NCJ Number
123318
Date Published
1990
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This document discusses interdiction, the effort to seize drugs and smugglers on their way from the source countries.
Abstract
The recent past suggests that interdiction, even if it produces a high rate of seizures, will do little to decrease cocaine imports. There have been complaints about a lack of trained personnel and underfunding of operation and maintenance budgets among the agencies primarily responsible for execution of the interdiction program. But the problem lies in the adaptability of smugglers, the variety of methods by which cocaine can be brought into the U.S., and the low price of both drugs and labor for smugglers. Little is known about the organization of the smuggling business because those that get caught are generally lower-level agents. Interdiction affects the consumption of cocaine in the U.S. by affecting its price. Smuggling entails modest costs of drugs, personnel, transportation, and corruption. Increasing the probability of interdiction raises the smuggler's costs, but not enough to greatly increase the retail price of cocaine and thus reduce total consumption. Strangely, more intense interdiction since 1981 has been accompanied by declining drug prices. One reason for this may be that the rapid growth of the cocaine market has increased the number of experienced smugglers and has driven down the cost of bringing cocaine into the U.S. 4 notes.