January 31, 2023
Guns and drugs are ravaging the Caribbean to the point where it is beginning to cripple the economies and societies beneath it.
The guns are flowing in primarily from the US and also from secondary points in South America, but these weapons too are from the US to a great extent.
The Caribbean does not manufacture guns. These guns have caused untold deaths in countries that are not known for bloodshed. Countries in the region like Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines are beginning to have frequent murders by gun on a regular basis now.
What is bringing in the guns? The need for drug trafficking for the most part: The Caribbean is still a large transhipment point for illegal narcotics flowing into the US and Europe. The need to protect this extremely lucrative drug trade.
The untold wealth and power that springs from the drug trade is intoxicating for many. In fact, in some countries like The Bahamas, entire economies were built off of the drug trade, like how it was in the 1970’sand 1980’s.
What can be done to stem the need for drug money in these countries, is beyond the comprehension of many. Because as long as people are in desperate need for money and resources, the need to find those things will become stronger and stronger.
The region may be forever locked in the struggle to develop and illicit narcotics. A toxic relationship that is killing the very same societies it is trying to develop.