International heroin trafficking patterns and enforcement

International heroin trafficking is a major problem for Drug Enforcement Agencies across the United States and throughout the world. For during the years 1997 to 2001 the FBI Offices in Chicago, Detroit, New York and Newark along the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Customs Service, Immigration and Naturalization Service, United States Secret Service, United States Postal Inspectors, the British Customs Service, as well as state and local authorities combined the resources of three separate investigations to jointly target a major international heroin trafficking organization primarily made up of individuals of Nigerian descent." (FBI, 2009)

Arrests made in the international heroin trafficking ring included those as follows:

(1) in Detroit, the investigation identified five individuals who were arranging heroin shipments to Detroit addresses by package courier services. These shipments were paid for through Western Union wire transfers to New York and Thailand. These five members of the organization were also dealing with members in New York and Chicago;

(2) in Newark, 11 members of the organization were found to be importing Southeast Asian heroin through express air shipping companies from Africa, Asia, and Europe. In addition, money, fraudulent documents, and other contraband were being shipped to and from Newark by these individuals. These 11 were also closely associated with members in New York and Chicago, and with an organization that manufactured fraudulent documents for Nigerian criminals in the Newark area;

(3) an additional 11 members of the organization were identified in Chicago and discovered to be importing heroin into Chicago from Thailand, also using air courier services. Through the Chicago investigation, additional members of the organization in New York, Detroit, Dallas, and London were identified; and (4) the investigation revealed that the leaders and organizers of this criminal enterprise were from Mushin, Nigeria. In all, 23 individuals were charged in both federal and state courts, resulting in 19 arrests in Chicago, Newark, New York, Detroit, New Orleans, Dallas, Europe, and Thailand. All 19 of those arrested were convicted, and the remaining four are international fugitives believed to be hiding in West Africa. The investigation also led to the seizure of more than 100 kilograms of heroin." (FBI, 2009)

II. History of International Heroin Trafficking

It was reported in the work of Hopsicker (2010) entitled: "The Ultimate Hedge? Venice Airport has 60-Year-History of Drug Trafficking" that an investigation that was related to a sale of the former Huffman Aviation has resulted in the discovery of "an explosive secret at the heart of an otherwise unremarkable aviation facility." (Hopsicker, 2010, p.1) Huffman Aviation was formerly known as the Venice Army Air Field and was home to the World War II Stateside operations and is reported to have been a method of funneling money via proceeds from the sale of heroin on an international basis focused toward supporting a Chinese warlord who is described as "corrupt…whose army, even after its defeat, hung on to a loin's share of Southeast Asian real estate now known as the "Golden Triangle." (Hopsicker, 2010, p.1) an examination of newspaper clips across contemporary times demonstrate that the Venice Airport has a history that is "extraordinary…" and which spans a total of six decades being the "scene of covert activities including "…gunrunning, international heroin and cocaine trafficking, and being used as a launch pad for coups in the Caribbean and Central America." (Hopsicker, 2010, p.1)

Heroin trafficking is stated to be that which funded the Chinese warlord 'Chiang Kai-Shek' fund his "civil war against the communist red army not only during but following World War II. It is reported that Chiang Kai-Shek's men were funded by the CIA and that they were the "foot soldiers of Asia's drug armies…Hundreds of tons of opium and heroin…were carried on these CIA flights.

II. Heroin: The Facts

Heroin is a drug that is highly addictive in nature and that acts rapidly. Heroin is derived from opium. The appearance of opinion varies dramatically however; it is generally sold as an off white powder. The whiter the heroin the more powerful the drug. It is reported that heroin is used by individuals of all ages and that there are approximately 3,091, 000 U.S. residents over the age of 12 who have used heroin "at least once in their lifetime." (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2009, p.1) Heroin use among high school students is stated to be of particular concern and specifically reported is that approximately two percent of high school seniors have used heroin at least one time and that of those who have used heroin while in high school, approximately fifty percent have injected the drug.

Heroin may be injected, smoked or snorted. Many believe that smoking the drug will not lead to addiction however this is simply untrue. It is reported that both new and experienced users are at risk of overdosing on heroin since the purity of the heroin is an unknown.

The following table lists the street names for Heroin.

Figure 1

Street names for Heroin

Big H

Boy

Capital H

China white

Chiva

Dead on arrival

Diesel

Dope

Eighth

Good H

H

Hell dust

Horse

Junk

Mexican horse

Mud

Poppy

Smack

Thunder

Train

White junk

Source: National Drug Intelligence Center, 2009, p.1

Heroin is an illegal drug and is a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act. As well Schedule I drugs are known to have a high potential for abuse and to serve no legitimate medical purpose.

The price of heroin is addressed in a report that states the following drug prices for heroin in the United Kingdom:

Heroin (per bag/gram)

10/43

11/50

-/52

Source: Transform Drug Policy Foundation (2010)

It is reported that a Columbian shipment of 350 kilograms of high-grade heroin was valued at $35 million. (Tsai, 2007, p.1) it is stated that in the recent bust "Operation Jacket Racket, the 350 kilograms of heroin referred to bricks that are 60% to 70% pure. And $35 million refers to its wholesale value in the area where it was expected to be distributed. The DEA tends to give wholesale rather than retail estimates, since the agency usually makes arrests in the middle of the sales chain." (Tsai, 2007, p.1)

The Presidential Directive for Heroin Control Policy states that the efforts" against production and trafficking of heroin are guided by the Presidents heroin control policy." (PDD 44, 1995) Additionally reported is that according to Jane E. Becker, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, as the basis for developing a comprehensive heroin strategy PDD-44 [the "heroin PDD"]: "… international heroin control is a major foreign policy objective and that we are to develop programs that complement domestic efforts and blunt the potential impact of the international trade on our interests." (PDD 44, 1995) Specifically stated is that PDD 44 provides direction for: