To Contents To Previous
Page
To Next Page
To Publications
Page
To Home Page
U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center
Philadelphia/Camden HIDTA Drug Market Analysis 2010
April 2010
Illicit drug production in the PC HIDTA region consists of indoor cannabis cultivation and limited small-scale powder methamphetamine production.
Indoor cannabis cultivation takes place throughout most of the HIDTA region and appears to be increasing as cultivators attempt to attain higher profits through the production of high-potency marijuana. For instance, in Philadelphia, seizures of indoor grow sites nearly doubled from 8 in 2008 to 15 in 2009. Marijuana trafficking groups, primarily Asian DTOs and criminal groups in the region, are replicating methods used at indoor cannabis grow sites in Canada, such as using elaborate hydroponic equipment, bypassing electrical meters, and using entire buildings for grow operations. Some Asian DTOs in the region are purchasing high-priced houses in residential neighborhoods to use as grow sites and are using abandoned buildings in Philadelphia and Camden for the same purpose.
|
Largest Seizure of Indoor-Grown Marijuana in New Jersey History On March 10, 2010, State Attorney General Paula T. Dow announced the arrests of two men and a woman and the seizure of more than $10 million worth of marijuana--the largest seizure of indoor-grown marijuana in New Jersey history. In total, 10 search warrants were executed over 5 days by numerous agencies in Monmouth, Ocean, and Middlesex Counties. Along with a vast array of indoor cultivation equipment, 3,370 plants, 115 pounds of harvested marijuana, and $65,000 in cash were seized. The multiagency probe dismantled a sophisticated Vietnamese criminal syndicate, a type of operation most often seen in Canada, authorities said. It had operated undetected in the region for 2 years. The growing operation was first detected in February 2010, when a Monroe Township police officer smelled the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the chimney of a home in the Middlesex County community. Law enforcement officials report that a man inside the home was found to be burning unusable parts of marijuana plants in the fireplace. The discovery led authorities to five more rented homes in Millstone, Old Bridge, Manahawkin, and Manalapan Townships. Source: U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey. |
Methamphetamine production is very limited in the PC HIDTA region but is slowly increasing, particularly in adjacent rural areas. National Seizure System data indicate that four methamphetamine laboratories were seized in the PC HIDTA region in 2009, compared with only two seizures in the previous 4 years. Increased methamphetamine production immediately outside the region, such as the Pocono Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania, is attributed mainly to individuals and criminal groups that circumvent pseudoephedrine sales restrictions by making numerous small-quantity purchases of products containing pseudoephedrine and by using the "one-pot" cook method. (See text box.) Most clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in and near the PC HIDTA region are operated by OMGs--particularly Pagan's and Warlocks--that typically produce only retail quantities of the drug. Local independent Caucasian individuals also produce limited amounts of methamphetamine, mostly for personal use.
|
"One-Pot" or "Shake and Bake" Methamphetamine Production A one-pot cook is a variation of the lithium ammonia method of production--also commonly referred to as the "Nazi" method. Instead of producing methamphetamine through a series of sequential steps--normally used in the Nazi method--the one-pot method is concluded in a single reaction vessel (typically a 2-liter plastic soda bottle), and all ingredients are mixed together at the outset. The mixture is left to react, naturally producing the necessary ammonia, which then reacts with the lithium metal to convert the pseudoephedrine to methamphetamine. Like all clandestine methamphetamine production operations, the one-pot method is dangerous because the reactions are volatile and difficult to control. |
The PC HIDTA region has a highly accessible transportation system, including major roadways that link it to the Southwest Border and major eastern U.S. drug markets. (See Figure 1.) Drug traffickers exploit the region's geographic location between these areas to transport drugs into, through, and from the HIDTA region.
Traffickers use various means of conveyance to transport illicit drugs into and through the region, principally from sources of supply in Atlanta, Miami, and New York City; Southwest Border states; and countries such as Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, and the Caribbean nations. DTOs most commonly use private and commercial vehicles to transport illicit drugs into and through the region via primary roadways and sometimes transport drug proceeds back to source areas using the same conveyances and routes. Traffickers often use Interstate 95 (I-95) to transport illicit drugs from New York City to the HIDTA region and to markets in eastern Pennsylvania (Allentown, Harrisburg, Reading, and York), Delaware, southern New Jersey, and the eastern shore of Maryland. Traffickers also use I-95 to transport illicit drugs into the region from Miami and Atlanta. Traffickers and abusers also use rail, air, and maritime conveyances to transport drugs into and throughout the region. For instance, PC HIDTA officials report that CPD distributors purchase inexpensive round-trip airline tickets and travel from Philadelphia to Miami, where they obtain CPDs from pain management clinics, subsequently distributing the drugs in the HIDTA region at the retail level. Drug shipments arriving in the PC HIDTA region are typically broken down into smaller quantities for local distribution within the region or transportation to other cities throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
UNCLASSIFIED
End of page.