Cocaine

Cocaine, both powdered and crack, poses a serious drug threat to Maine. According to the Maine Office of Substance Abuse, the number of cocaine-related treatment admissions increased from 255 in SFY2000 to 297 in SFY2002. (See Table 1 in Overview section.) State law enforcement officials report that many powdered cocaine abusers in Maine increasingly are administering the drug in combination with heroin or methadone.

According to the 2002 MYDAUS, 2.9 percent of twelfth grade students in Maine reported having abused powdered or crack cocaine in the past month. Combined data from the 1999 and the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) indicate that 1.3 percent of respondents in Maine reported having abused cocaine in the past year, statistically comparable to 1.6 percent nationwide.

Cocaine, both powdered and crack, is readily available in Maine's larger cities and towns, such as Portland and Bangor, and powdered cocaine increasingly is available in rural areas. Thirty-seven of the 42 law enforcement respondents to the NDTS 2002 in Maine reported the availability of powdered cocaine as high or medium, and 22 respondents reported the same for crack. Respondents from rural areas, including those from Bridgton, Hancock County, and Lincoln County, reported that the availability of powdered cocaine is increasing in their jurisdictions.

According to MDEA, state and local task force officials seized 2,250 grams of powdered cocaine and 781 grams of crack cocaine in FY2002. The number of powdered cocaine-related arrests (99) and crack-related arrests (62) accounted for 31 percent of MDEA arrests (520) in FY2002. USSC data indicate that 16.2 percent of drug-related federal sentences in Maine were powdered cocaine-related in FY2001, compared with 22.1 percent nationwide. Crack cocaine-related sentences accounted for 27.9 percent of drug-related federal sentences in Maine in FY2001, compared with 20.4 percent nationwide.

The DEA Portland Resident Office reported that powdered cocaine sold for $22,000 to $35,000 per kilogram, $900 to $1,600 per ounce, and $50 to $100 per gram (30 to 80% pure) in the state in the first quarter of FY2003. Crack sold for $1,200 to $3,800 per ounce and $20 to $50 per rock (over 75% pure) during that same period.

Caucasian and Dominican criminal groups as well as Caucasian local independent dealers are the principal transporters of powdered cocaine into Maine. Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) such as Hells Angels, Saracens, Exiles, Iron Horsemen, and Mountain Men also transport cocaine into the state, albeit to a lesser extent. Members of Maine-based Caucasian and Dominican criminal groups and Caucasian local independent dealers usually travel to Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts, via private vehicles to purchase ounce quantities of powdered cocaine from Massachusetts-based Dominican criminal groups, then transport the drug back to the state for distribution. OMGs typically transport cocaine into Maine from Canada via private and commercial vehicles. Cocaine also is transported into the state via package delivery services, although to a much lesser extent.

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Although much of the crack cocaine available in Maine is converted from powdered cocaine within the state, a significant portion is transported into the state by Massachusetts- and New York-based Dominican criminal groups. Many of these groups have established crack distribution networks in Maine and transport the drug into the state primarily from Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts, and from New York City via couriers in private vehicles or buses.

Wholesale cocaine distribution is extremely limited in Maine. Caucasian and Dominican criminal groups, local independent dealers and, to a lesser extent, OMGs are the principal retail-level distributors of powdered cocaine in the state. Caucasian criminal groups are the primary retail-level distributors of crack in Maine. Massachusetts- and New York-based Dominican criminal groups also distribute powdered cocaine and crack at the retail level, although to a lesser extent.

Powdered cocaine distributed at the retail level typically is packaged in small, clear plastic bags, while crack usually is packaged in vials or the corners of plastic bags or is sold as unpackaged rocks. Powdered cocaine and crack cocaine are distributed from apartments and crack houses as well as from bars and other public areas.

The distribution and abuse of cocaine, particularly crack, often are associated with violent crime in Maine. Law enforcement officials in Lewiston, where crack cocaine abuse is most common, report an increase in crime and domestic violence related to crack abuse. Lewiston law enforcement officers also report that firearms stolen in Maine often are exchanged for crack cocaine.

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