NCJ Number
164352
Journal
Transnational Organized Crime Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1996) Pages: 94-123
Date Published
1996
Length
30 pages
Annotation
The annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report released by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in March 1996 provides a comprehensive overview of major trends in drug trafficking and money laundering in 1995 and assesses actions taken by governments to counter the drug trafficking industry.
Abstract
Excerpts from the report focus on the need for sound antidrug policies, the role of the drug trade in corrupting government officials, the development of synthetic drugs, coca and opium poppy cultivation, and drug eradication. Strategies to counter the drug trade and drug-related corruption are noted, including the drug certification process to determine whether drug-producing and transit countries have cooperated or have taken adequate steps to meet goals and objectives of the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. The need to exploit vulnerabilities of the drug trade is emphasized, and the threat posed by cocaine, heroin, and opiates to the United States is discussed. The role of international organizations in the U.S. counternarcotics strategy and the importance of chemical controls are addressed. Significant developments made during 1995 to curb money laundering and U.S. policy initiatives are reviewed. Actions taken by Colombia, the world's leading producer and distributor of cocaine and a major supplier of heroin and marijuana, to regulate drug trafficking are summarized.