Overview
New York.
Photo NDIC
Fast Facts
| New York |
| Population |
8,008,278 residents
1,940,269 residents under 18 years of age
312,600 single-parent households |
| Land Area |
303 square miles |
| Boroughs |
Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and
Staten Island |
| Interstate
Highways |
87, 95, 278, 295,
478, 495, 678, and 695 |
| Major airports |
John F. Kennedy (JFK) and La Guardia |
| Major seaports |
The Port of New
York/New Jersey |
| Rail service |
Passenger: Amtrak (Pennsylvania Station
is the East Coast hub)
Freight: Norfolk Southern and CSX |
| Mayor |
Michael R. Bloomberg |
| Police
Commissioner |
Raymond W. Kelly |
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Cocaine and heroin pose the greatest drug threats to New
York City. Marijuana distribution and abuse are widespread. MDMA is one
of the fastest-growing drug threats to the city. Other club drugs and
diverted pharmaceuticals pose significantly lesser threats than most
other illicit drugs. The methamphetamine threat to New York City is
negligible.
New York City serves as a national transportation hub
for many illicit drugs. Most of the cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and MDMA
available in New York City are smuggled into the city either directly
from drug source countries or indirectly through transit countries in
Latin America, Europe, and the Caribbean. Large quantities of cocaine
often are transported into New York City overland in commercial and
private vehicles. However, significant quantities of cocaine also are
smuggled aboard maritime vessels and on commercial aircraft from source
and transit countries. Couriers aboard commercial aircraft smuggle most
of the heroin and MDMA that is available in the city. Marijuana
typically is transported from southwestern states and Florida in private
vehicles and trucks, via package delivery services, and by couriers or
in cargo shipments on commercial aircraft. Pharmaceuticals generally are
obtained within the state through diversion techniques including
improper prescribing practices, prescription forgery, and doctor
shopping (visiting numerous doctors to obtain multiple prescriptions).
Colombian, Dominican, and Mexican drug trafficking
organizations (DTOs) and criminal groups are the primary transporters of
cocaine into New York City. Colombian and Dominican DTOs and criminal
groups are the dominant wholesale-level distributors of powdered cocaine
within the city, while Dominican DTOs and criminal groups and African
American, Jamaican, and Puerto Rican criminal groups are the dominant
wholesale-level distributors of crack. Colombian DTOs and criminal
groups control the transportation of South American heroin into New York
City and are the dominant wholesale-level distributors. They
increasingly rely on Dominican DTOs and criminal groups and occasionally
Mexican criminal groups to transport South American heroin into the
city. Dominican criminal groups are the dominant retail-level
distributors of cocaine and heroin. Jamaican criminal groups are the
most prominent transporters as well as wholesale- and retail-level
distributors of marijuana in New York City; however, no specific
organization or group controls the transportation or distribution of
marijuana. Israeli and Russian DTOs and criminal groups control the
smuggling of MDMA into the city. These DTOs and criminal groups as well
as Colombian and Dominican DTOs and criminal groups, Eastern European
and Asian criminal groups, members of traditional organized crime, and
outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) distribute wholesale quantities of MDMA
in New York City. Various criminal groups and local independent dealers
distribute retail quantities of MDMA in the city. Caucasian local
independent dealers are the primary distributors of LSD, GHB and its
analogs, ketamine, and diverted pharmaceuticals in New York City.
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Drug Abuse
Indicators
The adverse consequences of illicit drug abuse in New
York City are significant. According to the New York State Office of
Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), there were 134,287
treatment admissions to alcoholism and substance abuse treatment
facilities in New York City in 2000, the most recent year for which
these data are available. Approximately 75 percent of these admissions
were male. Over 44 percent of the admissions were African American; 33
percent were Hispanic; and over 20 percent were Caucasian. Nearly 62
percent of the admissions involved individuals aged 35 or older. Drug
Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) data indicate that there were 52,055
drug-related emergency department (ED) mentions in the New York
metropolitan area in 2001, the most recent data available. The rate of
drug-related ED mentions (623 per 100,000 population) in the New York
metropolitan area was higher than the national rate (460 per 100,000
population) that year. DAWN mortality data indicate that there were 924
drug deaths in the New York metropolitan area in 2000, the most recent
data available. Of these, 713 were drug-induced (overdoses). Arrestee
Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program data indicate that 79.9 percent of
adult male arrestees in New York City tested positive for abusing at
least one illicit substance in 2000, the most recent data available.
