week 5 replies
100 words each reply
D1 Reply to fred
· Compare and contrast three current efforts used to fight drug trafficking. Lacher mentions in the reading that the total cost "is around 1.3 billion dollars that goes into drug education and outreach programs"(Lacher, 2021). The first effort that the reading mentioned was a substance abuse prevention and treatment grant. The text states, " this grant uses 370.9 million of the 1.3 billion towards set aside to support prevention services" (Lacher, 2021). The second service that Lacher mentioned was Education Prevention efforts. The reading states, " this program uses 48.9 million of the 1.3 billion dollars to fund this program"(Lacher, 2021). The text defines the prevention efforts as, "These funds help create positive school cli-mates through multitiered decision-making frameworks that guide the selection, integration, and implementation of the best evidence-based behavioral practices"(Lacher, 2021). The third and final effort that I wanted to mention is the substance abuse for veterans. This is described as, ". It provides effective, safe, efficient, recovery-oriented, and compassionate care for veterans with substance use disorders and mental illness"(Lacher, 2021). If I wanted to compare the three, then all three options benefit each other. The overall goal is prevention, and there are multiple programs that benefit that goal in different ways. The three methods I mentioned target different eras. The veteran program is designed for people who got out of the military. They do have ways to connect other people who have not served to other programs that offer similar benefits. Substance Abuse Grant is aimed more towards the establishing a infrastructure for disorder prevention. This is completely different from the other programs because this program focuses more creating answers for people disorders. The second program which is the education effort is different from the others because it focuses mainly on students and their needs.
· I do believe that all of these programs have been extremely beneficial to slowing down our drug issue. I have seen the veteran's services and what they offer the public is more than a program that features drug abuse. For some people its a reminder of who they was. A place where they can go back and get a brief reminder of what they were. I know that doesn't matter to alot of people but for those who served it means everything.
Cited Material
Lacher, D. (2021). Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice Management (2nd ed.). Cognella, Inc.. https://ccis.vitalsource.com/books/811292A
D1 reply to eric
The United States tackles drug trafficking using three main approaches: law enforcement interdiction, collaborative task forces, and programs focused on prevention and treatment. Law enforcement interdiction seeks to cripple the flow of drugs by seizing shipments, securing borders, and capturing those involved in trafficking.
Although U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other agencies work diligently to prevent narcotics, such as fentanyl, from entering the U.S. market, traffickers frequently adapt their routes and methods, thereby diminishing the long-term efficacy of these efforts (CBP, n.d.). Lacher (2021) assumes that while interdiction yields immediate outcomes, it seldom eradicates trafficking entirely.
A subsequent approach involves deploying task forces, exemplified by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, which integrates personnel from multiple agencies. HIDTA emphasizes information sharing and collaboration among federal, state, and local entities to dismantle major trafficking networks rather than focusing solely on individual offenders. This approach has proven effective in disrupting organizations and confiscating drugs and property, yielding superior outcomes compared to uncoordinated enforcement actions (Office of National Drug Control Policy [ONDCP], 2024). Nevertheless, even with collaborative law enforcement initiatives, achieving nationwide decreases in drug availability remains a significant challenge.
The third approach emphasizes preventative and clinical measures to reduce the desire for drugs. Strategies that prioritize public health view drug use as a complex issue involving both social and medical aspects, rather than just a criminal one. Lacher (2021) argues that addressing addiction, poverty, and community conditions is crucial to achieving lasting reductions in drug trafficking. Although it may take longer to yield observable results, research indicates that preventive and treatment programs demonstrate greater long-term efficacy.
In summary, no single strategy has proven fully effective on its own. While continued funding is necessary, resources should be directed toward a comprehensive approach that integrates enforcement with prevention and treatment initiatives to address both supply and demand (Lacher, 2021; ONDCP, 2024).
References
Lacher, D. (2021). Contemporary issues in criminal justice management (2nd ed.). Cognella, Inc.
Office of National Drug Control Policy. (2024). National drug control strategy. https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (n.d.). Frontline against fentanyl. https://www.cbp.gov
D2 reply to aalia
The United States-Mexico border has remained a complex challenge for decades. Its long-term effectiveness as a standalone solution to drug trafficking is limited, given the number of people and legitimate goods that cross the border daily. Lacher (2021) explains that this constant flow creates opportunities for drug trafficking organizations, which exploit multiple smuggling methods, including aircraft, human carriers, pedestrian crossings, routes, rail systems, tunnels, and vehicles (p. 100). Therefore, I do believe securing the U.S.-Mexico border remains a viable option, but not as a standalone solution. Its effectiveness depends on enforcement strategies working together, as Lacher (2021) noted that collaboration with federal, state, local, and Mexican authorities has conducted strikes against drug trafficking organizations by seizing and removing their assets, and coordinating with intelligence agencies, which assist with successful strategies to dismantle this ongoing issue (p. 100). This shows that border security alone cannot eliminate trafficking, but it can disrupt operations, increase costs for criminal organizations, and limit the volume of illicit drugs entering through known transit points.
