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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
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Results for drug law enforcement
18 results foundAuthor: U.S. Government Accountability Office Title: Merida Initiative: The United States Has Provided Counternarcotics and Anticrime Support but Needs Better Performance Measures Summary: Crime and violence related to drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America have increased in recent years and pose a threat not only to those areas but to the United States as well, particularly along the Southwest border. The Mérida Initiative, announced in 2007, provides about $1.6 billion in law enforcement support to Mexico and Central American countries. The Department of State (State) manages the Initiative while other U.S. agencies play key roles in implementation. This report examines: (1) the status of Mérida program implementation; (2) State's strategy for implementation; and (3) coordination mechanisms in place for Mérida. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed agency documents; interviewed officials at State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Defense, and other relevant agencies; and conducted fieldwork in Mexico and Central America. GAO recommends that the Secretary of State incorporate into the strategy for the Mérida Initiative outcome performance measures that indicate progress toward strategic goals and develop more comprehensive timelines for future program deliveries. State agreed with the recommendations. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2010. 53p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 19, 2010 at: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10837.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10837.pdf Shelf Number: 119629 Keywords: Drug ControlDrug Law EnforcementDrug Trafficking |
Author: Trudeau, James Title: Independent Evaluation of the National Weed and Seed Strategy: Final Report Summary: The Weed and Seed (W&S) strategy was launched more than 18 years ago by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as a community-based, comprehensive, multiagency approach to law enforcement, crime prevention, and community revitalization in high-crime neighborhoods. Since its start in three demonstration sites, W&S initiatives have been established in hundreds of neighborhoods nationwide. In early 2010, 256 sites were active in 46 states and 2 territories. Beginning around 2007, W&S funding has been limited to 5 years for a given site, with a maximum of $1 million over that time. The W&S Program Guide and Application Kit describes the W&S strategy as “a two-pronged approach: law enforcement agencies and prosecutors cooperate in ‘weeding out’ violent crime and drug abuse; and ‘seeding’ brings human services to the area, encompassing prevention/intervention/treatment and neighborhood revitalization. A community-oriented policing component bridges the weeding and seeding strategies.” Four key principles underlie the W&S strategy: collaboration, including vertical partnerships (e.g., among law enforcement at the local, state, and federal levels) and horizontal partnerships (e.g., among local police, prosecution, and probation and parole agencies); Coordination among government agencies, community organizations, and individuals to reduce overlap and duplication of services, better match services to community needs, and maximize benefits from existing services and programs; Resident participation, with the goal of engaging and empowering community residents to participate in the design and implementation of problem-solving efforts for their community; and Leveraging resources, including other funding or in-kind resources at federal, state, and local levels to support law enforcement, crime prevention, and neighborhood revitalization strategies in the target area. In addition, local W&S initiatives typically share the following features: management by a site coordinator; an operating structure including a large, representative steering committee and focused, working subcommittees; substantive involvement of the U.S. Attorney; active participation of neighborhood residents and organizations; and a central role of one or more Safe Havens (community recreation and resource centers). In 2007, DOJ funded an independent evaluation, conducted by RTI International, to assess the impact of W&S on crime and other target problems (e.g., blight) and to study local W&S implementation, including participation and leadership by residents and other community sectors, partnership functioning, collaboration, and strategies and activities. For all sites in the study (more than 200 sites for some study elements), the evaluation formulated a broad overview of W&S implementation and outcomes through analysis of data collected through a Web-based survey of W&S stakeholders such as agency representatives or involved residents (1,353 respondents in 166 sites) and crime data submitted by grantees (203 sites). In addition, in 13 randomly selected “sentinel sites,” the evaluation developed a more in-depth understanding through analysis of additional information derived from a survey of target and comparison area community residents (a total of 2,205 residents); site visits including interviews with key stakeholders; and review of documents (e.g., grant applications, strategic plans, progress reports). Results of the evaluation suggest that W&S grantees successfully implemented the strategy and achieved important objectives, including: reductions in crime; progress addressing other target area problems; and successful implementation of key components and elements of the W&S strategy. Length of W&S implementation was associated with improvement in resident perceptions of crime problems, suggesting that W&S contributed to the improvement. Improvements in some outcomes were also associated with certain aspects of local W&S implementation (e.g. intensive enforcement; effective collaboration) but associations were not consistent across outcomes or areas of implementation assessed. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Community Capacity Development Office, 2010. 141p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 10, 2010 at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ccdo/pub/pdf/WnSFinalEvaluationReport.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ccdo/pub/pdf/WnSFinalEvaluationReport.pdf Shelf Number: 120440 Keywords: Drug Law EnforcementPartnershipsViolence PreventionWeed and Seed Programs |
Author: Wendel, Travis Title: Dynamics of Methamphetamine Markets in New York City: Final Technical Report to the National Institute of Justice Summary: Using Respondent Driven Sampling, this study piloted an innovative research design mixing qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, and social network analysis, that addresses a gap in information on retail methamphetamine markets and the role of illicit drug markets in consumption. Based on a sample of 132 methamphetamine users, buyers and sellers in New York City (NYC), findings describe a bifurcated market defined by differences in sexual identity, drug use behaviors, social network characteristics, and drug market behaviors. The larger sub-market is a closed market related to a sexual network of men who have sex with men (MSM) where methamphetamine (referred to as “tina”) is used as a sex drug. The smaller submarket is a less-closed market not denominated by sexual identity where methamphetamine (referred to as “crank,” “speed,” or “crystal meth”) overlaps with powder and crack cocaine markets. Participants in the MSM submarket viewed “tina” as very different from cocaine, due to what they characterized as the drug’s intense sexual effects, whereas participants in the smaller non-sexual-identity-denominated submarket saw “crystal meth” as a cost-effective alternative to cocaine. While majorities of participants in all subpopulations studied reported that their use of methamphetamine primarily centered on sex, almost all (91%) MSM reported this. Many MSM reported that their sexuality had become indistinguishable from their drug use. MSM had denser patterns of social network ties and many more sex partners than other subpopulations. MSM market participants reported higher prices for the drug, which may be an indication that they are accessing purer forms of methamphetamine. Participants were more willing to discuss accessing or purchasing methamphetamine than they were to discuss providing or selling the drug, although all indications are that most market participants do both. Compared with the sometimes highly organized markets that have existed for other illegal drugs (e.g., heroin, cocaine, marijuana), retail methamphetamine markets have remained, by contrast, relatively primitive in their social and technical organization, and distinct patterns of drug use emerged as an outcome of interactions between drug providers and members of their social networks. In this case, those with less structurally advantageous positions within the network must depend on better-positioned network contacts to supply them with methamphetamine. Findings from the study indicate that the most striking characteristic of the methamphetamine market in New York City is the extent of the secondary market. Study data suggests this large secondary market has developed because of “bottlenecks” in the chain of distribution, which may be the outcome of the inconsistent supply of methamphetamine available in New York City. Participants reported essentially no violence in connection with methamphetamine markets in NYC. Participants have a lifetime total of 13 methamphetamine possession arrests for the sample of 132; none has ever been arrested for methamphetamine distribution. Study findings may be useful to practitioners, policy-makers and researchers in fields including law enforcement, criminal justice, and public health and substance abuse treatment. Details: New York: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 2011. 268p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 20, 2011 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/236122.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/236122.pdf Shelf Number: 123063 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionDrug Law EnforcementDrug MarketsDrug OffendersIllegal DrugsMethamphetamine (New York City) |
Author: Grayson, George W. Title: The Impact of President Felipe Calderón’s War on Drugs on the Armed Forces: The Prospects for Mexico’s “Militarization” and Bilateral Relations Summary: In the absence of honest, professional civilian law-enforcement agencies, President Felipe Calderón assigned the military the lead role in his nation’s version of the “War on Drugs” that he launched in 2006. While the armed forces have spearheaded the capture and/or death of several dozen cartel capos, the conflict has taken its toll on the organizations in terms of deaths, corruption, desertions, and charges by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) of hundreds of human rights violations. The nation’s Supreme Court has taken the first step in requiring that officers and enlistees accused of crimes against civilians stand trial in civil courts rather than hermetic