US Navy confiscates drugs[/caption]The United Nations has issued strong statements about the drug trafficking in South America, as the United States seeks to limit transport of illegal drugs over its borders and concerns mount over the rising number of deaths, some horrific, south of the border.
UN officials are focusing attention on the organized criminal network that stretches across the globe, with its money from drugs and its ability to influence politics and stability of entire countries. The UN labels it a scourage.
“Countries in Central America face a tide of violence, born of transnational organized crime and drug trafficking,” , Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, said. As President of the General Assembly he led much of the discussion of the debate on Security in Central America as a Regional and Global Challenge – How to Improve and Implement the Central American Security Strategy.
“Human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and kidnapping have also attached themselves to the underbellies of Central American societies. Highly sophisticated criminal threats in the region are eroding economic development, corrupting legal and political processes, and undermining public confidence,” Mr. Al-Nasser went on to say about the global threat presented by the drug trade..
“In a word, these threats risk unravelling gains made in development in the region, and leading to social and political upheaval,” he added. Other countries in proximity have been influenced to the extent that criminality in one country impacts another. The violence is astounding. As UN officials point out, Central America has the world's highest rate of homicides. The UN tells us that one of of every fifty 20 year old males will be killed by the age of 32. And Central America's problem becomes a US problem as well, especially in the border areas that carry narcotic traffic to other parts of the country. They use these regions as a springboard to Europe and Africa.
The US Justice Department shows the map of the Arizona - Mexico border where considerable problems occur in areas like Yuma, a crossing point for illegal drugs. Authorities say drug traffickers work closely with criminal groups in their efforts to terrorize people through violence in order to keep the drugs flowing through the Americas. U.S.-based gangs (street gangs, prison gangs, and/or outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs)) are also involved.
While the United Nations bemoans the problems created by drugs, at every level communities are impacted. Portland, Oregon has seen a decided increase in gang-related crimes, which authorities maintain is heightened by the availability of mass transportation, the rail system, making it cheaper and easier for gang members to traverse large areas of Clackamas County, where gang violence has increased.
