For the previous few centuries, trade in drugs – illicit drug trafficking in other words, has been going on. In fact many wars have been fought over this, opium wars in China for example. Drug trafficking inevitably leads to loss of productivity on one hand and increase in crime on the other. To address the need for an effective agency to combat this menace, the DEA – US Drug Enforcement Agency was created during the seventies by Richard Nixon.
The drug enforcement agency (DEA) was formed as a single unified administrative and investigative machine bringing together various offices involved in fighting drug trafficking under one umbrella. Over the years, it has grown, finding new ways of tackling and keeping up with the illicit drug traffickers. As of date, it has around 5000 special agents working, with a budget of two billion dollars.
Drug smuggling or illegal drug trade is a global black market of illegal transportation of prohibited narcotics from one country to another in violation of customs legislation.Illegal drug trafficking takes many forms, depending on the drug used and the form of the drug used. It ranges from abuse of prescription drugs to trafficking by drug peddlers. Consequently, the work of the DEA encompasses control and monitoring of drugs right from the place where it is produced, to how it is transported and distributed, and the target group – usually teens and young adults.
Since most of the drugs today comes from Afghanistan and Mexico, liaising with the governments of the foreign countries and their enforcement agencies is part of the DEA’s duty. Included in this role are forming effective policies to control the farming and harvesting of drug crops and effecting drug arrests.
The DEA invests in continued research and training programmes involving new technologies to detect illegal drugs including imaging modalities, chemical detectors, specially trained sniffer dog squads, finding new ways to infiltrate drug cartels. These have been effective and a few important drug arrests have been done in the past decade.In addition to these efforts, proper dissemination of information regarding the dangers of drug abuse is essential to prevent the new victims. Towards this goal, the Drug Enforcement Agency has programs targeting both the vulnerable teen population and the parents, including dedicated websites and support groups.
Nevertheless, the fight against drug trafficking is an on-going one and the policies of today may not always be effective. Continuing success require constant monitoring and fine tuning of policies form effective strategies to prevent illegal acts before they happen.
