ARCHIVED Skip to text. To Contents     To Previous Page     To Next Page     To Publication Page     To Home Page


To Home Page. National Drug Intelligence Center
New Jersey Drug Threat Assessment Update
April 2004

Other Dangerous Drugs

The distribution and abuse of other dangerous drugs (ODDs) such as MDMA, GHB and its analogs, ketamine, khat, LSD, and PCP pose varying threats. New Jersey teenagers and young adults are the primary distributors and abusers of most ODDs in the state. The diversion and abuse of pharmaceuticals constitute an emerging drug threat to New Jersey, where pharmaceuticals are diverted and abused by a diverse group of individuals.

MDMA. Also known as ecstasy, Adam, XTC, E, and X, MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is the most readily available and frequently abused ODD in New Jersey. In the state, as in most of the country, Caucasian teenagers and young adults are the most prominent retail-level distributors and abusers of the drug. DAWN data indicate that the number of MDMA-related ED mentions in the Newark metropolitan area remained relatively stable from 2001 (49) to 2002 (47). According to the NDTS 2003, 67.7 percent of New Jersey law enforcement agencies reported that MDMA was readily available, although just 4.1 percent of agencies identified MDMA as their greatest drug threat.

MDMA is a stimulant and low-level hallucinogen. Sometimes called the hug drug, MDMA purportedly helps abusers to be more "in touch" with others and "opens channels of communication." However, abuse of the drug can cause psychological problems similar to those associated with methamphetamine and cocaine abuse including confusion, depression, sleeplessness, anxiety, and paranoia. Physical effects can include muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, blurred vision, and increased heart rate and blood pressure. MDMA abuse also can cause a marked increase in body temperature leading to muscle breakdown, kidney failure, cardiovascular system failure, stroke, or seizure as reported in some fatal cases. Research suggests that MDMA abuse may result in long-term and sometimes permanent damage to parts of the brain that are critical to thought and memory.

Israeli and Russian criminal groups are the dominant smugglers of MDMA into New Jersey. Most of the MDMA transported into the state is smuggled from source or transit countries by couriers on commercial aircraft or through package delivery services. MDMA also is transported in commercial and private vehicles from other states. Some MDMA is smuggled on private aircraft and aboard commercial maritime vessels arriving from foreign countries.


MDMA Seizures at Newark Liberty International Airport

In three similar incidents, agents with the ICE Office of Investigation (OI) seized more than 100,000 MDMA tablets and arrested three European citizens at Newark Liberty International Airport. On June 27, 2002, agents seized approximately 35,000 MDMA tablets from a Swiss citizen; on July 11, 2002, agents seized approximately 36,000 tablets from a German citizen; and on July 13, 2002, agents seized approximately 34,000 tablets from an Italian citizen. In the first incident, the tablets were stamped with either HP or a heart. In the latter two incidents, red- and blue-colored MDMA tablets were stamped with either VW or @. In all three incidents, the couriers were traveling on a major French air carrier from Paris to Newark and concealed the MDMA in hard-sided luggage with false compartments. According to ICE/OI and DEA, these couriers may be associated with a Europe-based DTO.

Source: Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Investigation.


International MDMA Trafficking Ring Dismantled

In October 2002 federal law enforcement officials in Brooklyn, New York, arrested three Israeli nationals for plotting to smuggle 1.4 million MDMA tablets from Belgium into Port Elizabeth, New Jersey. Warehouse workers in Antwerp, Belgium, notified law enforcement officials that two of the arrestees were allegedly inserting bags filled with the tablets into diamond-polishing tables that were to be loaded onto a container cargo vessel destined for the United States. Belgian officials confiscated the shipment and turned it over to the DEA Brussels Country Office. The drugs were removed and replaced with fake tablets. When the shipment arrived in the United States, DEA agents planted global positioning devices in the tables, which were then delivered to a warehouse on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, New York.

Source: Drug Enforcement Administration Newark Division.

Israeli and Russian criminal groups are the dominant wholesale-level distributors of MDMA in New Jersey. However, various criminal groups and local independent dealers also distribute wholesale quantities in the state. All of these criminal groups supply up to multithousand-tablet quantities of MDMA to various midlevel distributors who, in turn, supply retail-level distributors. According to the DEA Newark Division, Colombian and Mexican criminal groups and local independent dealers sell MDMA at open-air drug markets in the Camden area. These distributors typically purchase wholesale quantities of MDMA in Philadelphia and, to a lesser extent, New York City. Wholesale quantities (500 tablets or more) sold for $3 to $5 per tablet in the third quarter of FY2003, according to the DEA Newark Division.

Caucasian teenagers and young adults are the most prominent retail-level distributors of MDMA in New Jersey. No one group or individual monopolizes the trade, however, and other retail distributors include outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) such as Hells Angels, Pagan's, and Breed; local independent dealers; and other criminal groups. According to the DEA Newark Division, Dominican local independent dealers began to sell MDMA in Hudson and other counties in 2001 because of the large profits generated by MDMA distribution. Various law enforcement officials in New Jersey report that Dominican and other historically violent criminal groups are now distributing retail quantities of MDMA. Retail quantities of MDMA typically are sold loose, in plastic bags, or stacked in heat-sealed bags (known as sticks, which typically contain 3 to 5 tablets) at raves or techno parties, at nightclubs, at rock concerts, and on college campuses. However, dealers increasingly are selling the drug from residences and on street corners; the DEA Newark Division reports that Hispanic and Portuguese dealers from Newark and New York City distribute MDMA at open-air drug markets in the cities of Kenilworth and Union. MDMA tablets sold for $20 to $30 at the retail level in the third quarter of FY2003, according to the DEA Newark Division.

To Top      To Contents

  

GHB and Analogs. GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) and its analogs--GBL, BD, GHV, and GVL--are available and abused in New Jersey, but to a lesser extent than MDMA. According to the NDTS 2003, 37.9 percent of New Jersey law enforcement agencies reported that GHB was readily available; no agencies (0.0%) identified GHB as their greatest drug threat. Caucasian individuals, including teenagers and young adults, are the primary abusers of GHB. According to DAWN data, there were no GHB-related ED mentions in the Newark metropolitan area in 2001 or 2002.

GHB Analogs

Analog Chemical/Alternative Name
GBL gamma-butyrolactone
furanone di-hydro
dihydrofuranone
BD 1,4-butanediol
tetramethylene glycol
sucol-B
butylene glycol
GHV gamma-hydroxyvalerate
methyl-GHB
GVL gamma-valerolactone
4-pentanolide

GHB analogs are drugs that possess chemical structures that closely resemble GHB, a central nervous system depressant. GHB and its analogs are also known as liquid ecstasy, soap, scoop, Georgia home boy, grievous bodily harm, liquid X, and goop; according to the DEA Newark Division, GHB is known locally as GoGo Juice. At lower doses GHB and its analogs cause drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, and visual disturbances. At higher doses unconsciousness, seizure, severe respiratory depression, and coma can occur. Because of their sedative properties, GHB and its analogs also have been used throughout the nation to facilitate sexual assaults.

GHB generally is produced outside New Jersey and transported into the state by local independent dealers, usually Caucasians. GHB typically is distributed in 8-ounce bottles to high school and college students at raves and dance parties. It also can be purchased over the Internet. Concentrated GHB, available in southern New Jersey, sold for $1,300 per 8-ounce bottle during the second quarter of FY2003, according to the DEA Newark Division.

To Top      To Contents

 

Ketamine. The availability and abuse of ketamine vary throughout New Jersey. The drug is readily available in Bergen, Hudson, Ocean, and Passaic Counties. According to the NDTS 2003, 41.1 percent of New Jersey law enforcement agencies reported that ketamine was readily available, although no agencies (0.0%) identified ketamine as their greatest drug threat. According to DAWN data, there were 12 ketamine ED mentions in the Newark metropolitan area in 2001 and none in 2002.

Ketamine, also known as K, special K, vitamin K, and cat valium, is an injectable anesthetic that, when taken in large doses, causes effects similar to those experienced with PCP abuse (that is, feelings of strength, power, and invulnerability and a numbing effect on the mind). Liquid ketamine can be injected or boiled into powdered ketamine that can be put into capsules. Much of the ketamine sold in New Jersey is stolen from veterinary offices in the state or is shipped from Mexico through California to metropolitan areas in New Jersey and other states. Caucasian individuals are the primary distributors and abusers of the drug. The DEA Newark Division reports that ketamine usually sold for $10 to $45 per bag (known as a bump) and $100 to $125 per 10-milliliter vial during the third quarter of FY2003.

