Distribution

Mexican DTOs supply street gang members and independent dealers in Chicago and Lake County with wholesale quantities of illicit drugs, primarily cocaine and marijuana, which are stored in and distributed from the region. Wholesale quantities of heroin are generally not available in Lake County; local midlevel and retail-level heroin distributors and abusers typically travel to Chicago to obtain the drug. Illicit drug seizures in Lake County reflect the volume of drugs that are stored in or distributed from the area. For instance, the Lake County HIDTA initiatives, including the Lake County Combined Task Force (LCCTF), Gang Response Investigative Team (GRIT), and Firearms Interdiction Regional Enforcement (FIRE) initiatives, seized approximately 234 kilograms of powder cocaine, 1,490 kilograms of marijuana, and 5 kilograms of heroin in 2006. In addition, the Lake County Sheriff's Department five-man Highway Interdiction Team (HIT) seized approximately 60 kilograms of cocaine and 7 kilograms of marijuana in 2006.

Street gang members and independent dealers, who are supplied by Mexican DTOs, conduct most of the retail drug distribution in the HIDTA region. Additionally, abusers from southern Lake County and neighboring Porter County travel to Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, or Chicago to purchase illicit drugs from local distributors.

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