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National Drug Intelligence
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High levels of violent and property crime in the Lake County HIDTA region are associated with drug distribution and abuse, particularly in metropolitan areas. The criminal activities of street gangs in the HIDTA region typically extend beyond their drug distribution operations and include violent crimes and property crimes. The relocation of some Chicago gang members as a result of the razing of Chicago public housing developments has contributed to the high level of gang- and drug-related crime in the area. Gary is one of the most violent cities in the nation and has one of highest per capita homicide rates in the United States.
Violent street gangs such as Gangster Disciples, Imperial Gangsters, Vice Lords, and Latin Kings are the principal retail drug distributors in Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago; members routinely engage in violent acts in furtherance of their drug distribution operations. Street gang members commit homicide, kidnapping, robbery, home invasions, and assaults in the HIDTA region. Drug-related violence in the area often results from disputes between street gang members vying for control of drug distribution territories or drug and money "rip-offs" of dealers or buyers. Nonetheless, law enforcement officials in the region report that members of different--and sometimes rival--gangs engage in joint drug distribution operations. These gang members, or "renegades," more frequently set aside gang affiliation for the expectation of high profits from cooperative drug operations.
Gang members in Lake County and many other jurisdictions rely upon firearms to establish and maintain control of drug markets and to protect their drug supplies and proceeds from rival gang members. Semiautomatic handguns are the weapon of choice among gang members; however, law enforcement officials in the Lake County HIDTA region report increases in seizures of assault-type firearms.
Street gang members in Lake County often obtain firearms in Indiana, where gun control laws are much less stringent than those in the surrounding states. They often supply these firearms to gang members and associates in Chicago, Detroit, and Milwaukee, contributing to violent crime in those cities. Additionally, street gang members from Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin sometimes recruit Indiana residents or have their associates obtain Indiana residency for the sole purpose of making straw purchases of firearms from gun stores and gun shows in the state. Firearms obtained in Indiana can be sold at a premium because it is more difficult to make these purchases in neighboring states. For example, guns obtained through straw purchases in Indiana are typically sold in Illinois for three times the retail price.
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