The majority of the world’s cocaine and marijuana production originate from the South American countries according to the book “Drugs in Society: Causes, Concepts, & Control” by Michael D. Lyman and Gary W. Potter (D. Lyman & W. Potter, 2007). The Office of National Drug Control Policy estimated that in 2000, Americans spend $62.4 billion on illegal drugs (Lyman & Potter, 281). Colombian cartels, specifically the Medellin Cartel, are still active in the sale distribution of cocaine, however, Mexican drug cartels have taken control over a significant amount of what used to be columbian portion on sale distribution of drugs, even more on the responsibility for transportation and smuggling (Lyman & Potter, 282). It is geographically determined the role of Columbian cartel of Medellin was a major drug producer because of the …show more content…
There are two reasons for its efficiency in the smuggling of drugs. The first reason being easily close to the U.S.–an average of two-and-a-half hour flight from Miami, the second reason, was that Columbia was the only country in South America with both a Caribbean and Pacific Ocean coastline, thus opening numerous options for air and sea smuggling (Lyman & Potter, 282). The Medellin cartel was the first of the greatest drug cartels in columbia in the 1970’s. The United States law enforcement began to have more trafficking arrests as the use of cocaine grew in the streets and soon discovered trafficking networks in the U.S. eventually finding the use of stash houses, laundering money, and the development of similar trafficking methods ( Lyman & Potter, 286). Additionally, the Medellin cartel was led by the Ochoa brothers, Carlos Lehder, Pablo Escobar, and Jose Rodriguez Gacha (Lyman & Potter, 287). Although the Medellin cartel might mislead the fact that it was not a solitary trafficking organization, it was rather an open organizational confederation of many drug