military tribunals. As if combating vicious narco-syndicates were not a sufficiently formidable challenge, the government has assigned such additional roles to the Army and Navy as overseeing customs agents, serving as state and municipal security chiefs, taking charge of prisons, protecting airports, safeguarding migrants, functioning as firefighters, preventing drug trafficking around schools, establishing recreational programs for children, and standing guard 24-hours a day over boxes of ballots cast in recent elections. Meanwhile, because of their discipline, training, and skill with firearms, security firms are snapping up men and women who have retired from active duty. The sharp expansion of the armed forces’ duties has sparked the accusation that Mexico is being “militarized.” Contributing to this assertion is the Defense Ministry’s robust, expensive public relations campaign both to offset criticism of civilians killed in what the Pentagon would label “collateral damage” and to increase contacts between average citizens and military personnel, who often constituted a separate caste. Dr. George W. Grayson examines the ever wider involvement of the armed forces in Mexican life by addressing the question: “Is Mexican society being ‘militarized’?” If the answer is “yes,” what will be the probable impact on relations between the United States and its southern neighbor? Details: Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College Press, 2013. 107p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 30, 2013 at: http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubid=1137 Year: 2013 Country: Mexico URL: http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubid=1137 Shelf Number: 127453 Keywords: Drug Law EnforcementDrug Trafficking ContolDrugs and Crime (Mexico)War on Drugs |
Author: Martin, William Title: Cartels, Corruption, and Carnage in the Calderon Era Summary: While Mexico and the United States have ramped up their efforts to control and perhaps defeat Mexico’s increasingly violent drug cartels, the outcome of these efforts remains in doubt and no panaceas are in sight, but prohibition has once again proved to be a failure, according to a paper from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. WILLIAM MARTIN The paper by Rice sociologist William Martin, “Cartels, Corruption and Carnage in the Calderón Era,” traces the origins and growth of Mexican drug cartels and the corruption, failed government policies and gruesome violence that accompanied their rise. Martin is the Baker Institute’s Harry and Hazel Chavanne Senior Fellow in Religion and Public Policy. Details: Houston, TX: James A. Baker II Institute for Public Policy of Rice University, 2013. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Baker Institute Policy Report: Accessed February 11, 2013 at: http://www.bakerinstitute.org/publications/DRUG-pub-PolicyReport55.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Mexico URL: http://www.bakerinstitute.org/publications/DRUG-pub-PolicyReport55.pdf Shelf Number: 127563 Keywords: Drug CartelsDrug Law EnforcementDrug Trafficking (Mexico)Organized Crime |
Author: Quigley, Eoghan Title: Drug Policy Profiles — Ireland Summary: The national drug policy of Ireland comes under the spotlight in the second volume in the EMCDDA series of Drug policy profiles. Examining the evolution of Irish drug policy through four periods of historic development, the report explores: the country’s national strategies; the legal context within which they operate; the public funds spent, or committed, to implement them; and the political bodies and mechanisms set up to coordinate the response to the problem. The profile sets this information in context by outlining the size, wealth and economic situation of the country as a whole, as well as the historical development of the current policy. Also described is the manner in which events in Ireland bear similarities with, and differences from, developments in other European countries. Details: Lisbon: EMCDDA, 2013. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 7, 2013 at: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/drug-policy-profiles/ireland Year: 2013 Country: Ireland URL: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/drug-policy-profiles/ireland Shelf Number: 127860 Keywords: Drug Law EnforcementDrug OffendersDrug Policy (Ireland)Drug Use and Abuse |
Author: Count the Costs Title: The War on Drugs: Wasting billions and undermining economies Summary: Whilst accurate figures are hard to come by, global spending on drug law enforcement certainly exceeds $100 billion each year. Given current economic conditions it is more important than ever that spending is effective and not a waste of taxpayer money. However, the huge investments in enforcement have consistently delivered the opposite of their stated goals—to reduce drug production, supply and use. Instead they have created a vast criminal market. This in turn has substantial social and economic costs, through crime and ill health, far exceeding even the billions in enforcement spending. There are huge opportunity costs to wasteful expenditure on this scale. As drug enforcement budgets continue to grow, other areas are being starved of funds, and cuts in government budgets are hitting public services and support for the needy. Despite the appalling track record of failure, the level of value-for-money scrutiny applied to drug enforcement spending has been almost zero, at both national and international levels. At a time of global economic crisis, after literally trillions wasted over the last half-century, it is time to meaningfully count the real economic costs of the war on drugs. Details: London: Transform Drug Policy Foundation, 2012. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 8, 2013 at: http://www.countthecosts.org/sites/default/files/Economics-briefing.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.countthecosts.org/sites/default/files/Economics-briefing.pdf Shelf Number: 127899 Keywords: Drug Law EnforcementDrug MarketsDrug PolicyDrug Use and AbuseEconomics of CrimeOrganized CrimeWar on Drugs |
