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National Drug Intelligence Center |
The threat posed by the trafficking and abuse of ice methamphetamine will not diminish in the near term and will remain the most significant drug threat to the Northern California HIDTA region. Although some younger methamphetamine users have switched to cocaine, the demand for ice methamphetamine remains high. Mexican DTOs and criminal groups have established their presence in the area and will further capitalize on the primary drug markets within the HIDTA and throughout the nation.
The Northern California HIDTA may experience an increase in local methamphetamine production in the near term. Restrictions on precursor chemical imports in Mexico and continued violence among the drug cartels in Mexico have caused Mexican DTOs to move some of their production operations back to the United States. This situation will most likely result in increased large-scale pseudoephedrine smurfing operations by Mexican DTOs and criminal groups to circumvent California precursor chemical restrictions.
The Northern California HIDTA will remain one of the most significant cannabis cultivation and marijuana production areas in the nation. The demand for high-potency marijuana in the region is increasing, and there are no indications that this will change over the next year. Public lands in remote areas of the region will increasingly be used for outdoor cultivation, and it is very likely that cannabis cultivators will increasingly use weapons to protect their grow sites. To meet rising demand, independent suppliers and Asian DTOs will establish larger, more sophisticated indoor cannabis cultivation operations in the region to capitalize on greater profit margins associated with higher-potency marijuana. Illegal cannabis cultivators will increasingly exploit state medical marijuana laws and expand their illicit cultivation operations.
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