The burgeoning criminal world is capitalizing on the success of these cartels and establishing a complex web of its own. Access to such wealth makes cartels a unique international security threat. They can buy themselves protection through many governments, thereby manipulating the machinery of democratic government to serve their own purposes. The ascendancy of the international crime-narcotics link is not limited to our hemisphere. In some heroin producing nations authorities are using the drug trade as a vital source of funds for political purposes and even for infrastructure development.
Drug money is so pervasive that it taints legitimate investment and disrupts economies.
Connections and relationships that once were used to smuggle drugs are now used to smuggle pirated goods and, much worse, smuggle human beings. We have an obligation to confront international narcotics, reduce the demand for drugs, and treat those unfortunate enough to be caught in the web of addiction. At the Special Session, we accepted this obligation in regard to narcotics. Now we must act to develop strategies and implement goals and meet the Special Session deadlines. It is against this backdrop that we greatly appreciate the efforts of Executive Director Arlacchi to spur governments and to assist countries to meet the goals to implement the three conventions.