Author: Armenta, Amira Title: The Illicit Drugs Market in the Colombian Agrarian Context: Why the issue of illicit cultivation is highly relevant to the peace process Summary: The repeated appearance of coca producing zones is related to the unequal distribution of wealth in Colombia, and to the dynamic of land concentration which continues expelling peasants who migrate to new settlement areas. Colombia must re-examine and fix the existing relationship between policies of force and alternative development programmes, and should decide whether eradication is still a valid prior condition for alternative development. Institutional mechanisms of participation should be created for communities and integrated with local and regional development processes. Colombia needs to establish limits to its agricultural frontier. The cost-benefits of alternative development investment in remote areas are poor, because infrastructure is bad and services are basic. Consequently, it would be advisable to discourage settlement in those areas, which usually have fragile ecosystems suitable for preservation. The Land Restitution Law makes restitution claims difficult for poor displaced families. A genuine and fair restitution policy would constitute one important step in consolidating a future peace. Details: Amsterdam: Transnational Institute, 2013. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Drug Policy Briefing Nr. 40: Accessed March 8, 2013 at: http://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/files/download/brief40_0.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Colombia URL: http://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/files/download/brief40_0.pdf Shelf Number: 127904 Keywords: Drug Law EnforcementDrug MarketsDrug PolicyDrug Use and Abuse (Colombia)Illicit Drugs |
Author: Levine, Harry Title: One Million Police Hours: Making 440,000 Marijuana Possession Arrests In New York City, 2002‐2012 Summary: A new report documents the astronomical number of hours the New York Police Department has spent arresting and processing hundreds of thousands of low-level misdemeanor marijuana possession arrests during Mayor Bloomberg’s tenure from 2002 to 2012. The report finds that NYPD used approximately one million hours of police officer time to make 440,000 marijuana possession arrests. Under Mayor Bloomberg, New York City has made more marijuana possession arrests than under mayors Koch, Dinkins and Giuliani combined. Details: New York: Drug Policy Alliance and the Marijuana Arrest Research Project, 2013. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 22, 2013 at: http://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/One_Million_Police_Hours_0.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/One_Million_Police_Hours_0.pdf Shelf Number: 128078 Keywords: Drug Abuse PolicyDrug ArrestsDrug Law EnforcementDrug OffendersMarijuana (New York City) |
Author: Bury, Steven E. Title: Analysis of West African Drug Trafficking: The Dynamics of Interdiction and State Capacity Summary: Illegal drug trafficking through West Africa has grown dramatically in the last decade, capturing the attention of U.S., European, and U.N. policymakers. Most countries in West Africa have struggled to adapt to the challenges drug trafficking has presented. A few countries, like Ghana, have made a more concerted and successful effort to confront the problem. This thesis seeks to test the hypothesis that variations in counternarcotics interdiction success Ghana and Guinea-Bissau can be explained by the level of state capacity and the ability to absorb international counternarcotics partnerships to deal with the problem. The findings of this study suggest the success of Ghana relative to Guinea- Bissau is explained by higher level of initial state capacity and its ability to absorb international assistance. The government of Guinea-Bissau, on the other hand, is caught in an incapacity trap that has thwarted its efforts towards narcotics interdiction. Efforts at international partnership in Ghana have a foundation of state capacity to build upon and a viable partner whereas in Guinea-Bissau assistance efforts have been relegated to correcting the utter lack of capacity in an environment of political-military instability where a viable partner in the War on Drugs has not yet emerged. Details: Monterey, CA: Naval Postgraduate School, 2011. 75p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 30, 2013 at: http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a543911.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Africa URL: http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a543911.pdf Shelf Number: 128854 Keywords: Drug Law EnforcementDrug Trafficking (Africa)Organized Crime |
