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National Drug Intelligence Center |
Crack cocaine poses the most significant drug threat to the Michigan HIDTA region because of the drug's association with violent and property crimes and its impact on public health resources; however, wholesale availability of cocaine has decreased slightly. Powder cocaine is typically converted to crack cocaine by street gang members and other retail distributors near sales locations in urban areas. To maintain control of local distribution markets, crack cocaine distributors engage in violent criminal activity, such as assault and homicide, while crack cocaine abusers commit burglary, retail fraud, and robbery in order to obtain the drug--or money to purchase the drug. The high level of violence and property crime associated with crack cocaine distribution and use has compelled many law enforcement agencies to identify crack cocaine as the greatest drug threat in their areas. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) 2009,2 21 of 48 survey respondents in the Michigan HIDTA region identify crack cocaine as the greatest drug threat in their areas, a higher number than for any other drug. Cocaine remains available in the Michigan HIDTA region; however, law enforcement reporting indicates that wholesale cocaine availability has decreased in Detroit and some surrounding suburbs. Recent cocaine price and purity data as well as drug treatment data support the law enforcement reporting regarding decreased cocaine availability. For example, wholesale cocaine prices in Detroit increased from June 2007 ($17,000 to $24,000 per kilogram) to June 2008 ($19,000 to $34,000 per kilogram). Law enforcement officials report that cocaine purity has decreased in some areas of Detroit, suggesting that distributors are cutting the drug in order to stretch supplies and increase profits. Furthermore, Michigan Department of Community Health data show that admissions to publicly funded treatment facilities for treatment of cocaine abuse in the Michigan HIDTA Region decreased 26 percent from 2007 (9,049) to 2008 (6,705).
The trafficking and abuse of heroin, marijuana, MDMA, methamphetamine, and diverted CPDs also pose considerable threats to the region. The availability and abuse of heroin--primarily South American (SA) heroin--in the HIDTA region are increasing. According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, admissions to publicly funded treatment facilities for treatment of heroin abuse increased 13.6 percent from 2004 (7,618) to 2008 (8,651). Law enforcement officials attribute much of the increase in heroin abuse in the HIDTA region to increased use by young Caucasian individuals. Rising heroin availability and abuse most likely have contributed to the increase in the number of NDTS respondents in the Michigan HIDTA region that identified heroin as the greatest drug threat in their areas from 2007 (one respondent) to 2009 (eight respondents). Marijuana is widely available and abused throughout the region. Commercial-grade Mexican marijuana is the most prevalent type, although locally produced and high-potency Canadian marijuana are also commonly available. Local indoor and outdoor marijuana production occurs throughout the HIDTA region; the Michigan HIDTA reports that seizures of marijuana plants in the HIDTA region more than doubled from 2007 (9,964 kg) to 2008 (20,950 kg). Wholesale quantities of high-potency marijuana and MDMA transit the region from Canada; some is distributed and abused locally. Methamphetamine production is increasing in the HIDTA region, as evidenced by a sharp increase in the number of methamphetamine laboratory incidents from 2007 (58) to 2008 (183). Methamphetamine abuse is also increasing in the region; methamphetamine-related admissions to publicly funded treatment facilities increased 39 percent from 2007 (138) to 2008 (192). Diverted CPDs, including methadone, OxyContin, Vicodin, and Xanax, are widely abused in the HIDTA region. Additionally, law enforcement officials report that some OxyContin abusers eventually switch to heroin because it is less expensive, while other abusers are using both OxyContin and heroin.
Numerous drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and criminal groups operate in the Michigan HIDTA region, and most of these DTOs and criminal groups are composed of members with similar ethnic backgrounds. Law enforcement officials have identified 456 such DTOs that operate within the Michigan HIDTA region; approximately 62 of these DTOs operate internationally, 141 operate in multiple states, and 253 operate locally. African American DTOs are the predominant drug traffickers distributing cocaine, heroin, and marijuana at the wholesale level. These traffickers transport powder cocaine and marijuana from various drug markets in the United States as well as directly from locations along the U.S.-Mexico border, where they have connections to Mexican sources of supply; they also purchase wholesale quantities of these drugs from Mexican traffickers in the HIDTA region. Additionally, African American drug traffickers are involved in smuggling MDMA into the region from Canada. In order to maintain control of drug markets in the region, these traffickers often engage in violence including assault and homicide.
