HIDTA Overview

Established in 2001, the North Florida HIDTA encompasses 10 adjoining counties in the northeastern corner of Florida--specifically, Alachua, Baker, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Flagler, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, and St. Johns Counties. The HIDTA is a significant transit area for illegal drug shipments moving north from southern Florida to markets along the eastern seaboard. The HIDTA region also serves as a transit area for drug shipments moving south from Atlanta; the region's significance as a drug transit area is increasing as more drugs are transported from Atlanta through the HIDTA region en route to drug markets throughout Florida. Jacksonville, the largest metropolitan area in the HIDTA region, is the area's primary drug market. Ocala, the region's second-largest metropolitan area and one of the fastest-growing cities in Florida, is a secondary drug market. Gainesville, Jacksonville Beach, and St. Augustine are the HIDTA region's leading nightlife destinations; significant retail-level distribution and drug abuse occur in these cities. Jacksonville Beach and St. Augustine are also home to sizable and growing homeless populations, which include many drug addicts.

The temperate climate and strong economy of the North Florida HIDTA region attract people who desire to relocate from national and international locations. Increasing ethnic populations have enabled many DTOs to avoid immediate law enforcement scrutiny. For instance, Mexican DTOs increasingly capitalize on a growing Hispanic population in the HIDTA region in order to transport and distribute drugs in relative anonymity. Other Hispanic criminal groups and Cuban DTOs also capitalize on the anonymity offered by the diverse population for the purposes of constructing and operating high-potency, indoor cannabis cultivation sites in the region.

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