Panama not immune to the insurmountable wave of Fentanyl and Opioid crisis.

Drugs
We are entering the era of fentanyl and synthetic opioids, a more violent and uncontrollable market, but a generator of much illicit capital for global drug lords.

Seeing how today the North American economic, political and military forces themselves combat drug trafficking organizations, in territories where drugs are produced, sold or transited, (Ecuador, San Salvador, Mexico, Colombia, Honduras, Peru, Bolivia, Panama), shows a tendency to remove it from the world market, after allowing a large accumulation of capital in its illegality, in the face of the emergence of new and dangerous hallucinogenic substances (fentanyl), produced and consumed today, in its own territory; Just as it happened with whiskey smuggling, the time has come to legalize it and give way to new drugs that generate much more profit and in a short time forge a large accumulation of capital, backed by a captive market.

It is understandable today how this great drug trafficking business allowed power to be given to criminal gangs, which determined the political power of the country, its economic organization and its real power in popular communities where they imposed their power on the police and government forces. Little by little, paid crimes (hitmen), tumbes, and a subculture of drug trafficking were forged.

When does this “business” fail? When the dollar begins to leave the North American economy and flow into the world market after a laundering process, which allowed them to generate great fortunes, acquire large and luxurious properties, modern cars, luxurious expenses , etc., which allowed them to expand their networks towards Europe, without paying taxes or gifts to the North American government; On the contrary, this outflow of hundreds and thousands of dollars generated a fall in the value of the dollar and uncontrolled inflation.

Just as happened with Wiski, when Alphonse Capone (cut face), in 1925, took over the underworld in Chicago, exploiting prostitution, illegal gambling and alcohol trafficking. This is how the era of drug trafficking began and ends. Al Capone, just like Pablo Escobar did, to take full control of drug trafficking, eliminated all of his rivals after a series of mafia wars (Ajello’s gang and Bugs’ gang). After getting rid of his rivals, he consolidated his capital with the illegal trafficking of alcoholic beverages as a result of the prohibition law and a vast clandestine network of gambling halls and prostitution.

It is estimated that in 1927 Al Capone accumulated about one hundred million dollars. In 1931 he was arrested for tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in prison, after serving eight years of his sentence, he was granted conditional freedom. Ruined, physically weak and mentally deteriorated, he retired to his mansion in Miami Beach. He died in 1947 as a result of a stroke as a consequence of tertiary syphilis contracted in his youth and which he never treated medically. In 1927, the Supreme Court imposed a tax that required paying taxes on illicit income, this law allowed Al Capone to be arrested.

Just as they want to legalize drug consumption, in the United States, Prohibition prohibited the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages, but in 1933, President Roosevelt legalized the sale of beer and wine, repealing Prohibition. Many similarities today with the personal use of marijuana.

Likewise, today, Interpol, FBI, DEA, and others, promote arrests of bosses, gang militants and mass imprisonment for gangs that traffic drugs, enormous seizures of drugs, they even increase confrontation with citizens to eliminate neighborhood violence. promoted by the gangs (case of Haiti, San Salvador, Ecuador).

For this reason, today in our country there is a great apprehension of gang members, assigned to crowded prison centers, where they face rival gangs and see the hopeless future coming.

There is a North American military presence in these countries (military bases) where with their technology they direct arrests, seizures and trials of national/international bosses.

Definitely, like Al Capone, our national bosses are behind bars, humiliated, ruined and without any future in their illicit businesses; On the contrary, they are despised by citizens who cannot stand the violence and contract killings throughout the country.

We are entering the era of fentanyl and synthetic opioids, a more violent and uncontrollable market, but a generator of much illicit capital for global drug lords.

The author is an economist
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