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National Drug Intelligence Center |
Heroin abuse will remain a primary drug threat to the NE HIDTA region over the next year. SA heroin will remain widely available and abused and may become an even greater threat if street-level prices further decline. Additionally, the availability of Southwest Asian (SWA) heroin in the region may increase if heroin demand escalates. In 2006 Canadian law enforcement officials reported that SWA heroin replaced Southeast Asian heroin as the primary heroin type available in Canada. If this situation continues, SWA heroin traffickers may be inclined to smuggle a portion of their supplies to the HIDTA region to meet increasing heroin demand, given the region's proximity to Canada.
The rate at which controlled prescription opioid abusers switch to heroin use will increase as they are attracted by the lower cost and higher potency of heroin; as a result, heroin-related treatment admissions will quite likely increase throughout the region.
The abuse of CPDs that are used to treat opioid addiction is very likely to increase if the abuse of heroin and CPDs continues to rise in New England; this situation will result in greater demand for drug treatment and other health-related services.
Canada-based Asian DTOs that supply distributors operating in the NE HIDTA region will pose a serious threat as they expand their high-potency marijuana and synthetic drug distribution networks. These groups will most likely use well-established marijuana distribution networks to attempt to introduce larger quantities of synthetic drugs into the region.
The level of violence occurring among street gangs competing for drug distribution territory in New England is quite likely to escalate if gangs continue their recruitment of new members from middle schools and high schools. Street gangs in the region will be able to work larger territories with more members, and this expansion will quite likely result in an increase in the number of violent confrontations between rival gangs on the streets and in the schools.
The recent decline in the overall economy will most likely impact the drug situation in New England for the foreseeable future. The economic downturn will result in an increase in individuals who obtain CPDs through publicly funded programs, and this situation will result in some of these individuals selling a portion of their drug supplies to supplement their income. Moreover, a larger segment of the New England population may resort to drug trafficking as an alternative source of income or commit various drug-related crimes such as robberies, burglaries, and other crimes of opportunity to pay for the cost of their drug addiction. Drug-related incidents of domestic violence and child abuse will also most likely increase in the NE HIDTA region during the coming year.
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