By Land, Sea, or Air? A Comparative Analysis of Cartel Smuggling Strategies: Drugs and Cocaine, Subs, Panga Go-Fast Boats and Container Vessels, Cars, Big Rigs, and Tunnels, Human Mule Packers

This report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. Cartels are known for their innovative smuggling techniques, across land, sea, or air, which allow them to clandestinely transport drugs across any point of entry into the United States. With this in mind, it is worth asking: why do cartels choose a certain drug smuggling technique over another, which domain is more commonly used and potentially more successful, and what sorts of structural changes would it take to shift from one method or domain to another? When seeking answers, there are several things to take into consideration: law enforcement is limited in funding, personnel, and assets, which creates endless smuggling opportunities for cartels. Additionally, cartels exploit weak law enforcement and judicial systems, as well as corrupt officials in several countries throughout South and Central America and the Caribbean. Even though cartels sometimes fail, their persistence and motivation are what cause them to be successful. The last consideration is money, which is the main driving factor that causes cartels to switch from one domain to another, or from one method to another. The end result stands firm: cartels benefit most and are more successful using methods in the land domain, specifically tunnels.

I. INTRODUCTION * A. MAJOR RESEARCH QUESTION * B. LITERATURE REVIEW * 1. How Has Smuggling Evolved? * 2. The Research on Land Drug Smuggling * 3. Maritime Drug Smuggling * 4. Air Drug Smuggling * 5. Debate on Which Domain Is More Successful or Most Efficient * C. THEORY * D. RESEARCH DESIGN * II. THE LAND DOMAIN OF DRUG SMUGGLING * A. THE RISKS OF DRUG TRAFFICKING ENFORCEMENT: ORIGIN AND DESTINATION INSTITUTIONS * B. HISTORICAL METHODS OF LAND SMUGGLING * C. THE BENEFITS OF CURRENT METHODS OF LAND SMUGGLING * D. SEEING LIKE A CARTEL: THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF LAND SMUGGLING * 1. Potential Profit via Personal Vehicles * 2. Big Rigs and Big Profits? * 3. The Underground World of Smuggling * 4. The Human Mule Packers and Drug Enforcement * E. ESTIMATING COCAINE FLOWS THROUGH OVERLAND ROUTES * F. ANALYSIS * G. CONCLUSION * III. THE SEA DOMAIN OF DRUG SMUGGLING * A. DRUG TRAFFICKING ENFORCEMENT ON THE HIGH SEAS: ORIGIN AND DESTINATION INSTITUTIONS * B. HISTORICAL METHODS OF MARITIME SMUGGLING * C. THE BENEFITS OF CURRENT METHODS OF MARITIME SMUGGLING * D. SEEING LIKE A CARTEL: THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF MARITIME SMUGGLING * 1. Profit on the Horizon? * 2. Fast Boats and Fast Profits * 3. What is in the Box? Container Shipments and Drug Trafficking * E. ESTIMATING COCAINE FLOW THROUGH MARITIME ROUTES * F. ANALYSIS * G. CONCLUSION * IV. THE AIR DOMAIN OF DRUG SMUGGLING * A. DRUG TRAFFICKING ENFORCEMENT IN THE AIR: ORIGIN AND DESTINATION INSTITUTIONS * B. HISTORICAL METHODS OF AIR SMUGGLING * C. THE BENEFITS OF CURRENT METHODS OF AIR SMUGGLING * D. SEEING LIKE A CARTEL: THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF AIR SMUGGLING * 1. Invasion of the Ultralight * 2. Drones: Vehicles of the Future? Or Short Lived Test Platform? * 3. Private Jets to Ghost Fleet * E. ESTIMATING COCAINE FLOW THROUGH AIR SMUGGLING ROUTES * F. ANALYSIS * G. CONCLUSION * V. CONCLUSION * A. SIGNIFICANCE * 1. Why Should the United States Government Care about This Research? * 2. Why Should the United States Military Care about This Research? * 3. Why Should United States Citizens Care about This Research? * 4. Why Should the International Community Care about This Research? * 5. Why Should We as Academics Care about This Research? * B. OVERALL ANALYSIS * C. CAUSES OF SHIFTS IN DOMAIN OR METHOD * D. POLICY ISSUES * E. WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE?