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National Drug Intelligence Center |
The following regional summaries provide strategic overviews of the methamphetamine situation in each of the nine Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) regions, highlighting significant trends and law enforcement concerns relating to the trafficking and abuse of the drug. The summaries were prepared through detailed analysis of recent law enforcement reporting, information obtained through interviews with law enforcement and public health officials, OCDETF case files, and currently available statistical data.
Figure 5. The Nine OCDETF Regions.
Figure 6. Florida/Caribbean OCDETF Region.
Methamphetamine generally poses a low to moderate threat throughout the Florida/Caribbean Region. Law enforcement reporting indicates that methamphetamine poses a lower threat to the Florida/Caribbean Region than cocaine, heroin, pharmaceutical drugs, or marijuana. According to the National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) 2008, almost 8 percent of law enforcement agencies in the region identify powder methamphetamine as the greatest drug threat in their jurisdictions, and almost 6 percent characterize ice methamphetamine as the same; law enforcement agencies in rural and suburban areas of Florida more commonly identify methamphetamine as the greatest drug threat in their areas than agencies in urban areas (see Table B8 in Appendix B). TEDS data indicate that the number of amphetamine-related (including methamphetamine-related) admissions to publicly funded treatment facilities in the Florida/Caribbean Region increased from 1,022 admissions in 2003 to 1,051 in 2006, the latest year for which such data are available (see Map A1 in Appendix A and Table B9 in Appendix B).
Methamphetamine production in the region is primarily small-scale and is limited. Small-scale powder methamphetamine production occurs in Florida; however, precursor chemical control legislation, aggressive law enforcement efforts, and public awareness campaigns have contributed to limited production levels in the region overall. According to NSS data, the number of methamphetamine laboratories seized in Florida decreased from 215 in 2004 to 99 in 2007; from January through October 2008, 54 laboratories were seized (see Figure B3 in Appendix B). Most of these laboratories were located in the northern and central portions of the state and employed the anhydrous ammonia method (commonly referred to as the Birch or Nazi method) of production. Of the 54 laboratories seized in 2008, one had the capacity to produce between 2 and 9 pounds of methamphetamine per production cycle, nine had the capacity to produce between 2 and 8 ounces, and the remaining 44 could produce no more than 2 ounces.
Mexican DTOs control methamphetamine distribution in Florida. According to law enforcement officials, Mexican DTOs are the predominant distributors of methamphetamine in Florida; they obtain most of their methamphetamine supplies from Mexican DTOs in Atlanta and Southwest Border states. For example, on February 15, 2008, three Mexican nationals were convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and powder cocaine in the Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, and Destin areas of Florida. One of the individuals was also convicted of using a firearm during a drug trafficking offense and two counts of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.
Figure 7. Great Lakes OCDETF Region.
After decreasing steadily for the last 5 years, methamphetamine production in the Great Lakes Region appears to be increasing. The number of reported methamphetamine laboratory seizures in the Great Lakes Region declined approximately 48 percent from 2004 (1,668) through 2007 (792); however, by mid-October 2008, laboratory seizures in the region had reached 732--on pace to surpass the 2007 total by year's end (see Figure B4 in Appendix B). Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan accounted for most of the laboratories seized in the region. In fact, Michigan law enforcement officials report that small-scale methamphetamine producers are finding alternative sources for chemical supplies and are increasingly using the "one-pot" method to produce methamphetamine (see text box). Local methamphetamine producers are also recruiting smurfs to counter precursor chemical control legislation by purchasing pseudoephedrine in small quantities at multiple locations. For example, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, officials report that methamphetamine producers are recruiting needy individuals, such as single mothers and senior citizens, to visit several stores and purchase pseudoephedrine below threshold levels for use in methamphetamine production.
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"One-Pot" or "Shake and Bake" Methamphetamine Production A one-pot methamphetamine laboratory actually uses a variation of the lithium ammonia method of production; however, in the one-pot method, a combination of commonly available chemicals is used to synthesize the anhydrous ammonia essential for methamphetamine production. Cooks using this method are able to produce the drug in approximately 30 minutes at nearly any location by mixing, or "shaking," ingredients in easily found containers such as a 2-liter plastic soda bottle, as opposed to using other methods that require hours to heat ingredients. Producers often use the one-pot cook while traveling in vehicles and dispose of waste components along roadsides. Discarded plastic bottles may carry residual chemicals that can be toxic, explosive, or flammable. |
Mexican DTOs are increasingly using cities within the Great Lakes Region as methamphetamine distribution points for regional distribution. Mexican DTOs are the primary suppliers of methamphetamine in the Great lakes Region and are increasingly transporting the drug into the area from Mexico and Southwest Border states using private and commercial vehicles and package delivery services. Mexican DTO members initially transport methamphetamine to major drug distribution centers in the region, such as Chicago, Indianapolis, and Minneapolis-St. Paul, and then distribute the drug from these cities to smaller markets, both in and outside the region. For example, a recent OCDETF investigation identified a Mexican DTO that had transported hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine from California to Minnesota for distribution in Minnesota, Illinois, and South Dakota.
Methamphetamine-related treatment admissions in the Great Lakes Region peaked in 2005 but overall have more than doubled since 2001. TEDS data indicate that the number of amphetamine-related (including methamphetamine-related) admissions to publicly funded treatment facilities in the Great Lakes Region rose steadily each year from 2001 (5,444 admissions) to 2005 (14,809 admissions) and then declined in 2006 (12,611 admissions) (see Table B9 in Appendix B).
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