Cocaine is one of the primary drug threats in Maine. Powdered cocaine is distributed throughout the state while most crack cocaine distribution is limited to southern Maine. Cocaine is transported into Maine from several locations primarily in privately owned, borrowed, and leased vehicles and by way of public transportation. Crack cocaine abuse and the conversion of powdered cocaine into crack are increasing while the abuse of powdered cocaine remains steady, according to law enforcement authorities. Health data indicate that cocaine abuse overall is stable. Most powdered cocaine dealers are Caucasian while most crack cocaine dealers are Hispanic, particularly Dominican. Dominican criminal groups operating in Massachusetts are the primary suppliers of cocaine to Maine.

Maine health data show that cocaine abuse remains stable. The number of deaths caused by cocaine used in combination with other drugs increased by only three from 1995 to 1998. The total number of clients in Maine admitted to drug treatment programs for powdered and crack cocaine abuse shows little growth from 1995 (225) through September, 2000 (235). A 1997 Health Risk Behaviors Among Maine Youth survey reported that 9 percent of Maine's senior high school students used cocaine at least once in their lifetime compared with 8 percent nationwide.

Law enforcement reports that powdered cocaine abuse is stable while crack cocaine abuse is rising. The MDEA Augusta (Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, and Waldo Counties) Task Force reports that powdered cocaine abuse is stable, although it remains the Schedule W (see text box) drug of choice. The MDEA Lewiston (Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford Counties) Task Force reports that crack cocaine abuse is increasing in Auburn and Lewiston, noting that crack has been the drug of choice for several years. The DEA reports that crack cocaine abuse is rapidly increasing in the southern and central sections of the state.

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Powdered cocaine is distributed throughout the state while most crack cocaine distribution is limited to southern Maine. The MDEA Augusta Task Force reports that crack cocaine became available in Augusta after a Lewiston Dominican distribution group expanded its market in 1999. Powdered cocaine arrests have consistently increased during the past three fiscal years while crack cocaine arrests reached their highest level in FY1999. The percentage of MDEA arrests for powdered or crack cocaine dropped from 34 percent (214) in FY1999 to 28 percent (207) in FY2000. However, there were 195 percent more cocaine-related arrests than heroin-related arrests in FY2000. MDEA seizures of powdered cocaine and crack cocaine dropped from FY1999 to FY2000. Between FY1999 and FY2000, the amount of powdered cocaine seized decreased from 11.6 kilograms to 5.8 kilograms. In that same period, the amount of crack cocaine seized decreased from 0.5 kilograms to 0.2 kilograms. Retail prices for powdered cocaine in Portland range from $80 to $120 per gram with purity ranging from 30 to 80 percent. Crack cocaine prices at the retail level in Portland range from $20 to $50 per rock with purity ranging from 75 to 100 percent.

Statistics correlating cocaine distribution and abuse in Maine with violence are not available. However, anecdotal information indicates the two are closely related. The MDEA Augusta Task Force notes that when cocaine availability increases, there is a "discernible rise in thefts, burglaries, assaults, and home invasions," as well as a rise in violent crimes "from disputes over owed money." The investigation of a long-standing cocaine distribution group in Portland led to several arrests of group members involved in a car bombing and two armed robberies--including one in which a clerk was shot--illustrating the connection between cocaine distribution activities and violence in Maine.

Coca cultivation and cocaine production occur on a significant level only in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. There have been no reports of coca cultivation or cocaine production in Maine; however, conversion of powdered cocaine into crack cocaine is increasing. The conversion process involves adding baking soda and water to powdered cocaine and then heating the mixture, converting the powder into crack, a crystal-like substance.

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Cocaine is transported into Maine primarily from Lowell, Lawrence, and Lynn, Massachusetts, on Interstate 95. It also is transported to Maine from New York and Florida along I-95 and, to a much lesser extent, from the western United States. Distribution centers in Florida and New York are Maine's second and third largest cocaine suppliers, respectively, after Massachusetts, according to the MDEA. The I-95 corridor from Florida to Maine is a significant route in illegal drug transportation since it links all eastern seaboard states.

Privately owned and rented automobiles are the primary conveyances used to transport cocaine to Maine. Also, couriers carry drugs concealed in or on their person or in luggage, and travel to Maine on commercial airlines and buses. Parcels containing cocaine are also shipped to Maine using commercial package delivery and mail services.

