Drug Trafficking in the United States

Why doesn’t anyone know the names of the cartel leaders who distribute drugs in the United States?

For a long time, many of my column’s readers, mainly Mexicans and Colombians, have asked me, “Why in the United States, the country that consumes the most illicit drugs, does no one know the names of the cartel bosses that distribute these narcotics?”

It is my understanding that Mexican citizens, who know the name of every Mexican cartel boss, who have heard the songs celebrating their achievements and who have seen them confess their crimes on television before standing trial before a judge, find it strange that the U.S. media doesn’t report the adventures of American drug traffickers.

I also feel that the question includes a justified complaint, because neither Colombians nor Mexicans would be in their current predicaments if it weren’t for the fierce appetite for drugs that exists in the United States. And I suspect that it is due to the lack of information in their respective countries about the fight against drug trafficking in the United States and the misinformation spread by those who, due to ignorance, ideology or maliciousness, write foolish remarks like the one sent to me by one of my readers.

Regarding the same question about the “unknown” names of American drug bosses, the Mexican novelist Francisco Martín Moreno speculates that this “omission” emanates from the fact that in the U.S. there exists a vast and corrupt conspiracy involving the executive and judicial branches, agencies that combat drug trafficking and all journalists.

To respond to my listeners, I called the Drug Enforcement Administration and asked them where I could find the names of drug trafficking bosses in the United States. The response from spokesman Rusty Payne was devastating in its simplicity: “On our Web page and those of the FBI, FTA and municipal and state police forces are the names, photos and charges of the alleged offenders. In the United States, those suspects of committing a criminal act are innocent until proven guilty by a trial that demonstrates their guilt.”

To corroborate the information, I logged onto the DEA Web page and tracked fugitives on the country map. In San Diego, I came across the records of Joaquín “el Chapo” Guzmán, David Jones Greaves and hundreds more. Having resolved the first question, I asked Payne, “How are drugs distributed in this country?”

“The structure of control is in Mexico,” he answered, “but the Mexican cartels count on the wholesale networks at different levels until they reach the drug market on the street.”

“Does this mean that the Mexican cartels control all sales of drugs in the United States?”

“Yes, because most marijuana, methamphetamines, and cocaine comes from Mexico and is distributed through the networks that we already spoke about.”

“Of those arrested, is it known how many are consumers and how many are traffickers?”

“It is impossible to know with precision. All the municipal, state and federal police forces, the DEA, the FTA, the FBI and Border Control make arrests. Generally, we focus on the traffickers, not the consumers. In 2009, the DEA made 30,567 arrests.”

Looking for another perspective, I also discussed this issue with former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria, who was forced to fight, with success, the fearsome Pablo Escobar.

“Do you know the names of drug trafficking bosses in the United States?” I asked him. “No,” he answered, “I believe that the Mexican drug cartels dominate the distribution that is the most profitable part of the business. But I also believe that with so many people in prison there it’s difficult to say that a serious problem exists.”