youthathletics wrote: ↑Wed Sep 06, 2023 7:38 am
MDlaxfan76 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 9:38 pm
a fan wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 8:47 pm
youthathletics wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 8:33 pm
a fan wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 8:22 pm
youthathletics wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 8:14 pm
a fan wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 7:05 pm
youthathletics wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2023 6:41 pm
If we can significantly slow the infiltration via south of the border, the precursors will not make it from the US into Mexico and when the precursors do get to Mexico directly, it controls (as best as possible) the trek north in low concentration high volume transport.
How is it you think that chemical precursors are arriving in the US, YA? Some dude wanders through the desert with 100 lbs of chemicals?
I explained that in my reply. The goal is to control what you can control...but hey. We can also follow afans plan....do nothing, b/c well, its coming from china (and India) and we cant stop it.
No, you explained your idea poorly, my man. You're describing what we're already doing, right now.
My reply is directly to Kismet, is answered based on his question. If you don't understand it, that is on you.
Okay.
when some people are asked to explain, and realize they've said something that doesn't make sense, they don't explain, they just accuse the reader of not being smart enough to understand...
I suppose you know more than the DEA and can tell all of US how they also do not understand and can not convey what is going on....
https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files ... ates_0.pdf
Thanks for the sourcing. Interesting map, including #7 indicating precursor flow to the US and then to Mexico for pill production then back to US. That path doesn't make much sense as it's an extra step and creates additional risk of interdiction. That report doesn't indicate scale, but others make clear that most of what Mexico is getting and processing comes direct, not thru the US.
The report (January 2020) indicates what was happening in 2018 and 2020. Presumably the DEA would have targeted that particular flow as easier to interdict on our own soil...though it's also clear that it's the same cartels involved on both sides of the border who are involved...and fentanyl is relatively easy to transport, given size and weight. Because of the extremely high value, this is where the cartels have enormous incentive to increase operations at every possible turn.
Given that was 2018-2019 status I looked for more recent analysis. Found this very recent reporting to congress, though not the interesting map:
https://www.dea.gov/protecting-us-homel ... 20fentanyl.
Here's a more recent one with a similar map, likely based on the earlier one you linked, from the Texas office. They make clear that most of the precursors are flowing from China to Mexico for processing, though some to Canada. They do include a reference to precursors coming through Southwest to Mexico from China.
https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/f ... t%20border.
Here's a comprehensive review of the situation from Brookings:
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/addr ... -epidemic/
Bottomline on all of these, pressure on China to crackdown effectively reduced pill production there, but the trade adapted with pill production in Mexico, and other bad actors in China are increasingly involved in the financing of the trade. Diplomatic problems with China are a challenge, though Chinese authorities are actually sympathetic to the US' issue...but they have so many 'fish to fry' of their own, this gets limited attention.
Mexico has regressed as cartels so intimidate the government, infiltrate law enforcement and terrorize the population that while big case continue to go down in Mexico in cooperation with the DEA the overall flow isn't going to be crushed...there's plenty more we can do with the Mexican government, but unilateral actions inside Mexico would be disastrous. Not a viable option, so we need to find as many ways as we can to work with them.
Most of the US interdictions of significant amounts of fentanyl are at legal ports of entry, the primary mode of entry. Cartels do use human immigrants to carry fentanyl, but most do not carry and most of the traffic comes through legal ports, hidden in containers. And most of that is with US citizens hired by the cartels. This administration is investing in much more detection technology at legal ports and that's expected to catch a lot, but nowhere near enough...just increasing the cost in terms of risk of detection. Good to do, but not enough.
My takeaway is the same as it's been for a bunch of years now. While all sorts of battles against criminal networks should be a priority, the real problem is demand. There's simply way, way too much profit in the trade of the most powerful and dangerous drugs to expect criminal enforcement to stop it.
I see only decriminalization and regulation of drug use with a corresponding and coordinated major investment in addiction healthcare as being able to put a big dent into the demand side. Much safer opioid availability in controlled, regulated settings, with required addiction support can reduce the scourge and avoid the death and destruction. Most opioid deaths are caused by users getting a bad batch with unexpected potency.
Keep nailing the illegal drug networks increasing their costs, while taking away their profit incentives.
I did and do agree with lots of things Trump 