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Edited on Sun Jun-17-07 04:44 PM by rodeodance
The Atlantic Monthly | July/August 2007 The Agenda The World In Numbers
Snow Fall
Attacking cocaine at its source was meant to drive up prices, yet U.S. street dealers are selling it for less than ever.
by Ken Dermota
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If the four-year slog in Iraq seems endless, consider this: The “war on drugs,” begun by Richard Nixon, escalated under Ronald Reagan, and continued by every president since, is now in its 37th year. In this long struggle, the past few months have been especially fruitful. In March, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a freighter off Panama laden with 20 tons of cocaine, in the largest maritime bust ever. That was followed in April by Colombian authorities’ seizure of a 15-ton cache most likely awaiting shipment to Mexico.
Of course, the good news is soured by the fact that cocaine production remains robust enough to allow shipment in 20-ton batches. The Coast Guard would need to repeat its recent haul about every two weeks to intercept all the cocaine that Colombia sends north, and there’s no guarantee traffickers wouldn’t just ship more to make up for the losses, as they have always done. .................... The rest of this article is viewable only by Atlantic subscribers. If you are not yet a subscriber, please consider subscribing online now. In addition to receiving a full year (ten issues) of the print magazine at a rate far below the newsstand price, you will be granted instant access to everything The Atlantic Online has to offer—including this article!
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