Outlook

The trafficking and abuse of ice methamphetamine will remain the primary drug threat to the Northwest HIDTA region. Demand for the drug is high, and Mexican DTOs are positioned to meet this demand through established trafficking networks. Further, high levels of ice methamphetamine abuse in the area will contribute to an increase in drug-related crime.

Asian DTOs (primarily Vietnamese) and, to a lesser extent, Caucasian criminal groups will increase indoor cannabis cultivation operations within the Northwest HIDTA region to capitalize on the profits associated with high-potency marijuana and to avoid law enforcement interdiction along the border. These operations will quite likely mirror indoor cultivation operations established by Asian DTOs in other parts of the United States and Canada.

MDMA smuggling across the U.S.-Canada border into Washington will most likely increase in the near term as Asian DTOs and criminal groups as well as Caucasian criminal groups and independent dealers attempt to transport MDMA across the border to supply burgeoning markets in other areas of the United States.

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