Drug Lords Increasing Output

The United States and other developed countries are falling further behind in the war on drugs as criminal organizations in Latin America and Asia have increased production and become more sophisticated in distributing cocaine and heroin, according to recent U.S. intelligence reports.

With little hindrance from the governments in major opium and coca leaf growing regions - and in some cases encouragement - these groups have been able to boost illicit production of opium fourfold since the early 1980s.

The result, officials say, is a resurgence of heroin use in the United States that borders on epidemic proportions. Heroin-related admissions to hospital emergency rooms have increased 30 percent since 1990, according to government statistics.

Despite the well-publicized recent arrests of some alleged cocaine kingpins in Colombia, criminal groups have been steadily expanding the cultivation of coca leaves in the Andean region and Colombian producers now are capable of turning out hundreds of tons more cocaine than the U.S. and European markets demand. That leaves them a substantial reserve to replace any shipments seized by law enforcement agents.