39. Drug Trafficking - Is the United States winning the war on drugs?

Larry Forletta is a retired federal DEA agent dynamic speaker and educator who talks about the drug wars in North America. According to the New Castle News (ncnewsonline.com), Larry is “a highly decorated former Special Agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. He has received awards from the Attorney General of the United States as well as from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. military” (Jan 19, 2019).
Larry was also featured on the Oxygen documentary "The Smiley Face Killer" due to his connection with the Dakota James case.
Over the course of his professional service with law enforcement he led high level investigations of domestic and international criminal organizations, achieving a 100% conviction rate. With the fascination of drug trafficking in the media with shows like Narcos, Breaking Bad, El Chapo and Pablo Escobar, this episode highlights the approach we are taking to thwart the drug war so North Americans can lead more peaceful lives.
Larry talks about the drug war getting worse than it is better, and the people who “get into the game” come from all kinds of backgrounds. He says that people who do not have money, even single mothers, are approached who have a hard time turning the money down as a means to support their livelihood. Both lower class and upper class neighborhoods have drug issues, and once you are approached, it becomes difficult for anyone at that point. These people become mules or stash houses and the drug problem gets perpetuated. He said that the purity is at about 90% and the drugs are mixed with fentanyl, which is also making it much more deadly.
According to Susan Stellin reporting for the New York Times, “Drugs have been the top reason people have been arrested in the United States for at least the past 10 years, and marijuana has been the top drug involved in those arrests” (Nov. 5, 2019).
Larry says that more education is needed and programs such as the demand reduction programs, D.A.R.E. programs, and local police talks are great starting points. Additionally, illegal immigration is a problem, and we need to protect our borders as there is a continued flow of drug coming from Mexico.
Website: https://fcisllc.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lforletta/

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