Violent crime in the PC HIDTA region is increasing and has emerged as the principal threat to the safety and well-being of citizens within the area. In 2006 the number of homicides in Philadelphia was the highest in over a decade. As of April 22, 2007, law enforcement officials in the city reported 128 homicides, a 17 percent increase from the same period in 2006. Although many of these homicides involve individuals with a history of drug use and/or arrests, the majority of the homicides are not predicated on drug activity; more often than not, they are the result of interpersonal disputes.
 

Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) are increasing their drug trafficking activities in the areas surrounding the PC HIDTA region. Mexican DTOs and criminal groups already supply most of the marijuana available in the region; they are increasingly transporting cocaine as well as large quantities of ice methamphetamine into the area. Colombian and Dominican DTOs, the predominant cocaine and heroin traffickers in the region, are relying more upon Mexican DTOs to transport these drugs from Mexico and the Southwest Border area to the PC HIDTA region.
 

The distribution and abuse of heroin pose an increasing threat to the HIDTA region. Many distributors are targeting new customers in smaller towns and rural areas to gain market share.
 

The demand for marijuana in the HIDTA region is high and increasing. Marijuana is abused by a wide range of ethnic, age, and socioeconomic groups. The popularity of both high-potency Canadian and locally produced marijuana among younger abusers is a driving factor behind the growth in demand.
 

The abuse of prescription drugs is increasing in the region. Benzodiazepines, a family of tranquilizers, were the second most frequently detected substance in drug-related deaths in Philadelphia in 2006.