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.

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.

According to the United Nations, 1.7 million people in Mexico consume 27.6 tons of cocaine each year. 3.9 tons of heroin is consumed within the country as well.

Up to 3 million people smoke marijuana in Mexico.

Officially, the Mexican Government reports that there are 428,000 drug addicts in the country.

Source:  Tim Johnson, “Rehab clinics turn into killing zones in Mexico’s drug war,” McClatchy, July 22, 2010.

Between 2006 and 2008, the United Nations reported that half of all ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean heading towards Europe that were seized carrying cocaine departed from Venezuela.

By comparison, 5 percent of ships seized carrying cocaine departed from Colombia.

Source:  Chris Hawley, “Venezuela drug trade booms,” USA Today, July 21, 2010.

Between 275 to 385 tons of cocaine from South America travels through Guatemala on its way north each year. The amount to cocaine is almost enough to satisfy the entire demand of cocaine in the United States.

Source: Tim Johnson, “How Guatemala nearly went narco’,” Miami Herald, July 11, 2010.

Drug traffickers are building submarines to transport cocaine from South America to Mexico. The cocaine is the smuggled into the United States.

A typical submarine costs about $1 Million to build and can carry up to 4 metric tons of cocaine. In addition to the cost of building the sub, traffickers pay the crew manning the sub up to $25,000.

With a kilogram of cocaine selling on average for $90,000 in the United States, the amount of cocaine shipped in a 4 ton submarine can be valued for up to $360 Million (90,000 times 4,000).

Source:  Dane Schiller, “Sinking to new lows,” Houston Chronicle, June 26, 2010.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates the global market value of cocaine to be $88 Billion in 2008. The North American Cocaine market was valued at $38 Billion, and Europe was valued at $34 Billion.

Total users of cocaine around the world was estimated at 16 million people in 2008.

Source:  UNODC, “World Drug Report 2010,” Chapter 1, section1.3: The global cocaine market, June 2010, pages 67, 69, 70.

In 2009, 45.4 percent of coca was from Peru, 39.3 from Colombia and 15.3 percent from Bolivia.

119,000 metric tons of coca leaf was from Peru, with Colombia producing 103,000 metric tons.

For processed cocaine, Colombia still lead the world in terms of production in 2009 with 410 tons.

Source: AFP, “Peru becomes the world’s leading coca producer: UN,” Google News, June 22, 2010.

The financial value of the cocaine market in Canada is estimated to be $2.4 Billion in 2008.

Source:  UNODC, “The Globalization of Crime,” Chapter 4: Cocaine, June 2010.

The cocaine market in the United States was worth $35 Billion in 2008.

Based on 2008 dollar values adjusted for inflation, the financial value of cocaine in the United States has fallen over 20 years.

1988: $134 Billion

1998: $44 Billion

2008: $35 Billion.

Source:  UNODC, ‘The Globalization of Crime,” Chapter 4: Cocaine, June 2010.