphetamine market, while North America's synthetic opioid overdose crisis reached new heights, with over 47,000 opioid overdose deaths recorded in the United States which were largely attributed to substances such as fentanyl and its analogues. Meanwhile, West, Central and North Africa are currently experiencing a crisis of tramadol, another synthetic opioid which has been used as a painkiller for decades (UNODC, 2019).

Recent data shows that the number of new psychoactive substances that are synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl analogues, reported on the market has been rising at an unprecedented rate: from just 1 substance in 2009 to 15 in 2015 and 46 in 2017, while the overall number of these substances present on the market stabilized at around 500 per year over the period 2015-2017 (UNODC, 2019). New psychoactive substances, or NPS, are those "substances of abuse, either in a pure form or a preparation," that are not controlled by the 1961 or 1971 Conventions, "but which may pose a public health threat" (UNODC, 2018). The term "new" does not necessarily refer to the fact that they are new inventions - several NPS were in fact first synthesized over 40 years ago - but to substances that have recently become available on the market. Since NPS are not controlled under the international drug control conventions, their legal status can differ widely from country to country. Many countries have implemented domestic legal responses to control certain NPS, and some have adopted controls on entire groups of NPS not explicitly and individually listed in the legislation, by using a generic approach of "chemical similarity" to a substance already under control by national law.

Challenges and opportunities

Research on drug trafficking at the international level has revealed that weak law enforcement capacity and corruption are instrumental in keeping the illicit market resilient. Corruption has been found to exist all along the drug supply chain, from production and trafficking to distribution, and it affects a wide range of institutions: eradication teams, law enforcement agencies, the criminal justice system as well as the health sector - for instance when users can get drugs through corrupt doctors and pharmacists (UNODC, 2017).

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have highlighted how corruption entrenches poverty by discouraging foreign investment and increasing the level of income inequality, which in turn is known to encourage drug consumption and fuel more corruption and instability (World Bank Group, 2017). Furthermore, recent reports link a number of terrorist groups-such as the Taliban, insurgent movements and non-State armed groups to the drug trade (UNODC, 2017). 

Following the money trail of the drug market has proven to be one of the most effective approaches to combating drug trafficking. Drug trafficking is driven by profits, and identifying the flows related to those profits as well as the investment and laundering channels can function as effective counteraction (GLOU40 Global, 2017; Soudijin, 2016; UNODC, 2015). Strengthening international cooperation in preventing and countering money-laundering also helps to reduce or eliminate the potential negative economic and social consequences of illicit activities.

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Supported by the state of qatar, 60 years crime congress.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrest: 'Freak offs' at center of sex trafficking, racketeering charges

What to know about combs' arrest.

• Music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs , who was arrested last night at a hotel in New York City, has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
• At a hearing today in Manhattan, Combs pleaded not guilty. He was denied bail and will remain in custody.
• The charges are tied to "freak offs," coerced sex acts that Combs allegedly orchestrated and recorded, according to a federal indictment .
• A bail appeal hearing has been set for tomorrow afternoon.
• Combs has faced a wave of lawsuits — one as recent as last week — accusing him of sexual assault and misconduct in the past year. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors accused Combs of witness tampering

Maite Amorebieta

Tim Stelloh

Prosecutors accused Combs of witness tampering, saying at a hearing today that the rap mogul’s employees tried to ensure his ex-girlfriend and hotel employees wouldn’t say anything about a beating at a Los Angeles hotel eight years ago.

Video of the assault, which captured Combs kicking and stomping on the singer Cassie at the InterContinental Hotel in 2016, disappeared from the hotel’s server, prosecutors said. 

CNN later obtained video of the attack and published it.

Diddy apologized for the incident, which was part of a lawsuit Cassie filed last year , and called his behavior “inexcusable.”

Prosecutors said they have recordings of Combs telling a bandmate of another woman who has accused Combs of sexual assault in a lawsuit that she didn’t have to worry about anything if she was willing to be on his side.

Authorities found bags of pink powder in Combs' hotel room

Bags of pink powder were found in Sean Combs’ hotel room after he flew to New York on the advice of his lawyer two weeks ago to await arrest, prosecutors said.

