Operation Snowcap

Operation Snowcap (1987–1994) was a counter-narcotics operation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and military/police forces in nine Latin American countries. At an annual cost to the DEA of $8 million, and involving approximately 140 agents at its onset^[1], Snowcap was the largest counter-narcotics operation that had been launched in Latin America.^[2] The U.S. Department of Defense leased 6 UH-1 Huey helicopters, and provided flight training to Bolivian air force pilots and Special Forces training for UMOPAR and DEA agents.^[3][4]

By the end of 1990, Colombian National Police participating in Operation Snowcap had seized 53 metric tons of cocaine, arrested about 7,000 suspected traffickers, destroyed over 300 processing facilities, and seized over 700,000 gallons of precursor chemicals.^[5][6] Snowcap was successful in temporarily reducing the amount of Colombian cocaine entering the United States, however, it ended up handing control of narco-trafficking from the powerful Medellín and Cali cartels over to the smaller Mexican cartels. According to the SAC who was in charge of Operation Snowcap, Tony Laza, the DEA's "success with Medellín and Cali essentially set the Mexicans up in business, at a time when they were already cash-rich thanks to the budding meth trade in Southern California."^[7]

See also

• Colombian Armed Conflict
• Mexican Drug War

References

Notes

1. ^ Though the U.S. government expected the number of agents to increase to 180. (Chepesiuk, 1999: p. 177)
2. ^ Chepesiuk, 1999: p. 177
3. ^ Bewley-Taylor, David R. (2001). The United States and international drug control, 1909-1997. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 189. ISBN 9780826458131. http://books.google.com/books?id=ESxOHZZwQXoC&pg=PA189. 
4. ^ See also: Ledebur, Kathryn (2005). "Bolivia: Clear Consequences". In Youngers, Coletta & Rosin, Eileen. Drugs and democracy in Latin America: the impact of U.S. policy. Lynne Rienner Publishers. p. 150. ISBN 9781588262547. http://books.google.com/books?id=jAzNQGZ0AV4C&pg=PA150. 
5. ^ Menzel, Sewall H. (2000). Cocaine Quagmire: Implementing the U.S. Anti-Drug Policy in the North Andes-Colombia. University Press of America. p. 88. ISBN 9780761816430. http://books.google.com/books?id=6poIQNLKIe0C&pg=PA88. 
6. ^ See also Menzel, Sewall H. (1997). Fire in the Andes: U.S. Foreign Policy and Cocaine Politics in Bolivia and Peru. University Press of America. p. 44. ISBN 9780761810018. http://books.google.com/books?id=-jPscPbFKk0C&pg=PA44. 
7. ^ Reding, Nick (2010). Methland. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 157. ISBN 9781608192076. http://books.google.com/books?id=qYOFM6aXSyEC&pg=PA157. 

Bibliography

• Chepesiuk, Ron (1999). "Operation Snowcap". The war on drugs: an international encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 177. ISBN 9780874369854. http://books.google.com/books?id=V1rjd3cBI84C&pg=PA177.