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National Drug Intelligence Center


Title:

New Jersey Drug Threat Assessment

Publication Date:  May 2001

Document ID: 2001-S0378NJ-001

Available New Jersey Assessments
   2004 Update: April 2004
   2002 Update: August 2002
         
Original: May 2001

Archived on:  January 1, 2006. This document may contain dated information. It remains available to provide access to historical materials.

This report is a strategic assessment that addresses the status and outlook of the drug threat in New Jersey. Analytical judgment determined the threat posed by each drug type or category, taking into account the most current quantitative and qualitative information on availability, demand, production or cultivation, transportation, and distribution, as well as the effects of a particular drug on abusers and society as a whole. While NDIC sought to incorporate the latest available information, a time lag often exists between collection and publication of data, particularly demand-related data sets. NDIC anticipates that this drug threat assessment will be useful to policymakers, law enforcement personnel, and treatment providers at the federal, state, and local levels because it draws upon a broad range of information sources to describe and analyze the drug threat in New Jersey.

Your questions, comments, and suggestions for future subjects are welcome at any time.  Addresses are provided at the end of the page.


Contents  

Executive Summary

Overview 
 
Fast Facts

Cocaine
 
Abuse
  Availability
  Violence
  Production
  Transportation
  Distribution

Heroin
  Abuse
  Availability
  Violence
  Production
  Transportation
  Distribution

Marijuana 
  Abuse
  Availability
  Violence
  Production
  Transportation
  Distribution

 Methamphetamine
 
Abuse
  Availability
  Violence
  Production
  Transportation
  Distribution

Other Dangerous Drugs
 
Club Drugs
  Stimulants
  Hallucinogens
  Diverted Pharmaceuticals

Outlook

Sources

List of Tables 

Table 1. Port Statistics, New Jersey, 1991-1999
Table 2. Cocaine Emergency Department Mentions and Mentions Per 100,000, Newark, 1991-1998
Table 3. Drug Seizures, in Kilograms, New Jersey, FY1995-FY1999
Table 4. Cocaine Prices (in Dollars), Northern and Southern New Jersey, 2000
Table 5. Heroin Emergency Department Mentions and Mentions Per 100,000, Newark, 1991-1999
Table 6. Heroin Prices (in Dollars), Northern and Southern New Jersey, 2000
Table 7. Marijuana Emergency Department Mentions and Mentions Per 100,000, Newark, 1995-1998
Table 8. Marijuana Prices (in Dollars), Northern and Southern New Jersey, 2000
Table 9. Methamphetamine Prices (in Dollars), Northern and Southern New Jersey, 2000
Table 10. Other Dangerous Drug Prices (in Dollars), New Jersey, 2000



Executive Summary

The distribution and use of illegal drugs continue to pose a serious threat to the safety and security of New Jersey citizens. Powdered cocaine and crack cocaine are readily available and are associated with more violent crime than any other drug, making cocaine the state's primary drug threat. Low cost, high-purity heroin is nearly as serious a threat. The user population is younger and using the high-purity drug increases health risks. Heroin may surpass cocaine as the primary drug threat in New Jersey; it already has in some areas of the state. Marijuana is the most prevalent drug in New Jersey, and abuse is high, particularly among teenagers and young adults. The production and use of methamphetamine are a growing concern for law enforcement officials since users have a propensity toward violence. The availability of other dangerous drugs, particularly MDMA and GHB associated with rave parties, is rapidly increasing. Pharmaceutical diversion of drugs such as Adderall, Dexedrine, Ritalin and most recently OxyContin, is a developing threat in New Jersey, and law enforcement officials report that pharmaceutical diversion is a lucrative business.

Cocaine poses the most serious drug threat in New Jersey. Powdered cocaine and crack are readily available, account for a high number of treatment admissions and more convictions than any other drug, and are commonly associated with violent crime including assaults, drive-by shootings, and homicides. Colombian drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) are the dominant cocaine suppliers for New Jersey-based criminal groups. Colombian DTOs and Dominican criminal groups control most of the wholesale distribution of cocaine in New Jersey, depending on the area. African American criminal groups, particularly in southern New Jersey, and Dominican criminal groups throughout the state are the dominant retail distributors.

Heroin, primarily South American, represents the second most significant problem, and may soon surpass cocaine as the primary drug threat in New Jersey. High purity, low cost heroin is readily available in the state. New Jersey has one of the highest rates of treatment for heroin use in the nation, a high death rate, and a user population that has expanded to include young, middle-class individuals. The same groups that control cocaine supply and distribution also control the supply and distribution of South American heroin in the state. Nigerian and other West African criminal organizations smuggle Southeast Asian heroin, while Lebanese, Pakistani, Nigerian, and other criminal groups smuggle Southwest Asian heroin to New Jersey.

Cannabis cultivation and marijuana use are widespread in New Jersey. Law enforcement officers in the state seized over 37,000 tons of the drug between 1995 and 1999. Marijuana is the most readily available, least expensive illicit drug in New Jersey, but remains a lower threat than cocaine and heroin because it is not commonly associated with violent crime. The rural areas of New Jersey provide many opportunities for growing cannabis outdoors; however, sophisticated indoor grow operations that produce high quality marijuana are increasing in number and volume. Mexican, Jamaican, and Caucasian criminal groups dominate the distribution of marijuana, some of which is transported in tractor-trailers from the Southwest Border to New Jersey.

Methamphetamine distribution and use are an increasing threat in New Jersey; however, the threat remains low when compared with other drugs. P2P is the most common production method used in the state. Traditional organized crime groups supply methamphetamine to outlaw motorcycle gangs and local independent Caucasian criminal groups that distribute the drug in New Jersey, primarily in the central and southern counties, and to states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Teenagers and young adults also sell methamphetamine at raves.

Other dangerous drugs (ODDs) such as MDMA, GHB, and khat are a growing threat in New Jersey. Many ODDs are commonly available at raves, nightclubs, and on college campuses. ODDs are popular with teenagers and young adults, especially those who attend raves in the rural areas of New Jersey, where the drugs are easily accessible. Cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine are also available at raves and have been taken in combination with other drugs such as MDMA and GHB.

Money laundering continues to be a major problem in New Jersey. Drug proceeds, particularly from cocaine and heroin, historically have been laundered in New Jersey. New Jersey's proximity to New York (a major financial center) and its array of transportation options continue to offer unique alternatives for bulk shipments of cash and other money laundering techniques. Money launderers use Atlantic City casinos to convert cash into casino chips or tokens and write checks on casino bank accounts. However, a state law enacted in 1999 makes penalties for some methods of money laundering equivalent to those for murder and rape. This law did not affect the state's wire transfer franchises and check cashing outlets, and drug money launderers continue to use these methods.



Addresses

National Drug Intelligence Center
319 Washington Street, 5th Floor
Johnstown, PA 15901

Tel. (814) 532-4601
FAX (814) 532-4690
E-mail NDIC.Contacts@usdoj.gov

National Drug Intelligence Center
8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 1001
McLean, VA 22102-3840

Tel. (703) 556-8970
FAX (703) 556-7807

Web Addresses

ADNET:  http://ndicosa 
      DOJ:  http://www.usdoj.gov/archive/ndic/
      LEO:  home.leo.gov/lesig/archive/ndic/ 


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