4 ms·

> we have 0 idea what to do We have plenty of ideas. The most obvious one is to begin controlling the areas of the border through which these drugs are enter

> we have 0 idea what to do We have plenty of ideas. The most obvious one is to begin controlling the areas of the border through which these drugs are entering the country. Unfortunately that would require an admission by the current US administration that there is a catastrophic crisis at the southern border - one encompassing human, financial, drug, cartel, Chinese, terrorist, human trafficking, and a myriad of other elements. This harsh admission of reality is a current impossibility for the Biden administration and US Democrats. And just to be clear, the southern border isn't the only point of entry, but it is the largest and most elaborate. There is an entire industry set up exclusively for opioids. Ignoring the human trafficking, slavery, coyotes, and other elements: just the fentanyl trade alone involves at least two cartels, and an international supply chain that includes India, China, and MexicoS[1][2]. The US would be the fourth sovereign participant in that it facilitates a degree of free trade that would make anyone else incredibly jealous. --- [1] https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-008-20%20Fentanyl%20Flow%20in%20the%20United%20States_0.pdf https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-... Note this is from 2020, and as predicted, the bulk of fentanyl did in fact shift to entering through Mexico, even if the precursors arrive from China and India to Mexico. [2] https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/briefing-senate-foreign-relations-committee-countering-illicit-fentanyl-trafficking-hearing https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/briefing-senate-foreign...

rnk 4y ago
The problem didn't start when Biden was inaugurated. It has been getting worse during the previous administration. It doesn't feel like Biden did anything about it, but neither did Trump. Trump made false claims about closing the border and said his work would reduce the problems. It did not. We don't know what to do to stop it, and both parties in the us have no real solution.
- nwienert 4y ago
  He tried pretty hard but was thwarted by Democrats. This line of argument is disingenuous - for example, Biden has many plans he strongly fights for like expanding healthcare, but that he can't get through, due to the Republicans. It would be very unfair to say the equivalent of your comment about Biden/healthcare.
  - prmoustache 4y ago
    Tump was trying to build wall to prevent immigration. Drugs do not come from immigrants but from cartels through different means. Trump's idea has never been about stopping all commercial exchange at the border nor dismantling every single vehicle crossing the border in search of pills. Additionnally, if cartels can't smuggle drugs through the border, they'll build fentanyl shops inside the USA.
    - notch898a 4y ago
      "Unauthorized" border crossing (and otherwise innocent) immigrants are a key piece of the cartel smuggling apparatus. They are used as bait to overwhelm CBP resources (and asylum seekers often want to be caught, theyll be given a court date to make their asylum case and in many cases released), once the resources are overloaded the drug smugglers go through the rugged terrain to drop-off points.
      - prmoustache 4y ago
        By this you are basically implying we should rather open the border totally so that drug smugglers can't use them.
        notch898a 4y ago
        That's what I would do, yes. Although I didn't mean to imply that with my previous statement. The closed border approach would be to somehow erect a barrier that lessens the ability for them to consume CBP resources between ports of entry.
    - lenkite 4y ago
      Sorry, but you really need to listen to what Trump actually said instead of listening to his stuff filtered by the media. He definitely did say that the wall would help stop drugs. Even DEA law-enforcement agreed with him that it would help. And yes, there is a significant amount of drug trafficking carried out by people crossing the border. Whether they are "true" migrants or "cartel employed" is irrelevant. https://cis.org/Arthur/Yuma-Reveals-How-Migrant-Surge-Has-Fueled-Americas-Drug-Crisis https://cis.org/Arthur/Yuma-Reveals-How-Migrant-Surge-Has-Fu... "..they'll build fentanyl shops inside the USA..." US law-enforcement would love this to happen. Damn easy to get a court order and bust up. Damn easy to setup informants to reveal such locations. Its like comparing peanut impacts versus asteriod impacts. You solve the critical asteroid problem first. The peanuts don't really make any significant difference.
galaxyLogic 4y ago
Drugs are smuggled from Mexico to US. And GUNS are smuggled from US to Mexico. It's a bit ironic isn't it? The reason Mexican cartels can hold so much power is not only the dollars they get from US in return for drugs, but also the assault rifles they get from US, in return for dollars. "... Mexico — which has just one gun store and issues fewer than 50 gun permits a year " https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/08/25/american-guns-help-arm-mexican-drug-cartels-including-cjng/5586129001/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/08/25/americ... The war on drugs is great for US gun-manufacturers. US has a drug-problem. Mexico has a cartel-problem. I think Mexico's problem might be worse, because everybody suffers from criminals ruling the country.

