To
Contents
To Previous Page
To Next Page
To Publications Page
To Home Page
National Drug Intelligence
Center |
Mexican DTOs based in Chicago and Lake County pose the greatest organized drug trafficking threat to the Lake County HIDTA region. Chicago-based Mexican DTOs have expanded their illicit drug operations into Lake County, using commercial and residential buildings in the county for the storage and transshipment of large quantities of cocaine and marijuana and smaller quantities of heroin and methamphetamine destined for drug markets in the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Southeast Regions of the United States. Mexican traffickers based in Lake County, particularly in East Chicago and Hammond, also transport wholesale quantities of illicit drugs to the HIDTA region from locations along the Southwest Border and from Chicago.
|
Drug trafficking organizations are complex organizations with highly defined command-and-control structures that produce, transport, and/or distribute large quantities of one or more illicit drugs. Criminal groups operating in the United States are numerous and range from small to moderately sized, loosely knit groups that distribute one or more drugs at the retail level and midlevel. Gangs
are defined by the National Alliance of Gang Investigators' Associations as
groups or associations of three or more persons with a common identifying sign,
symbol, or name, the members of which individually or collectively engage in
criminal activity that creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. |
Mexican DTOs and other trafficking groups based in Chicago supply street gangs and independent dealers in Lake County with wholesale quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana for local distribution. Lake County distributors often travel the short distance to Chicago to purchase their illicit drug supplies. Colombian DTOs in Chicago supply cocaine and SA heroin; oftentimes they contract with Mexican traffickers to smuggle these drugs to the region on their behalf. Asian, Albanian, and Caucasian traffickers in Chicago supply local distributors with wholesale quantities of high-potency Canadian marijuana and MDMA. Nigerian and other West African traffickers are the primary suppliers of limited quantities of SWA and SEA heroin available in the region; they smuggle multiounce quantities of heroin into Chicago through package delivery services and couriers on commercial airlines.
African American and Hispanic street gang members are the primary retail distributors of illicit drugs in metropolitan areas of the HIDTA region, specifically Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago. Street gangs such as Gangster Disciples, Latin Kings, Imperial Gangsters, and Vice Lords obtain wholesale amounts of powder cocaine, heroin, and marijuana from Mexican DTOs operating in Lake County and in Chicago. Distribution of crack cocaine, marijuana, and heroin is the principle source of income for Lake County street gang members.
Street gang drug operations in Lake County vary in their degree of organization and sophistication. Most Lake County gangs are composed of independent dealers who maintain neighborhood gang affiliations and operate in an unorganized and unstructured environment. The most organized gangs in Lake County are Hispanic gangs located in East Chicago, where some have been linked directly to DTOs in Mexico. East Chicago gangs often operate as midlevel suppliers to other gangs operating in Lake County. Moreover, the use of electronic communication and countersurveillance techniques is more common among street gangs in East Chicago than in other areas of the region. For example, in 2007 the East Chicago Police Department discovered several audio and video surveillance systems at drug houses in the city.
Lake County street gangs, which include approximately 2,500 members, also have ties to Chicago-based street gangs. For example, Chicago street gangs supply Lake County street gangs with illicit drugs for distribution. Law enforcement authorities report that street gangs in Lake County are not controlled by Chicago-based street gang members; however, gang membership facilitates the distribution of illicit drugs through gang networks. These associations have been strengthened by the razing of several Chicago public housing projects, resulting in the relocation of some Chicago street gang members to Lake County.
|
Street gangs operating in Lake County and Chicago historically have used the Indiana-Illinois state
line to their advantage to thwart police efforts to counter gang- and drug-related criminal activity.
Gang members have exploited jurisdictional boundaries to insulate themselves from detection, apprehension,
and prosecution for their crimes. In 2007 the Chicago Police Department, along with local, county, state,
and federal law enforcement agencies on both sides of the Indiana-Illinois state line, initiated the Illiana
Regional Gang Task Force in a concerted effort to coordinate resources, share intelligence, and create a
communications network to combat gang crime and related drug trafficking operations. The initiative quickly
developed into a full-time regional gang task force that eliminated many of the jurisdictional barriers faced
by local law enforcement agencies. Strategic planning, teamwork, information sharing, and aggressive
enforcement actions of the Illiana Regional Gang Task Force are having a positive impact on the gang problem
in the Lake County HIDTA region. |
To Top To Contents To Previous Page To Next Page
To Publications Page To Home Page
UNCLASSIFIED
End of page.