Author: Chiu, Jessica Title: Punitive Drug Law and the Risk Environment for Injecting Drug Users: Understanding the Connections Summary: This paper, prepared for the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, reviews the evidence documenting the effects of punitive laws and law enforcement practices on the HIV risk environment for injecting drug users (IDUs). It then provides an overview of global drug policy, drawing on a mixture of regional reports and country case studies. Section lll summarises the adoption of harm reduction practices and policies. Finally, the paper looks at a selection of strategies that countries around the world have implemented to improve the HIV risk environment for IDUs. These include interventions to make law enforcement less harmful and more conducive to health; the integration of harm reduction and drug treatment programmes into the criminal justice system; and changes to national anti-drug laws for possession and individual use that move away from punitive anti-drug penalties. Details: Philadelphia: Temple University, School of Law, 2011. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: Working paper prepared for the Third Meeting of the Technical Advisory Group of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, 7-9 July 2011: Accessed May 30, 2013 at: http://www.hivlawcommission.org/index.php/working-papers?task=document.viewdoc&id=98 Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.hivlawcommission.org/index.php/working-papers?task=document.viewdoc&id=98 Shelf Number: 128860 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionDrug Law EnforcementDrug PolicyHIV (Viruses) |
Author: Iowa Department of Corrections Title: Substance Abuse, Report to the Board of Corrections, 2006 Summary: Twenty years ago, about 2% of Iowa's prison population was serving time for a drug-related offense. As documented in these pages, drug offenders now make up about 27% of the prison population. Sentencing changes in the 1980's resulted in an increased likelihood of sentences to prison for drug offenses, as well as an increase in average length of stay. Increased resources for law enforcement, such as formation of the Division of Narcotics Enforcement and funding for multi-jurisdictional drug law enforcement task forces, has also contributed to the increase in drug offenders within the corrections system. In the 1980's, cocaine and crack cocaine was a prominent problem; today it is methamphetamines.4 Drug crimes are the most common commitment offense among newly admitted prisoners, increasing from 316 admissions in FY1995, to 1,057 in FY2005. This report begins with current information on the prevalence of offenders convicted of alcohol- and drug-related crimes within Iowa's community-based corrections and prison populations. Substance abuse, however, is a common issue among the entire corrections population, no matter the convicting offense. National offender surveys conducted in the past have found nearly 70% of probationers and over 80% of state prisoners reported past drug use. Drug and alcohol abuse among offenders is more common than for the general population. For example, about 16% of Iowans age 18 to 25, and 4% of Iowans age 26 or older, reported using illicit drugs in the past month. This report documents a much more widespread problem for Iowa's adult offender population. This report, however, goes beyond documentation of the problem. It describes how the Iowa Department of Corrections is addressing substance abuse among the offender population through the provision of treatment, and monitoring for current drug and alcohol usage. All information was obtained from the Iowa Corrections Offender Network (ICON) with many of the reports obtained via the Iowa Justice Data Warehouse. Details: Des Moines, IA: Iowa Department of Corrections, 2006. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 14, 2014 at: http://publications.iowa.gov/13047/1/BOCSubstanceAbuseReport.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United States URL: http://publications.iowa.gov/13047/1/BOCSubstanceAbuseReport.pdf Shelf Number: 102599 Keywords: Alcohol Abuse and CrimeDrug Abuse and CrimeDrug Law EnforcementDrug Offenders (Iowa)PrisonersSubstance Abuse Treatment |
Author: Rosen, Liana Title: Afghanistan: Drug Trafficking and the 2014 Transition Summary: Afghanistan is the world's primary source of opium poppy cultivation and opium and heroin production, as well as a major global source of cannabis (marijuana) and cannabis resin (hashish). Drug trafficking, a long-standing feature of Afghanistan's post-Taliban political economy, is linked to corruption and insecurity, and provides a source of illicit finance for non-state armed groups. Based on recent production and trafficking trends, the drug problem in Afghanistan appears to be worsening-just as the U.S. government finalizes plans for its future relationship with the government of Afghanistan in 2015 and beyond and reduces its counternarcotics operational presence in the country to Kabul, the national capital. As coalition combat operations in Afghanistan draw to a close in 2014, and as the full transition of security responsibilities to Afghan forces is achieved, some Members of the 113th Congress have expressed concern regarding the future direction and policy prioritization of U.S. counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan in light of diminishing resources and an uncertain political and security environment in 2015 and beyond. According to the U.S. Counternarcotics Strategy for Afghanistan, released in late 2012, the U.S. government envisions a counternarcotics policy future that results in "two simultaneous and parallel transfers of responsibility." Not only does it envision the transfer of security responsibility to Afghan forces, but also the transfer of counternarcotics programming responsibilities and law enforcement operational activities to the Afghan government. Assuming a reduced U.S. security presence and limited civilian mobility throughout the country, the U.S. government is also increasingly