Drug Trafficking

Original posting, September 2006

One in seven prisoners in the UK is a foreign national and the numbers are increasing and growing at four times the rate of home-grown convicts. Behind it all is the medium of drugs. Trafficking by mules is rife: of the foreigner prison population, 40% are male and 60% female. Carrying narcotics on an airplane, secreted in the body, is a highly dangerous action for the 'mule'. It's a serious crime, but the overseas drug lords take no risk at all.

Four steps to be taken have been identified:

(a) efforts to minimise drug taking in the UK by punishing possession
(b) disrupt the production of drugs abroad
(c) deportation of any convicted foreign national for any minor crime
(d) effective border security

Identified yes, but have
any been implemented?