National Drug Intelligence Center   Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis 2009   April 2009

Abuse

Drug-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in the region are at relatively high levels, despite some decreases in 2008, the latest year for which such data are available. According to data from the Oregon Department of Human Services, AMH, the number of methamphetamine-related treatment admissions decreased from 7,754 admissions in 2007 to 6,958 admissions in 2008, possibly the result of methamphetamine shortages experienced in the HIDTA region in early 2008. (See Tables 6 and 7.) By the second quarter of 2008, law enforcement officials reported that methamphetamine availability had returned to previously high levels. Multnomah County recorded the highest number of methamphetamine-related deaths in the state (27) in 2008. (See Table 8.)

Source: Oregon Department of Human Services, Addictions and Mental Health Division.
*Most treatment admissions for amphetamine/methamphetamine were for methamphetamine, and most treatment admissions for marijuana/hashish were for marijuana.

Marijuana is the most widely abused drug in the state, and the increasing potency of marijuana in the HIDTA region may account for the high number of treatment admissions. Marijuana-related admissions are second only to methamphetamine-related admissions. The number of marijuana-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities increased from 6,290 admissions in 2007 to 6,949 admissions in 2008, as reported by AMH. (See Tables 6.)

Cocaine-related treatment admissions increased slightly, from 1,454 in 2007 to 1,459 in 2008. (See Tables 6.) According to law enforcement officials, cocaine abuse in the region increased in the first quarter of 2008 as some methamphetamine abusers, faced with diminished supplies of the drug, substituted cocaine. Multnomah County recorded the most cocaine-related deaths (42) in 2008. (See Table 8.)

Heroin abuse is prevalent in urban areas of the HIDTA region, such as Portland. The number of heroin-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities increased slightly from 5,734 admissions in 2007 to 5,786 admissions in 2008. (See Tables 6.) Heroin accounted for the most drug-related deaths in Oregon during 2008 (119 deaths). A majority of these deaths occurred in Multnomah County, including Portland, which recorded 71 of the 119 deaths in 2008. (See Table 8.)

ODDs, including MDMA, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, ketamine, and GHB, are commonly distributed and abused within the region. CPDs, particularly prescription narcotics, are also commonly abused throughout the region by a diverse user group. Law enforcement reporting from Roseburg indicates that the threat posed by CPDs, such as OxyContin (oxycodone), Vicodin (hydrocodone), and methadone, has increased significantly. Oregon ranks fourth among all states in the rate of abuse for controlled prescription pain relievers by teenagers. Abusers and distributors acquire CPDs through a variety of means, such as doctor-shopping, drug theft, prescription fraud, and Internet purchase.

To Top     To Contents

Illicit Finance

Traffickers launder and move illicit drug proceeds generated in the HIDTA region through various methods. Mexican DTOs and criminal groups generally transport cash in bulk to southwestern states, where the funds are typically aggregated and eventually smuggled to Mexico. Once in Mexico, bulk cash is often deposited into a Mexican bank or a casa de cambio (exchange house) and subsequently repatriated to the United States. Asian DTOs and criminal groups also use bulk cash smuggling to move their illicit proceeds from the region; they typically transport illicit proceeds to Canada in private vehicles through ports of entry (POEs) along the U.S.-Canada border.

Mexican and Asian traffickers also launder drug proceeds through money transmittal businesses located in their own ethnic communities. They own businesses such as import/export operations that function as money remitters either legally or illegally. Traffickers also launder drug proceeds through the purchase of property such as real estate, cars, electronics, and livestock.

End of page.