Introduction Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was a little-known name in America a month ago. His recent capture has reignited fascination with the larger-than-life character 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 led to his eventual downfall. I will also discuss the role the military played in this groundbreaking takedown of a notorious boss. History Cocaine has been a part of American culture since the mid-1800s1. Traditionally it was used in all types of tinctures, solvents and drinks, including the original recipe for Coca-Cola2. During the turn of the century, cocaine became popular in the mainstream as a stimulant for workers to make them more productive at work. The tide of public opinion soon turned in the early 1900s when the perception of cocaine went from a harmless ingredient in drugs to fuel for crazed demons. The first attempts to make cocaine illegal began in the early 1900s at the local government level. Notably, Georgia was the first to implement a complete ban on cocaine in any form, quickly followed by other states3. In 1906 the FDA passed a labeling requirement for all products containing cocaine and then in 1914 the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act was passed, which was a federal regulation and licensing of certain narcotics4. Thus began America's love affair with failed drug policies. The United States accounts for 41% of global cocaine use, worth an estimated $38 billion per year5. This economic incentive is what fuels the illegal economy......middle of paper......S. citizens. We must have systems in place to successfully share information without sacrificing our national security. Similarly, counterterrorism organizations in the United States have made great strides in the ability to kill/capture individuals with little to no collateral damage. We use this knowledge to pursue wanted individuals in many different contexts and share lessons learned with SWAT, CIA and others. These techniques must also be shared across agencies across the United States and with our coalition brothers-in-arms as part of U.S. national security interests. Works Cited Beith, Malcolm. The latest drug trafficking. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2011. Corchado, Alfredo. Midnight in Mexico A Reporter's Trip to New York: GP Putnam's Sons, 2013.Ward, Christopher. Narcoland: The Mexican drug lords. New York: TheRandom House Inc., 2014.