The Inner City Drug Problem
...United States are said to be a horrible gangland full of murder, prostitution, and drugs. While this description is overblown in some cases, the inner city definitely resembles the definition given. Inner cities across the country are havens for gangs and the activities that keep them financially viable: prostitution, robbery, and drugs. The focus of this paper will deal with the problem of drugs in the inner city. Rejecting a broad definition of “drugs,” that includes alcohol, cigarettes, and legal prescription drugs, I will be concentrating on the illicit “street drugs” that proliferate in the inner cities of the United States. In particular, this paper will deal with the inner city drug problem in the Chicago area.
According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration,
“Chicago is the major transportation hub and distribution center for illegal drugs throughout the Midwest, due to its geographic location and multi-faceted transportation infrastructure. Commercial trucks, passenger vehicles, package delivery services, air packages or couriers, and railways are the most common means traffickers use to transport drugs into Chicago. The majority of the investigations conducted by the Division target one of the following drug trafficking groups: Mexico-based poly-drug organizations, Colombian cocaine and heroin trafficking organizations, and Nigerian/West African groups trafficking in Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin. Chicago-based street gangs such as the Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, and Latin Kings control the distribution and retail sale of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Most law enforcement agencies in Illinois cite the violent crime associated with gang- related drug trafficking as the most serious criminal threat to the state. Violent crime associated with street gangs, while declining in some major urban areas, is...
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