Just One Corner of a Corner of the Illegal Drug Megalith, Lower Ranking Danger Drugs in the US and UK, Trafficked Through the Mail
Think that
the recent crackdowns you might have seen, heard about, or even witnessed in
real life especially amid tenacity against illegal aliens has been inordinate?
Think again. What you have seen in the past 6 months might have ministered to
about an estimated 5%, to be respectful, the number might be closer to 2% or
lower in other opinions, of the monster sized drug problem in the US. The US
drug challenges is just a few dots in the heap of the global drug problem.
It may popularly appear to public that basically ICE and reduction of illegal immigration efforts are going hand-in-hand with drug enforcement efforts, as illegal immigrants can facilitate the illegal trafficking of drugs into the country, and the obvious vice versa, crackdowns on illegal drugs can be potentially reduced by reducing numbers of illegal immigrants that illegally traffic drugs.
The story still hasn't begun yet.
What tipped the story, is the combination of Scotland's recent gang wars, wherein huge amounts of drugs and connected finances are reported to have been involved, and a recent law enforcement takedown in the Hull area of the UK, about 50 miles east of Leeds, of a family that was seeing some prosperity taking advantage of the postal system to drug traffic.
Meanwhile, takedowns of drug trafficking in airports in both the US and UK have received significant media glamorization in the past few months.
The following does use the help of AI, due to immediate availability of data, so please read with that discretion upon confirming accuracy. Like what was said, here is only a brief summary, not even the tip of the iceberg, of just one corner of one corner of the global drug problem:
AI says
9/25/25:
Statistics from the U.S. Sentencing Commission on the percentage of drug trafficking cases for each substance provide an indication of which drugs are most commonly seized and prosecuted.
Trafficking cases by substance (FY 2024):
Methamphetamine: 45.8%
Fentanyl and analogues: 22.1%
Powder Cocaine: 19.5%
Crack Cocaine: 3.8%
Heroin: 3.3%
Marijuana: 2.6%
Other: 1.8%
Oxycodone: 1.1%
AI says 9/25/25 as to the volume or amounts of drugs trafficked through the US postal system:
"It is impossible to know the exact total amount of drugs trafficked through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), since authorities seize only a fraction of what is actually sent. However, official seizure data from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) shows that thousands of pounds of narcotics are intercepted annually.
Key facts and statistics on drugs seized from the U.S. mail:
USPIS seizures for FY 2020 In fiscal year (FY) 2020, the USPIS and its partners seized 124,000 pounds of illegal narcotics and nearly $39 million in illegal proceeds from the mail.
Seizures during a 9-month period (Oct. 2021–June 2022) From October 2021 to June 2022, the Postal Inspection Service reported the following seizures:
Methamphetamine: 7,189 pounds seized in 1,607 seizures.
Cocaine: 5,393 pounds seized in 1,727 seizures.
Fentanyl: 4,038 pounds seized in 1,554 seizures.
Heroin: 99 pounds seized in 126 seizures.
Fentanyl increase[:] The amount of synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, seized from the U.S. mail increased tenfold in the five years leading up to March 2023."
AI says 9/25/25 "In the U.S., drugs are classified into five schedules under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), based on their potential for abuse, accepted medical use, and potential for dependence...
Drug schedules defined
Schedule I
These drugs are considered the most dangerous. Illegal drugs fall under this category, and are defined as substances with:
A high potential for abuse.
No currently accepted medical use in the U.S.
A lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.
Examples:
Heroin, LSD, ecstasy, and marijuana.
Schedule II
Drugs in this category have a high potential for abuse that can lead to severe psychological or physical dependence, but they also have accepted medical uses.
Examples: Cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, oxycodone (OxyContin), and Ritalin.
Schedule III
Substances with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence and abuse potential less than Schedule I and II drugs are in Schedule III. Examples include Tylenol with codeine, ketamine, and anabolic steroids.
Schedule IV
Schedule IV drugs have a low potential for abuse and dependence compared to Schedule III substances. Examples are Xanax, Valium, Ambien, and Tramadol.