emphasizing a regional approach to combating Afghan drugs. Although some counternarcotics efforts, including eradication and alternative development programming, are already implemented by the government of Afghanistan or by local contractors, others may require a two- to five-year time horizon, or potentially longer, before a complete transition would be feasible, according to Administration officials. Some counternarcotics initiatives are only in their infancy, including the Defense Department's plans to establish a new Regional Narcotics Analysis and Illicit Trafficking Task Force (RNAIT-TF). Other activities, particularly those that required a significant presence at the local and provincial levels, are anticipated to be reduced or limited in scope. The 113th Congress continues to monitor drug trafficking trends in Afghanistan and evaluate U.S. policy responses. Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives held hearings on the topic in early 2014 and included provisions in FY2014 appropriations (P.L. 113-76) that limit the scope of and resources devoted to future counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has also identified narcotics as a "critical issue" for policy makers. This report describes key U.S. counternarcotics programs in Afghanistan in the context of the 2014 transition and analyzes policy issues related to these programs for Congress to consider as policy makers examine the drug problem in Afghanistan. The report's Appendix contains historical figures and tables on trends in Afghan drug cultivation, production, and trafficking. Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2014. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: R43540: Accessed May 19, 2014 at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R43540.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Afghanistan URL: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R43540.pdf Shelf Number: 132395 Keywords: Drug Law EnforcementDrug PolicyDrug TraffickingIllicit Drugs (Afghanistan)NarcoticsOpium |
Author: Diplock, Jordan Title: Targeting Marihuana Growing Operations in British Columbia Summary: Marihuana growing operations are an enduring crime and social problem for British Columbia. At the end of the 20th Century, the province had witnessed a surge in the number of marihuana growing operations coming to the attention of police forces. Growing in sophistication and increasingly moving indoors into residential neighbourhoods to avoid detection by law enforcement, the problem became just as much one of public safety as it was about the control of an illegal substance. Moving into the 21st Century, while the number of marihuana growing operations coming to the attention of police appeared to plateau, the size and sophistication of these operations had increased to the point where the same number or fewer of what had become much larger operations were producing far greater yields, supplying not just domestic consumption, but also largely fuelling international organized criminal drug trafficking. It became evident in many of the more urbanized centres that the traditional police response of waiting for public tips and complaints or coming across growing operation in the course of other police investigations was not adequate to combat the problem. Therefore, police tactics began to change in various locations around the province, accompanied by innovative, targeted approaches by other relevant stakeholders. This project involves the cataloguing of much of the research that has focused on the problems of marihuana growing operations, highlighting the multiple facets of responses to this problem. The purpose of this report is to summarize this research in order to both document the various approaches used and identify the areas in which further action is needed. The report begins by providing background on the growth of the marihuana production industry in British Columbia. The subsequent section highlights what research suggests are some of the key reasons why British Columbians have been so concerned about this problem and the fact that it has become so entrenched into the criminal landscape of the province. The bulk of the report then discusses the various responses to marihuana production. This section begins with the criminal justice system approaches, focusing on tactics used by law enforcement, and then on outcomes to marihuana production cases in the courts. Following that is a discussion of the adoption of non-criminal justice legal response including the use of civil forfeiture, municipal strategies, and bylaws, in addition to the Province Government's legislative responses that have enabled them. Approaches taken in other social arenas, such as electrical consumption, real estate, and health care, will also be reviewed. Finally, the report ends with a discussion of some of the key challenges that could impede the progress made thus far, of which all concerned partners should be preparing to address. Details: Surrey, BC: University of the Fraser Valley, 2013. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 26, 2014 at: https://www.ufv.ca/media/assets/criminal-justice-research/Targeting-Marihuana-Growing-Operations-in-BC-Aug-12-2013.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Canada URL: https://www.ufv.ca/media/assets/criminal-justice-research/Targeting-Marihuana-Growing-Operations-in-BC-Aug-12-2013.pdf Shelf Number: 132557 Keywords: Drug Abuse and Addiction Drug Abuse and Crime Drug Control Drug Law EnforcementDrug Policy Drug Trafficking Marijuana |
