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National Drug Intelligence
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The distribution and abuse of cocaine, particularly crack cocaine, pose the greatest drug threat to the Ohio HIDTA region because of the drug's highly addictive nature and its association with violent crime and property crime. Despite reporting that cocaine availability had decreased in some areas of Ohio in 2007 (see textbox), the drug remains widely available and abused throughout the HIDTA region. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) 2007, 25 of 36 state and local law enforcement respondents in the Ohio HIDTA region identify either crack or powder cocaine as the drug that poses the greatest threat to their jurisdictions. Mexican DTOs are the principal transporters and wholesale distributors of powder cocaine, while African American criminal groups and street gangs are the primary retail distributors of both powder and crack cocaine in the HIDTA region.
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Decreased Cocaine Availability in Major Drug Markets in 2007 Cocaine availability reportedly decreased from 2006 to 2007 in major markets in the Ohio HIDTA region; however, recent reporting indicates that cocaine availability has returned to more normal levels. During the summer of 2007, some law enforcement officials from Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati reported that cocaine availability had decreased in their jurisdictions and was below 2006 levels; these shortages continued throughout the rest of the year. During the latter half of 2007, the Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit (RENU) of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office reported that some cocaine distributors were diluting kilogram quantities of cocaine with inositol, a widely available health food supplement, thereby doubling the amount of product, stretching supplies, and increasing profits. The distributors also sprayed the diluted cocaine with acetone to give it a stronger odor and used a hydraulic press to repackage the drug into kilogram bricks. |
The trafficking of heroin and marijuana and the diversion of pharmaceutical drugs also pose a significant threat to the Ohio HIDTA region. SA heroin and Mexican brown powder and black tar heroin are available in the region; however, the availability of Mexican heroin is rising as a result of the increasing role that Mexican DTOs are playing in the transportation and distribution of illicit drugs throughout the region. Commercial-grade Mexican marijuana is widely available and abused throughout the HIDTA region; locally produced marijuana is also available. Diverted pharmaceutical drugs are widely abused throughout the HIDTA region; distributors and abusers typically obtain the drugs through doctor-shopping, prescription forgery, and theft.
The availability and abuse of other drugs, including MDMA, methamphetamine, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), PCP (phencyclidine), khat, and psilocybin, are limited and pose much lesser threats to the HIDTA region than other illicit drugs. MDMA is generally available in urban areas and is increasingly being distributed by street gangs in Columbus and Cleveland. Methamphetamine production in the region has declined significantly since 2005; however, locally produced methamphetamine still accounts for most of the methamphetamine available in the Ohio HIDTA region. The availability of Mexican methamphetamine in the region has not increased to supplant declining local production; the drug is available only in small quantities within Cincinnati, Columbus and, occasionally, Greene County. LSD is available primarily in Franklin and Warren Counties, while PCP is distributed largely by street gangs in Cleveland. Khat is available primarily in Columbus, and psilocybin is prevalent in Fairfield County.
Mexican DTOs are the principal transporters and wholesale distributors of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana in the Ohio HIDTA region. They are expanding their drug distribution activities throughout the HIDTA region, particularly their distribution of Mexican brown powder and black tar heroin in and from southern HIDTA counties. As a result, Columbus has developed into a regional distribution center for Mexican heroin supplied to markets in Ohio, West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania, and Dayton is emerging as a distribution center for Mexican heroin in southwestern Ohio.
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Drug Trafficking Organizations, Criminal Groups, and Gangs 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. |
Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Jamaican DTOs also distribute illicit drugs within the HIDTA region, predominantly in northeastern HIDTA counties; they typically transport the drugs they sell from New York City. Dominican and Puerto Rican traffickers distribute SA heroin and cocaine primarily in Cuyahoga County and SA heroin in Mahoning County. Dominican heroin traffickers almost exclusively distribute SA heroin; however, a few Dominican dealers in Cleveland reportedly distribute limited amounts of Mexican brown powder heroin that they obtain from Mexican traffickers in Columbus. Jamaican DTOs are principally active in marijuana distribution; however, they also distribute limited amounts of cocaine.
Local and nationally affiliated street gangs distribute significant quantities of cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and other illicit drugs at the retail level in the Ohio HIDTA region. Street gangs in the region also are involved in a variety of other criminal activities, including burglary, robbery, theft, assault, and homicide; such activities contribute significantly to the overall crime rate. Most street gangs in the Ohio HIDTA region are neighborhood gangs that define their territories based on the street or housing project where they live. However, some nationally affiliated gangs are also present in the HIDTA region, including 18th Street, Mara Salvatrucha (MS 13), and Tiny Rascal Gangsters in Columbus, and Bloods, Crips, Gangster Disciples, and Latin Kings in Cleveland. Additionally, Hispanic street gangs in Columbus, particularly MS 13, are becoming more organized than in the past. Law enforcement officials report that MS 13 in Columbus operates under a structured leadership, conducts weekly meetings, and collects dues from gang members.
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