NCJ Number
111944
Date Published
1988
Length
399 pages
Annotation
Based on court documents, police reports, newspaper accounts and those involved in the drug trade and in local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies, this book examines the powerful criminal organizations that control the profitable Colombian cocaine trade.
Abstract
The rise and operations of a powerful drug cartel are recounted from the cultivation of coca in the jungles of South America to street deals in Miami. The strategies used to smuggle drugs and elude high technology interdiction efforts are described by those involved in trafficking. The efficient marketing organization and its workings are examined through accounts by drug dealers, hit men, and money lauderers. The corrupting effects of the large profits involved are highlighted in the investigation and prosecution of police in the Miami River Police Department, Florida, as well as in accounts of drug involvement of high officials in Colombia, the Bahamas, and Panama. The Reagan administration's 'war on drugs' policy and reasons for its failure also are elucidated. Index, endnotes, and photographs.