By Zaldy Dandan – Variety Editor
THE Wall Street Journal reported recently that “America Loves Cocaine Again” as “Mexico’s New Drug King Cashes In.” The Trump administration’s “war” on fentanyl has created an opening for “El Señor Mencho” to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. by the ton, the Journal added.
How did 59-year-old Nemesio “Mencho” Osguerra become the new drug king of Mexico? Simple. According to the Journal, “Mexico’s top fentanyl traffickers got caught in the crosshairs of the Trump administration, which promised to eradicate the synthetic opioid. The crackdown has left an open field for [Mencho’s cartel] and its lucrative cocaine trade, elevating Oseguera to No. 1.”
Take note that over half a century after declaring a war on drugs, the U.S. remains the world’s largest and most lucrative market for illegal drugs.
“Cocaine sold in the U.S. is cheaper and as pure as ever for retail buyers,” the Journal reported.
“Consumption in the western U.S. has increased 154% since 2019 and is up 19% during the same period in the eastern part of the country, according to the drug-testing company Millennium Health. In contrast, fentanyl use in the U.S. began to drop in mid-2023 and has been declining since, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
In other words, you crack down on one drug and another one rears its head. It’s like playing whack a mole but with fatal outcomes.
“Oseguera, who grew up poor selling avocados, is making a killing from cocaine buyers in the U.S. His cartel transports the addictive powder by the ton from Colombia to Ecuador and then north to Mexico’s Pacific coast via speedboats and so-called narco subs.” The cartel will then ferry “tons of cocaine and record amounts of methamphetamine into the U.S. through…tunnels….”
As Don King would put it, “Only in America.”
The feds have a $15 million bounty on Oseguerra, “but he rarely leaves his mountain compound, according to authorities. Few photos of him circulate. The cadre of men protecting Oseguera, known as the Special Force of the High Command, carry RPG 7 heat-seeking, shoulder-fired rocket launchers capable of piercing a tank, people familiar with cartel operations said. Visitors to the drug lord’s stronghold are hooded before they embark on the six-hour car trip through terrain sown with land mines, those people said. Locations of the pressure-activated explosives are known only by members of Oseguera’s inner circle.”
None of the fictional drug lords we know from famous U.S. movies and TV shows can hold a candle to Oseguerra.
Meanwhile, the war on drugs — which, unbeknown to many, has already been won by drugs — continues, with its negative repercussions, spectacular failures, and absolute waste of lives and resources.
The war remains popular, but it is not the only option. Other approaches have been tried in various countries with promising outcomes. The central objective should be to reframe the issue from a matter of public safety to one of public health.
In the case of the U.S., “piecemeal” decriminalization within only one jurisdiction is unlikely to be effective. (See Portland.) Among other consequences, the jurisdiction could be overwhelmed by users migrating from other areas in search of more tolerant policies.
Decriminalization must be nationwide — and for that to happen, it needs the backing of a significant majority of voters. That, in turn, requires a long-term public education effort by those who understand that continued prohibition will only increase the potencies and impurities of illegal drugs and, sooner or later, corrupt law enforcement. (See Mexico — and the Philippines.)
Speaking of the P.I., after six years of waging a highly popular (and dirty) war on illegal drugs, President Rodrigo “Shoot Now, Ask Later” Duterte was succeeded by someone who, he claims, snorted cocaine. Narcotic use remains a major concern, and Metro Manila remains a primary hub for drug syndicates.
In the CNMI, if you compare today’s news headlines with those from 30 or so years ago, the meth situation has improved — or at least it’s not as rampant as it was back in the days when it seemed that “everyone,” including very prominent people and government officials, was smoking “ice.” Back then, many beach parties were meth-fueled gatherings, Yakuza drug pushers were much feared, and the special assistant for drug and substance abuse was a cabinet-level official.
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