Many have college degrees. Authorities don't even know the names of some of the ringleaders. You have people out there doing research and development for the cartels. Now, with all the different organizations, it's very hard to get the intelligence. Bruce Bagely, an international studies professor at the University of Miami, says the dismantling of the Medellin and Cali cartels should be recognized as major victories, because their demise stymied the emergence of a state dominated by drug organizations.
Some critics argue, however, that the crackdowns on the drug trade have actually made matters worse.
Targeting Colombia's marijuana smugglers in the 1970s, for example, hastened the switch to cocaine, which is more profitable, less bulky and easier to hide, writes Dirk Chase Eldredge in his book Ending the War on Drugs . In turn, going after cocaine and heroin smugglers led to greater purity of product, since less dilution means less bulk and a reduced chance of getting caught. According to the DEA, heroin sold on U.S. streets was once 30 percent to 40 percent pure. But Colombian heroin, which dominates the U.S. market, is now up to 99 percent pure. Anti-drug operations have also winnowed out inefficient trafficking rings and spurred the survivors to upgrade production techniques and develop new markets, experts say.