The Drug Trade

• Americans spend about $60 billion each year on illegal drugs. Historically, cocaine, heroin and marijuana have been the most popular, but now synthetic and designer drugs, like amphetamines and ecstasy, are taking over a larger portion of the market. International drug traffickers usually sell large quantities of controlled substances to gangs or other buyers who then resell the product for additional profit in local U.S. markets. Drug trafficking often leads to gang-related violence, as local dealers fight over the right to sell in a particular area.
  
  

The DEA

• As a federal agency in the U.S. Department of Justice, the DEA is responsible for preventing and containing the spread of illegal drugs across the country and abroad. The DEA was established under the Nixon administration in 1973. To combat the international drug trade, the agency has the power to extradite foreign criminals. This means drug kingpins in other countries can be brought to the U.S. to stand trial.
  
  

HIDTA

• The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 enacted the HIDTA program. The program's objective is to stake out the most active drug trafficking zones around the country and work with local, state and federal officials to slow, and hopefully end, the flow of illegal flow of illegal drugs in these zones. The DEA plays an active role in HIDTA and has 282 agents working in the program.
  
  

Laws

• The creation and enforcement of drug laws are largely at the discretion of the state. Marijuana possession may be a felony in one state or a misdemeanor in another. The severity of prison sentences may also differ from state to state. The Controlled Substances Act, originally enacted in 1970, lays out the penalties for various drug trafficking infractions. The severity of these penalties is largely based on the schedule or rank of the drug. In general, the more dangerous the illegal substance is considered, the more punishment it garners. The amount of the substance in question, too, plays an important role.
  
  

Sentencing

• The trafficking of all Schedule 1 and 2 drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, PCP and LSD will result in mandatory jail times and fines. A person who sells between 500 grams and 5 kilograms of cocaine, or between 5 and 49 grams of crack or cocaine base, can expect a minimum of five years in prison and up to $2 million in fines. These penalties will double if the offense is repeated.