The distribution and abuse of cocaine, both powdered and
crack, pose the greatest drug threat to New York City. More ED mentions,
deaths, and federal sentences are associated with cocaine than with any
other illicit drug. Further, crack cocaine is the drug most often
associated with violent crime in New York City.
Treatment, ED, mortality, and arrestee data indicate
that cocaine commonly is abused in New York City. The total number of
primary cocaine admissions to state-funded and nonfunded treatment
programs in New York City remained high but decreased 12 percent from
15,913 in 1999 to 14,059 in 2000, according to OASAS data. There were
7,212 cocaine admissions in the first half of 2001, the most recent
OASAS data available. Sixty-five percent of the admissions in the first
half of 2001 reported smoking (crack cocaine) as the primary method of
administration, while 32 percent reported inhalation (snorting of
powdered cocaine) as the primary method of administration. DAWN data
indicate that there were 13,898 cocaine ED mentions in the New York
metropolitan area in 2001, more than for any other illicit drug. The
rate of cocaine ED mentions per 100,000 population in the New York
metropolitan area (166) exceeded the rate per 100,000 population
nationwide (76) that year. DAWN mortality data indicate that there were
492 cocaine-related deaths in the New York metropolitan area in 2000,
more than for any other illicit drug. Of these, 123 were cocaine-induced
(overdoses). ADAM Program data indicate that 48.8 percent of adult male
arrestees in New York City tested positive for abusing cocaine in 2000.
Cocaine is readily available in New York City. The New
York Police Department (NYPD) Narcotics Division seized 3,113 kilograms
of powdered cocaine and 81 kilograms of crack in 2002; in 2001, the
Division seized 3,705 kilograms of powdered cocaine and 51 kilograms of
crack, according to Narcotics Investigation and Trafficking of
Recidivist Offenders (NITRO) Unit data. NYPD also made 31,781
cocaine-related arrests in New York City in 1999 and 31,919 in 2000, the
most recent data available. In FY2001, 64 percent of the drug-related
federal sentences in the Southern District of New York and 41 percent in
the Eastern District of New York were powdered or crack cocaine-related,
according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC). The percentage in
the Southern District was significantly higher than the national
percentage (43%) that year, while the percentage in the Eastern District
was slightly lower. Powdered cocaine sold for $15,000 to $31,000 per
kilogram, $613 to $950 per ounce, and $29 to $45 per gram in New York
City in the third quarter of FY2002, according to the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) New York Division. DEA also reports that crack
cocaine sold for $28,000 to $30,000 per kilogram, $1,000 to $1,500 per
ounce, $27 to $45 per gram, and $7 to $10 per rock in New York City
during that same period.
New York City serves as a national-level transportation
hub for significant quantities of cocaine. Colombian, Dominican and,
increasingly, Mexican DTOs and criminal groups are the primary
transporters of cocaine into New York City. However, Puerto Rican and
Jamaican criminal groups also transport cocaine into the city. Cocaine
available in New York City often is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico
border and then transported in commercial and private vehicles to
transshipment points, such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, and El
Paso, and then to New York City. Cocaine also has been smuggled across
the U.S.-Mexico border and subsequently into the city via railcar. On
January 28, 2003, DEA officials arrested four individuals--three Mexican
nationals and a Dominican national--and seized approximately 4,000
pounds of cocaine that had been transported across the U.S.-Mexico
border into New York City in the walls of a railroad tanker car carrying
vegetable oil. Cocaine also is smuggled via commercial maritime vessels
and aircraft directly from South America into New York City and
indirectly from South America through Miami and other areas. Cocaine
often is transported in commercial and private vehicles from Miami to
the city.
