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National Drug Intelligence Center |
Mexican DTOs and Hispanic criminal groups dominate the wholesale-level and midlevel distribution of powder cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and Mexican marijuana in the North Florida HIDTA region. Most midlevel and retail-level distributors, regardless of their race or ethnicity, depend on Mexican DTOs to supply them with these illicit drugs. Mexican DTOs and Hispanic criminal groups have expanded their illicit drug operations into suburban and rural communities, where drugs are often stored in residences for eventual midlevel distribution to criminal groups, street gangs, and local independent dealers.
Various DTOs, criminal groups, and local independent dealers distribute illicit drugs at the midlevel and retail level in the region. (See Table 4.) Their methods of operation change little from year to year. Retail-level distribution typically takes place at open-air drug markets, in local clubs, in apartment buildings, in local motels, in vehicles, at college residence halls, on local beaches, and at prearranged meeting sites such as parking lots. MDMA is generally distributed in dance clubs and is frequently abused in Gainesville (where a large college population resides) and Mayport (the location of numerous gentlemen's clubs). Methamphetamine is typically not distributed in open-air markets because of the erratic behavior often displayed by methamphetamine abusers; methamphetamine distributors usually deliver the drug directly to abusers at their residences or other locations that receive limited law enforcement and public scrutiny. Retail quantities of most drugs are typically packaged in sandwich bags, pill bottles, plastic wrap, or duct tape. CPDs are obtained by abusers who "doctor-shop" or from unscrupulous doctors; some of these drugs are sold to other abusers for profit. Local or out-of-state abusers may conduct such transactions in person or order drugs through the Internet and distribute them using package delivery services.
Table 4. Drug Distribution Activities in the North Florida HIDTA Region, 2008
| Distributors | Wholesale Distribution | Midlevel Distribution | Retail Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| African American | Powder cocaine, marijuana | Powder and crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana, MDMA | Powder and crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana, MDMA, CPDs |
| Caucasian | Powder cocaine, marijuana, CPDs | Powder and crack cocaine, CPDs, heroin, marijuana, MDMA, methamphetamine, steroids | Powder cocaine, CPDs, heroin, marijuana, MDMA, methamphetamine, steroids |
| Colombian | Powder cocaine | NA | NA |
| Cuban | High-potency marijuana | High-potency marijuana | NA |
| Dominican | Powder cocaine | Powder cocaine | NA |
| Jamaican | Powder cocaine, marijuana | Powder cocaine, marijuana | Powder cocaine, marijuana |
| Hispanic | Powder cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin | Powder cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin | Powder cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin |
| Mexican | Powder cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin | Powder cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin | Powder cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin |
Source: North Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
NA--Not applicable.
Traffickers facilitate drug sales in the North Florida HIDTA region using electronic communications, usually cellular telephones and the Internet. Drug traffickers typically use disposable cellular telephones as well as those that are activated through prepaid calling cards. Most traffickers use such phones for a limited time to reduce the risk of having conversations monitored by law enforcement personnel. Traffickers also prefer to conduct drug-related conversations on cellular telephones with point-to-point capabilities, believing that these communications are difficult for law enforcement to intercept. Drug distributors use cellular telephones primarily to facilitate prearranged meetings with individuals to conduct drug sales. They also use the text messaging capabilities of these telephones to communicate and arrange meetings. Further, some drug transactions are conducted through instant messaging capabilities on the Internet. Draft e-mail messages written and saved to a shared account are also used by some individuals to facilitate drug sales through the Internet. These messages can be accessed by any organization member using a predetermined password, thus avoiding the necessity of actually transmitting an e-mail message that may be intercepted by law enforcement personnel.
High levels of violent and property crime in the North Florida HIDTA region are associated with the distribution and abuse of illicit drugs, particularly crack cocaine.15 According to data from the NDTS 2009, 23 of the 28 law enforcement agency respondents in the North Florida HIDTA region report that crack cocaine is the drug that most contributes to violent crime and property crime in their jurisdictions. Law enforcement officials report that much of the violence in the North Florida HIDTA region is a result of conflicts among rival drug distributors, particularly street gangs, over increasingly limited drug markets.
15. Many crimes perpetrated in the North Florida HIDTA region have a drug nexus; however, such crimes are not specifically defined as drug-related by law enforcement or public agencies operating in the region.
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