Between 1998 to 2008, there was a 400 percent increase in hospital admissions for prescription drugs abuse in the United States.

Source: Gloria Goodale, “Prescription drug abuse surged 400 percent in past decade,” Christian Science Monitor, July 15, 2010.

In 2010, there were 6,010 illegal immigrants in the prison system in the State of Arizona, with over 2,000 convicted for serious drug crimes.

Source:  JJ Hensley, “Illegal immigrants’ activity in drug trade uncertain,” Arizona Republic, July 6, 2010.

In Fiscal Year 2009, authorities caught 130 minors attempting to smuggled drugs into Arizona from Mexico, an increase of 83 percent from Fiscal Year 2008.

Source:  Dennis Wagner, “Cartels use kids to bring in drugs,” Arizona Republic, July 5, 2010.

An estimated $29 Billion a year of cash from drug sales is smuggled into Mexico each year to the drug cartels.

If the $29 Billion were in 100 bills, the total weight of the cash smuggled would be 319 tons.

Source:  Michael Smith, “Banks Financing Mexico Gangs Admitted in Wells Fargo Deal,” Bloomberg, June 29, 2010.

In the United States, the retail price for medical marijuana sold legally is between $5,500 to $7,500 per pound.

Purchasing a pound on the wholesale market costs about $4,000.

However, if growing marijuana independently, the cost to grow a pound of marijuana is between $750 to $1,000.

Source:  David Segal, “When Capitalism Meets Cannabis,” New York Times, June 25, 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 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.

Analysis on cocaine seized in the United States have repeatedly shown that nearly 90 percent of samples have originated from Colombia.

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

The following is the number of pounds of methamphetamines that were seized by law enforcement on the Southwest Border of the United States.

2004: 976 pounds.

2007: 340 pounds.

2009: 951 pounds.

Source: Lynn Brezosky, “Mexico becomes U.S. meth source,” St. Louis Post Dispatch, June 13, 2010.

Between 2004 and 2008, there was an increase of nearly 75 percent in the number of ecstasy related visits to hospitals in the United States.

Source:  Health Day, “CDC Warns of Ecstasy Overdose ‘Clusters’ at Rave Events,” BusinessWeek, June 10, 2010.