Statistically Speaking

Since the United States Drug Enforcement Administration repositioned its resources to combat drug smuggling in other parts of the world, the number of illicit drug trafficking organizations in Mexico and Central America has increased. Aside from surgically implanting drug packets in human couriers, U.S. officials have recently discovered that smugglers in Colombia have resorted to placing packets of liquid heroin inside the bellies of live puppies.

Amount of land used to produce cocaine in Columbia, Bolivia, and Peru each year: 166,000 hectares

Percentage of cocaine smuggled into the United States via the Southwest border: 65%

Number of arrests of drug traffickers through Operation Panama Express in 2005: 203

Average amount of heroin smuggled per human courier: 1.5 kilograms

Amount of illicit drugs seized through Operation Panama Express in 2005: 76,920 kilograms

Sources: www.msnbc.msn.com, www.dea.gov/index.htm