What is a mule in the drug trade?
This project proposes the following definition of “drug mule:” a drug courier who is paid, coerced, or tricked into transporting drugs across an international border, but who has no further commercial interest in the drugs.
What has Colombia done to stop drug trafficking?
CARTAGENA, Colombia Feb 3 (Reuters) – Colombia has launched a new strategy to fight drug trafficking, aiming to control cyberspace to tackle criminal groups involved in the cocaine trade, as well as block their financial transactions, Defense Minister Diego Molano said on Thursday.
How much do mules earn?
A drug mule could earn as little as $3 000 or less for a trip. Drug lords, who commission the mules, can sometimes make 100 times more than that when selling the drugs brought in by the mules. The majority of drug mules are male, but the number of women doing this, is on the increase.
How are drug mules recruited?
In other instances, drug couriers are recruited through word of mouth by gang members, friends, or even family members who are already involved in the drug business. These individuals are usually provided with scanty information and promised good money for transporting company products across the border.
How many drug mules are caught?
Every year, roughly three thousand people are arrested while working as “mules” smuggling drugs through the ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. For every mule caught, many more get through.
How much of the world’s cocaine comes from Colombia?
Approximately 70% of the cocaine consumed globally comes from Colombia. In 2018, 18.1 million people used the illicit drug worldwide, consuming almost 2,000 tons of cocaine produced in the Andean region, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
What is the drug trade in Colombia?
Colombia’s drug trade 1 Supplying the demand. Almost all cocaine consumed across the globe comes from Colombia, Peru and to a lesser extent Bolivia; countries where coca — the crop used for cocaine — 2 A resilient industry. 3 From coca to cocaine. 4 Moving the product to the border. 5 Trafficking cocaine to the US and Europe.
Who are Colombia’s drug cartels?
Most of Colombia’s current drug trafficking organizations were formed a decade ago by mid-level commanders of state-aligned paramilitary groups that were active between the 1980s and the early 2000s. Some of the organizations have their roots in the old Medellin and Cali cartels.