Large quantities of cocaine, often concealed in
shipments of fruits, vegetables, or other perishable items, frequently
are transported in tractor-trailers from southwestern states and Florida
to New Jersey where the drugs are unloaded and stashed. Much of this
cocaine subsequently is transported overland from New Jersey to New York
City in small quantities.
New Jersey Stash House Used by
Cocaine Distributors in Manhattan
On February 8, 2003, officers with the Morris
County (NJ) Police Department and NYPD arrested five
individuals and seized a total of 675 kilograms of cocaine and
$10,000 cash. Most of the cocaine (575 kilograms) was seized
in the basement and garage of a residence in Madison, New
Jersey; however, the remainder (100 kilograms) was seized as a
result of a traffic stop in the Washington Heights section of
Upper Manhattan. The house in Madison was used as a stash
location for cocaine destined for distribution in Washington
Heights. In Madison officers arrested three individuals, one
from Mexico and two from California. In Washington Heights
officers arrested two individuals, both from New York City.
The cocaine had been concealed in white plastic tubs of fruit
preserves and smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border to a
warehouse in California before being transported to the
residence. Once at the residence, the cocaine was extracted
from the white plastic tubs.
Source: Morris
County Prosecutor's Office; Morris County Police Department;
NYPD.
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New York City serves as a national-level distribution
center for significant quantities of cocaine. Colombian and Dominican
DTOs and criminal groups are the primary wholesale-level distributors of
powdered cocaine in New York City. Colombian DTOs and criminal groups
usually are based in the Jackson Heights area of Queens, while Dominican
DTOs and criminal groups typically are based in the Washington Heights
section of Upper Manhattan. These Colombian and Dominican DTOs and
criminal groups supply powdered cocaine to criminal groups for
distribution throughout the region and to cities as far away as Boston,
Chicago, and Atlanta. In addition, Mexican criminal groups are
distributing wholesale quantities of powdered cocaine at an increasing
rate in New York City. Dominican DTOs and criminal groups and African
American, Jamaican, and Puerto Rican criminal groups are the dominant
wholesale-level distributors of crack cocaine in the city.
Dominican criminal groups are the primary retail-level
distributors of powdered and crack cocaine in New York City. Nationally
affiliated street gangs such as Ņeta, Latin Kings, Mara Salvatrucha,
and Bloods also sell retail quantities of powdered and crack cocaine in
New York City. Retail quantities of cocaine typically are sold at
open-air drug markets; however, distributors increasingly are moving
sales indoors. Powdered cocaine in New York City usually is packaged in
aluminum foil, glassine bags, and crisp dollar bills or sometimes is
wrapped in plastic wrap knotted on both ends. Crack usually is packaged
in small plastic bags or plastic wrap knotted at both ends, or the drug
is sold as individual rocks. According to the NYPD Narcotics Division,
dealers increasingly are concealing crack rocks in their mouths to avoid
law enforcement detection.
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Heroin poses a significant drug threat to New York City.
The total number of primary heroin admissions to state-funded and
nonfunded treatment programs in New York City increased 4 percent from
20,879 in 1999 to 21,616 in 2000 and was higher than for any other
illicit drug during each of these years, according to OASAS data. There
were 10,988 heroin admissions in the first half of 2001, according to
the same data. DAWN data indicate that there were 10,644 heroin ED
mentions in the New York metropolitan area in 2001. The rate of heroin
ED mentions per 100,000 population in the New York metropolitan area
(127) was dramatically higher than the rate per 100,000 population
nationwide (37) that year. DAWN mortality data indicate that there were
194 heroin-related deaths in the New York metropolitan area in 2000;
none of these deaths were heroin-induced (overdoses). ADAM Program data
indicate that 20.5 percent of adult male arrestees in New York City
tested positive for abusing heroin in 2000. Further, the OASAS Street
Studies Unit reported in 2002 that needle-sharing and heroin
administration by injection was increasing, while heroin administration
by snorting was decreasing.
