Mexican drug cartels are estimated to bring in between $25 Billion to $40 Billion a year from the global drug trafficking operations.

Source:  “Mexico’s Calderon says will target drug cash,” Reuters, August 26, 2010.

The number of inhalant users in Mexico in 2008 was 533,797, a 70 percent increase from the 314,760 users in 2002.

The number of inhalant users who entered drug treatment centers in Mexico also increased 80 percent during those six years, from 4,050 to 7,293 people.

Source:  Sergio Solache, “In Mexico, lessons of addiction are stark,” USA Today, August 23, 2010.

In 2009, cocaine was found in 7 percent of failed drug tests of Wall Street employees, down from 16 percent in 2007. Marijuana was found in 80 percent of failed tests in 2009, compared to 64 percent in 2007. Amphetamines was found in 10 percent of failed tests, compared to 3 percent in 2007.

Source:  Kyle Stock, “Wall Street Drug Use: Employees Giving Up Cocaine for Pot and Pills,” Wall Street Journal, August 20, 2010.

Between December 2006 when the crackdown against drug cartels became in Mexico until August 2010, 30 reporters in Mexico have either been killed or disappeared while covering the drug war.

Source:  Tracy Wilkenson, “Under threat from Mexican drug cartels, reporters go silent,” Los Angeles Times, August 16, 2010.

In 2009, 90 million methamphetamine tablets were seized across Thailand, Burma and China in 2009.

In 2007, 30 million were seized across the three countries.

Source: Zoe Daniel, “Illegal drug shipments flood Thai border,” ABC News (Australia), August 13, 2010.

From December 2006 to the end of July 2010, more than 28,000 have died in drug violence in Mexico.

In that same time period, drug cartels and government agents have engaged in 963 gun battles, almost a rate of one per day.

Source:  Arthur Brice, “Drug war death toll in Mexico since 2006 exceeds 28,000, official says,” CNN, August 4, 2010.

According to press reports, there were at least 270 people who were hanged to death in Iran for drug trafficking in 2009.

Source:  AFP, “Iran hangs rapist, three drug traffickers: reports,” Google News, July 31, 2010.

According to figures compiled by the Associated Press, between December 2006 and September 2009, the Mexican Government arrested 226,667 drug suspects. Out of that total, less than a total have been officially charged with a crime.

The examples provided by the AP show that 24,000 people were freed from Baja California out of the 33,000 that were arrested. In Sinaloa, 9,700 were arrested and 5,606 were released. And in the birthplace of the Gulf Cartel, 3,600 were arrested with 2,083 later released.

Source: Associated Press, “AP Impact: Mexico justice means catch and release,” Washington Post, July 27, 2010.

In El Salvador, the homicide rate increased by 37 percent in 2009 as there were 71 murders for every 100,000 residents. Other Central America countries had high homicide rates as well, with Honduras having 67 per 100,000, and Guatemala having 52 murders per 100,000 residents.

By comparison, Mexico has 14 murders per 100,000 and the United States has 5.4 per 100,000 residents.

The high level in Central America is due to the increase in cocaine trafficking routes throughout the country. Cocaine seizures quadrupled from 2004 and 2007.

Source:  Nick Miroff and William Booth, “Mexican drug cartels bring violence with them in move to Central America,” Washington Post, July 27, 2010.

In 2008, 24.3 metric tons of amphetamines were seized around the world, with 15.3 metric tons seized in the Middle East. 12.8 metric tons of amphetamines were seized in Saudi Arabia alone in 2008.

Source:  Mark Tutton, “Does Saudi have world’s biggest amphetamine habit?,” CNN, July 23, 2010.