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National Drug Intelligence
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Drug distributors and abusers often engage in other criminal activities to sustain their drug-related activities. Law enforcement reporting indicates that crack cocaine is the illicit drug most associated with violent and property crimes in the HIDTA region. According to the NDTS 2007, 30 of the 52 state and local law enforcement respondents in the Michigan HIDTA region identified crack cocaine as the drug most associated with violent crime; 31 respondents reported the same for property crime. Drug distributors often commit violent crimes such as assault and homicide in order to maintain control of their drug distribution territories. Some young distributors are unwilling to work for established distributors and instead resort to theft from, and violence against, established distributors to begin their own criminal enterprises. Drug abusers typically commit crimes including burglary, retail fraud, robbery, and identity theft in order to obtain drugs or money to purchase drugs. Law enforcement officials in the western suburbs of Detroit report a noticeable increase in the level of property crimes, which they attribute to young Caucasian heroin abusers and the relatively poor local economy. Drug abusers steal a wide variety of items that they can sell, including scrap metal, window air conditioners, catalytic converters, and grounding bars from cellular phone and radio towers, in order to acquire drug funds. The theft of grounding bars from cellular phone and radio towers has disrupted emergency communications in Oakland County, creating a threat to public safety. Methamphetamine producers steal precursor chemicals or obtain them through illegal sources in order to produce the drug in the region. Additionally, marijuana producers who operate indoor grows often steal electricity by reversing or bypassing meters.
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