(U) Northern California HIDTA Drug Market Analysis 2010 (UNCLASSIFIED)

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.

List of Figures

Figure 1. Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
Figure 2. Cannabis Plants Eradicated, by Site and HIDTA County, 2009

List of Tables

Table 1. Methamphetamine Laboratory Seizures in the Northern California HIDTA Region, 2005-2009
Table 2. Top-Ranking States for Cannabis Plants Eradicated, 2005-2009
Table 3. Cannabis Plants Eradicated in the Northern California HIDTA Region, 2005-2009
Table 4. Northern California HIDTA Law Enforcement Responses to the National Drug Threat Survey 2010
Table 5. Drug-Related Treatment Admissions to Publicly Funded Facilities in Northern California HIDTA Counties, by Drug Type, 2005-2009

Strategic Drug Threat Developments

The Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) region is a national- and regional-level distribution center for locally produced methamphetamine and marijuana. Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) are the principal producers of methamphetamine and marijuana at outdoor sites in the region and are also the principal wholesale distributors of methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and heroin that they obtain from Mexico. Caucasian traffickers are the primary producers of high-potency marijuana at indoor sites in the Northern California HIDTA region. Asian DTOs and criminal groups are increasingly establishing large-scale indoor cannabis grow sites and are the principal suppliers of Canadian high-potency marijuana and MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as ecstasy).

Methamphetamine trafficking, abuse, and associated crime pose the most significant drug threats in the Northern California HIDTA region.

The following are strategic drug threat developments in the Northern California HIDTA region.

In 2009, Northern California HIDTA officials reported the emerging availability of less potent d,l-methamphetaminea in Sonoma and Santa Clara Counties. Over the past year, some DTOs in Mexico began conducting large-scale nonephedrine-based methamphetamine production using phenylacetic acid (P2P) in response to the Mexican Government's restrictions on the importation of ephedrine-based precursor chemicals. Law enforcement officials expect that local production of the more potent d-methamphetamineb will expand or there will be an increase in the number of abusers seeking alternative stimulants such as powder or crack cocaine.

Northern California HIDTA officials are reporting the presence of blue-tinted ice methamphetamine. It is unclear why the ice methamphetamine is colored blue, but it may be a marketing technique to indicate higher potency or the source area in Mexico.

Mexican DTOs are expanding their outdoor cannabis cultivation operations on public lands in the HIDTA region, primarily in Lake, Santa Clara, and Sonoma Counties. Their propensity for violence while protecting these grows poses a growing threat to public safety and law enforcement personnel. Mexican traffickers will continue to expand their outdoor grow operations in the region to lower transportation costs and avoid the risk of seizure associated with shipping marijuana from Mexico into the United States.

In 2009, HIDTA officials in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties noted an increase in the availability of Mexican black tar heroin. The abuse of Mexican black tar heroin, the preferred type among long-term abusers, is also increasing among some teenagers and young adults who are switching from OxyContin to heroin because of its lower cost. It is expected that the rising availability and lower cost of Mexican black tar heroin will attract increasing numbers of controlled prescription drug (CPD) abusers in the near term.

Footnotes

a. The drug d,l-methamphetamine (dextro-levo-methamphetamine) is clandestinely produced using the P2P method, the preferred methamphetamine production method in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The drug is less potent than d-methamphetamine.
b. The drug d-methamphetamine (dextro-methamphetamine) is clandestinely produced using ephedrine/pseudoephedrine reduction methods. Highly addictive, d-methamphetamine is the most potent, widely abused from of methamphetamine.

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 Pacific/West Central Unit, Regional Threat Analysis Branch through NDIC.Contacts@usdoj.gov.

Title:

Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis 2010

Publication Date: June 2010

Document ID: 2010-R0813-022