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Drug Trafficking Through the Caribbean
The Caribbean, which encompasses 28 countries or dependent territories, consists of island nations located east of the Gulf of Mexico. Often viewed as an ideal tourist destination, a reality in the Caribbean is much darker. Since the 1970s, the drug trade has heavily influenced Caribbean societies, economies, and politics. Although it is a major tourist location, a majority of the Caribbean is currently living in poverty. The rural areas of the Caribbean that do not have prime locations for tourists are faced with unemployment and deplorable living conditions. Law enforcement has become corrupt and underfunded which leads to an extensive list of problems. The drug trade has created a society that lacks the fundamental morals and ethics to take care of each other. Drug trafficking through the Caribbean is causing global disruption by creating highways for global black market trade.

Society
Society in the Caribbean is very fragile and easily molded by drug cartels moving through the region. Over 30% of the population in the Caribbean lives in extreme poverty (Bowen, 2007). The areas in that 30% lack the basic necessities to live such as clean water, steady food supply, and sewage removal. This extreme level of poverty leads people to become desperate for basic needs. Drug cartels take advantage of this desperation and recruit young children to become soldiers for them. These children, who are predominately ages 7-15, are easily influenced and after being exposed to extreme violence become accustomed to war and a violent lifestyle. Cartels use these child soldiers because they are often viewed as innocent and are undetected by law enforcement (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2011).

In addition to becoming child soldiers, the young girls are often used as sex-slaves or servants to the cartel members.They are often drugged and subjected to the horrors of the sex trade. Both genders are equally at risk to be abducted by cartels; however, girls are more subjected to disease along with psychological damage. Due to the lack of education and high drug use within these communities HIV/AIDS spread rapidly to the children who are recruited by cartels. HIV and AIDS have become an epidemic in the Caribbean and continue to be spread throughout the region (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013).

Furthermore, there is a lack of male influence in the Caribbean. Most cultures in this region do not value a male role in the family and men often have multiple children with multiple women (Economic and Social Problems in the Caribbean, 2011). This lack of a father figure often times pushes young men toward the drug cartels (if they are not forcibly recruited) because they are in search of a sense of family. The cartels provide these young men with protection, money, and a much better life than the poverty they are used to. For many you men, becoming a drug trafficker is their best option to escape the harsh reality of Caribbean poverty.

Economy
The economy in the Caribbean relies heavily on tourism and exports of tropical crops. The geographic location puts them in close proximity to the U.S. market, major shipping lanes, and a favorable climate for year round tourism (United States International Trade Commission, 2008). The economy in this region relies almost entirely on tourism, but outside of the prime tourist locations unemployment is high and living conditions are poor. Once trade barriers among countries were removed during colonization, Caribbean companies were unable to compete on the open market and ultimately went under (Economic and Social Problems in the Caribbean, 2011). Another struggle that faces Caribbean economy is a lack of technological knowledge. The majority of individuals in this region lack the fundamental technological skills needed to compete as a potential employee.

Their incredibly high unemployment rates lead to a nation with a lack of basic necessities. Many individuals cannot afford even the most simple amenities. Things like running water, septic systems, or even bathrooms are not considered a normal amenity in an average household.

The Caribbean's location does make it a prime location for trafficking drugs. The drug trade is a massive global market and the Caribbean has a large number of cocaine shipments flowing through it. In 2009, the estimated total retail value for the global cocaine market was approximately 85 billion dollars (Organization of American States, 2012). Throughout the past decade, cartels have been utilizing the Caribbean more and more; in 2011, four percent of all cocaine imports into the United States came from the Caribbean. However, in 2013 that number jumped to 16% (Full Circle, 2014).

Drugs come through the islands on speedboats, planes, yachts, and by human consumption of drug filled condoms (Full Circle, 2014). In March of 2016, a Jamaican woman was arrested trying to board a plane with almost 50 pounds of cannabis which has an estimated street value of almost $200,000 (Brown, 2016). Cases like these prove how profitable the drug trade can be for individuals who live in such deplorable, desperate conditions.

Politics
The political situation in the Caribbean is dysfunctional at best. Drug trafficking has become so prevalent in this region because law enforcement is extremely weak and disorganized. The majority of coastlines are poorly patrolled and some have zero law enforcement on the coast. The trafficking hub of the Caribbean is Haiti. Haiti is a popular choice because their government is very weak and easily bribed. In 2004, the former Haitian police chief, Rudy Therassan, was arrested for allowing cocaine smugglers to pass freely through the country. Therassan provided a secure way for cartels to smuggle cocaine from South American to the United States (Candiotti, 2004). The news reported that he received $150,000 dollars for every plane-load of cocaine he let land in Haiti (Candiotti, 2004). This is only one example of how weak the law enforcement is in the Caribbean.

The increase in drug flow through the Caribbean stems from pressure by law enforcement in other countries. When these outside routes become difficult to traffic through, cartels find a new route to get their drugs to their intended location. This is one of the major advantages that Caribbean cartels have. Due to the high number of individual governed nations in the region, if one becomes too difficult to move through they simply move to a neighboring country (Caribbean, 2012). Cartels will bring drugs into the region via boats or planes that drop bundles of contraband (Caribbean, 2012). These bundles are dropped at a predetermined location where they are later picked up by low ranking cartel members.

Conclusion
The flow of drugs through the Caribbean region has created local, regional, and global disruption by creating highways for black market trade. Cartels have completely taken over the region from a societal and economic standpoint. From an outside view the Caribbean comes across as a tropical paradise with exquisite resorts; however, the region is far from a tropical paradise. The region has become a battle ground between the people who live there and the cartels who essentially run the countries. The expansion of the drug trade is a very real issue that is gaining strength across the globe. As drug highways, like the ones through the Caribbean, begin expanding even further the flow of contraband will become uncontrollable.