The US Law Enforcement Activities in the Struggle against Drugs

    Basically, there are two strategies by which the US law enforcement bodies discourage illicit drug use:

Ø the first strategy seeks to disrupt and discourage use by enforcing domestic laws against drug use and internal trafficking;

Ø the second strategy seeks to prevent supplies of illicit drugs from entering the country, either by preventing their cultivation (выращивание) abroad or by intercepting shipments to the United States.

    The latter strategy is largely the work of federal agents, although state and local agencies may occasionally participate. The efforts (действия) to control illicit drug use within the United States are conducted by federal, state, and local agents.

    Occasionally these different levels of government join forces and work together; however, they act independently, jealously (ревностно) guarding their ‘turf’ (i.e. their resources and sources of information) from one another.

Exercise 11. Answer the following questions:

1. How do the US law enforcement bodies discourage illicit drug use?

2. What forces control illicit drug use in the United States?

Exercise 12. Interpret the phrase: “Customs co-operate closely with law-enforcement agencies from other countries”. Support your statements with your own examples. Use the Internet to find necessary information.

Exercise 13. Explain how you understand the meaning of the following words. What word among them can unite the others?

Drug couriers; “mules”; drug dealers; smugglers; gunrunners; drug pushers.

Consult the dictionary, if necessary.

Exercise 14. Express your attitude to the phrase:

“The right mix of modernization will allow agencies to achieve high performance long into the future”.

Exercise 15. Work in pairs. Compare strategies of the law enforcement bodies in Russia and the USA to discourage illicit drug use. Give your own opinion.

Exercise 16. Work in small groups. Make up short dialogues about methods of smuggling.

 Hints

Use the following phrases: I’d like to ask you about…; Looking at it from another point of view …; If I understand you correctly you are saying that …; I mean that…; The fact is that…; I have a question about …; As I said before …; For example…; Let me add immediately …; I would agree to you up to the point…; You may be interested to know that …; To sum up….

 

Exercise 17. Class discussion. Speak on the measures taken by Customs authorities to suppress smuggling. Complete the following table using Texts 2, 4.

 

Anti-smuggling strategies	Anti-smuggling tactics
Tough legislation     Intelligence-led Customs operations	Co-operation of Customs administrations with regional Customs agencies Collection of intelligence data; use of informants in anti-smuggling work; etc.

 

Hints

When completing the table, make transformation of the sentences taken from the texts.

 

Exercise 18. You ask a friend questions. Use What would you do if _________?

1. (Maybe one day your friend will win a lot of money.)

What would you do if you won a lot of money?

2. (Your friend’s car has never been stolen but perhaps one day it will be.)

What _______?

3. (Perhaps one day your friend will lose his/her passport.)

What _______?

4. (There has never been a fire in the building.)

What _______?

Exercise 19. Use your own ideas to complete these sentences.

1. You’d feel better if __________

2. I’d feel very angry if __________

3. If I didn’t go to work tomorrow __________

4. Would you go to the party if ___________

5. If I took the exam at once ___________.

6. Would you mind if __________

7. I’d be very happy if ___________

Exercise 20. Open the brackets using Conditionals.

1. If the vaccination certificate (be) valid, the passenger with the dog (be admitted) to entry.

2. We (cancel) if you don’t deliver the goods by Friday.

3. If you execute the order carelessly, they (place/not) another order with you in the future.

4. If the Customs officer (discover) excessive quantity of medicines in the baggage, he (detain) the passenger.

5. If I had more time, I (do) a course in Business English.

6. If the truck (not/be overloaded) it (not/overturn).

7. If the company (use) new sales techniques, the volume of sales (be) higher.

8. If you (make) all the arrangements in advance, your goods delivery (be) in time.

9. If you (customize) your CV (краткая биография, резюме) your chances of getting a job will be better.

10. They (accept) this lot of goods if they (be) satisfied with their quality.

11. If your documents (be checked) then, you (go) through the Customs control now.

12. If the vessel (clear) all the formalities on arriving, a Customs inspector (grant) the permit to depart immediately.

13. If the Customs duties (be paid) before the goods were released from the Customs, you (can/leave) on schedule.

14. You (can/take out) the icons of the country, if you (get) the permit from the Russian Ministry of Culture.

15. If the Customs officer (not/discover) smuggled goods in the baggage of that passenger an hour before, the flight (be delayed).

Exercise 21. Translate the following sentences paying attention to if-clauses:

1. Many smugglers will be able to avoid detection if they take their contraband into or out of the country when there are no visible signs of a Customs presence.

2. If we hadmore employees, we would work more efficiently.

3. If we delivered poor quality, we would not be the leading company in our business.

4. If yousendyour order by fax, we will deliver the goods immediately.

5. The producers will deliver the goods ordered by our firm if we fulfill all our obligations according to the Contract.

6. If the goods are packed very carefully our firm will not suffer losses.

7. If the Customs officer carried close examination of the documents he would reveal the possibility of smuggling.

8. Smuggling will occur if there is an imbalance in the supply and demand of the particular goods.

9. The Customs officer will be suspicious if a passenger returning from holidays has only one light luggage.

10. If the Customs use modern technical equipment, passenger examination will be better.

11. I could not afford to go to that resort if I did not receive a bonus.

Exercise 22. Answer the questions in the way shown: