Even the globali$t$ agree -- although for different reasons than me.
Four reasons why it won't happen in AmeriKa:
1. Government intelligence agencies are the biggest cartels
2. Law enforcement reaps tax and confiscation loot
3. It justifies the prison-industrial complex
4. Banks profit off laundered drug loot
"Commission declares drug war a failure, urges legalization; Report says US should base policy on health care" by Jonathan M. Katz, Associated Press / June 2, 2011
NEW YORK — The global war on drugs has failed, and governments should explore legalizing marijuana and other controlled substances, according to a commission that includes former heads of state, a former United Nations secretary general, and a business mogul.
It's also called freedom.
A new report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy argues that the decades-old “global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world.’’ The 24-page paper will be released today.
“Political leaders and public figures should have the courage to articulate publicly what many of them acknowledge privately, that the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that repressive strategies will not solve the drug problem and that the war on drugs has not and cannot be won,’’ the report said.
Well, $ome people are winning.
The 19-member commission includes Kofi Annan, a former UN secretary general, and George P. Schultz, who held Cabinet posts under Presidents Reagan and Nixon. Others include former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker; former presidents of Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia; writers Carlos Fuentes and Mario Vargas Llosa; UK business mogul Richard Branson; and the current prime minister of Greece.
The fact that this is presented by all these globalists pukes gives me pause.
Instead of punishing users who the report says “do no harm to others,’’ the commission argues, governments should end criminalization of drug use, experiment with legal models that would undermine organized crime syndicates, and offer health and treatment services for drug users in need....
Related: "money-laundering"
Everyone is in it.
The commission is especially critical of the United States, which its members say must lead in changing its antidrug policies from being guided by anticrime approaches to ones rooted in health care and human rights.
“We hope [the United States] at least starts to think there are alternatives,’’ former Colombian president Cesar Gaviria said by phone. “We don’t see the US evolving in a way that is compatible with our [countries’] long-term interests.’’
Neither do I.
The office of White House drug czar Gil Kerlikowske said the report was misguided....
Just like my government.
--more--"
"Authorities break multinational narcotics ring; $200m is seized, 20 people arrested" by Laura J. Nelson, Globe Correspondent / June 3, 2011
An undercover drug investigation in East Boston that kicked off an international money laundering sting has led to the seizure of millions of dollars in heroin, cocaine, and drug money, and charges against 20 suspected associates of Colombia’s largest drug cartel, state and federal officials announced yesterday.
The multiagency and multinational investigation, spanning four years, was based on the work of an undercover Massachusetts State Police trooper in Boston who posed as a member of the drug trafficking ring, wiring money to cartel members through bank accounts around the world....
--more--"
And this went on for how long?
"DEA agent infiltrated cartel in Colombia; 5-year effort nets 20 drug arrests" by Laura J. Nelson, Globe Correspondent / June 4, 2011
For nearly five years he traveled under a fake name, sending hundreds of millions of dollars in drug money to members of an infamous Colombian cartel. He won the trust of influential money launderers, meeting in hotel lobbies, parking lots, and bustling food courts to discuss cocaine shipments to Houston and pick up suitcases stuffed with drug money.
At what point are they really just part of the operation?
Related: U.S. Government Brings Drug War to U.S. Cities
More "informants," huh?
The Boston-based agent of the US Drug Enforcement Agency, working undercover, infiltrated a major money-laundering and drug-smuggling ring, unearthing the evidence that built the base for some 20 arrests of suspected operatives in Colombia’s largest drug cartel, La Oficina de Evigado, federal officials said this week....
The undercover agent, a DEA financial investigator whose identity has not been released, spelled out in a lengthy affidavit released Tuesday the ring he infiltrated, outlining a complex network of contacts and couriers who allegedly transferred money from the streets of the United States to the pockets of cartel kingpins.
“You’re out there with people who live, breathe, and spend all their time on the streets,’’ said DEA special agent Chris Jakim, referring to undercover narcotics agents. “It’s just you and the bad guys. They’re armed. And they know who belongs and who doesn’t.’’
**************************
The agent posed as a high-level money launderer and brought in other undercover agents, who were soon picking up deliveries of drug money in an array of cities across the United States, including Woburn, Revere, Somerville, and Boston. He deposited the money into DEA-controlled bank accounts in the United States, then wired the cash to broker accounts in the United States, Panama, the Caribbean, Portugal, and China, the affidavit said.
And if it were ALL LEGAL there would be NO NEED for this $***!!
CUI BONO?
The agent documented that brokers working for the cartel paid commissions to money launderers, including the DEA agent. The brokers then funneled money through private exchange houses in Colombia or through illicit organizations like the Black Market Peso Exchange to convert dollars to other types of currency, the affidavit said.
