Whack-a-mole: Traffic in illegal drugs spawns violence and corruption on path north

A look at the drug trade along the route from South America through Mexico to the U.S. In this article, a DEA operative says, "For too long, Latin America has paid the price in pools of blood for our demand. Vulnerable countries have been ravaged, lives destroyed and democracies maligned. We've made some major improvements, but it remains an uphill battle as long as demand persists." When will the DEA draw the obvious conclusion that its whack-a-mole strategy will never win the "drug war"?

Traffic in illegal drugs spawns violence and corruption on path north: "CUCUTA, COLOMBIA In the pink light of dawn, William Yacia Pineda views the black-market commerce at this busy crossing on Colombia's border with Venezuela. Anything is possible. ...

And at every stop along the way - from Colombia to Central America, into Mexico and on to U.S. markets - the traffic spawns violence and corruption, undermining governments and democratic institutions - all to serve the incessant demand from the north.

...here, where ties between Colombia's powerful cartels and traditional Mexican cartels go back to the 1980s, the Cucuta border crossing represents a special allure for newcomers like the Mexican paramilitary group known as the Zetas.

The hustle and bustle of the wholesale environment and the porous border with Venezuela make this area special for the Zetas, Colombian and other Western intelligence officials say. Past ties, friendships and partnerships take a back seat to cash. The Zetas are the nouveau riche, known as much for their brutality as for their deep pockets and their ability to bend people to their will, the officials say."