Longtime demands from former President Trump for a more rigorous approach to the U.S. war on drugs, particularly in relation to Mexican cartels, has been a recurring theme. He shared his thoughts about the need for harsher consequences for fentanyl traffickers and purveyors of other narcotics plaguing American neighborhoods. The drug dealers are unfortunately often let off with a ‘gentle rap on the knuckles’, said Trump during a gathering with state governors back in February. He also expressed his readiness to advocate for the death penalty for drug dealers.
However, Trump’s hardline stance has been tainted with controversy due to his concurrent leniency towards convicted drug traffickers through a series of pardons. During his first few months into his second term, the ex-president has already shown clemency to a minimum of eight individuals indicted on federal drug offenses. Some of these grantees hold extensive criminal histories containing charges related to acts of violence and firearms.
One policy analyst associated with a libertarian think-tank shared his views on the confusing signals emanating from Trump’s behavior. There seems to be a level of unpredictability and disorder brought about by the contradictory actions of demanding stricter penalties for drug traffickers while simultaneously discharging them from prison, he noted.
To illustrate, take the story of Larry Hoover and the Gangster Disciples. His narrative was highlighted by Ron Safer, a previous U.S. attorney in Chicago, who spearheaded prosecution efforts against Gangster Disciple members in the 90s. He reminded that this organization, helmed by Hoover, was considered one of the most vicious and expansive drug cartels in America, with activities extending across 35 states as per the U.S Justice Department.
Hoover himself was found guilty on a medley of state and federal charges, which comprised murder and firearms possession during his drug trafficking operations. The powerful drug kingpin ran what could be described as the most deadly and efficient drug cartel in America, according to Safer.
Under Hoover’s leadership, the gang was able to rake in over $100 million annually from drug sales in Chicago alone. Their ledger further included countless murders and terrorizing the neighborhood with brutal violence to protect their territories.
Hoover’s tenure in prison began as early as 1973, following a murder conviction. He faced additional federal charges in the 90s, arising from his leadership role within the Gangster Disciples.
Presently, there are plans to move Hoover from a high-security federal prison into a state institution in Illinois. He is set to continue his incarceration there due to a murder conviction at the state level. Previously, Hoover had sought clemency from officials in Illinois, but his latest parole attempt was firmly dismissed by the state review board in December 2022.
Criticisms have been aimed at Trump for the disturbing pattern of pardoning drug offenders which started during his first presidential term. While publicly promising to crackdown heavily on drug lords, Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of no less than 13 individuals guilty of federal drug crimes between 2017 and 2021.
In one significant move during the first month of his second term, Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, a former tech entrepreneur. Ulbricht was serving life in federal prison for establishing Silk Road, a dark web platform that attracted significant drug trafficking activities.
Federal prosecutors provided a statement post-Ulbricht’s 2015 sentencing, pointing out his readiness to resort to violence in order to shelter his illicit enterprise and maintain anonymity for its users. The prosecuted individual was allegedly involved in solicitations for up to six murders to serve his site operations.
A spokesman on the matter expressed that the punishment was not always parallel with the crime. Easing these cases was seen as a way for the president to evaluate their redemption potential, the spokesman stated.
In response to Trump’s clemency acts towards drug offenders, some skeptics of the U.S. drug war cautiously commended the former President’s use of his authority. The President’s decision to provide clemency to those convicted due to drug-related charges is a significant step towards supporting affected individuals, opined the head of the Drug Policy Alliance.
However, the same commentator criticized Trump for his overall drug policy, arguing that his singular acts of clemency were greatly at odds with his general ‘hard-on-crime’ narrative.
Towards the end of his term, President Joe Biden decided to pardon thousands of offenders, a large number of whom were serving for federal drug offenses. He saw it as a necessary gesture to voice his growing discomfort with the war on drugs. This represents a significant stride towards correcting historical injustices, amending disproportionate sentencing, and offering deserving individuals a chance to reintegrate into their familial and social circles after prolonged incarceration, Biden noted.
Deducing a logical doctrine behind Trump’s use of clemency turned out to be a complex task, according to several drug policy analysts. They concluded that Trump’s decisions on pardons often appeared to be ‘transactional’ and were frequently influenced by the sway of powerful individuals during his campaign.