Heroin is readily available in New York City. The NYPD
Narcotics Division seized over 302 kilograms of heroin in New York City
in 2002 and nearly 843 kilograms in 2001, according to NITRO Unit data.
According to NYPD, local law enforcement officials made 32,949
heroin-related arrests in New York City in 1999 and 33,665 in 2000. In
2001, 27 percent of the drug-related federal sentences in the Southern
District of New York and 36 percent in the Eastern District of New York
were heroin-related, significantly higher than the national percentage
(7%), according to USSC data.
South American heroin is the most prevalent type
available in New York City; Southeast Asian heroin and Southwest Asian
heroin also are available. Mexican black tar heroin and brown powdered
heroin rarely are available--in 2002 Mexican black tar heroin appeared
in the Bronx for the first time in over a decade. Heroin sold for
$60,000 to $80,000 per kilogram, $2,100 per ounce, and $10 to $14 per
bag in New York City in the third quarter of FY2002, according to the
DEA New York Division. The OASAS Street Studies Unit reports that
although bags of heroin generally continue to sell for $10 and the
quality of the heroin remains relatively unchanged, each bag now
contains less heroin than in the past.
New York City serves as a national-level transportation
hub for significant quantities of heroin. Colombian DTOs and criminal
groups control the transportation of South American heroin into New York
City; however, they increasingly rely on Dominican DTOs and criminal
groups and occasionally Mexican criminal groups to transport South
American heroin into the city. Couriers aboard commercial aircraft
smuggle most of the heroin available in New York City. Some couriers
travel directly from South American countries, while others travel
indirectly, typically transiting Brazil, the Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Some
couriers smuggle heroin into the Miami International Airport and other
locations and then take flights to New York City; however, some of the
heroin that arrives by aircraft in Miami is transported into New York
City via private and commercial vehicles. Heroin also is transported
into the city using package delivery services. The DEA New York Division
reported that the typical amount of heroin smuggled per shipment via
package delivery services is 5 to 8 kilograms, an increase over the
historic range of 1 to 3 kilograms.
Colombian DTOs and criminal groups are the primary
wholesale-level distributors of heroin in New York City, particularly in
the Jackson Heights section of Queens; however, Dominican DTOs and
criminal groups sell wholesale quantities as well, usually from the
Washington Heights section of Upper Manhattan. On September 26, 2002, a
grand jury in New York City indicted 20 alleged drug dealers, mostly
Dominicans, for distributing significant quantities of heroin, cocaine,
and marijuana daily along West 171st Street in the Washington Heights
section of Upper Manhattan. Eight of these individuals were part of
Gordo's Crew, a group of street gang members that distributed the drug
from 171st Street and Broadway, and 10 were part of Flecha's Crew that
sold primarily cocaine on the corner of 171st Street and Amsterdam
Avenue. The remaining two were independent dealers. Both crews stashed
illicit drugs in nearby apartments where the drugs were processed,
weighed, and packaged for retail distribution.
Dominican criminal groups are the dominant retail-level
distributors of heroin in New York City. Retail quantities of heroin
most commonly are packaged in glassine envelopes, bags, or bundles (10
bags). Heroin is sold primarily indoors and less commonly at open-air
drug markets and through call-and-deliver services.
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Marijuana is the most widely abused illicit drug in New
York City. The total number of primary marijuana admissions to
state-funded and nonfunded treatment programs in New York City increased
9 percent from 10,219 in 1999 to 11,151 in 2000, according to OASAS
data. There were 6,582 marijuana admissions in the first half of 2001,
according to OASAS data. DAWN data indicate that there were 3,501
marijuana ED mentions in the New York metropolitan area in 2001. The
rate of marijuana ED mentions per 100,000 population in the New York
metropolitan area (42) was slightly lower than the rate per 100,000
population nationwide (44) that year. ADAM Program data indicate that
40.6 percent of adult male arrestees in New York City tested positive
for abusing marijuana in 2000.
