Heroin

Heroin is a threat primarily to metropolitan Atlanta and other large cities in Georgia. Heroin is also available and occasionally abused elsewhere in the state. South American heroin is commonly available in Atlanta and also is available in Augusta, Columbus, and Savannah. Southeast Asian and Southwest Asian as well as Mexican brown powdered and black tar heroin are occasionally available in very limited quantities in the state. Mexican criminal groups, using private and commercial vehicles, package delivery services, and couriers aboard bus lines, are the primary transporters of South American heroin into and through Georgia. Mexican and, to a lesser extent, Colombian and Dominican criminal groups distribute South American heroin at the wholesale level. Mexican criminal groups also transport and distribute very small quantities of Mexican brown powdered and black tar heroin into Georgia. Nigerian criminal groups transport and distribute South American and small quantities of Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin into and through Georgia. African American, Caucasian, Dominican, and Mexican criminal groups as well as local independent dealers are the principal retail distributors of heroin in Georgia.

Abuse

Heroin abuse is a problem in Georgia's larger cities, principally the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Georgia Department of Public Health estimates that there are a minimum of 7,000 heroin addicts in Atlanta. Treatment providers in Atlanta indicate an increase in the number of heroin abusers among adolescents and teens. Heroin abuse is also a problem in Augusta, Columbus, and Savannah, although to a lesser extent. According to responses to the NDIC National Drug Threat Survey 2001, law enforcement agencies in the Atlanta metropolitan area reported levels of heroin abuse as high or moderate.

Treatment data indicate that the number of heroin-related treatment admissions in Georgia is low but has increased since 1997. Despite a dramatic increase from 171 in 1997 to 628 in 2001, the number of heroin-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in Georgia was lower than for cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine, according to TEDS. (See Table 1 in Cocaine section.)

Heroin abuse often is cited in drug-related deaths in the Atlanta metropolitan area. (See text box in Cocaine section.) According to DAWN ME data, heroin was a factor in 30 of the 233 drug-related deaths in Atlanta in 2000. Of the 30 deaths in which heroin was a factor, 3 were heroin-induced (overdoses).

Heroin frequently is mentioned in drug-related ED episodes in Atlanta. The number of heroin-related ED mentions in Atlanta was dramatically higher in 2001 (848) than in 1997 (384), according to DAWN. In 2001 the number of heroin-related ED mentions was exceeded only by the number of cocaine- and marijuana-related ED mentions.

The percentage of adult male arrestees who tested positive for heroin abuse in Atlanta in 2000 was low. Approximately 3 percent of adult male arrestees in Atlanta tested positive for heroin abuse in 2000, according to ADAM data. Male arrestees over the age of 31 were more likely to test positive for heroin abuse than those under the age of 31.

Heroin abusers in Georgia often inject the drug, although younger and newer abusers who are averse to using needles often snort the drug. According to the Community Epidemiology Work Group, all indicators suggest the emergence of a younger cohort of heroin abusers in the Atlanta metropolitan area who snort rather than inject the drug. Further, federal law enforcement officials report that heroin is popular in Savannah nightclubs where it typically is snorted and usually is used in combination with other drugs such as MDMA and cocaine.

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Availability

South American heroin is commonly available in Atlanta and also is available in Augusta, Columbus, and Savannah. Heroin availability is limited in the rest of the state. In addition to South American heroin, Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin as well as Mexican brown powdered and black tar heroin are occasionally available in very limited quantities in Georgia.

Heroin prices in Georgia vary depending on the area. The DEA Atlanta Division reports that in 2001 heroin sold for $60,000 to $120,000 per kilogram. However, heroin is mostly sold in ounce or gram quantities and is rarely sold in kilogram quantities in the state. In 2002 heroin sold for $4,000 to $7,000 per ounce and $85 to $600 per gram, according to DEA. Wholesale quantities of heroin generally ranged from 75 to 85 percent pure.

