August 13, 2008

Prohibition-related crimes

“Drug crackdown may lead to more violence, says official.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7 March 2008.

Metro Atlanta may get a little bloodier. Call it a sign of success. Jack Killorin, who heads a federal narcotics task force, said his agents are rolling up drug-trafficking organizations to the point that they have decreased the quality and raised the price of drugs on the street.

He credits last year’s spike in area burglaries, robberies and car thefts in part to criminals forced to pay more for their illicit drugs.

And if law enforcement someday succeeds in breaking up established drug territories — the real sign of success from a metropolitan perspective — it could mean a similar spike in murders, as drug organizations vie for a larger market share.

“If the market here gets unstable down to the street, then the streets will get bloody,” said Killorin, director of Atlanta High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA). “I don’t think we’re there yet.”

“Drug-related kidnappings on rise in metro Atlanta, says DEA.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 14 July 2008.

The number of drug-related kidnappings has been on the rise in metro Atlanta the last 90 days, said Rodney Benson, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Atlanta.

Last week a suspected drug dealer escaped from a home in Lawrenceville where he had been held for a week with no food and little water. Police shot and killed one of the suspected kidnappers trying to pick up a $2 million ransom.

Earlier this year, a federal drug task force director predicted more killings due to drug enforcement, now the DEA says drug-related kidnappings are on the rise. I don’t know if these particular kidnappings correlate with higher drug enforcement, but if they do: This is progress?

Are these three alleged kidnappers bad people? Probably. But let’s attribute these crimes to a right cause: Strict enforcement of drug prohibition creates situations where disputes are settled by kidnapping. It creates a possibility of more killings. There are half a million people in prison for drug law violations. Cocaine and heroin continue to get purer and cheaper.

If drug law enforcement just eased up a bit, things would probably get better. But good luck if you think that will happen anytime soon.