National Drug Intelligence Center   Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis 2008   June 2008

Drug Threat Overview

The Northwest HIDTA region is adversely affected by the trafficking and abuse of numerous drugs; however, the threat posed by methamphetamine exceeds that of all others. In fact, of the 42 state and local law enforcement agencies in the Northwest HIDTA region that responded to the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) 2007, 40 reported that methamphetamine is the greatest drug threat in their area. Moreover, 38 respondents reported that methamphetamine is the drug that most contributes to violent crime in their areas and 41 respondents reported the same for property crime.

Mexican ice methamphetamine is the predominant type of methamphetamine available in the region; locally produced methamphetamine is available, but only to a limited extent because of significant declines in local production. Mexican DTOs are the primary producers, transporters, and wholesale distributors of ice methamphetamine that they acquire from production facilities in Mexico and conversion laboratories in California. They have generally supplied sufficient quantities of the drug to meet demand, even in the face of decreased local methamphetamine production. However, in 2007, the availability and purity of Mexican methamphetamine temporarily decreased in some areas of the HIDTA region, particularly at the midlevel and retail level. Restrictions enacted by the government of Mexico on the importation and legitimate distribution of precursor chemicals in Mexico during 2005 have reportedly curtailed methamphetamine production in the country, leading to recent decreases in the availability of Mexican ice methamphetamine throughout the region. Decreased availability has caused traffickers to "cut" the drug to stretch supplies in order to maintain profitability. Dimethylsulfone (DMSO2), also known as methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), is extensively used by traffickers in the region to cut methamphetamine because it is chemically suited for methamphetamine manufacturing and is legally obtainable from feed stores.

Cannabis cultivation and marijuana production operations are pervasive throughout the HIDTA region. Overall, the entire state of Washington is one of the top-producing cannabis cultivation areas in the nation and is considered by federal counterdrug officials as an "M7" state.² (See Table 1.) A considerable portion of the cannabis cultivation that occurs in Washington takes place in the Northwest HIDTA region (see Table 3 in Production section). Moreover, most indoor cannabis cultivation in Washington occurs at sites located within the HIDTA region (see Table 4 in Production section). Additionally, law enforcement reporting reveals that Vietnamese DTOs are increasingly establishing sophisticated indoor growing operations in the area.

Table 1. Cannabis Plants Eradicated in M7 States, 2007

Source: Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program, June 2008.

Cocaine is readily available in the HIDTA region; powder cocaine continues to be more available than crack cocaine. According to the NDTS 2007, 33 of 42 state and local law enforcement respondents in the region reported that powder cocaine availability was moderate to high in their jurisdictions. Moreover, some law enforcement officials report that some new abusers possibly try powder cocaine, considering it a purer drug. Crack cocaine is readily available in larger urban areas such as Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma.

The abuse of Mexican black tar heroin is also a threat in Seattle. The number of heroin-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in King County, which encompasses Seattle, is significantly higher than in other counties of the region, according to data from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse. (See Table 8 in Abuse section.)

Other dangerous drugs (ODDs) and diverted pharmaceuticals are a growing concern to law enforcement in the HIDTA region. The abuse of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as ecstasy) and some prescription drugs, such as OxyContin (oxycodone), are escalating in areas of the region.

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Drug Trafficking Organizations

Mexican DTOs and criminal groups are the dominant illicit drug producers, transporters, and wholesale distributors in the HIDTA region. Their influence in the area is unrivaled and presents law enforcement with numerous challenges. Members of Mexican DTOs and criminal groups, which tend to be insular and family-based, easily blend with the region's sizable Hispanic population. Mexican traffickers in the HIDTA region generally obtain illicit drugs from Mexican DTOs operating in Mexico, California, and southwestern states. They supply the drugs to distributors throughout the area. Additionally, law enforcement officials report that some members of Mexican DTOs and criminal groups also exploit Native American reservations in the region by befriending and living with female tribal members in order to establish drug distribution networks on tribal lands.

Asian DTOs and criminal groups, predominantly Vietnamese criminal groups, operate throughout the Northwest HIDTA region; they are primarily involved in indoor cannabis cultivation and high-potency marijuana production. These traffickers often attempt to shield themselves from law enforcement detection by employing other criminal groups, such as Indo-Canadian drug transportation organizations, to conduct some high-risk operations on their behalf, particularly cross-border smuggling. Asian DTOs and criminal groups routinely contract with Indo-Canadian transporters to smuggle Canadian high-potency marijuana and MDMA into the United States and cocaine and bulk cash into Canada through Washington POEs. According to law enforcement officials, the transporters are prone to violence and are adept at changing their modes of operation to avoid law enforcement detection.

Street gangs distribute a variety of illicit drugs throughout the Northwest HIDTA region--particularly at the retail level. For example, African American street gangs dominate retail drug distribution in parts of the Puget Sound area (see Figure 1 in Preface), while Hispanic street gangs control such distribution in Spokane. Regardless of which street gang dominates a particular market, the large number of street gang members in the region--as well as their willingness to violently defend their drug distribution areas--renders street gangs a significant threat to the region and a rising concern to law enforcement.

Members of outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs), particularly some members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC), transport illicit drugs into the region, principally from Canada, and distribute them in various drug markets. For instance, law enforcement officials report that some HAMC members smuggle significant quantities of Canadian high-potency marijuana and MDMA into the region.

End Note

2. M7 states are identified by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) as the seven primary cannabis cultivation and marijuana production states in the nation; they consist of California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia.

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