research paper draft

INTRODUCTION

Aviation smuggling really began in the 1970s when large amounts of drugs were being shipped into the United States from many States located in South and Central America. Much of the money that was earned unlawfully through drug runs was, and still is, thought to be the main finances of all terrorism throughout the world. Under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) the in-flight security officers or ‘air marshals’ (IFSOs) have continued to train their employees to identify drug traffickers and put a stop to the use of civil aircraft, whether commercial or private, transporting illegal drugs. Annex 9 states that, “ICAO wants the individual states to facilitate narcotics control with regards to civil aviation.” Each nation is granted authority to prosecute all perpetrators caught in their State. Smuggling illegal materials has taken shape using many different forms of aircraft. It is important for law enforcement and the Federal Aviation Administration to continue developing new technology that will catch these criminals before they are able to successfully accomplish their mission. New laws allow the Federal Aviation Administration to confiscate an aircraft that is involved in smuggling. This has put new pressure on the owners of aircraft to ensure that when leasing or lending their aircraft to others they understand exactly what the plane is being used for. It is imperative that we are able to dissect all the different aspects of a smuggling operation to really understand what makes them successful before we are able to stop them from continuing to grow and earn illegal money. (Fidel, 1989)

SMUGGLING IN AVIATION

Illegal acts of smuggling can affect not only the pilot’s career and future, but also the owner of the aircraft. It is important that an owner understands, when leasing out his/her aircraft to someone that they know exactly where the aircraft is going and what it will be used for. If caught performing illegal acts the aircraft could be confiscated with no questions being asked. The 1984 Drug Act focuses on the financial compensation an owner and pilot make while smuggling by using their certificates under a legitimate business. This act gave the Federal Aviation Administration the authority to revoke a registration certificate and suspend all of the pilot’s licenses. Prior to this act there were many aircraft accidents that occurred and illegal drugs were found onboard. (Kearns, 2018). The owner and pilot suffered no consequences for their actions because the Federal Aviation Administration felt they had no right to take any steps to penalize them in any form. Congressman Mineta, House sponsor of the legislation and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation stated, “Many aircraft used in drug smuggling are stolen from innocent owners. Some are never recovered. Other stolen aircraft are recovered only after being involved in an accident or being seized by the United Stated foreign authorities. (Bullock, 2018). The same problems of theft and damage are faced by legitimate owner who unknowingly rent airplanes to drug smugglers.”

REFERENCES

Bullock, P. (2018, April 10). New Times Investigation: Drug traffickers are buying up planes in