According to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security (2024), the border security technologies “play a critical role” in interdicting dangerous substances such as fentanyl. It discusses that roughly 13,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the Southwest border in the past year. This shows that when technology supports interdiction efforts, it enables the interception of large quantities of drugs. The committee further elaborates that surveillance towers, unmanned aerial systems, artificial intelligence, and non-intrusive screening equipment enhance real-time monitoring and detection capabilities. These technologies enhance situational awareness and enable more efficient targeting of drug traffickers. Finklea (2020) discussed in the congressional report that most cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl seizures in recent years were confiscated at official ports of entry, suggesting that targeted investments in screening technology and infrastructure at these locations may produce measurable enforcement outcomes.
From these findings, I believe that it will reduce the volume of drugs entering the United States. However, while increased interdiction efforts disrupt trafficking operations and remove significant quantities of drugs from circulation, they may not eliminate the overall supply, as trafficking organizations often adapt by modifying routes or methods. Therefore, securing the border can contribute to measurable reductions in drug flow at specific points of entry, but long-term reduction also depends on addressing demand and international supply networks.
Securing the U.S.-Mexico border would be funded through congressional allocations and federal investment plans focused on border security technology and infrastructure. The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security (2024) explains that increased funding is tied to legislative initiatives, H.R. 2, which highlights detailed investment strategies and incorporates accountability measures to ensure oversight. The Customs and Border Protection Innovation Team has already invested over $120 million in technology development and proposes a five-year investment plan to promote measurable results and long-term planning. Funding would therefore require sustained federal budget allocations, legislative approval, and periodic performance evaluations to ensure that taxpayer resources are used efficiently and produce undeniable enforcement outcomes.
References:
Lacher, D. (2021). Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice Management (2nd ed.). Cognella, Inc.
Finklea, K. (2020, February 7). Illicit drug smuggling between ports of entry and border barriers (CRS Report No. R46218). Congressional Research Service. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R46218
U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Homeland Security. (2024, July 9). Chairmen Higgins, Bishop open joint hearing: Border security technologies “play a critical role” in countering threats, mass illegal immigration. https://homeland.house.gov/2024/07/09/chairmen-higgins-bishop-open-joint-hearing-border-security-technologies-play-a-critical-role-in-countering-threats-mass-illegal-immigration
D2 reply to doug
Our textbook relates in 2018 the federal budget for interdiction was $5 Billion. With more than $3.1 Billion of that going directly to Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) we might have asked ourselves, is this the best use of tax payer money? Fast forward to the current success at the Southern Border I would have to say the question is now mute. The border has been secured, with record low crossings and record low drugs entering into the country it seems the option has become a reality. According to the Homeland Security Council, nationwide border encounters in 2024 decreased by over 91% compared to December 2023. They relate, “The Trump administration’s surge in resources and increase in enforcement measures over the past year have successfully reduced human smuggling at our Southwest border and disincentivized unlawful entry.” (HSC 2026).
Some additional feel good numbers are as follows. In December of 2025 nearly 40,000 pounds of illicit drugs were seized by CBP. The Homeland Security Council also touts nearly 80% of all nationwide drugs seized or otherwise destroyed enroute to America were interdicted at the Southern border or during Maritime Enforcement actions. The Coast Guard is said to have taken more than 510,000 pounds of Cocaine from the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean, that would have undoubtedly wound up smuggled across some portion of our border.
Which answers the next question. I think the facts speak for themselves. Customs and Border Patrol report the lowest number of border encounters in recorded history in the last eight months. We have achieved a closed Southern Border. Along with this closure and the ramped up interdiction in the Caribbean including the use of military tactics, the flow of drugs has been reduced considerably.
The Border Wall construction cost was secured from funding left overfrom the 2021 budget. This money was never allocated to contractors because the new Biden Administration halted its construction but never diverted the funding. When the new administration came in at the beginning of 2025, that money was immediately directed towards a renewed policy of building the wall to secure the border. The Trump Administration also diverted money for Asset Forfeiture money and tariffs. When President Trump stated Mexico would pay for the wall, he was correct. Mexico has had a 5% increase annually on imports into the United States, and continues every year they fail to secure their border as well. His plan is to use the funds from the increased tariffs to support the continuing construction of the SWB wall.
~Doug
Lacher, D. (2021). Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice Management (2nd ed.). Cognella, Inc.. https://ccis.vitalsource.com/books/811292A
Online Article. (2026). Republican Homeland Security Council Border Brief: The Trump Administration Positions Our Borders to Be More Secure Than Ever in 2026. https://homeland.house.gov/2026/01/24/border-brief-the-trump-administration-positions-our-borders-to-be-more-secure-than-ever-in-2026/#:~:text=CBP%20nationwide%20border%20encounters%20in,to%20America%20interdicted%20at%20sea .
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