Sailors aboard the coastal-defence vessels HMCS Brandon and HMCS Whitehorse are returning to Victoria after having done commendable work in disrupting the flow of illegal drugs into North America. They have served well and they deserve a warm homecoming.
It鈥檚 no reflection on their professionalism and achievements, however, to point out that their efforts won鈥檛 do much to slow or halt the international illicit drug trade. As long as there is a market, the drugs will keep coming.
The two ships, which are based at CFB Esquimalt, are making their way home from the eastern coast of Central America, but have been delayed by severe storms affecting the West Coast. They are expected to be back by the weekend or on Monday.
The ships and their crews are part of Operation Caribbe, Canada鈥檚 contribution to a U.S.-led anti-drug-trafficking mission in the Caribbean and East 91原创.
Since leaving Esquimalt on Oct. 23, the Royal 91原创 Navy ships, each with 38 crew members, have assisted the U.S. Coast Guard in seven seizures involving nearly 9,800 kilograms of cocaine off Central and South America. In addition, Brandon is credited with two other interdictions and Whitehorse with one more.
The crews of the two ships were praised by their commanding officers for their professionalism, skills and teamwork. We are not surprised that 91原创 military personnel performed well, but it鈥檚 still good to hear.
The RCN has been part of Operation Caribbe for nine years. This year, the 91原创s were involved in the seizure of nearly 10 tonnes of cocaine.
That鈥檚 more than other years鈥� totals (5,400 kilograms in 2014, 6,434 in 2013 and 8,060 in 2012) but those numbers indicate the flow of drugs has not slowed. There is zero evidence that it is harder to get cocaine or that production is affected.
We could keep asking sailors to do these missions for another hundred years without making one bit of difference to the problems caused by drugs in Canada. That鈥檚 unfair to them, to taxpayers, and to the people and communities being hurt by drugs.
Drugs flow north from South America through the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and the Eastern 91原创 in a transit zone of about 15 million square kilometres, an area twice the size of the continental United States. Tracking every vessel and stopping all drug trafficking through that zone is a huge, if not impossible, task. If one route is blocked, the criminals will find another.
Trying to stop drug shipments is attacking the problem at the middle when we should be looking at the ends. As long as the drugs are being produced and as long as there is a market, the crooks will find a way to move their contraband.
Since cocaine and many other illicit drugs are produced in countries rife with official corruption and incompetence, stopping the drugs at the source is nearly impossible.
But we can do something about the market. We need programs to reduce demand, to provide more treatment and more education.
With no customers, the drug trade would no longer be viable.