Marijuana is the most readily available illicit drug in
New York City. The NYPD Narcotics Division seized 5,626 pounds of
marijuana in New York City in 2002 and 13,901 pounds in 2001, according
to NITRO Unit data. According to NYPD, local law enforcement officials
made 43,122 marijuana-related arrests in New York City in 1999 and
60,455 in 2000, more than for any other illicit drug during each of
these years. Some marijuana distributors increasingly are engaging in
violent crimes--primarily because historically violent cocaine and
heroin distributors now also distribute marijuana. Law enforcement
officials often seize numerous weapons during marijuana seizures in New
York City, according to the DEA New York Division. In 2001, 4 percent of
the drug-related federal sentences in the Southern District of New York
and 14 percent in the Eastern District of New York were
marijuana-related, compared with 33 percent nationwide, according to
USSC. Commercial-grade marijuana in New York City sold for $600 to
$2,000 per pound and $100 to $200 per ounce in the third quarter of
FY2002, according to the DEA New York Division. Hydroponically produced
marijuana sold for $3,000 to $5,000 per pound and $300 to $1,200 per
ounce during that same period.
Most marijuana available in New York City is transported
from southwestern states and Florida in private vehicles and trucks, via
package delivery services, and by couriers or in cargo shipments on
commercial aircraft. Jamaican criminal groups are the most prominent
transporters as well as wholesale- and retail-level distributors of
marijuana in New York City; however, no specific organization or group
controls the distribution of marijuana. Retail quantities of marijuana
usually are packaged in small bags--of clear plastic, manila, or
paper--or sold as joints. Marijuana typically is sold from street
corners, apartments, and other dwellings in New York City. Marijuana
increasingly is sold through call-and-deliver services in the city.
MDMA poses one of the fastest-growing drug threats to
New York City. DAWN data indicate that there were 172 MDMA ED mentions
in the New York metropolitan area in 2001, a dramatic increase from 41
in 1997. Nonetheless, the rate of MDMA ED mentions per 100,000
population in the New York metropolitan area (2) was equal to the
nationwide rate in 2001. DAWN mortality data indicate that there were
five deaths in which club drugs--a category that includes MDMA--were a
factor in the New York metropolitan area in 2000. The number of MDMA
abusers who also abuse other substances, including Viagra, cocaine, and
heroin, in New York City has increased, according to DEA. In 2002 the
OASAS Street Studies Unit reported that in Brooklyn powdered MDMA mixed
with powdered cocaine was smoked in blunts (hollowed-out cigars), the
first reporting of MDMA abused in this manner in the city.
Israeli and Russian DTOs and criminal groups control the
smuggling of MDMA into New York City. MDMA usually is smuggled into John
F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport from Europe by couriers who
conceal MDMA in false-bottomed luggage or on their person, via package
delivery services, and in air cargo shipments.
New York City is a significant distribution hub for MDMA
in the United States. Israeli, Russian, Colombian, and Dominican DTOs
and criminal groups, Eastern European and Asian criminal groups, members
of traditional organized crime, and OMGs often distribute wholesale
quantities of MDMA in New York City. Various criminal groups and
individuals distribute retail quantities of MDMA in the city. Caucasian
local independent dealers, principally males, are the primary
distributors of MDMA in nightclubs and on university campuses. Dominican
criminal groups in the Washington Heights section of New York City and
African American criminal groups in Harlem usually distribute MDMA from
street corners and increasingly indoors. MDMA most frequently is
distributed in tablet form stamped with a logo. MDMA sold for $1.50 to
$13 per tablet at the wholesale level and $20 to $38 per tablet at the
retail level in New York City in the third quarter of FY2002, according
to the DEA New York Division.
