Drug Violence in Latin America By Victor Sandoval INTB

Drugs and Violence Drug consumption can lead to acts of violence Directly through the effects of the drug Indirectly as a means of acquiring money to feed the habit As a part of drug trafficking Drugs lead to less individual violence than alcohol

The Major Drug Trafficking Organizations Los Zetas Los Zetas are the biggest cartel in terms on geographic reach Based in Laredo, Nuevo Leon Areas of influence include Veracruz, Chihuahua and Oaxaca Sinaloa Cartel Operates 16 states while Los Zetas operate 17, but they still remain more powerful because they have been around longer

Drug Cartels

Drug Routes

Latin America Latin America is a crucial geographic zone for drug trafficking The world’s main cocaine producers are: Colombia (accounts 45% of cocaine production) Peru (accounts for 35-40% of cocaine production) Bolivia (accounts for 15-20% of cocaine production) The principal corridors for transporting drugs to the United States and Europe Central America Mexico The Caribbean

2010 Global Homicides CountryCountRate Belize Costa Rica El Salvador4, Guatemala5, Honduras6, Nicaragua Panama The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) made a first-ever Global Study on Homicide This chart shows the number of homicides (count) and the rate of homicides per 100,000 people in the population of individual nations around the globe. Honduras had the highest homicide rate at 82.1 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Mexican Drug Trafficking Mexican Drug Traffickers are estimated to be worth $13 billion a year. As much as 90% of all cocaine consumed in the U.S. arrives from Mexico Turf wars between regional cartels have led to widespread violence in Mexico Approximately 70,000 people have been killed in drug- related violence since 2006

Solutions to the Violence In efforts to take away the power from the huge drug trafficking organizations, many activists have tried convincing politicians to legalize drugs Marijuana legalization efforts have gained momentum across the Americas in recent years In the US the states that have succeeded to pass the law Washington State Colorado

Video Ethan Nadelmann is the director of the Drug Policy Alliance and in this video he discusses solutions to the violence unleashed in Latin America as a result of the drug war.

Uruguay On August 1, 2013, a bill passed in Uruguay to fully legalize the use of marijuana Uruguay is close to being the first country to legalize this drug Under the legislation, Uruguay’s government would license growers, sellers and consumers, and update confidential registry to keep people from buying more than 40 grams a month. This law would allow citizens to grow up to six plants in their home Legal sales of marijuana would be restricted to Uruguayan citizens in an effort to prevent drug tourism