FeedAnother expensive and futile gesture in the War on Drugs
April 30, 2006 in The Wire
Here is the scorecard from last-week’s state-wide drug arrest sweep:
Statewide, last week’s operation resulted in 327 arrests, 424 criminal charges filed and the seizure of 252 marijuana plants, 106 pounds of processed pot, 1/4 pound of crack cocaine, 2 pounds of powder cocaine, 1/4 pound of heroin, 19 ecstasy pills, 298 grams of LSD, 293 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, 300 grams of methamphetamine, 14 guns, nine vehicles and $90,936 in cash.
In addition, nine meth labs were discovered, five drug-endangered children were taken into protective custody, two indoor marijuana growing facilities were found and a lead was determined in an ongoing homicide case. In Oglesby, a father, mother and adult son were arrested and charged with unlawful manufacture of marijuana.
Wow. That’s a lot of arrests. I guess it’s going to be impossible to buy illegal drugs in the state, because a crackdown this massive certainly must have put a bug crimp into the pipeline.
If you think so, I have a bag a magic beans for sale.
I doubt the average crackhead in Peoria spent more than 10 minutes longer than usual finding a place to score a rock, if there was a delay at all.
Folks, the law of supply and demand is universal and applies to the drug world as well. People don’t smoke crack and meth because there are people out there are selling it. People sell crack and meth because people want to buy it. Drug sweeps like this just makes it a riskier business, and therefore much more profitable.
If enforcement like this worked, wouldn’t there be less drugs and fewer drug-financed gangs on the streets? When police brag about these kind of arrests, they are essentially bragging about their own ineffectiveness.
Illinois’s nine MEGs and 13 state police-sponsored drug task forces receive about $4.27 million a year in funding. It’s time to put that money to better use.
April 30th, 2006 at 2:59 pm
What about the 5-10 billion we spend in south america? How does the government expect to win when the cartels can spend 15 to 30 billion? I found a story on google this week about another submarine they found that was built for a cartel by ex-russian engineers. That and oh yea….we only check 2 out of every 100 cargo containers that come in the country.
May 1st, 2006 at 9:39 am
It is amazing to me how the failure of the war on drugs mirrors Prohibition in 1920s America. I mean, cocaine was legal once upon a time was not the issue it is today. I, too, would rather see enforcement money being channeled into prevention efforts and rehab, rather than unsuccessful enforcement efforts.
May 1st, 2006 at 10:10 am
I feel for the law enfocement people that work their butts off to try and get every bit of drugs off the street as possible only to be hampered by the same system that they are trying to protect. Ask any officer and I bet you would hear the same complaint out of them - The penalites aren’t severe enough! Its not a failure in the enforcement efforts but rather the penalities. Drug dealers know this and it makes perfect sense to them to keep on business as usual. If they are caught - they can be back on the streets in a minimal amount of time. We need to crack down on those who are afraid to properly prosecute these criminals
May 1st, 2006 at 11:58 am
Bill, wouldn’t you agree that the best hope of law enforcement is to “keep it down to a dull roar”? If these raids keep the druggies heads down for a bit then they served their purpose, IMHO.
May 1st, 2006 at 2:32 pm
I’m not blaming the police. They do not write the laws they are called upom to enforce. Granted, they are sometimes mreo enthusiastic abotu some laws than others, but they usually follow the cues sent to them by the politicians.
Folks: If ever person who has violated any law within the past five years were to be jailed for the minimum sentence stated in the criminal code, the majority of the population would be in prison.
We have more laws than what we beed because the first thing a politician does to prove he’s “doing something” if get a law passed.