Up to know, we assumed that drugs, especially heroin, were associated with destitute addicts looking for their next hit in down town Athens or with the margins in the underworld. Now it turns out that it is not just the underworld we are dealing with, but with high society, people who in theory are above all suspicion.
With over 200 million users worldwide and a turnover of tens or hundreds of billions, it is clear that drug dealing is a huge illicit industry that cannot be limited to the margins and organized crime circuits.
Despite the international combined efforts of authorities and the involvement of secret services, which contribute in exposing those at the top of this industry – as in the case of the ship owner in Philothei – the financial incentive is too great for drug dealing to cease. These circuits take advantage of the explosion in international maritime and air transport as well as the proliferation of the “open-door policy” which restricts border controls and they use countries such as Greece to channel all sorts of drugs in to the huge European “markets”.
With legitimate-looking activities, close ties to dominant interests, reputable entrepreneurs and by buying off state officials and control mechanisms, the drug cartels are able to generate huge profits from dealing heroin, despite their loses. The authorities may occasionally be successful, but in no way can they stop the drug cartels.
It is no coincidence that dozens of experts from around the world (with the most recent case being five Nobel-Prize winning economists co-authoring a report) warn that we must fundamentally revise our international policy against drugs. Huge sums have been spent in the past few decades – over a trillion dollars – the prisons are full of addicts and dealers, but the scourge of the century is mostly unscathed. Unfortunately though, beyond suppression, there is uncertainty as to what policy to adopt.
TO VIMA