The powder was not tested, but the prosecutors said it appeared to be narcotics and that similar bags previously seized at Combs' properties tested positive for drugs including ecstasy.

Authorities have interviewed more than 50 witnesses and collected dozens of cellphones, laptops and hard drives, and they are in possession of video that they say shows the coerced sex acts that Combs is accused of orchestrating.

These were 'consenting adults,' Combs' lawyer says

David K. Li

Sean Combs' defense lawyer argued that his client in no way should be mentioned in the same sentence as some of the nation's most notorious sex criminals.

The music mogul's defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said Combs is not disgraced singer R. Kelly , sex cult leader Keith Raniere or accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein .

"This is different," he told the court. "These were consenting adults."

Combs isn't guilty of sex trafficking — just cheating, lawyer says

Combs' defense attorney rejected government allegations that his client committed sex trafficking — but conceded the music mogul has been "unfaithful" for "dark periods" over a decade.

“This is evidence, not of sex trafficking, but of being caught being unfaithful," defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo told the court in arguing for his client to be granted bail. "He was in a 10-year loving relationship through dark periods.”

A judge denied bail for Combs, but the defense hopes to get a second shot at the issue during a hearing tomorrow.

Courtroom sketches show Combs at first hearing

Yasmeen Persaud

Defense lawyer still hopes to get bail for Combs

Kyla Guilfoil

Sean Combs' defense lawyer still hopes he can get bail for his client, who is committed to "fight" for his innocence.

All parties will be back in court at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon to revisit bail, as Combs prepares for trial on three federal charges tied to alleged sex abuse.

"Mr. Combs is a fighter. He’s going to fight this to the end. He’s innocent. He came to New York to establish his innocence," defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo said outside court.

"He’s not afraid. He’s not afraid of the charges," Agnifilo said. "There’s nothing that the government said in their presentation today that changes anyone’s mind about anything.” 

Combs wanted to surrender before his arrest, lawyer claims

Sean Combs' defense lawyer said his client was prepared to surrender to authorities before he was taken into custody last night.

"The government didn't want him to turn himself in. He came here to turn himself in," Combs' defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo told reporters outside court, shortly after a judge denied his client bail.

"So they go in there and arrest him," Agnifilo said. "They arrested a guy who came to New York to turn himself in."

Combs shows little emotion during first court appearance

A solemn Sean Combs showed few facial expressions in his first appearance before a judge after his arrest on three federal charges connected to alleged sex abuse.

Combs wore a black T-shirt, sweatpants and Air Jordan sneakers to court, where at least three of his sons and eight other family members came to support him.

The government argued detention is warranted because of the serious charges Combs faces. The prosecution said Combs is an extreme danger to the community and a flight risk because of his wealth.

Combs pleads not guilty, will remain in custody after judge denies bail

A judge denied bail for Sean "Diddy" Combs after the music mogul pleaded not guilty to three federal charges connected to alleged sex abuse.

Assessing the ‘dangerousness’ of Combs and the charges against him

Sean “Diddy” Combs was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and prostitution transportation. MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin, former prosecutor Kristen Gibbons Feden and former federal prosecutor Kristy Greenberg join Chris Jansing to provide more insight on the charges.

Too many victims of Combs have 'suffered in silence,' lawyer of accuser says

Julia Ainsley

A lawyer for Dawn Richard, who is suing Sean Combs , said too many victims have "suffered in silence" but can now find justice in the federal prosecution of the music mogul.

"So, like many alleged victims, Ms. Richard suffered in silence for a long time," Richard's attorney Arick Fudali told NBC News today outside the court, where Combs made his first appearance before a judge. He faces a three-count indictment stemming from his alleged years of sexual abuse.

"Mr. Combs is a very powerful individual," Fudali said. "It’s very difficult to come out against someone like Mr. Combs, but it was seeing Cassie file her lawsuit and go public that really gave her a sense of empowerment, that it was her turn, and it was her time to come forward with her allegations."

3 of Combs' children arrive at courthouse

At least three of Sean Combs' children came to federal courthouse in New York City on Tuesday afternoon.

Three of his sons, Quincy, Christian and Justin, arrived at federal court at about 2 p.m. ET ahead of their dad's first appearance before a judge.