rnk 4y ago

The problem didn't start when Biden was inaugurated. It has been getting worse during the previous administration. It doesn't feel like Biden did anything about it, but neither did Trump. Trump made false claims about closing the border and said his work would reduce the problems. It did not. We don't know what to do to stop it, and both parties in the us have no real solution.

nwienert 4y ago
He tried pretty hard but was thwarted by Democrats. This line of argument is disingenuous - for example, Biden has many plans he strongly fights for like expanding healthcare, but that he can't get through, due to the Republicans. It would be very unfair to say the equivalent of your comment about Biden/healthcare.
- prmoustache 4y ago
  Tump was trying to build wall to prevent immigration. Drugs do not come from immigrants but from cartels through different means. Trump's idea has never been about stopping all commercial exchange at the border nor dismantling every single vehicle crossing the border in search of pills. Additionnally, if cartels can't smuggle drugs through the border, they'll build fentanyl shops inside the USA.
  - notch898a 4y ago
    "Unauthorized" border crossing (and otherwise innocent) immigrants are a key piece of the cartel smuggling apparatus. They are used as bait to overwhelm CBP resources (and asylum seekers often want to be caught, theyll be given a court date to make their asylum case and in many cases released), once the resources are overloaded the drug smugglers go through the rugged terrain to drop-off points.
    - prmoustache 4y ago
      By this you are basically implying we should rather open the border totally so that drug smugglers can't use them.
      - notch898a 4y ago
        That's what I would do, yes. Although I didn't mean to imply that with my previous statement. The closed border approach would be to somehow erect a barrier that lessens the ability for them to consume CBP resources between ports of entry.
  - lenkite 4y ago
    Sorry, but you really need to listen to what Trump actually said instead of listening to his stuff filtered by the media. He definitely did say that the wall would help stop drugs. Even DEA law-enforcement agreed with him that it would help. And yes, there is a significant amount of drug trafficking carried out by people crossing the border. Whether they are "true" migrants or "cartel employed" is irrelevant. https://cis.org/Arthur/Yuma-Reveals-How-Migrant-Surge-Has-Fueled-Americas-Drug-Crisis https://cis.org/Arthur/Yuma-Reveals-How-Migrant-Surge-Has-Fu... "..they'll build fentanyl shops inside the USA..." US law-enforcement would love this to happen. Damn easy to get a court order and bust up. Damn easy to setup informants to reveal such locations. Its like comparing peanut impacts versus asteriod impacts. You solve the critical asteroid problem first. The peanuts don't really make any significant difference.

galaxyLogic 4y ago

Drugs are smuggled from Mexico to US. And GUNS are smuggled from US to Mexico. It's a bit ironic isn't it? The reason Mexican cartels can hold so much power is not only the dollars they get from US in return for drugs, but also the assault rifles they get from US, in return for dollars. "... Mexico — which has just one gun store and issues fewer than 50 gun permits a year " https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/08/25/american-guns-help-arm-mexican-drug-cartels-including-cjng/5586129001/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/08/25/americ... The war on drugs is great for US gun-manufacturers. US has a drug-problem. Mexico has a cartel-problem. I think Mexico's problem might be worse, because everybody suffers from criminals ruling the country.