IntroductionJoaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was a little-known name in America a month ago. His recent capture has reignited our fascination with the larger-than-life figure of a “drug lord,” both in the news and in pop culture. I will explore how the son of a poor cattle rancher became the most powerful drug trafficker in the world and what ultimately led to his downfall. I will also discuss the role the military played in this revolutionary takedown of a notorious baron.HistoryCocaine has been a part of American culture since the mid-1800s.1 Traditionally, it was used in all types of dyes, solvents and drinks, including the original Coca-Cola recipe2. Around the turn of the century, cocaine became popular with the general public as a stimulant for workers to make them more productive on the job. The tide of public opinion would soon shift in the early 1900s, as perceptions of cocaine shifted from a harmless ingredient in medications to fuel for crazed demons. The first attempts to make cocaine illegal began in the early 1900s at the local government level. Notably, Georgia became the first to implement an outright ban on cocaine in any form, and other states quickly followed suit3. In 1906, the FDA adopted a labeling requirement for all cocaine-containing products, and then in 1914, the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act was passed, which was a federal regulation and license for certain narcotics4. Thus began America's love affair with failed drug policies. The United States accounts for 41% of global cocaine consumption, an amount estimated at $38 billion per year5. This economic incentive is what fuels the illegal leprechaun...... middle of paper ......S. citizens. We must have systems in place to successfully share information without sacrificing our own national security. Similarly, counterterrorism organizations in the United States have made great strides in their ability to kill/capture individuals with little or no collateral damage. We use this knowledge to pursue wanted individuals in many different settings and share lessons learned with SWAT, CIA et al. These techniques must also be shared among U.S. agencies as well as our coalition brothers in arms in the area of ​​U.S. national security interests. Works Cited Beith, Malcolm. The last Narco. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2011. Corchado, Alfredo. Midnight in Mexico A Reporter's Journey New York: GP Putnam's Sons, 2013. Ward, Christopher. Narcoland: Mexican drug lords. New York: TheRandom House Inc.., 2014.