Combs allegedly has history of coercing witnesses, government says

Federal prosecutors argued that Combs can't be set free ahead of trial because he allegedly has a long history of tampering with witnesses.

Shortly after a sex abuse lawsuit was filed against him in November 2023, Combs "made multiple calls to another victim of his sexual abuse and recorded certain of those calls" while asking for that victim’s "support and 'friendship,'” prosecutors said in their letter asking to deny Combs bail.

Combs, in that call, "attempted to convince the victim that she had willingly engaged in acts constituting sexual abuse," prosecutors continued.

"Even more concerning, since learning about the criminal investigation, including following the execution of the search warrants at his residences, Combs contacted other witnesses on multiple occasions, including other witnesses who had received grand jury subpoenas."

One 'freak off' cost Combs $46,000, prosecutors say

Money was no object when it came to Combs' desires in highly orchestrated sex acts known as "freak offs," the government said.

"The defendant arranged Freak Offs with the assistance of members and associates of the Enterprise, including employees of his business, and the hotel rooms where they were staged often sustained significant damages," according to a prosecution memo seeking to deny Combs bail.

In one such 2012 incident, held inside a Manhattan hotel, Combs had to pay more than "$46,000 to cover damages to a penthouse room following a Freak Off," the prosecution said.

Combs accused of arson, prosecutors detail Molotov cocktail attack on car

In addition to a long list of alleged sex crimes, prosecutors accused Sean "Diddy" Combs of arson in the racketeering conspiracy charge against him.

While U.S. Attorney Damian Williams declined to elaborate on specifics of the the alleged arson, the act might be detailed in the prosecution's request for Combs to be held without bail.

Combs and a co-conspirator kidnapped a victim on Dec. 22, 2011, from the home of someone only identified as “Individual-1,” according to a prosecution memo.

"Approximately two weeks later, the defendant’s co-conspirators set fire to Individual-1’s vehicle by slicing open the car’s convertible top and dropping a Molotov cocktail inside the interior," prosecutors said. "Police and fire department reports extensively document the arson and conclude that the fire was intentionally set. Multiple witnesses would also testify to the defendant bragging about his role in destroying Individual-1’s car."

Combs offers to post $50 million bond, backed by Miami home

Sean Combs offered to post a $50 million bond so he could be released from custody, pending his trial on three federal counts which accuse him of sex crimes that go back more than a decade.

He's also offered to wear a GPS monitor while limiting travel to New York City and Miami, where he'd only be attending court and seeing his doctors and lawyers, according to a proposed bail package filed by his defense team.

A plane owned by Combs is in Los Angeles and he's in the process of selling it, his lawyers said.

Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to deny bail for Combs, insisting that the defendant is a flight risk and danger to the community.

Read the full indictment of Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Combs a flight risk who poses threat to community, prosecutors argue.

Accused sex trafficker Sean Combs is a serious risk of flight and "poses a significant risk of obstructing justice," federal authorities said.

The music mogul has a long history of seeking to bribe and illegally influence witnesses, federal prosecutors said in a 16-page letter to the court asking for Combs to be remanded into custody until trial.

"There are simply no conditions that would ensure that the defendant's efforts to obstruct and tamper with witnesses will stop," prosecutors wrote to Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky.

Prosecutors said they worry nothing could stop the defendant from acting out violently.

"In sum, the defendant's long history of violent conduct makes clear that even the most stringent bail conditions will not suffice to ensure the safety of the community," according to the government memo.

Combs faces 15 years to life behind bars if convicted of all charges, allegedly making his flight a threat due to his $1 billion net worth.

Combs' alleged 'freak offs' at center of federal prosecution

Hours- and days-long sex acts known as "freak offs" —  allegedly produced, directed and recorded by Combs — are at the core of this federal prosecution against the music mogul.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams mentioned "freak offs" at least five times in his 18-minute meeting with reporters.

"Combs allegedly planned and controlled the sex performances, which he called 'freak offs' and he often electronically recorded them," Williams told reporters.

"The 'freak offs' sometimes lasted days at a time, involved multiple commercial sex workers, and often involved a variety of narcotics such as ketamine , ecstasy and GHB , which Combs distributed to the victims to keep them obedient and compliant."

Federal prosecutors claimed they seized more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and other lubricants from Combs' homes that were used in these sex acts.

Combs shows he's a danger based on AR-15 rifles seized, government says

Federal prosecutors put on display images of weapons seized during raids on Combs' homes, including several high capacity firearms.

Two of three AR-15s taken from Combs were in his bedroom closet in Miami, where they had been "broken down into parts, along with magazines with ammunition loaded in them," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, pointing at enlarged pictures of the weapons.

Serial numbers on those AR-15s had been defaced, prosecutors said.

Combs will be safe behind bars, prosecutor says in response to Epstein suicide question

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams rejected any hints that Combs could be in danger while behind bars while responding to a question about Jeffrey Epstein's suicide in jail .

"We are concerned with anyone's safety whenever they are detained prior to trial, it's part of our obligation," Williams said.

"But I do not draw any sort of connection between Jeffrey Epstein's suicide and what may or may not happen to any other defendant while they are detained pretrial. Our position is that pretrial detention is warranted (for Combs) under the law and based on the facts of this case."

Federal prosecutors want bail denied to keep Combs locked up until trial

The U.S. government doesn't want Combs released on bail, saying there's a "presumption of detention" in this case.

"So we will be seeking detention," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams told reporters. "There is a presumption of detention in a case like this, and we think that's warranted."

From key to New York City to federal lockup

Combs went from the top of New York City to a federal lockup in one year, with U.S. Attorney Damian Williams pledging the investigation is not done and refusing to take further charges off the table.

"A year ago, Sean Combs stood in Times Square and was handed a key to New York City," Williams told reporters today. "Today, he's been indicted and will face justice in the Southern District of New York."

Combs was later forced to give the ceremonial honor back, when Mayor Eric Adams asked for it to be returned.

"We are not done," Williams added when asked about the potential for more charges. "This investigation is ongoing, and I encourage anyone with information about this case to come forward and to do it quickly."

‘Grotesque’ and a ‘monster’: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs charged with sex trafficking and more

Sean “Diddy” Combs was charged with sex trafficking and more. NBC News’ Chloe Melas is outside the courthouse with the latest reporting. MSNBC’s Lisa Rubin also joins José Díaz-Balart to break down the indictment.

Combs allegedly punched and kicked his sex abuse victims

In addition to employing drugs and elements of his business enterprises to control victims, Combs also used physical violence to keep women in control, federal prosecutors said.

"On numerous occasions," Combs would assault women by "among other things, striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at and kicking them," according to a three-count indictment against the music mogul.

In May of this year, Combs apologized for violent behavior after  video surfaced of him beating his ex-girlfriend Cassie in 2016 , matching the description of an incident she detailed in a lawsuit.

At the time he said that his “behavior on that video is inexcusable.”

Criminal acts date back to 2008, prosecutors say

The three-count indictment against Combs include alleged criminal acts going back 16 years, court documents said.

The racketeering count covers acts allegedly committed by the defendant starting in 2008, while sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution started in 2009, court papers showed.

Combs changed his public name and persona to Diddy in 2005 , dropping the P in "P. Diddy."

1,000 bottles of baby oil, lubricants seized in raid of Combs' homes

Federal agents raided Combs' homes in Miami and Los Angeles in March and came away with supplies allegedly used in sexual assaults, court documents showed.

At the time of the raids, federal officials would only say they “executed law enforcement actions” in New York as part of an ongoing investigation, along with teams in Los Angeles and Miami.

In court papers made public today, government officials revealed that they took supplies Combs allegedly used in "Freak Off" sexual assaults.

Agents "seized various Freak Off supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant."

Combs' business empire key to crimes, prosecutors say

At the height of his power, Combs was more than just a musician: He controlled a vast business empire — including record labels and alcohol and clothing brands — that made him a billionaire.

Now, prosecutors are alleging that Combs' commercial enterprise was a key component of his criminal enterprise. The mogul used his businesses and several of his employees "to carry out, facilitate, and cover up his abuse and commercial sex," according to the indictment unsealed this morning.

"Those employees — including security staff, household staff, personal assistants, and high-ranking supervisors — and other close associates acted as COMBS’ intermediaries, and their conduct was facilitated and assisted by COMBS’ control of the Combs Business," prosecutors added. 

