Cocaine

In North Dakota powdered cocaine availability and abuse are stable at low levels, and crack cocaine availability and abuse are very limited. Pound and kilogram amounts of cocaine are not available in the state. The limited amount of crack that is available is converted locally by retail distributors. Mexican criminal groups transport small quantities of powdered cocaine from Mexico through the southwestern states and distribute it to local Caucasian and Native American independent dealers and African American street gangs. These independent dealers and street gangs also are involved in the retail distribution of crack cocaine.

Abuse

Cocaine abuse is less of a problem in North Dakota than methamphetamine or marijuana abuse. Treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities for cocaine abuse varied little for most of the 1990s. According to TEDS, from 1994 to 1998 North Dakota consistently ranked among the lowest in the nation for cocaine treatment admissions. TEDS statistics confirm that treatment admissions for cocaine remained relatively stable, fluctuating slightly each year from 17 in 1994 to 19 in 1999. (See Table 3.) The Bismarck Police Department reports that cocaine abuse has decreased since 1998 in its jurisdiction. Treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities were fewer for smoked cocaine (crack) than for cocaine administered via other routes. In 1999, 5 admissions were reported for smoked cocaine compared with 14 associated with other routes of administration. From 1994 through 1999 admissions for other routes of administration outnumbered smoked cocaine admissions by more than two to one.

Table 3. Cocaine-Related Treatment Admissions to Publicly Funded Facilities, North Dakota, 1994-1999

Year	Admissions
1994	17
1995	25
1996	27
1997	21
1998	25
1999	19

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Treatment Episode Data Set.

Young Caucasian adults are the primary abusers of smoked cocaine. In 1999 Caucasians accounted for 100 percent of smoked cocaine admissions to publicly funded treatment facilities; 80 percent were female and 20 percent were male. Sixty percent were ages 26 to 30, 20 percent were 18 to 20, and 20 percent were 15 to 17.

The 1999 North Dakota YRBS indicates that the percentage of students in North Dakota who reported lifetime use of cocaine was lower than the national percentage--8 percent compared with 10 percent.

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Availability

Overall, the availability of powdered cocaine remains stable at low levels across the state. Powdered cocaine is available in small amounts in North Dakota's urban areas, while crack cocaine availability is limited to Fargo. There were only three federally prosecuted crack cocaine cases in North Dakota from 1995 through 2000. Officials from the Northwest Narcotics Task Force report that powdered cocaine is available in their jurisdiction but that supplies are very limited; they handle an average of one powdered cocaine-related case per year.

Despite relative stability, drug task force statistics for cocaine arrests increased overall from 6 in 1995 to 28 in 1999, peaking at 46 in 1998. From 1998 through 1999, statewide task force seizures of cocaine remained low and stable, at 3.3 kilograms in 1998 and 3.0 kilograms in 1999. According to U.S. Sentencing Commission statistics, the number of cocaine-related federal sentences declined overall from 17 in 1995 to 7 in 1999; there were no cocaine-related federal sentences imposed during 2000. In June 2001 Metro Area Narcotics Task Force officers reported that powdered cocaine availability was minimal and crack cocaine was not available in their jurisdiction. Responding to the NDIC National Drug Threat Survey 2000, officials from the Cass County Sheriff's Department reported that cocaine availability remained stable.

The price and purity of powdered cocaine also indicate that availability is stable in North Dakota. According to DEA Chicago Division reporting, the price and purity of powdered cocaine in Fargo have remained stable from FY1999 through the second quarter of FY2001. During that period powdered cocaine sold for $100 to $120 per gram and $1,000 to $1,500 per ounce. Pound and kilogram quantities of cocaine are not available in the state. The purity of powdered cocaine at the retail level in Fargo ranged from 30 to 70 percent.

Violence

There is little violence associated with cocaine distribution and abuse in North Dakota. Respondents to the NDIC National Drug Threat Surveys in 2000 and 2001 reported only a few incidents of violence related to the distribution or abuse of cocaine in North Dakota. Officials from the North Dakota BCI reported that few cases of cocaine-related violence occurred in North Dakota during 2000 and 2001. North Dakota law enforcement officials reported few problems associated with gang violence related to cocaine distribution.

Production

Coca is not cultivated nor is cocaine produced in North Dakota. Local Caucasian and Native American independent dealers as well as African American street gangs in the urban areas of North Dakota convert a very limited amount of powdered cocaine to crack. The conversion normally takes place in private residences.

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Transportation

Mexican criminal groups transport small quantities of cocaine into North Dakota. The drugs typically are transported from Mexico through the southwestern states and then through distribution centers in Minneapolis and Denver. A 2000 OCDETF investigation targeted one of these groups that transported cocaine into the Fargo/Moorhead area from Mexico via Minneapolis. Other loosely knit groups also transport cocaine--although in even smaller amounts--and typically are composed of Caucasians, Hispanics, and Native Americans. These groups transport the drugs from major distribution centers in California, Colorado, and Washington.

Mexican criminal groups transport powdered cocaine into the state via I-29 and I-94. They also use US 2, 83, 85, and 281 as secondary routes. Metro Area Narcotics Task Force officers report that these groups transport cocaine into the area primarily by private vehicle from Mexico through the southwestern states. In Stutsman and Ward Counties, Mexican criminal groups transport cocaine via private vehicles and package delivery services.

Distribution

Mexican criminal groups distribute small quantities of powdered cocaine to local Caucasian and Native American independent dealers and African American street gangs. Caucasian local independent dealers are the primary cocaine retail distributors in the Stutsman County, Ward County, and Metro Area Narcotics Task Force jurisdictions. Officials from the North Dakota BCI report that Native American local independent dealers distribute retail amounts of powdered cocaine on Indian reservations as well as in Bismarck and Fargo.

Officials from the DEA Resident Office in Fargo report that Caucasian local independent dealers are the primary crack cocaine retailers in Fargo and that African American street gangs also distribute crack cocaine in the city.

There are no specific locations within North Dakota cities in which to purchase user quantities of cocaine. Sales occur primarily in private residences or are arranged by word of mouth. According to officials from the BCI and the DEA Fargo Resident Office, if an individual wants to purchase user quantities of cocaine, that person must have a contact; there are no "cold buys." Due to the limited amount of powdered and crack cocaine available and the harsh climate in North Dakota, there are no open-air drug markets in the state. 

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