250 word responses for each numbered post. One citation per
250 word responses for each numbered post. One citation per post, APA 6th) 500 words total and 2 references total.1.The Threat Assessment promulgated by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime was conducted in order to inform the international community of the global impact of Afghan Opiates. It also covers the flow of opiates and those chemicals that are essential to make heroin. The assessment made troublesome discoveries in the consumption of opiates world-wide and how developing countries such as Africa, which are not properly equipped to treat drug users are being used as way stations for Afghan heroin into Europe and North America (THE GLOBAL AFGHAN OPIUM TRADE, 2011). The threat assessment findings also reveal areas that need to be fortified in order to reduce the flows of heroin and other illicit narcotics through borders. For instance, vulnerable points such as the shared Afghan border with Baluchistan Province of Pakistan which could be strengthened by increasing personnel and monitoring, x-ray machines that can search shipping containers without slowing down port entries of goods which could result in economy impacts. That being said, weakening the supply root and trafficking itself is not, drug smuggling has left billions all over the world addicted, which is where treatment and care to support drug users enabling them to stem away from their habit is as vital to reducing the demand for drugs. All in all, the threat assessment is imperative to understand where developing countries need interventions that are most likely to be successful and where bordering countries and those nations being affected can step in and contribute to the research effort and its application.Organized crime groups gain their reputation through the manipulation of political officials and territories through threats and force (Albanese, 2004). By threatening the life of political officials and their families they corrupt them in order achieve the desired domination. Organized crime itself has been a difficult term to define, however, it is mostly concerned with profiting from illegal activities such as human trafficking, drug trafficking and use of threats or force against political officials and law enforcement. Some of the different transnational organized crime groups are Sicilian Cosa Nostra, the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta and Asian organized crime groups just to mention some. A region with a history of criminal activity and low economic standing remains to be more vulnerable to a monopolized organized crime group that can serve to protect the region seeking power in return. The typologies of the organized crime groups also pose great significance as they shape the type of harm depending on the type of activity. For instance, infiltration of legitimate businesses that is exploited cause violence, extortion, and economic harm. While consensual activities such as gambling, lending, sex, narcotics and stolen property do not necessarily cause any inherent violence. The Asian organized crime group which have been spotted mainly in Canada, are mainly composed of street gangs that engage in drug trafficking or perform criminal activities for more sophisticated organized crime groups. In which case, makes the organization as less cohesive one that does not incorporate strict recruiting standards or complex operations for that matter. Yet, Asian groups do conduct much of the same illicit activities, such as drug, firearm, and human trafficking (Albanese, 2004).2.A study conducted on 51 metropolitan areas throughout the US ranked each city for substance abuse based on the percentage of the population who has used that drug and ranked them based on that cumulative rate. For this week’s question I have chosen to focus on Omaha. Nebraska due to its unique location which make it a high-intensity drug trafficking area for transportation of methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana from the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel. The Omaha Metro Drug Task Force reported that Mexican “Ice” methamphetamine poses the greatest threat to the community, in that it is easy to obtain, is the drug of choice, and seems to have an primary unity with violence and property crimes. Cocaine is frequently converted into crack cocaine, which is often associated with violent crimes in Omaha (Nebraska Drug Control Update, 2013). According to the study, Omaha has the highest rate of heroin use in the country, and ranks third in methamphetamine and cocaine use as well (“Highest Drug Use By City | Substance Abuse Statistics,” 2019). Meth in particular has been an explosive drug in the city where it is estimated that meth factors into more Nebraska child welfare cases than any other drug. Parents of nearly one in three Nebraska foster children use meth (Stoddard & Alamdari, 2017). To combat such high demands and use after federal government passed laws restricting sales of pseudoephedrine, a decongestant and key meth-making ingredient and the law now require pseudoephedrine to be kept behind pharmacy counters. LB 237 was also enacted in April 2011, calling for the creation of a statewide prescription drug monitoring program in Nebraska.Buyers must show identification and are logged in a statewide database. Collaboration with other agencies has also been a step taken, which in 2016 led to a drug bust that resulted in 64 people being arrested. Those who are caught smuggling drugs can face up to life imprisonment under state and federal law, which has been used a deterring factor that instead of causing cases to slow down, has not impacted high drug availability or demands. The Federal Government has also provided funding to help Nebraska in their efforts to reduce drug use and its consequences, for instance the Department of Housing and Urban Development was given $6,129,589 to support shelters and housing programs in FY2012 and Drug Abuse and Addiction Research Programs were granted $9,254,946 (Nebraska Drug Control Update, 2013).Overall, Nebraska has implementations in place such as enforcement task force teams in place to specifically focus on the drug threat. It also has intelligence centers that offer the technology necessary to develop and share technology with law-enforcement agencies. Overall, the state appears to have an influx of resources appropriately designated to provide enhancements to law enforcement, forensic laboratory, and prosecution capabilities to impact critical drug markets, reduce drugs availability, coordinate regional intelligence efforts, improve intelligence sharing, and increase officer safety.ReferencesAlbanese, J. S. (2004). North American organised crime. 6(1), 8–18. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/1744057042000297945Highest drug use by city | Substance abuse statistics. (2019). Retrieved from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/learn/substan…Nebraska drug control update. (2013). Retrieved from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default…Stoddard, M., & Alamdari, N. (2017, October 9). As nation faces opioid epidemic, in Nebraska and Iowa, meth is still the “No. 1 threat” | Crime & Courts | omaha.com. Retrieved from https://www.omaha.com/news/crime/as-nation-faces-o…The global afghan opium trade. (2011). Retrieved from https://edge.apus.edu/access/content/attachment/42…
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