National
Drug Intelligence Center Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis May 2007 DistributionMexican DTOs and criminal groups control wholesale and much of the midlevel methamphetamine, powder cocaine, marijuana, and heroin distribution in the HIDTA region, distributing the drugs from the area's primary and secondary markets. Most Mexican DTOs and criminal groups do not stockpile drug shipments for extended periods of time but, rather, use vacant stash houses and apartments for short-term storage and distribution to midlevel dealers. Mexican wholesale and midlevel dealers are the primary sources of supply for Caucasian and African American retailers, conducting most sales through referrals and prearranged meetings rather than in open-air settings (see Table 1 in Outlook section). Mexican DTOs have increased ice methamphetamine distribution considerably in the Midwest HIDTA region over the past 2 years. State pseudoephedrine control legislation has reduced domestic methamphetamine availability but created an opportunity for Mexican organizations to meet local demand with high-quality Mexican ice methamphetamine. Law enforcement agencies in most HIDTA drug markets now report that the vast majority of available methamphetamine is ice methamphetamine. Mexican DTOs use Kansas City, Missouri, and, increasingly, St. Louis as principal distribution centers. Mexican traffickers typically offload drug shipments from the Southwest Region to these cities, repackage the drugs, and then supply them to markets within the region as well as to major market areas throughout the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast Regions. Mexican traffickers distribute cocaine from Kansas City, Missouri, to Chicago, Dayton, Ohio, and Detroit. They also distribute cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine from St. Louis to Chicago and Springfield, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The convergence of Interstates 29, 35, and 70 in the Kansas City metropolitan area and Interstates 44, 55, 64, and 70 in St. Louis provides easy access for distributors to transport illicit drugs to these markets. Various ethnic street gangs and criminal groups distribute illicit drugs at the retail level. Retail crack distribution is conducted primarily by African American street gangs and criminal groups at drug markets in many areas, but aggressive law enforcement efforts have forced some of these distributors to conduct sales from apartments or at controlled locations. Hispanic street gangs distribute methamphetamine and marijuana at the retail level, while Caucasian street gangs, criminal groups, and local independent dealers distribute methamphetamine, marijuana, and limited quantities of MDMA at the retail level. Asian street gangs and criminal groups distribute varying quantities of MDMA in Des Moines, the Kansas City metropolitan area, Springfield, St. Louis, Wichita, and Columbia, Missouri. Various OMGs such as El Forastero, Galloping Goose, and Sons of Silence distribute methamphetamine and marijuana in the HIDTA. Retail powder cocaine distribution has noticeably increased throughout Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Mexican DTOs are the wholesale source for much of the powder cocaine distributed in the HIDTA. They supply the cocaine to African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic criminal groups as well as independent dealers for retail distribution. According to law enforcement officials, some retail distributors are increasingly distributing powder cocaine to avoid enhanced crack sentencing guidelines; they also may believe that law enforcement officials are concentrating on methamphetamine and that cocaine distribution will attract less attention. |
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