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Transportation

Traffickers use various methods and means of conveyance to transport illicit drugs into, through, and from the North Florida HIDTA region. Large quantities of illicit drugs are frequently transported to the North Florida HIDTA region for local distribution; some of these illicit drugs are further transported to other drug markets in central and southern Florida as well as to drug markets on the east coast.

The North Florida HIDTA region's highly developed transportation infrastructure is routinely exploited by drug traffickers to transport wholesale quantities of cocaine, heroin, Mexican marijuana, and ice methamphetamine into the region from Atlanta and locations along the Southwest Border using private and commercial vehicles on Interstates 10, 75, and 95. These DTOs also transport drug proceeds back to the Southwest Border using the same means. Traffickers often use independently owned commercial trucks and private or rental vehicles to transport multihundred-kilogram quantities of powder cocaine and marijuana, which they commingle in shipments of legitimate goods or conceal in hidden compartments. Moreover, some traffickers are attempting to avoid law enforcement interdiction efforts along major interstates in the region by using more indirect routes, such as state roads, to transport drugs into and through the HIDTA region.

Mexican, Asian, Colombian, Cuban, Dominican, Hispanic, and Jamaican DTOs and criminal groups and African American and Caucasian criminal groups also transport wholesale quantities of illicit drugs into the North Florida HIDTA region. Mexican DTOs and Hispanic criminal groups transport wholesale quantities of cocaine, heroin, Mexican marijuana, and ice methamphetamine from the Southwest Border and Atlanta into northern Florida. Asian DTOs operating in the region typically use private vehicles and commercial air flights to transport drugs, principally Canadian marijuana and MDMA, from Canada or states near the U.S.-Canada border to northern Florida for distribution. Colombian and Dominican DTOs and criminal groups transport wholesale quantities of cocaine and smaller quantities of SA heroin into and through the region from southern Florida and the Caribbean; they also transport pharmaceutical drugs and MDMA from sources in Canada through northern Florida to southern Florida. Cuban DTOs transport indoor-grown marijuana from the region to distributors in the New York/New Jersey HIDTA region. Jamaican DTOs and criminal groups transport wholesale quantities of cocaine and marijuana into northern Florida from southern Florida and the Puerto Rico/USVI HIDTA region. African American criminal groups transport primarily powder cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana into the region. Caucasian criminal groups transport primarily diverted pharmaceuticals and ODDs into the region from source areas throughout the United States as well as Canada.

Traffickers also transport illicit drugs into the North Florida HIDTA region using the U.S. Postal Service and package delivery services. They may also transport drugs by using couriers on commercial flights and maritime conveyances. Drug traffickers and some abusers frequently transport illicit drugs such as marijuana, methamphetamine, and pharmaceutical drugs through package delivery services. In fact, several transshipment facilities and international parcel shipping companies are located in the Jacksonville area. Moreover, the Jacksonville International Airport11 and the Port of Jacksonville12 provide drug traffickers with additional opportunities to transport illicit drugs into and from northern Florida.


End Notes

11. The Jacksonville International Airport provides nonstop flights to major U.S. cities, including those that serve as international gateways. More than a dozen major airlines and a network of regional carriers provide some 200 daily arrivals and departures at Jacksonville International Airport. Additionally, Jacksonville's passenger air service market has grown dramatically throughout the past decade. In 2006 the number of passengers using Jacksonville International Airport reached a record of 5,946,188 passengers, surpassing the 2000 record of 5,287,244 passengers. The extent of drug-related transportation through the Jacksonville International Airport is an intelligence gap.
12. The Port of Jacksonville is an international trade seaport in northeastern Florida and one of the largest seaports on the eastern seaboard of the continental United States. In fiscal year 2007 (the latest year for which such data are available) the seaport's three public marine terminals handled a total of 8.3 million tons of cargo. Moreover, the Port of Jacksonville transships more than 70 percent of U.S. waterborne commerce to and from Puerto Rico; Puerto Rico is a significant U.S. arrival zone for cocaine. Shipping from Puerto Rico to other parts of the United States, including northern Florida, is considered to be coastwise trade; therefore, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials do not routinely inspect such cargo. Nonetheless, the extent of drug-related transportation through the Port of Jacksonville is an intelligence gap.


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