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National Drug Intelligence Center |
The distribution and abuse of cocaine, particularly crack cocaine, pose the greatest drug threat to the Ohio HIDTA region because of the drug's highly addictive nature and its association with violent crime and property crime. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) 2009,1 57 of the 103 state and local law enforcement respondents in the Ohio HIDTA region identify either crack or powder cocaine as the drug that poses the greatest threat to their jurisdictions. Law enforcement reporting indicates that cocaine is being distributed in smaller quantities than in previous years because of decreased availability of the drug throughout the HIDTA region. For example, during the second quarter of 2008, some cocaine dealers in Cleveland reportedly were unable to obtain kilogram quantities of cocaine and were buying and selling ounce quantities. In some areas, decreased availability was accompanied by an increase in wholesale prices. For example, investigators in Cincinnati reported that wholesale cocaine prices increased from a high of $25,000 per kilogram in the first quarter of 2008 to a high of $28,000 per kilogram in the second quarter. Despite the decrease in cocaine availability, the drug remains widely available in the HIDTA region, particularly at the retail level. Mexican DTOs are the principal transporters and wholesale distributors of powder cocaine, while African American criminal groups and street gangs are the primary retail distributors of both powder and crack cocaine in the HIDTA region.
Heroin trafficking is increasing in the Ohio HIDTA region. There is no reported change in South American (SA) heroin availability; however, Mexican black tar heroin and brown powder heroin availability is increasing in the region because of increased transportation and distribution of the drug throughout the region by Mexican DTOs. In fact, law enforcement officials in several areas of northern Ohio (Cleveland, Toledo, and Summit and Stark Counties) report that since 2007, either Mexican black tar heroin or brown powder heroin has become the primary type available in their jurisdictions. In some areas of southern Ohio, such as Columbus and Dayton, Mexican heroin is also the primary type available. Numerous law enforcement officials also report that the quantity of heroin available in their jurisdictions has increased since 2007 and that prices are decreasing. For example, in Columbus the price of Mexican black tar heroin fell from $50,000 per kilogram in December 2007 to between $35,000 and $50,000 per kilogram in June 2008.
Marijuana and the diversion of controlled prescription drugs (CPDs) also pose significant threats to the Ohio HIDTA region. Most of the marijuana available and abused in the HIDTA region is commercial-grade Mexican marijuana that is transported to the region primarily from the Southwest Border by Mexican DTOs. Locally produced marijuana is also available and is typically grown at indoor grow sites throughout the HIDTA region. CPDs are widely abused throughout the HIDTA region; distributors and abusers typically obtain the drugs through doctor-shopping, prescription forgery, theft, and unscrupulous physicians.
The availability and abuse of other drugs, including MDMA, methamphetamine, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), PCP (phencyclidine), khat, and psilocybin, are limited and pose much lesser threats to the HIDTA region than other illicit drugs. MDMA is generally available in urban areas and is increasingly being distributed by street gangs in Columbus and Cleveland. Methamphetamine production in the region has declined significantly since 2005; however, locally produced methamphetamine still accounts for most of the methamphetamine available in the Ohio HIDTA region. The availability of Mexican methamphetamine in the region has not increased to supplant declining local production, primarily because of decreased methamphetamine production in Mexico. Nevertheless, the drug occasionally is available in small quantities in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton. LSD is available primarily in Franklin and Warren Counties, and availability may be expanding into Hamilton County (adjacent to Warren County), as evidenced by a seizure of 8,000 dosage units of LSD by the Northeast Hamilton County Drug Task Force in September 2008. PCP is distributed primarily by street gangs in Cleveland, while khat is available primarily in Columbus, and psilocybin is encountered regularly in Fairfield and Greene Counties.
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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. |
Mexican DTOs are the principal transporters and wholesale distributors of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana in the Ohio HIDTA region. They are expanding their drug distribution activities throughout the HIDTA region, particularly their distribution of Mexican black tar heroin and brown powder heroin. As a result, Columbus has developed into a regional distribution center for Mexican heroin supplied to markets in Ohio, West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania, and Dayton has emerged as a distribution center for Mexican heroin in southwestern Ohio. Furthermore, since 2007, Mexican DTOs have increased the availability of heroin in the northern HIDTA counties to such a degree that Mexican heroin (either black tar heroin or brown powder heroin) has become the primary type available in most areas of the HIDTA region.
Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Jamaican DTOs also distribute illicit drugs within the HIDTA region, predominantly in northeastern HIDTA counties; they typically transport these drugs from New York City. Dominican and Puerto Rican drug traffickers distribute illicit drugs primarily in Cuyahoga County (SA heroin and cocaine) and Mahoning County (SA heroin and marijuana). Dominican DTOs also distribute cocaine in Summit County. Jamaican DTOs primarily distribute marijuana in Cleveland, Akron, and Youngstown; however, they also distribute limited amounts of cocaine. Law enforcement officials in Cleveland report that Mexican DTOs supply wholesale quantities of cocaine and marijuana to Jamaican DTOs for local distribution; law enforcement officials attribute this arrangement to the ability of Jamaican DTOs to better integrate into the local African American community and, therefore, avoid detection by law enforcement.
Local and nationally affiliated street gangs distribute significant quantities of cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and other illicit drugs at the retail level in the Ohio HIDTA region. Street gangs in the region are also involved in a variety of other criminal activities, including burglary, robbery, theft, assault, and homicide. Most street gangs in the Ohio HIDTA region are neighborhood gangs that define their territories based upon the street or housing project in which they live and typically are unorganized in their operations. However, law enforcement officials in Cleveland report that Hispanic street gangs are more organized and structured than other gangs in the city. Some nationally affiliated gangs are also present in the HIDTA region, including 18th Street, Mara Salvatrucha (MS 13), and Tiny Rascal Gangsters in Columbus, and Bloods, Crips, Gangster Disciples, and Latin Kings in Cleveland. Additionally, Hispanic street gangs in Columbus, particularly MS 13, are becoming more organized than in the past. Law enforcement officials report that MS 13 in Columbus operates under a structured leadership, conducts weekly meetings, and collects dues from gang members.
1. 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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