Illegal Trade, Drugs

Categorizing Illegal Drugs

The contemporary transnational trade in illegal drugs can be examined in several ways. The drugs may be grouped into four primary categories: opiates, cocaine, amphetamine-type stimulants, and cannabis. Alternatively, the illegal drug trade can be categorized by regions of the world, as many drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) use the same drug trafficking route to move more than one type of product. Finally, although less commonly, the DTOs can be examined to gain understanding of production cycles and distribution methods.

Although studies agree that cannabis is the most popular illegal substance in terms of the global consumer market, there is a question as to whether the drug can be labeled transnational. The United Nations declined to classify marijuana and related substances as transnational criminal products because their consumption is usually confined to what is available through local domestic production. However, the U.S. Department of Justice identifies Mexican DTOs as key producers and traffickers of cannabis, even when the actual plants are grown within the continental United States. Additionally, based on drug seizure evidence put forth by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Canada and Mexico are also major marijuana producer countries.

According to analysts, two illegal drugs most widely trafficked on a transnational level are heroin and cocaine. Opiates (heroin, morphine, and opium) possibly rank as the most trafficked substance because poppy cultivation for opium spans four regions: North America (Mexico), South America (Colombia), southeastern Asia (Myanmar), and southwestern Asia (Afghanistan). Estimates suggest that, in 2009, Afghanistan was the source of almost 90% of the world's opiates, although Mexico and Myanmar are also considered to be top production countries.

Cocaine, on the other hand, is produced from coca plants grown exclusively in the Andean region: Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. The drug takes the form of either cocaine HCL (hydrochloride) or products that use the powder as a base and are commonly referred to as crack. As the Andean region is the only area where coca leaves are grown with sufficient alkaloid to be turned into the drug, product tends to move from its point of origin to transit areas in Central America and Mexico, where Mexican traffickers move it to its point of sale. Large-scale eradication efforts in Latin America have curtailed cocaine production but only to a limited degree. Additionally, some groups advocate against eradication, arguing that aerial spraying harms legitimate farmers and creates additional environmental hazards. On a global scale, the illicit opiate and cocaine markets are the two most problematic in terms of links to organized crime. Regarding consumption, the United States is often regarded as the number one consumer of cocaine, whereas the largest percentage of trafficked heroin is usually considered to be destined for western Europe. Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATSs) are synthetic drugs that can be broken down into two subgroups: amphetamines (such as methamphetamine) and ecstasy (MDMA). ATSs are found across the globe because they have few production requirements outside of precursor chemicals. Studies consider the number of clandestine ATS labs on the rise, although recent efforts to clamp down on precursor chemical distribution, namely, pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, have prompted a secondary illegal market for ATS producers. The inherently independent nature of the ATS production cycle especially lends itself to criminal groups in developing countries, as regulatory control of precursor chemicals is often weak and easily concealed labs make enforcement difficult. According to 2010 data compiled by the United Nations, the only region of the globe not known for production of ATSs is Africa.

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