Federal prosecutors seeking to seize assets

The U.S. government is seeking to recover significant financial assets from the famed music mogul through this prosecution, court documents revealed.

Combs could be on the hook for "any and all property, real and personal" and an undetermined "sum of money" involved in these alleged crimes, according to the indictment.

The court document did not specifically list any assets or amount of money it would be seeking to take from Combs.

Drugs fueled dayslong 'freak offs,' videos used to 'ensure ... obedience,' prosecutors say

Sex abuse allegedly directed by Combs was fueled by drugs and often went days at a time, prosecutors said.

Victims were filled with drugs to control them for long stretches of time, authorities said, with participants “typically” having to get “IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion.” 

And once victims were lured into this orbit, they were coerced to keep following the suspect's orders, prosecutors said.

Combs used "the sensitive, embarrassing and incriminating recordings that he made during Freak Offs as collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims," according to court documents.

'Freak offs': Combs accused of forcing and recording sex acts

Federal prosecutors accused Combs of forcing victims into sex acts that he allegedly called "freak offs," acts which he recorded for his viewing pleasure.

Combs "used force" to "cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during and often electronically recorded," court documents charged.

The defendant called these acts his "freak offs," prosecutors said.

Combs allegedly used his powers to abuse, coerce and 'fulfill his sexual desires'

The charges against Combs allege he "threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires" for years, federal prosecutors said.

Combs created "a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in" various crimes, such as "sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice," court documents said.

Combs charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and prostitution transportation

Brittany Kubicko

A federal indictment was unsealed against Combs, charging him with three felony counts.

He's been accused of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

The artist and music mogul — referenced in the indictment by his real name, Sean Combs — has entered a New York City courtroom to hear the charges.

Combs' attorney arrives at the courthouse

Carolina Gonzalez

Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, has arrived at Manhattan federal court and briefly spoke to a large media gathering outside.

"He came to New York to basically engage the court system and start the case, and it will start today and he’s going to plead not guilty," Agnifilo said. "He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers."

Sean “Diddy” Combs is in custody after being arrested in New York last night by federal authorities under charges that are part of a sealed indictment. Combs' arrest comes amid a wave of lawsuits against him alleging sexual assault and sex trafficking. NBC’s Chloe Melas reports and Laura Jarrett offers analysis on the possible charges.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs arrest: Timeline and what to know

Since November 2023, Combs has been hit with a series of lawsuits in New York accusing him of sexual assault, sexual trafficking and engaging in other criminal activity.

Here are the lawsuits that were filed against Combs as well as information about law enforcement investigations. Combs has denied all of the allegations individually through statements by his representatives.

The first big hint that Combs could be facing serious legal issues came in November of last year when the singer Cassie, Combs’ former romantic partner, filed a civil suit against him for alleged sexual and physical abuse. That abuse allegedly ranged from 2007 until Cassie left him in late 2018, according to the civil complaint.

Cassie's action then prompted Joi Dickerson-Neal to come forward  and file a suit against Combs, accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting her while secretly recording that act in 1991. She was a Syracuse University student at the time.

Then in December of that year, a  Jane Doe filed a lawsuit alleging  that she was gang-raped and sex-trafficked by Combs and his business partner, Harve Pierre. The unnamed victim said the assault happened in 2003, when she was 17 and Combs was 34.

Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones  alleged  in a federal suit in February of this year that, while working as a producer for Combs, he and his associates engaged in “serious illegal activity.”

Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security Investigations in March of this year, NBC News reported at the time, citing three sources familiar with the matter. Those raids were mentioned in the indictment made public today, as "Freak Off supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottle of baby oil and lubricant" were seized.

Stunning video surfaced on CNN in May of this year, showing Combs attacking Cassie  in a 2016 assault she described in the suit.

And earlier this month, Dawn Richard, a former member the Danity Kane musical group that Combs assembled on MTV reality competition “Making the Band,”  sued Combs in federal court, claiming he groped, assaulted and imprisoned her, and threatened her life when she tried to intervene in defense of Combs’ then-girlfriend Cassie.

Read the full article here