Cocaine-a powerful central nervous system stimulant-has been a big problem for the Drug Enforcement Agency(DEA) in south Florida since the 1960s. Drug cartels ship coke to the United States frequently, Miami being the main port. Cocaine has several nicknames: C, cream, snow, powder, and blow. This drug doesn't only affect the user but can also affects who ever is around the user.

Cocaine isn't just a problem in south Florida, but it's a problem worldwide. Through an investigation a solution will be proposed to slowing down cocaine from being imorted into southern Florida.

In the mid-19th century a German chemist, Albert Niemann, first extracted pure cocaine from the leaf of the Erythroxylon coca bush and used it in elixur form in medicines to treat a wide variety of illnesses. Later it was used as a local anethetic for eye, ear, and throat surgery. Now it has been replaced by synthetic local anesthetics and is only used for recreational purposes only. Coke can be smoked, snorted, rubbed onto the gums, and rubbed into the mouth, rectum, or vagina.

Coke even effects the innocent. Little children have been abducted, killed,

and stuffed with the drug in Mexico to be smuggled into the U.S. as sleeping chilren.Miami International Airport is a popular place used to import cocaine. On August 30, 1998, 2720 pounds of the drug was seized from a shipment of fish.

The wholesale price was estimated to be 21 million dollars.

Boats and large freighters are also used in the importation of coke.In late April of 1988, the largest drug shipment in U.S. history was found. There were reportedly 4000 kilograms confiscated inside thousands of Brazilian cedar bords on the freighter from Cali, Columbia. The Cali Cartel is belived to have made the shipment but there is no proof.

Through air, land, and water cocaine is being transported into south Florida every day. If background checks were done on all airlines employees and employees of all the ports it would reduce the importation. Customs officials should also do more in-depth searches and should be watched themselves, creating another job. The solution may not stop the drug from entering into Florida but would be a great start in our war on drugs.