Poli 360

The war on drugs is an increasingly international effort that the UN pushes towards every year. Driving towards putting those who traffic illegal substances away for long periods of time, the war on drugs seemingly almost always crosses borders and bounds between many different countries. Although drug trafficking can take many forms and involve a variety of different drugs not only limited to marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines, a serious issue in the international sphere is the transferring of illegal substances using the form of a drug mule. The growing incentive of becoming a drug mule for the quick fix of cash, and the promise of safety and security should be a grave concern to world governments and leaders. As extremist powers such as ISIS are coming into power at a quick rate, the future is weary as to what incentives people could be provided with, or coerced with, into committing acts far more serious than transporting drugs. Drug trafficking can lead to a major concern of coercion into human trafficking when in regards to drug mules.

In November of 2013, a fellow high school graduate and co-track athlete of mine had his name appear across the local news headlines. The headlines read “Young Canadian Resident facing drug smuggling charges in Melbourne.” With a street value of almost five million dollars, the forty kilograms of heroin that was seized from his luggage once he touched down from China in Melbourne rocked the community as well as his family with dismay. The family assumed him to have left travelling Asia on a journey of self-growth, only to be shocked with the phone call from Australia letting them know what his situation really was. I was personally completely thrown off guard hearing the news of Tyrell. He had been a strong track athlete and I had spent time with him at house parties, on lunch breaks, as well as competing alongside him in track events. It’s astonishing to think that someone I once stood beside, now faced life imprisonment, the toughest sentence Australia offered. Further knowledge spread around my hometown about what he was offered as a drug mule, and that in exchange for the heroin he would carry from China to Australia, he would receive a free flight to Australia and a couple thousand dollars. Further looking into the topic of drug trafficking, and drug mules, it is evident that it is a global crisis in the international community that needs to be addressed as a security concern.

Many countries struggle with the enforcement of drug bans. Countries with weak criminal justice and law enforcement systems such as El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala have all seen gangs and drug cartels step into their countries and take over systems because of the lack of capacity for the government to deal with the influx of violence and crime. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has commissioned three separate conventions and treaties as part of an international effort to put a damper on the spread of drugs and the crimes that follow suite because of them. The first comes from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and is labelled the Single Convention of Narcotic Drugs. A quote taken from the website of the organization states “This Convention aims to combat drug abuse by coordinated international action. There are two forms of intervention and control that work together. First, it seeks to limit the possession, use, and trade in, distribution, import, export, manufacture and production of drugs exclusively to medical and scientific purposes. Second, it combats drug trafficking through international cooperation to deter and discourage drug traffickers.” The second treaty within the UNODC is the Convention on Psychotropic Substances which states “The Convention establishes an international control system for psychotropic substances. It responded to the diversification and expansion of the spectrum of drugs of abuse and introduced controls over a number of synthetic drugs according to their abuse potential on the one hand and their therapeutic value on the other.” The third and final UNODC treaty is the UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988 which defines its duties as “provides comprehensive measures against drug trafficking, including provisions against money laundering and the diversion of precursors chemicals. It provides for international cooperation through, for example, extradition of drug traffickers, controlled deliveries and transfer of proceedings.” These treaties are all part of an international effort to limit and criminalize the possession, use, trade, and distribution of drugs outside of medical and scientific purposes.

Many countries have adapted differently to the UN conventions, hence why Australia might sentence someone whom is trafficking drugs to life in prison whereas the United States might instead opt to send one to a drug rehabilitation program. The United Kingdom for instance, bases their sentencing off a classification system that sets out criminal penalties based on the classification of the drug. One substance may see a sentence to life in prison, whereas a lower class of drug may only see a maximum of fourteen years.

Although becoming a drug mule may not be a choice for everyone, those who do it for the quick cash and opportunity such as my fellow high school alumni often don’t consider the consequences that could ensue. If the drugs being trafficked with a drug mule aren’t stored within suitcases or on extremities of the body, capsules are made, and up to 80-120 capsules or 1.2kg in drugs are often swallowed into the body for the duration of the travel. Becoming a drug mule isn’t a choice for everyone though, and the UNODC offers insight into the life of the international drug mule that has either been sold into the business or was forced. Stating that drug trafficking is often linked to human trafficking, many victims are forcefully sold into the business and compelled to ferry drugs across international borders. The victims are made to swallow balloons containing illicit drugs and then are transported to their destinations. Not only is there a danger getting caught by authorities, but drug mules also face the risk of the illicit drugs breaking within their bodily system, which almost always causes immediate death. A problem that often arises is differentiating between those that are forced into human trafficking and those that choose to lead this lifestyle because of the incentive of money. Many of those who are caught as a drug mule cry wolf and claim they were forced into it. If human trafficking is not enough of a global concern already, when coupled with the capabilities drug trafficking is able to escape with every year, the UN and governments across the world need to step up their initiatives in tackling this problem.

Although I grieve at the decision my fellow student made, and the ten-year sentence he received between serving two years in Australia, and eight years back in Canada, the decision to participate in illicit activities was in his own hands. It is scary to consider that the incentive of cash and a free trip could compel someone to risk spending their life in prison, or in some cases such as in Malaysia, Singapore, or Thailand, capital punishment. Governments need to ask themselves how far people are willing to go to risk their freedom, and their lives when offered a higher price point incentive or other things they may find beneficial to add to their lives. And ultimately, when groups get a hold of people who are willing to participate in illegal activities such as how drug commissioners do, the possibilities are frightening. With the amount of terrorist extremist groups on the rise, the transport of illegal weapons, drugs, and human trafficking across borders could reach new heights in coming time if world governments don’t put a stop to it.