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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. |
In addition to African American DTOs and criminal groups, numerous other trafficking groups distribute wholesale quantities of drugs in the Michigan HIDTA region. Mexican DTOs, many of which have direct ties to major Colombian drug cartels and other sources of supply along the Southwest Border, distribute wholesale quantities of powder cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Asian DTOs are the principal suppliers of Canadian high-potency marijuana and MDMA to the region, often using Indo-Canadian truck drivers to transport the drugs across the border. Albanian traffickers also transport and distribute wholesale quantities of Canadian high-potency marijuana and MDMA in the region, but to a lesser extent than Asian DTOs. Caucasian and Middle Eastern traffickers in the region distribute wholesale quantities of powder cocaine, marijuana, and MDMA. West African criminal groups, particularly Nigerian groups, transport and distribute Southwest Asian (SWA) heroin and, to a lesser extent, Southeast Asian (SEA) heroin in the region.
Various street gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) distribute illicit drugs in the Michigan HIDTA region, primarily at the retail level. Nationally affiliated Gangster Disciples, Latin Kings, Sureņos (Sur-13), and Latin Counts regularly distribute retail-level quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana in drug markets throughout the region. OMGs such as nationally affiliated Outlaws and locally affiliated Highwaymen distribute cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine in some areas of the region.
The criminal activities of street gangs and OMGs in the HIDTA region typically extend beyond their drug distribution operations. Street gangs commit criminal acts such as assault, drive-by shooting, homicide, money laundering, property crime, robbery, and weapons trafficking. Many turf-oriented street gangs participate in ongoing feuds over distribution territories in neighborhood communities where they reside and conduct their drug operations. Street gang recruitment of middle school and high school students is common. For example, a member of Gangster Disciples in western Michigan admitted to having been a gang member since the third grade. Additionally, a 28-year-old crack cocaine dealer sentenced in 2008 to 17 years' imprisonment for cocaine distribution in Detroit admitted that he had been selling crack cocaine since he was 12 years old. Young recruits are used to perform various gang-related criminal activities, including drug sales, shootings, carjackings, and robberies. OMGs conduct criminal activities such as assault, theft, fraud, homicide, prostitution operations, and weapons trafficking.
Street gang members conduct criminal operations using various communication methods, particularly cell phones and the Internet. Many street gang members use the voice and text messaging capabilities of cell phones to conduct drug sales and prearrange meetings with customers. Some gang members prefer cell phones with two-way, direct-connect communication, believing that they are less vulnerable to law enforcement interception. Law enforcement officials in Detroit suburbs report that dealers will not answer phone calls from restricted phone numbers and often will inspect customers' cell phones in an attempt to determine their identity. Some drug dealers also use the voice capabilities of online gaming systems, gaming chat rooms, and computer-based simulated environments to communicate and conduct drug sales. Computer-based simulated environments, in particular, are increasingly becoming popular, since drug dealers can conduct drug sales and use the virtual world economies that allow users to conduct real world money laundering activities outside the purview of the traditional banking industry. Street gang members increasingly communicate through Blackberries and the Internet, using text messaging and photos to boast about gang membership or related activities and to advertise events and house parties. Some street gangs create web sites for rap music record labels, a number of which are fictitious and created to mask gang activities. Gang members in the region use social networking web sites, such as MySpace, to communicate and plan criminal activities on the Internet. Additionally, the Internet is being used increasingly as a medium for communicating taunts, disparaging remarks, and general disrespect between rival gangs, particularly young gang members. The disrespectful comments are a form of Internet graffiti that spreads quickly and violent retaliation is common. According to the Kent County Sheriff's Department, this type of taunting and disrespect is different from previous forms of public disparagement through traditional graffiti. Previously, disrespectful comments in the form of graffiti could simply be altered or covered. There was also a natural "cool-down" period that reduced violent retaliation. However, Internet graffiti is somewhat permanent, widely disseminated, and immediate, resulting in higher rates of violent retaliation.
2. National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) data for 2009 cited in this report are as of February 12, 2009. NDTS data cited are raw, unweighted responses from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies solicited through either the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) or the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. Data cited may include responses from agencies that are part of the NDTS 2009 national sample and/or agencies that are part of HIDTA solicitation lists.
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