U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center

Title:

New Mexico High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis 2010

Publication Date: May 2010

Document ID: 2010-R0813-019

Archived on: September 1, 2011. This document may contain dated information. It remains available to provide access to historical materials.

This assessment is an outgrowth of a partnership between the NDIC and HIDTA Program for preparation of annual assessments depicting drug trafficking trends and developments in HIDTA Program areas. The report has been coordinated with the HIDTA, is limited in scope to HIDTA jurisdictional boundaries, and draws upon a wide variety of sources within those boundaries.

Your questions, comments, and suggestions for future subjects are welcome at any time. Addresses are provided at the end of the page.

Contents

List of Figures

Figure 1. New Mexico High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
Figure 2. New Mexico HIDTA Region Transportation Infrastructure
Figure 3. Greatest Drug Threat in the New Mexico HIDTA Region as Reported by State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, by Number of Respondents
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

List of Tables

Table 1. Methamphetamine Laboratory Seizures in New Mexico, 2007-2009
Table 2. Drug Seizures in the New Mexico HIDTA Region in Kilograms, 2007-2009
Table 3. Drug Distribution in the New Mexico HIDTA Region
Table 4. Drug-Related Treatment Admissions in New Mexico, 2006-2008
Table 5. Drug Overdose Deaths in the New Mexico HIDTA Region, 2006-2008
Table 6. Unintentional Drug Overdose Death Rates per 100,000 in New Mexico, 2006-2008
Table 7. Origination States for U.S. Currency Seized in New Mexico, 2007-2009
Table 8. U.S. Currency Seized in New Mexico, 2005-2009

List of Tables in Appendix A

Table A1. Marijuana Threat to New Mexico, by County, 2007-2009
Table A2. Cocaine Threat to New Mexico, by County, 2007-2009
Table A3. Methamphetamine Threat to New Mexico, by County, 2007-2009
Table A4. Heroin Threat to New Mexico, by County, 2007-2009

List of Tables in Appendix B

Table B1. Street Gang and OMG Level of Involvement and Past Year Change in Drug Distribution Activity, by County
Table B2. Level of Street Gang Involvement in Drug Distribution, by County and Drug Type
Table B3. Level of OMG Involvement in Drug Distribution, by County and Drug Type

Strategic Drug Threat Developments

The New Mexico High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) is a significant smuggling corridor for illicit drugs along the Southwest Border and a major transit area for drug shipments to markets throughout the United States. A significant portion of the drugs that transit New Mexico enter the United States from Mexico through other Southwest Border states. Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and criminal groups represent the single greatest organizational drug threat and dominate the wholesale distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine in the region. Violent crime associated with drug and alien trafficking is a growing concern for law enforcement in the HIDTA region.

The distribution and abuse of ice methamphetamine are the primary drug threats to the New Mexico HIDTA region. Marijuana smuggling and transshipment, particularly in the southern portion of the HIDTA region, is also a principal concern for law enforcement along the New Mexico-Mexico border. Moreover, illicit drug proceeds from drug markets throughout the United States are transported to the region, where they are consolidated by drug traffickers and smuggled into Mexico.

The following are significant strategic drug threat developments in the New Mexico HIDTA region:

• Decreased marijuana and cocaine seizures in the region from 2007 through 2009 are largely attributed to ongoing DTO conflicts and violence in Juárez, which impeded the flow of illicit drugs through the El Paso/Juárez plaza, and the increased use of alternative smuggling routes and methods, such as ultralight aircraft, to avoid seizures along the New Mexico-Mexico border. If violence continues at high levels in Juárez, marijuana and cocaine seizure amounts will remain at lower levels or further decrease in the HIDTA region.
   
• Heroin seizures increased steadily in the New Mexico HIDTA region from 2007 through 2009, while methamphetamine seizures increased slightly from 2008 through 2009. Increased seizure amounts are largely attributed to increased production of both drugs in Mexico. Most of the heroin and methamphetamine available in New Mexico is transported from Arizona and California--areas where cross-border traffickers are less impeded by the violence in the El Paso/Juárez plaza.
   
•  Domestic methamphetamine production decreased in the HIDTA region from 2008 through 2009 as the availability of Mexican methamphetamine increased, particularly from Arizona and southern California. Local methamphetamine production will continue to decline if production of the drug remains at high levels in Mexico.
   
• The distribution and abuse of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as ecstasy) are increasing in the HIDTA region, since many young adults are now abusing the drug in the local area rather than risking participation in the night life in Juárez, Mexico, where border violence is prevalent.
   
• Violent crime--including armed encounters, home invasion robberies, and kidnappings--associated with drug and alien trafficking is a growing concern for law enforcement, particularly in the southern HIDTA counties.
   
• The Barrio Azteca prison gang is the greatest gang threat to the New Mexico HIDTA region because of the gang's propensity for violence and connections to violent Mexican Cartels and DTOs. Recent law enforcement investigations of the gang and subsequent arrests could impact the gang's operations in the HIDTA region in the near term.

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Addresses

Web Addresses

ADNET:  http://ndicosa.adnet.sgov.gov
DOJ:  http://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/
LEO:  https://www.leo.gov/http://leowcs.leopriv.gov/lesig/archive/ndic/index.htm
RISS:  ndic.riss.net

Questions and comments may be directed to Southwest Unit, Regional Threat Analysis Branch through NDIC.Contacts@usdoj.gov.

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