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New Federal Drug Reports Out

By Jeralyn, Section Crime Policy
Posted on Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 03:46:34 PM EST
Tags: HIDTA's (all tags)
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The National Drug Intelligence Center issued its annual "market analyses" on illicit drug seizures, arrests, and trends in the 32 so-called High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTAs).

Drug Market Analyses examine the market dynamics and the trafficking, distribution, and abuse patterns associated with cocaine, heroin, marijuana, MDMA, methamphetamine, and other dangerous drugs within United States High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTAs).

Some interesting tidbits from my neck of the woods:

[More...]

  • The Mexicans are blamed for pot. ("Mexican marijuana is the most widely available and abused illicit drug in the HIDTA region." And,
    The high demand for marijuana has prompted Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) to continue to transport large quantities of marijuana from Mexico and to expand their cannabis cultivation operations in the HIDTA region. Mexican criminal groups operate large outdoor cannabis plots, often composed of several thousand plants, particularly on public lands. As such, Mexican traffickers are able to respond to market demands and achieve higher profit margins.
  • Ecstasy is the fault of the Asians.
    Asian criminal groups, Asian gangs, and independent Caucasian distributors are the primary suppliers of MDMA. The Metro Gang Task Force in Denver continues to seize large amounts of MDMA (seizures of 10,000 dosage units are not uncommon) from sources in California, particularly Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Francisco.
  • Blame the Outlaw bikers for Meth.
    OMGs, particularly Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC), Outlaws, Bandidos, and Sons of Silence, distribute ice methamphetamine and high-potency marijuana in some areas of the region. These OMGs obtain methamphetamine from Mexican traffickers and also transport the drug from California and southwestern states.
  • And, local Hispanics for all drugs:
    Hispanic street gangs, primarily affiliates of Sureños and Norteños, are midlevel and retail distributors of ice methamphetamine, powder cocaine, marijuana, b