Schedule V
These substances have the lowest potential for abuse and are primarily preparations with limited quantities of certain narcotics used for purposes like cough suppression. An example is cough preparations with less than 200 milligrams of codeine."
AI says 9/25/25 regarding renown drug laws and classes in the UK: “In the UK, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 categorizes drugs into Classes A, B, and C based on their perceived risk of harm."
According to Wikipedia as of today 9/25/25:
"The act sets out four separate categories: Class A, Class B, Class C and temporary class drugs.
Class A includes cocaine, heroin, morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, MDMA ("ecstasy"), methamphetamine, opium, LSD, hydrocodone, DMT, mescaline extracts,[a] and psilocybin/psilocin (magic mushrooms).
Class B includes cannabis, synthetic and semisynthetic cannabinoids, ketamine, amphetamine, codeine, methcathinone, barbiturates, mephedrone, methaqualone, methylphenidate, GHB, and GBL. Any class B drug that is prepared for injection use becomes a class A substance.
Class C includes benzodiazepines, xylazine, pregabalin, and most other non-barbiturate tranquillisers; tramadol, gabapentin; anabolic steroids, nitrous oxide, khat, substituted piperazines, and substituted cathinones.
All other psychoactive drugs except alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco (or other approved nicotine preparations) are controlled under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 and Medicines Act 1968."
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misuse_of_Drugs_Act_1971
The takedown in Hull, UK, what happened, how the suspects did it, and how the suspects got caught:
The "operation that saw Daniel Cotson post large quantities of unlicensed Class C drugs - including zopiclone, diazepam and temazepam - across the UK through local shops and post offices. They were sold online with payments funnelled into his bank accounts before being transferred to his parents, Paul and Stephanie Cotson, who invested £460,000 while also claiming benefits.
Suspicions were raised when a staff member from a shop in Hull city centre raised concerns about packages being sent out by Daniel Cotson. Staff at the store carried out a security check and one of the parcels was found to contain blister packaging filled with tablets.
Police officers then attended and seized 32 postal bags believed to contain controlled drugs. CCTV enquiries confirmed Daniel Cotson regularly visited the shop where he was sending out the parcels. He was arrested on May 17, 2021, during one of his visits to post drugs and he was found with two postal bags ready to send out."
Story dated 25 Sep 2025, https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/not-quite-sopranos-hull-crime-10526547
Scotland, and the gang wars
AI says 9/25/25:
"The drugs involved
While many types of drugs are trafficked, seizures, drug-related deaths, and violence point to specific substances fueling the gang wars.
Cocaine: Gangs fight fiercely over the cocaine supply, which has become one of the most profitable commodities. A specific feud in 2025 was reportedly sparked by a £500,000 cocaine deal. Cocaine was also a factor in 41% of Scotland's drug-related deaths in 2023, the highest on record.
Benzodiazepines: These drugs are heavily implicated in drug misuse deaths in Scotland, involved in 56% of fatalities in 2024. Illicit benzodiazepines, including counterfeit tablets ("street Valium"), are a major factor in the drug death crisis.
Synthetic opioids (nitazenes): Extremely potent synthetic drugs, such as nitazenes, are a growing concern. Police found a nitazene drug lab in Ayrshire in 2025, which also led to a reduction in illicit benzodiazepine supply, suggesting a link between the markets.
Cannabis: Along with cocaine, cannabis is one
of the most common commodities supplied by organized crime groups in
Scotland."
Notable recent multi-national cooperation May 2025, according to the US DOJ website:
- Operation RapTor occurred.
- Arrests of 270 dark web vendors, buyers, and administrators in Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.
- Seizures of over:
- $200 million in currency and digital assets,
- 2 metric tons of drugs, 144 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics
- 180 firearms
Round and around, or could be round and around if it goes there, law enforcement chases down traffickers and their designs, while traffickers try to obfuscate and continually improve on their designs plausibly based at least in part on what they think they know about law enforcements methodologies to catch them. At the end of the day, dangerous, and illegal drugs, are still dangerous and illegal drugs no matter what schedule or class they are in.