  

Khat. The stimulant khat is readily available within certain ethnic communities in New Jersey, particularly in Newark. Khat (Catha edulis) is a flowering shrub native to northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Individuals chew khat leaves because of the stimulant effects, which are similar to but less intense than those caused by abusing cocaine or methamphetamine. Khat use can produce manic behavior, paranoid delusions, and hallucinations as well as cause damage to the central nervous and respiratory systems. Law enforcement officers often seize khat at Newark Liberty International Airport. Khat transportation, distribution, and abuse appear to be limited to an ethnic-cultural enclave consisting of immigrant communities from Arabian, East African, and Middle Eastern countries.

  

LSD. The hallucinogen LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), also known as acid, boomers, and yellow sunshine, is sporadically available and abused in New Jersey. According to DAWN data, there were 10 ED mentions for LSD in the Newark metropolitan area in 2001 and none in 2002. According to the NDTS 2003, 19.8 percent of New Jersey law enforcement agencies reported that LSD was readily available; no agencies identified LSD as their greatest drug threat. Caucasian individuals are the primary distributors and abusers of LSD in the state. The DEA Newark Division reported that LSD typically sold for $0.50 to $35.00 per single dose, $1.50 to $5.00 per 100-dose sheet, $60 per liquid vial (3.5 g), and $10 to $15 per gelatin capsule in New Jersey during the third quarter of FY2003.

To Top      To Contents

  

PCP. The hallucinogen PCP (phencyclidine), also known as angel dust, boat, ozone, wack, and rocket fuel, is increasingly available and abused in New Jersey. According to DAWN data, there were 35 ED mentions for PCP in the Newark metropolitan area in 2001 and 124 in 2002. According to the NDTS 2003, 20.2 percent of New Jersey law enforcement agencies reported that PCP was readily available; no agencies (0.0%) identified PCP as their greatest drug threat. Law enforcement reporting indicates that availability is increasing, particularly in Sussex County, and that the primary distributors and abusers of PCP are African Americans, particularly in Trenton, New Brunswick, and Jersey City. The DEA Newark Division reported that powdered PCP generally sold for $15 to $25 per bag, $20 to $30 per gram, and $5 per tablet in New Jersey during the third quarter of FY2003. Liquid PCP usually sold for $200 to $600 per ounce during that period. Cigarettes and marijuana joints frequently are dipped in PCP and sold for $20 to $30 per dip. Ounce and half-ounce bottles of PCP also are available in the state.

  

Diverted Pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical distribution and abuse are growing in New Jersey at an increasing rate. According to the NDTS 2003, 60.4 percent of New Jersey law enforcement agencies reported that pharmaceuticals were readily available, and 0.2 percent of agencies identified pharmaceuticals as their greatest drug threat. Narcotics investigators in several counties report that OxyContin, Percocet, and Xanax in particular are increasing in popularity. NDTS 2003 data further indicate that New Jersey law enforcement agencies reported these three prescription drugs as the most commonly diverted or illicitly used pharmaceuticals in the state. Most pharmaceutical abusers are in their late thirties to early forties or are of high school or college age. Diverted pharmaceuticals typically are obtained in New Jersey through common diversion techniques. These include prescription fraud, improper prescribing practices, pharmacy theft, and "doctor shopping," a practice whereby individuals who may or may not have a legitimate ailment visit numerous physicians to obtain drugs in excess of what should be legitimately prescribed. Diverted pharmaceuticals often are sold behind closed doors and occasionally at open-air drug markets, primarily in Essex (Newark and Irvington), Camden, and Salem Counties. According to the DEA Newark Division, diverted OxyContin sold for $15 per 20-milligram tablet and $30 per 40-milligram tablet during the second quarter of FY2003. Diverted Percocet sold for $1 to $10 per tablet, and diverted Xanax sold for $1 to $2 per tablet during that same period.

 


To Top      To Contents     To Previous Page     To Next Page

To Publication Page     To Home Page


End of page.