Upscale suburban kids, who have everything going for them, but nothing to do get caught up in the world of drugs and drug addictions. We especially see the influence of one youth, Seth Abrahms, has on Robert Wakefield's daughter Caroline, as he introduces her and supplies her with the drugs she needs for her addictions. We witness the downward spiral one enters when drugs become one's all in all and the degrading behavior addicts exhibit to maintain their dependency on drugs. Therefore this storyline demonstrates the devastating impact drugs have on families. Drugs destroy the mind and body of the users but they also tear apart families as these character so aptly portray.
Drugs are a big time business in Mexico.
In a country where legitimate economic opportunities are scarce, the drug world offers quick money but high risks. Traffic describes this scene through the eyes of a Mexican policeman, Javier Rodriguez. Javier is a legitimate cop who finds himself working for one of the leading antidrug enforcers in Mexico, General Arturo Salazar. Life in Mexico though is not that black and white where you have the good guys on one side and the bad guys on the other, Mexico except for Javier is all about the shades of gray. Tijuana being right on the border with the United States is a central point for the distribution of cocaine and in Traffic it is controlled by two rival drug cartels.