The MDEA Portland (Cumberland County) Task Force reported in 1999 that there was a significant decrease in the transportation of crack cocaine into the area and a marked increase in the local conversion of powdered cocaine into crack. Sentences for possessing crack cocaine are lengthier than those for powdered cocaine, so retail distributors generally convert crack in the areas where it is to be distributed. A Connecticut-based cocaine distribution group operating in the Bath-Brunswick area of Maine transported powdered cocaine to Maine, converted it into crack cocaine, and distributed it locally. A Puerto Rican member of the Ņeta, a Connecticut street gang, was head of this distribution group. Carlos LaSombra founded the Ņeta in a prison in Puerto Rico in 1970. It originally was a street and prison gang but remains primarily a prison gang found in many correctional facilities in Connecticut. Most of the members are Hispanic but there are some African American and Caucasian members. Action against this organization by a DEA-led task force in December 1999 led to the arrest of 26 members (18 on federal charges).

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Dominican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) operating in Massachusetts supply the wholesale cocaine market in Maine. Dominican DTOs increased their drug trafficking activities in the Northeast during the past decade and have developed sophisticated methods of operation. Cocaine destined for New York City is typically transported from the Caribbean hidden in containerized air and maritime cargo. While New York City remains the primary distribution center, Dominican DTOs now use Philadelphia and the Boston area, including Lowell and Lawrence, as secondary wholesale distribution centers. Dominican criminal groups operating at the wholesale or retail levels have been reported throughout New England and, in particular, in the Maine cities of Auburn, Augusta, Bangor, Houlton, Lewiston, Portland, and Waterville.

A 1998 investigation involving the arrest of four Dominicans on federal cocaine distribution and conspiracy charges provides an excellent example of the Massachusetts connection. This particular Dominican distribution group, which included three illegal aliens, supplied 1 kilogram of cocaine monthly from its base in northern Massachusetts to two local Caucasian dealers in Hancock County, Maine. Hancock County includes the cities of Bar Harbor, Bucksport, and Ellsworth; the county line is approximately 12 miles from the city of Bangor.

Most of the powdered cocaine retailers in Maine are independent, Caucasian dealers. They travel to Lawrence, Lowell, and Lynn, Massachusetts, on a regular basis, returning with powdered cocaine packaged for retail distribution. The MDEA reports that numerous independent cocaine dealers along with highly organized cocaine distribution groups are active throughout the state. A 1999 Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation resulted in the prosecution of two brothers responsible for the monthly distribution of multikilogram quantities of powdered cocaine. One of the brothers and his father were members of the Saracens Motorcycle Club. The mere association with the Saracens, an outlaw motorcycle gang (OMG) allied with the Hells Angels, was enough to intimidate witnesses and hamper progress of the investigation for a significant period.

Dominican criminal groups are the predominant crack cocaine dealers in Maine. The MDEA reports that Dominican dealers in some instances sold powdered cocaine along with crack. A typical crack cocaine dealer in Lewiston or Auburn establishes a relationship with a local crack addict and works out of a bedroom in the addict's apartment. In turn, the addict conducts retail drug transactions and keeps one rock of crack for every four or five rocks sold. The "Flaco" distribution network, a Dominican-led group from Lawrence, Massachusetts, operated several crack houses in Auburn and Lewiston with the assistance of local crack addicts. The network was disbanded through a joint operation of the MDEA Lewiston and Portland Task Forces in 1999. In 2000, the MDEA reports that many of these dealers now favor motel rooms instead of apartments. The dealers are able to maintain a low profile while at the motel by using pagers and telephones to contact customers and by sending out runners with the crack cocaine.

Dealers other than Dominican criminals sell crack cocaine in Maine but to a more limited extent. A 1999 MDEA investigation of the New York "ROZ" organization discovered young African American dealers who traveled from Brooklyn with crack cocaine, conducted retail drug transactions in Portland and Lewiston, Maine, and then returned to New York with the cash. The MDEA Lewiston Task Force reports that this organization sold some of the highest quality crack cocaine ever distributed in the area and was responsible for a sharp rise in local crack abuse.

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