The quantity of heroin seized by federal law enforcement agencies in Georgia increased from 1998 through 2000, then decreased in 2001. According to FDSS data, federal law enforcement officials seized 9 kilograms of heroin in 1998, 11 kilograms in 1999, 54 kilograms in 2000, and 16 kilograms in 2001. ( See Table 2 in Cocaine section.)

The percentage of drug-related federal sentences in Georgia involving heroin was considerably lower than the national percentage in FY2000. According to USSC data, 3 percent of drug-related federal sentences in Georgia in FY2000 were heroin-related, compared with 8 percent nationwide.

Violence

Violence associated with heroin distribution and abuse in Georgia is limited, although heroin distributors in Georgia sometimes commit violent crimes such as homicide, kidnapping, and robbery. Heroin abusers who commit crimes in Georgia generally commit nonviolent property crimes to support their heroin habits.

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Production

Opium is not cultivated nor is heroin produced in Georgia. Heroin available in the United States is produced primarily in four source regions: South America, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and Southwest Asia. Most of the heroin available in Georgia is produced in South America, although very limited amounts of Southeast Asian, Southwest Asian, and Mexican brown powdered and black tar heroin are occasionally available.

Heroin sold on the street typically is cut and packaged in a glassine envelope or bag known as a dime bag--a term derived from the fact that most bags cost $10. Cutting mills are the locations where the heroin is cut and packaged for retail sale. Many law enforcement officials report that cutting mills appear to be less common in Atlanta than in the past. Most law enforcement officials report that the cutting mills of previous years are now largely bagging operations in which distributors simply repackage bulk heroin into user quantities without cutting it with other substances. This is a probable reason for the higher purity heroin available on the streets.

Transportation

Mexican criminal groups are the primary transporters of South American heroin into and through Georgia. They also transport small quantities of Mexican brown powdered heroin and very limited quantities of Mexican black tar heroin into Georgia. Mexican criminal groups primarily use commercial and private vehicles, package delivery services, and couriers aboard commercial buses to transport heroin into and through Georgia. When transporting heroin in private and commercial vehicles, they occasionally intermingle heroin with other drugs such as cocaine.

Colombian and Dominican criminal groups also transport South American heroin into and through the state, although to a lesser extent. Nigerian criminal groups transport small quantities of Southeast Asian and Southwest Asian heroin into and through Georgia. Colombian and Nigerian criminal groups primarily use couriers aboard commercial airlines to transport heroin into Georgia. Dominican criminal groups primarily use private vehicles to transport South American heroin into Georgia, generally from northeastern cities such as New York and Philadelphia. State and local law enforcement officials seized over 3 kilograms of heroin in Georgia in 2001 as part of Operation Pipeline. No heroin seizures were reported in 2001 as part of Operation Jetway. USCS agents in Georgia seized nearly 11 kilograms of heroin transported via commercial air in 1999, 35 kilograms in 2000, and 13 kilograms in 2001.

Distribution

Various criminal groups distribute heroin at the wholesale level in Atlanta and other large cities such as Augusta, Columbus, and Savannah. Mexican and, to a lesser extent, Colombian and Dominican criminal groups are the principal wholesale distributors of South American heroin. Mexican criminal groups also are the principal distributors of Mexican brown powdered and black tar heroin, although Mexican brown powdered heroin availability is limited and Mexican black tar heroin is occasionally distributed in Georgia. Nigerian criminal groups are the primary wholesale distributors of the limited quantities of Southeast Asian and Southwest Asian heroin that are available in Georgia. All these criminal groups sell heroin to various criminal groups and local independent dealers for retail distribution.

African American, Caucasian, Dominican, and Mexican criminal groups as well as local independent dealers are the principal retail distributors of heroin in Georgia. Most retail heroin sales in Atlanta take place in economically depressed inner-city public housing projects. Heroin also is sold at the retail level in private residences and through established contacts. Distributors often arrange sales using pagers and cellular telephones.

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