Essay On Drug Trafficking In South America

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), drug trafficking is, “A global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws” (“Drug Trafficking”). It is a major issue world wide, but continues to be associated with South America and only South America. Drug trafficking is far wider than just in South America. It occurs about everywhere, even if it’s just a specific or small location. Wherever there’s people, there’s drug trafficking. The population of South America is 422 million, while the population of North America is 579 million which creates even more opportunities for drug trafficking to occur than in South America. Beyond the stereotype, South America is home to many natural resources, has very safe locations, and is not the only continent home to dangerous drug lords. …show more content…
Fruits like avocado, pineapple, papaya, and guava are native there (“South America: Resources”). Besides these fruits, many other crops thrive in South America such as Cacao and coffee. Cacao being the base ingredient in chocolate, is one of the most important. A lot of farming is done in South America. About 23% of the land is used for farming, and another 23% is the tropical rainforest (Pengue). The continent contains 31% of the planet’s available fresh water, and 13% is grassland (Pengue). This is the perfect environment for rich natural resources. Another part of South America’s natural resources is the mining industry. South America contains approximately ⅕ of the world’s iron reserves. More than ¼ of the world’s copper reserves are from South America (“South America: Resources”). As you can see, South America is very big on natural