U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center
New Mexico HIDTA Drug Market Analysis 2010
May 2010

Abuse

Drug-related treatment admissions in New Mexico increased for most drugs from 2006 through 2008. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), drug-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in New Mexico were highest for amphetamines (including methamphetamine), marijuana, and heroin in 2008 (the latest year for which data are available).c (See Table 4.) Powder cocaine-related treatment admissions increased 33 percent during this period--the highest increase in any drug category--while crack cocaine-related treatment admissions increased 3 percent. Marijuana-related treatment admissions increased slightly overall during the 3-year period. Amphetamine-related treatment admissions--which accounted for most treatment admissions in the state--decreased 7 percent overall after peaking at over 1,000 admissions in 2007. Heroin-related admissions remained stable during this period. (See text box.)

Table 4. Drug-Related Treatment Admissions in New Mexico, 2006-2008

Source: Treatment Episode Data Set.
* Data current as of April 6, 2010.

Unintentional drug overdose deaths for cocaine and methamphetamine increased overall in the New Mexico HIDTA from 2006 through 2008. Heroin overdose deaths decreased 9 percent, and CPD overdose deaths remained stable overall during the same period. (See Table 5.) Most unintentional overdose deaths from cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and prescription drugs occur in Bernalillo County; however, the highest per capita overdose rate in the state is in Rio Arriba County. (See Table 5 and Table 6.) In fact, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis of drug-caused death rates from 2003 through 2006 (the latest available data) indicates that Rio Arriba County had the second-highest per capita drug-caused death rate in the nation, behind only St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. Drug-related deaths are likely high in Rio Arriba County because drug abuse, particularly heroin abuse, is socially acceptable among families in this economically depressed area. (See text box above.)

Table 5. Drug Overdose Deaths in the New Mexico HIDTA Region, 2006-2008

Source: New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator; New Mexico Department of Health.
* Data current as of March 22, 2010.

Table 6. Unintentional Drug Overdose Death Rates per 100,000 in New Mexico, 2006-2008

Source: New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator; New Mexico Department of Health.
* Data are current as of March 1, 2010. All rates are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. Standard Population and expressed per 100,000 persons.
** Fewer than 4 deaths in the county from 2006-2008.
Note: New Mexico HIDTA counties are in bold, italicized type.

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Illicit Finance

Mexican DTOs and criminal groups primarily use money services businesses (MSBs) and bulk cash smuggling to move drug proceeds from the New Mexico HIDTA region to Mexico, according to NDTS 2010 data. (See Figure 4.) MSBs in the region are used to transfer vast sums of illicit funds, primarily to Mexico. Money transmittal businesses, such as Western Union, are the most common MSBs used to transfer funds to Mexico. The numerous money transmittal businesses in the HIDTA region serve the sizable Hispanic population in the area by legitimately wiring money to requesters' family members in Mexico, a situation that helps those who use the services for illicit purposes to blend more easily with the high volume of legal transfers.

Figure 4. Money Laundering Techniques Used by Wholesale-Level Distributors as Reported by State and Local Law Enforcement in the New Mexico HIDTA, by Number of Respondents

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Source: National Drug Threat Survey 2010.

Increasing amounts of bulk cash proceeds from drug trafficking activities are smuggled through southern New Mexico into Mexico. Drug proceeds from a growing number of markets throughout the United States are transported to the HIDTA region, where they are consolidated and smuggled to Mexico. (See Table 7.) The HIDTA region's proximity to the Southwest Border, the limited inspections of southbound traffic by U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officers, and the relative ease with which cash can be placed into Mexican financial systems make bulk cash smuggling a primary method of moving drug proceeds among traffickers in the HIDTA region. According to the New Mexico HIDTA 2010 Survey, most law enforcement agencies believe that significant bulk cash smuggling is occurring on the roadways in their respective areas. Most responding agencies also indicate that stash houses used to consolidate drug proceeds prior to smuggling the funds to Mexico are prevalent in their areas. Furthermore, National Seizure System (NSS) data indicate that the amount of U.S. currency seized in New Mexico nearly doubled over the past 5 years to more than $4.4 million in 2009. (See Table 8.)

Table 7. Origination States for U.S. Currency Seized in New Mexico, 2007-2009

Source: National Seizure System, April 8, 2010.

Table 8. U.S. Currency Seized in New Mexico, 2005-2009

Source: National Seizure System, April 8, 2010.

Footnote

c. County-level treatment admission data are not available for New Mexico; therefore, drug treatment data specific to the New Mexico HIDTA region are unavailable. Most state-level treatment admissions likely occurred within the HIDTA region, since the majority of the state's population resides within the 16 HIDTA counties.

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