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National Drug Intelligence
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Mexican DTOs and criminal groups are the dominant wholesale distributors of ice methamphetamine, cocaine, Mexican black tar and brown powder heroin, and commercial-grade marijuana in the Rocky Mountain HIDTA region. Mexican traffickers use Colorado Springs, Denver, and Salt Lake City as the principal distribution centers; from staging areas in or near these cities, they supply illicit drugs to local Hispanic, African American, and Asian criminal groups and street gangs and to distributors in secondary markets in the HIDTA region. Distributors in remote areas of the region often travel to Denver and Salt Lake City to obtain drugs from Mexican DTOs for distribution in their communities. When Mexican traffickers supply ice methamphetamine, cocaine, or heroin to distributors who are not Hispanic, they typically charge them a 15 to 20 percent premium over the price paid by Hispanic distributors for the same drugs. Mexican traffickers operating in the Rocky Mountain HIDTA region also supply illicit drugs to other major domestic drug markets, such as Chicago; Kansas City; Omaha, Nebraska; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Table 2. Drug Distribution by Group, Rocky Mountain HIDTA Region, 2007
| Drug Distribution Group | Drugs Distributed at the Wholesale Level | Drugs Distributed at the Retail Level |
|---|---|---|
| African American | Marijuana | Crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana, ODDs |
| Asian | High-potency marijuana, MDMA | Powder and crack cocaine, MDMA |
| Caucasian | Marijuana, MDMA | Powder cocaine, heroin, marijuana, MDMA, methamphetamine, diverted pharmaceutical drugs, ODDs |
| Hispanic | Powder cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana | Crack cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine |
| Mexican | Powder cocaine, black tar heroin, brown powder heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana | Powder cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine |
| Native American | NA | Methamphetamine, marijuana |
| Vietnamese | MDMA, high-potency marijuana | NA |
| Street gangs | NA | Powder and crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana, MDMA, methamphetamine, diverted pharmaceutical drugs |
| OMGs | NA | Marijuana, methamphetamine |
Source: Drug Enforcement Administration; Organized Crime Drug
Enforcement Task Force.
NA--Not applicable.
Hispanic criminal groups and street gangs are significant midlevel and retail-level illicit drug distributors in the region. Hispanic street gangs, such as Sureņos 13, distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana that they obtain from Mexican traffickers. Hispanic street gangs are aggressively expanding their retail-level crack cocaine distribution operations in some metropolitan areas of the region. Moreover, law enforcement officials report that Honduran groups in Denver and other areas are becoming more involved in retail drug distribution. Honduran youths in Denver are moving aggressively into retail heroin distribution sales, and in some remote areas, such as Eagle County (100 miles west of Denver), Honduran groups are engaging in the retail distribution of ice methamphetamine and powder cocaine.
African American street gangs are significant retail-level drug distributors, particularly in metropolitan areas of the Rocky Mountain HIDTA region. African American street gangs such as Rolling 30's Crips are the primary converters and distributors of crack cocaine in metropolitan areas of the region. African American street gangs operating in Denver also distribute PCP (phencyclidine) that they acquire from gang associates who produce the drug in Los Angeles.
Asian DTOs and criminal groups are the primary wholesale suppliers of high-potency Canadian marijuana and MDMA in the Rocky Mountain HIDTA region. These traffickers supply the drugs principally to Asian retail distributors, mostly Asian street gangs and, to a lesser extent, Caucasian retail-level distributors in metropolitan areas of the HIDTA region, particularly in Denver and Salt Lake City.
Independent dealers and OMGs also distribute methamphetamine, marijuana, and Mexican black tar and brown powder heroin in smaller cities and rural areas of the HIDTA region. Caucasian and Hispanic independent dealers routinely travel from markets such as Billings, Montana, and Cheyenne, Green River, and Rock Springs, Wyoming, to obtain illicit drugs from Mexican DTOs and street gangs in Denver and Salt Lake City for distribution in their communities. Some African American local independent dealers in Denver obtain MDMA from Canada for local distribution.
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In November 2007 the Salt Lake City Police Department, working in conjunction with federal immigration and state corrections officers, conducted an intensive 6-day operation targeting open-air drug markets in the city. Law enforcement officers focused their efforts on 49 city blocks, including Pioneer Park in the west-central area of Salt Lake City's central business district. Officials report that 946 arrests were made citywide during that 6-day period--more than 70 percent of those arrests took place in the targeted zone around Pioneer Park, an area representing less than 1 percent of the city. Sixty-eight people had federal holds placed on them for being undocumented illegal aliens, 87 people were arrested for distribution of a controlled substance, and 165 people were arrested for solicitation of a controlled substance. Most of the individuals arrested for drug offenses were multistate offenders who had been in Utah for less than 4 years.
Source: Salt Lake City Police Department. |
In order to facilitate drug distribution in the Rocky Mountain HIDTA region, particularly at the retail level, traffickers commonly use disposable cell phones. Such phones have commonly been used by wholesale and midlevel traffickers in the past, and their popularity has increased rapidly among retail-level traffickers because they are relatively cheap and difficult to trace (stores do not require a credit check at the time of purchase). Traffickers typically use cell phones for a limited time before switching to new phones to further reduce the possibility of law enforcement detection. Many DTOs communicate using push-to-talk phones, which are similar to walkie-talkies. These communications are difficult to intercept because of direct dialing and the brief nature of the conversations. Criminals sometimes switch from conventional cell phones to push-to-talk phones in midconversation to exchange important information that could be used as evidence against them.
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