Author: European Commission Title: Mid-term review of the Cocaine Route Programme financed by the EU Instrument for Stability Summary: The present evaluation is a review of the Cocaine Route Programme (CRP) 2009-2013 funded by the European Union (EU) Instrument for Stability (IfS), Long-term component, Global and trans-regional threats, conducted from November 2012 until June 2013. The CRP has a mandate to support law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities in third countries along the so called 'cocaine route', i.e. from the production countries in Latin America to Europe, via Central America, the Caribbean and West Africa. The overall objective is to enhance their capacity for international cooperation in the fight against international criminal networks, while fully respecting human rights. The budget of the CRP totals L34,916,9731 and has been allocated to eight self-standing projects in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC): 1) AIRCOP I, II and III (Airport Communication Programme): to build drug-interdiction capacities via Joint Airport Interdiction Task Forces (JAITFs) at selected international airports in West Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, and promote communication and intelligence sharing through real-time connection to Interpol's I 24/7 and the WCO CENComm. 2) AML-WA (Anti-money laundering activities in West Africa): to develop AML activities in the non-banking financial businesses and professions; to enhance Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Cape Verde and promote liaison with the international community. 3) SEACOP I, II and III (Seaport Cooperation Programme): to set-up Joint Maritime Control Units (JMCU) in seaports in West Africa and develop regional intelligence and maritime cooperation. 4) WAPIS I and II (West African Police Information System): to support collection and analysis of police information in ECOWAS countries and Mauritania, increase police information exchange regionally and with the rest of the world through Interpol tools and services. 5) AMERIPOL I and II (Law Enforcement & Judicial Cooperation in Latin America): to strengthen exchange of information and intelligence between law enforcement and judicial authorities at regional level in Latin America and with West Africa and the EU. 6) GAFISUD I, II and III (Support to the fight against money laundering in Latin America): to strengthen the investigation and prosecution of money laundering in the non-banking financial sector of GAFISUD member countries (Latin America) and foster international cooperation. 7) PRELAC I and II (Prevention of the diversion of drugs precursors in the LAC region): to strengthen the capacities of national administrative control authorities to prevent the diversion of chemical precursors in 17 countries in Latin and Central America and the Caribbean. 8) CORMS I and II (Cocaine Route Monitoring and Support): to strengthen the trans-regional coordination, coherence and complementarity effect among the various CRP projects and any other relevant initiative, conducted by the EU, MS or other international organisations. The objectives of the evaluation are: (i) to provide an overall independent assessment of the CRP activities according to the five evaluation criteria endorsed by the OECD-DAC (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact), and to the European Commission (EC) specific evaluation criteria (EC added value and coherence); (ii) to verify, analyse and assess the integration and impact of cross cutting issues in the Programme, with a particular emphasis on human rights and governance aspects; (iii) to assess the overall relevance of the Programme in relation to the objectives of the IfS and the related IfS Strategy and subsequent Multiannual Indicative Programmes (MIPs). In addition, (iv) the review assesses the performance of contractors, (v) the institutional set up of the Programme and (vi) complementarity with other programmes, particularly COPOLAD ("Cooperation Programme between Latin America and the European Union on Anti-drugs policies") funded by the EU under the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI). The review identifies key lessons and proposes practical recommendations for follow-up actions. Details: Hemel Hempstead, Herts, UK: HTSPE Limited, 2013. 181p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 13, 2015 at: http://www.globalinitiative.net/download/drugs/global/EU%20-%20Mid%20Term%20Review%20of%20the%20Cocaine%20Route%20Programme%202013.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://www.globalinitiative.net/download/drugs/global/EU%20-%20Mid%20Term%20Review%20of%20the%20Cocaine%20Route%20Programme%202013.pdf Shelf Number: 136003 Keywords: CocaineDrug Law EnforcementDrug Trafficking |
Author: Lumpe, Lora Title: US Law Enforcement Involvement in Counternarcotics Operations in Latin America Summary: US government assistance to foreign law enforcement agencies to curb drug trafficking into the United States began in 1949. At that time, two agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics were sent to Turkey and France to try and interdict the flow of heroin. By the 1960s and 70s, federal drug law enforcement agents were conducting major international operations aimed at cutting marijuana importation across the Mexican border and curbing heroin trafficking into the US by the French mafia (the "French connection"). In 1973 the DEA was created, in what was billed as an effort to consolidate drug control functions of several offices and agencies. However, US Customs overseas enforcement operations and investigations, which date back several decades, continued. Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard became involved in overseas counterdrug enforcement and investigation, State Department-backed counternarcotics assistance to foreign police agencies began in 1978 and FBI involvement in international counternarcotics programs began in earnest the 1980s and escalated in the mid-1990s. (The September 11th attacks and the resultant shift toward a focus on countering terrorist threats to the United States have affected the role and scope of most agencies with foreign counternarcotics responsibilities.) This memo covers each of these agencies' involvement in general terms, including their mission, methods of international operation, budgetary and bureaucratic history, and oversight mechanisms. An appendix relates specific details available about these agencies' activities in WOLA's priority countries. The information is drawn largely from government documentation (wherein the various agencies self describe their operations and motivation), congressional hearings, oversight reports and investigative journalistic accounts. The intent of the document is threefold: - to provide leads or questions that in-country researchers can follow up on to discover as much as possible about the reality and local impact of these agencies' overseas operations; - to identify places where Congress' help is needed in order to force basic information on these agencies' operations into the public domain and where work by WOLA will result in greater oversight of US counternarcotics policy; and - to lay the groundwork for an overview chapter on the non-military (ie, law enforcement) aspects of the US-backed war on drugs in Latin America. Details: Washington, DC: Washington Office on Latin America, 2002. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 20, 2015 at: http://www.wola.org/sites/default/files/downloadable/Drug%20Policy/past/ddhr_law_enforcement_overview.pdf Year: 2002 Country: Latin America URL: http://www.wola.org/sites/default/files/downloadable/Drug%20Policy/past/ddhr_law_enforcement_overview.pdf Shelf Number: 136104 Keywords: Drug Control PolicyDrug Law EnforcementDrug TraffickingWar on Drugs |
Author: Reed, Jack K. Title: Marijuana Legalization in Colorado: Early Findings. A Report Pursuant to Senate Bill 13-283 Summary: In 2013, following the passage of Amendment 64 which allows for the retail sale and possession of marijuana, the Colorado General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 13-283. This bill mandated the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Public Safety to conduct a study of the impacts of Amendment 64, particularly as these relate to law enforcement activities. This report seeks to establish and present the baseline measures for the metrics specified in S.B. 13-283, codified as C.R.S. 24-33.4-516. The majority of the information presented here should be considered pre-commercialization, baseline data because much of the information is available only through 2014, and data sources vary considerably in terms of what exists historically. Consequently, it is too early to draw any conclusions about the potential effects of marijuana legalization or commercialization on public safety, public health, or youth outcomes, and this may always be difficult due to the lack of historical data. Furthermore, the information presented here should be interpreted with caution. The decreasing social stigma regarding marijuana use could lead individuals to be more likely to report use on surveys and to health workers in emergency departments and poison control centers, making marijuana use appear to increase when perhaps it has not. Finally, law enforcement officials and prosecuting attorneys continue to struggle with enforcement of the complex and sometimes conflicting marijuana laws that remain. Thus, the lack of pre-commercialization data, the decreasing social stigma, and challenges to law enforcement combine to make it difficult to translate these early findings into definitive statements of outcomes. Details: Denver, CO: Colorado Division of Criminal Justice, Department of Public Safety, 2016. 147p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 23, 2016 at: http://cdpsdocs.state.co.us/ors/docs/reports/2016-SB13-283-Rpt.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://cdpsdocs.state.co.us/ors/docs/reports/2016-SB13-283-Rpt.pdf Shelf Number: 138798 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionDrug Abuse and CrimeDrug Law EnforcementDrug LegalizationDrug PolicyMarijuanaOrganized Crime |
Author: International Association of Chiefs of Police Title: Addressing 21st Century Drug Issues: Law Enforcements Leadership Role Summary: To respond to this continuing problem in our communities, IACP convened a National Drug Symposium in early 2015. Representatives from state, local, and tribal law enforcement; the federal government; the scientific community; and nonprofit organizations met at IACP headquarters to discuss the broad spectrum of contemporary drug issues. Participants discussed the issue of addiction, its effect on communities, and law enforcement's unique role in responding to addicted individuals. This report summarizes that discussion and highlights the findings from the symposium. Details: Arlington, VA: IACP, 2016. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 24, 2018 at: https://www.nationalpublicsafetypartnership.org/clearinghouse/Content/ResourceDocuments/IACP%20Addressing21stCenturyDrugIssues.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.nationalpublicsafetypartnership.org/clearinghouse/Content/ResourceDocuments/IACP%20Addressing21stCenturyDrugIssues.pdf Shelf Number: 148897 Keywords: Drug Abuse and Addiction Drug Control Drug Law Enforcement |