The Capture of El Chapo

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Introduction Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was a little-known name in America a month ago. His recent capture has re-ignited out fascination with the larger-than-life persona of a “drug lord”, both in the news as well as in pop-culture. I will explore how the son of a poor cattle rancher became the most powerful drug trafficker in the world and what lead to his eventual downfall. I will also discuss how the military played a role in this ground-breaking takedown of a notorious kingpin. History Cocaine has been a part of the American culture since the mid 1800’s1. Traditionally it was used in all types of tinctures, solvents, and drinks, including the original recipe for Coca-Cola2. Through the turn of the century, cocaine became popular in the mainstream as a stimulant for laborers to make them more productive at work. The tide of public opinion would soon change in the early 1900’s as perceptions shifted from cocaine being a harmless ingredient in medication, to the fuel of crazed fiends. The first attempts to make cocaine illegal began in the early 1900’s at the local government levels. Notably, Georgia became the first to implement an outright ban of cocaine in any form with other states soon following suit3. In 1906 the FDA passed a labeling requirement for any products containing cocaine and then in 1914 the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act was passed which was a federal regulation and licensing of certain narcotics4. So began America’s love affair with failed drug policies. The U.S. accounts for 41% of the world’s global cocaine consumption at an estimated $38 billion annually5. This economic incentive is what fuels the illegal imp... ... middle of paper ... ...S. citizens. We must have systems in place to successfully sharing information without sacrificing our own national security. Similarly, anti-terrorist organizations within the U.S. have made great strides in the skill of killing/capturing individuals with little or no collateral damage. We use this knowledge to pursue wanted individuals in many different settings and share lessons learned with SWAT, CIA, et al. These techniques must also be shared between agencies in the U.S. as well as with our coalition brethren in arms within the realm of U.S. interests to national security. Works Cited Beith, Malcolm. The Last Narco. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2011. Corchado, Alfredo. Midnight in Mexico A Reporter’s Journey New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2013. Ward, Christopher. Narcoland: The Mexican Drug Lords. New York: The Random House Inc., 2014.

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