To
Contents
To Previous Page
To Next Page
To Publications Page
To Home Page
National Drug Intelligence Center |
The Houston HIDTA region is one of the most significant distribution and transshipment areas in the United States for drugs smuggled from Mexico to U.S. drug markets. Large-scale transportation and distribution of illicit drugs and laundering of illicit drug proceeds are the primary drug-related issues facing the Houston HIDTA region, requiring a large commitment of law enforcement resources from member agencies (as evidenced by the amount of drugs seized). Wholesale quantities of illicit drugs, particularly cocaine and marijuana, are transported from Mexico through South Texas to the HIDTA region, primarily to Houston and Corpus Christi, where they are distributed to major markets throughout the United States, including Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Detroit, Michigan; Los Angeles, California; and New York, New York. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) 2009, most responding law enforcement agencies report that cocaine is the greatest drug threat to their jurisdictions.2 (See Figure 2.) Wholesale quantities of ice methamphetamine are also transported to the region and distributed to markets in the southeastern and central United States. Although large quantities of cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine are smuggled through the HIDTA region, the amount of these drugs that was seized by law enforcement agencies in the HIDTA region decreased in 2008. This decrease can be attributed to increased seizures in source countries and Mexico that occurred before the drugs were smuggled to the Texas-Mexico border and increased law enforcement operations in Texas such as Operation Border Star.3 Additionally, traffickers are shifting smuggling routes to avoid the increasing violence in areas of Mexico opposite the border area in South Texas. Heroin, MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as ecstasy), and controlled prescription drugs (CPDs) are also distributed to markets outside the HIDTA region, but to a much lesser extent. Additionally, some wholesale quantities of drugs remain in the HIDTA region for local distribution. (See Figure 3.)
Figure 2. Greatest Drug Threats to the Houston HIDTA Region
Source: National Drug Threat Survey 2009.
Figure 3. Drug Availability in the Houston HIDTA as Reported by State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2009*
Source: National Drug Threat Survey 2009.
*
Chart depicts the number of state and local law
enforcement agencies reporting the specified availability levels for each drug.
Illicit drug production in the Houston HIDTA region is limited and entails crack cocaine conversion, cannabis cultivation, and powder methamphetamine production. Crack cocaine conversion occurs throughout the HIDTA region, primarily in the Houston metropolitan area--no significant change has occurred over the past several years. NDTS 2009 data indicate that 51 of the 60 responding law enforcement agencies in the HIDTA region report that cocaine is converted to crack in their jurisdictions. Cannabis cultivation, particularly at indoor sites, is a growing threat to the Houston HIDTA region; law enforcement officials have been dismantling an increasing number of indoor grow operations in the region. According to NDTS 2009 data, 39 of the 60 responding law enforcement agencies indicate that cannabis is cultivated indoors in their jurisdiction, and 31 indicate that it is grown hydroponically. The number of methamphetamine laboratory seizures decreased from 2006 through 2008 in the Houston HIDTA region, a development that can be largely attributed to an influx of ice methamphetamine from Mexico and successful precursor chemical control legislation and law enforcement programs. (See Table 2 in Drug Markets section.) As such, 32 of the 60 agencies that responded to the NDTS 2009 report that methamphetamine production is low in their jurisdictions.
The distribution and abuse of illicit drugs in the Houston HIDTA region place substantial societal and financial burdens on communities and local, state, and federal agencies. Crack cocaine is the primary drug of abuse in the HIDTA region, particularly in Harris County; the drug has had a major impact on the level of violent and property crime occurring in many communities. Marijuana distribution and abuse occur at high levels in the HIDTA region; marijuana is the most commonly abused drug among youth in the region. Heroin abuse is a substantial problem in some HIDTA communities because of its highly addictive nature. Ice methamphetamine is distributed and abused in many areas of the HIDTA region, fueling methamphetamine-related treatment admissions and crime in these areas. MDMA and other dangerous drugs (ODDs) are distributed and abused in the HIDTA region as well, particularly among the region's youth. The diversion of CPDs, such as hydrocodone, is increasing in the HIDTA region, particularly in the Houston area. (See Figure 3.)
Mexican DTOs are the most pervasive organizational threat to the Houston HIDTA region. The proximity of their operations to the U.S.-Mexico border and their access to major drug market areas throughout the United States have enabled Mexican DTOs to emerge as the predominant traffickers in the HIDTA region, in most areas along the U.S.-Mexico border, and in many areas of the United States. Mexican DTOs, particularly those aligned with the Gulf and Sinaloa Cartels, have established bases of operation in the HIDTA region, especially in Houston and Corpus Christi, where they distribute large quantities of drugs to major market areas throughout the United States. These DTOs compartmentalize their operations to insulate themselves from law enforcement. Mexican DTOs operating within the Houston HIDTA also use advanced communication techniques including prepaid cell phones, satellite phones, and global positioning systems as well as Internet-based methods such as instant messaging, e-mail, social networking web sites, and file-sharing web sites to facilitate drug trafficking. For example, traffickers in the HIDTA region sometimes share an e-mail account and communicate by creating draft messages that are saved and can be viewed by anyone within the organization who can access the account. Additionally, Mexican DTOs continually adapt to law enforcement efforts to detect and dismantle their operations, contributing to the magnitude of the threat they pose to the region. (See Table 1.)
|
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. |
Table 1. Drug and Money Laundering Organizations Operating in the Houston HIDTA
| Scope of Organization | Number of Organizations | Ethnicity/Race/Nationality of Organizations | Number of Members | Drugs Trafficked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International | 201 | African American, Albanian, Asian, Canadian, Caucasian, Colombian, Dominican, El Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Jamaican, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Nigerian, Puerto Rican | 5-1,150 | Cocaine, hashish, heroin, marijuana, MDMA, methamphetamine |
| Multistate | 73 | African American, Caucasian, Colombian, Dominican, Jamaican, Mexican | 5-1,000 | Cocaine, CPDs, heroin, marijuana, MDMA, methamphetamine |
| Local | 200 | African American, Asian, Caucasian, Dominican, Mexican | 5-494 | Cocaine, CPDs, heroin, marijuana, MDMA, methamphetamine |
Source: Houston High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
Over the past several years, several Mexican DTOs have been engaged in a violent struggle over drug trafficking corridors that transit the U.S.-Mexico border, several of which lead into the Houston HIDTA region. However, recent law enforcement and military operations in Mexico against Mexican DTOs appear to have diverted some of the attention of the DTOs from each other to Mexican law enforcement and military personnel. For example, in February 2009, traffickers and Mexican authorities engaged in a violent gun battle in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, which led U.S. and Mexican authorities to shut down the bridge between the United States and Mexico at the Hidalgo port of entry (POE). Some DTOs have formed alliances to combat increased law enforcement and military operations, which pose a direct threat to the smuggling operations of the DTOs.
Other organizations operating in the Houston HIDTA region include African American, Asian, Caucasian, Colombian, Dominican, and Jamaican DTOs and criminal groups. (See Table 1.) Colombian DTOs transport and distribute illicit drugs, particularly cocaine, in the HIDTA region; they also sell illicit drugs, particularly cocaine, directly to members of Mexican DTOs based in Mexico, who smuggle and distribute the drugs in the HIDTA region on their own behalf. Asian DTOs and criminal groups, particularly Chinese and Vietnamese groups, are the principal MDMA traffickers in the HIDTA region; they transport MDMA from Canada, primarily through Los Angeles, to Houston for distribution. Additionally, Asian DTOs have been linked to indoor cannabis cultivation in the region.
Prison gangs,4 street gangs, and outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) distribute illicit drugs at the wholesale and retail levels in the Houston HIDTA region. According to NDTS 2009 data, 25 of the 60 responding law enforcement agencies in the Houston HIDTA region report that the level of street gang drug activity has remained the same during the past year, while 22 agencies report that the level has increased. In addition, a majority of responding law enforcement agencies report that the level of OMG drug activity has remained the same. (See Figure 4.) Drug trafficking is the primary source of income for most gangs operating in the area. Most gangs distribute drugs at the retail level; however, some, including Mexican Mafia and Texas Syndicate, have developed ties with Mexican DTOs, enabling them to obtain wholesale quantities of drugs directly from Mexico. Gangs in the region also engage in violent criminal activity, including assault and homicide; such activity poses a considerable threat to law enforcement and public safety.
Figure 4. Past Year Changes in Street Gang and OMG Drug Activity in the Houston HIDTA Region as Reported by State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies*
Source: National Drug Threat Survey 2009.
*
Chart depicts the number of state and local law
enforcement agencies reporting the specified changes in street gang and OMG drug
activity.
End of page.