The arrests deal a serious blow to the cartel, damaging the illegal money machine that converts drugs to cash and fuels the drug production process, authorities said....
The bulk of the DEA undercover agent’s work involved following drug money. In Boston, he deposited money in installments of $10,000 or less into accounts controlled by banks including Wachovia, Citibank, and Bank of America. The Bank Secrecy Act, aimed at money launderers, requires a disclosure form with any deposit greater than $10,000.
See: The Wachovia Washing Machine
Drug money saved the banks, huh?
The agent coordinated meetings and pickups through heavily encoded electronic messages, including texts, e-mails, and phone conversations....
During a trip to Colombia in December 2010, the agent met with a drug magnate and a Colombian businessman in the lobby of a J.W. Marriott hotel in Bogota, the affidavit said. In a recorded conversation with the drug magnate, Aldo Fernando Guerrero Clavijo, also known as Rolo, the agent discussed amounts of up to $900,000 to be picked up in Puerto Rico and Guatemala, fake paperwork to throw J.P. Morgan off the scent of his deposits, and sales of up to 1,000 kilograms of cocaine at Colombia prices — significantly lower than US prices....
That is some serious blow!
--more--"
Let's not leave out Mexico:
"Ex-Tijuana mayor arrested over guns
TIJUANA — The city’s former mayor, Jorge Hank Rhon, one of Mexico’s most flamboyant businessmen and politicians, has been arrested on suspicion of illegal weapons possession, federal law enforcement officials said yesterday. Mexican troops raided Hank Rhon’s Tijuana house and took him to a branch office of the federal attorney general’s office, according to one of the officials. He said Hank Rhon is suspected of having 88 unlicensed weapons (AP)."
Related: U.S. Special Ops Troops Deployed in Mexico, Leaked Briefing Confirms
US drones secretly aid Mexico drug war
Is there anywhere in the world the U.S. is NOT flying drones?
And someone should test these guys for drugs:
"Senators want drug website shut down" by Associated Press / June 6, 2011
ALBANY, N.Y. — Two US senators said yesterday they will ask federal authorities to crack down on a secretive narcotics market operated on the Internet with anonymous sales and untraceable digital currency.
Heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamines are among the drugs being sold in the well-protected website apparently operating for just a few months.
Senators Charles Schumer of New York and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, both Democrats, said they asked the Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration to shut down and investigate the website, often referred to as the Silk Road after an ancient Asian trade route.
“This audacious website should be shut down immediately,’’ Manchin said.
“Never before has a website so brazenly peddled illegal drugs online,’’ Schumer said. “By cracking down on the website immediately, we can help stop these drugs from flooding our streets.’’
They already are flooding our streets!
Other websites including Gawker have reported on the site. Schumer said the website began operating in February and uses “layers’’ of secrecy to thwart authorities....
--more--"
Excuse me, readers, I want to go place an order.
And never you mind the BIGGEST DRUG-DEALING OPERATION around:
"Ex-Hub prosecutor shifts allegiance to drug makers" by Duff Wilson, New York Times / June 5, 2011
NEW YORK — Michael K. Loucks was arguably the nation’s most influential prosecutor of health care fraud.
He racked up numerous convictions and mega-settlements in nearly a quarter-century, using whistle-blowers and secret grand juries to pressure major pharmaceutical and health companies into ending illegal practices like kickbacks to doctors and misuse of blockbuster drugs.
Related: Drug-Addicted Doctors
MSM Monitor Going Through Menopause
Glaxo's Ghostwriters
The Ghostwriters at MGH
Healthcare Coup of Congress
Once described as a cross between a firebrand preacher and a charismatic litigator, Loucks burnished a reputation aptly captured in a Fortune magazine headline: “Why Do Drug Companies Fear This Man? Maybe because he’s declared all-out war on cheats in the drug industry.’’
But a year and a half ago, Loucks, a Republican, left the United States attorney’s office in Boston after he was passed over for the top post and President Obama appointed a Democrat. Instead, Loucks joined Skadden, Arps last July, and has startled former allies by emerging in recent months as zealous a corporate defender as he was a prosecutor, complete with proposals seeking more lenient treatment for companies he once vilified....
It doesn't matter what i$$ue it is, the revolving door $pin$ in Wa$hington.
Loucks uses a baseball reference to explain switching sides.
Pfffft!
We are talking about people's lives, not some dumb game.
Johnny Damon left his beloved Boston Red Sox in late 2005 to sign with “the evil empire, the New York Yankees,’’ Loucks said. Both teams won World Series with help from Damon.
Asked whether the “evil empire’’ analogy fit the Justice Department or Skadden, Loucks said, “One man’s evil empire is another’s home team.’’
And one man's "freedom fighter" is another man's "terrorist."
--more--"
