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National Drug Intelligence Center |
Marijuana is the most widely abused illicit drug in the HIDTA region; however, cocaine poses a more significant concern to law enforcement and public health officials because of its highly addictive nature, the high number of abusers seeking publicly funded treatment, and the drug's common association with violent and property crime. Crack cocaine is the most frequently abused type of cocaine in the region. According to Michigan Department of Community Health 2008 data, crack was identified by individuals seeking treatment for cocaine abuse as the primary type of cocaine that they used in more than 80 percent of cocaine-related admissions to publicly funded treatment facilities in Michigan HIDTA counties.
Heroin abuse is increasing in the Michigan HIDTA region. The number of treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities for heroin increased 13.6 percent from 2004 (7,618) to 2008 (8,651) (see Figure 5). Law enforcement officials report that African Americans are the primary heroin abusers in the Michigan HIDTA region, particularly in Detroit; however, heroin abuse among young Caucasians has increased over the past few years. Many heroin abusers began opioid abuse with prescription opioids and then switched to heroin, which is typically lower in price. Other users abuse both heroin and prescription opioids.
Figure 5. Publicly Funded Treatment Admissions in the Michigan HIDTA Region, by Drug, FY2004-FY2008*
Source: Michigan Department of Community Health.
*Note: The state of Michigan fiscal year (FY) begins October 1 and concludes
September 30.
Methamphetamine abuse is increasing in the region, after a steady decline since 2005. In Michigan HIDTA counties, treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities for methamphetamine increased nearly 30 percent from 2007 (148) to 2008 (192). (See Figure 5.)This rise in methamphetamine treatment occurred concurrently with increasing local methamphetamine production. Methamphetamine abuse typically occurs in the western HIDTA counties; Caucasians are the predominant abusers of the drug. Methamphetamine is most often smoked or snorted by individuals who also produce the drug locally in limited quantities.
The availability and abuse of other dangerous drugs, including MDMA and diverted CPDs, also pose a significant problem in the Michigan HIDTA region. MDMA is abused throughout the region, often by high school and college age individuals. However, African Americans are increasingly abusing the drug in Detroit, where it is often sold at drug houses where multiple illicit drugs are available. OxyContin, Vicodin, and Xanax are the most often abused CPDs. CPDs are diverted for illicit use by abusers and distributors through various methods, including doctor-shopping, copied or scanned prescriptions, forged prescriptions, theft, and unscrupulous physicians.
A large portion of the proceeds generated by drug sales in the Michigan HIDTA region are transported by traffickers in bulk to drug source locations; however, money services businesses and front businesses are also commonly used by traffickers to launder illicit drug proceeds. Mexican DTOs use private and commercial vehicles to transport bulk currency shipments to source locations including California, Mexico, and other areas along the Southwest Border; they also use money orders and wire transfers to move illicit drug proceeds out of the HIDTA region. Canadian traffickers transport bulk currency across the U.S.-Canada border. African American drug traffickers commonly own and operate local cash-intensive businesses such as car washes, clothing stores, and hair and nail salons through which they launder illicit drug proceeds. Middle Eastern traffickers generally use wire transfer services housed in convenience stores owned by Middle Eastern criminals to transmit illicit drug proceeds out of the region. Some traffickers use casinos in Detroit to mask the nature of illicit funds; they gamble for short periods of time before converting illicit funds into seemingly legitimate gambling receipts. Some drug traffickers purchase luxury items such as real estate, vehicles, and jewelry in an attempt to legitimize funds. In June 2008, for example, a New York City jeweler was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for assisting members of the Black Mafia Family DTO in the Detroit metropolitan area in concealing ownership of a portion of $5 million worth of jewelry. Forfeitures associated with this DTO included jewelry valued at several million dollars, 13 residences, 35 vehicles, more than $3 million in cash, numerous bank accounts, and a money judgment totaling $270 million.
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