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Other
Dangerous Drugs
Other dangerous drugs (ODDs) including club drugs such
as LSD, ketamine, and GHB and its analogs and diverted pharmaceuticals
such as benzodiazepines (Xanax), hydrocodones (Vicodin), hydromorphones
(Dilaudid), methadone, codeine, HIV treatment drugs, steroids, and
methylphenidate (Ritalin) pose significantly lesser threats to New York
City than most other illicit drugs. Caucasian teenagers and young adults
are the primary abusers of most club drugs and Ritalin in New York City,
and individuals of various ethnic backgrounds and ages abuse other
diverted pharmaceuticals. PCP, typically a street drug, is also
available at raves and nightclubs in New York City. DAWN data indicate
that there were 203 PCP, 62 LSD, 24 ketamine, and 15 GHB ED mentions in
the New York metropolitan area in 2001, representing slight decreases
from 2000 with the exception of ketamine, which increased slightly. DAWN
data indicate that there were 1,918 benzodiazepine ED mentions in the
New York metropolitan area in 2001, a slight increase from 1,753 in
2000. Drugs such as dronabinol (Marinol) and megestrol acetate (Megace),
which are used to treat wasting syndrome associated with HIV infection,
are diverted and abused at an increasing rate in New York City,
according to the OASAS Street Studies Unit.
The DEA New York Division reported that PCP sold for $40
to $50 per gram; LSD sold for $0.50 per dosage unit at the wholesale
level and for $3 to $5 at the retail level; ketamine sold for $40 to $50
per dosage unit; and GHB sold for $10 a bottle cap in New York City in
the third quarter of FY2002. Pricing data for other ODDs distributed
illegally in the city are unavailable.
Caucasian local independent dealers are the primary
distributors of most ODDs in New York City. Club drugs typically are
available at concerts and all-night dance clubs, while diverted
pharmaceuticals generally are available through acquaintances and from
drug abusers at methadone treatment clinics; diverted steroids are sold
at bodybuilding gyms.
Methamphetamine poses a low drug threat to New York
City. DAWN data indicate that there were 31 methamphetamine ED mentions
in the New York metropolitan area in 2000. (Methamphetamine ED data for
2001 are incomplete.) DAWN mortality data indicate that there were three
methamphetamine-related deaths in the New York metropolitan area in
2000. NYPD did not report any methamphetamine-related arrests or
seizures in 2002 or 2001. In 2001, 0.2 percent of the drug-related
federal sentences in the Southern District of New York and zero percent
in the Eastern District of New York were methamphetamine-related,
significantly lower than the national percentage (14%), according to
USSC. The DEA New York Division reported that methamphetamine sold for
$1,700 to $2,100 per ounce and $150 per gram in the third quarter of
FY2002. Methamphetamine occasionally is available at dance clubs,
according to the OASAS Street Studies Unit.
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Drug Money
Laundering
Drug money laundering poses a significant threat to New
York City. The Department of Homeland Security Border and Transportation
Security Directorate reports that $4 to $8 billion generated from
illicit drug sales is laundered in the New York metropolitan area each
year. Colombian and Dominican DTOs and criminal groups are the primary
illicit drug money launderers in New York City. Illicit drug proceeds
are laundered through various means such as commingling of drug proceeds
with revenue generated by legitimate businesses, using money remittance
companies, structuring bank deposits and money order purchases, and
purchasing property and vehicles. The precious metals and gems trade,
the securities industry, underground banking systems, and offshore
banking also are used to launder illicit drug proceeds. Further,
currency generated through illicit drug activities often is consolidated
and transported in bulk from New York City.
Changes/Emerging
Trends
-
Most DTOs, criminal groups, and gangs that used to
distribute only one type of drug in New York City now distribute
multiple drugs, according to NYPD.
-
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks affected
the movement of illicit drugs into New York City. According to
federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, postal
services, trains, and buses increasingly are used to transport
illicit drugs into the city.
-
According to the DEA New York Division, there was at
least one organized counterfeit prescription ring operating in New
York City in 2002; it used professional printers and possibly
computers to produce high quality prescription pads. In response to
this type of prescription fraud, state officials adopted an official
triplicate prescription form.
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Impacts and
Impediments
Impacts
NYPD operates a program known as CompStat, an electronic
mapping system and analysis tool that was developed to improve law
enforcement operations and strategic planning, specifically with regard
to resource allocation. NYPD attributes dramatic decreases in felony
crime rates over the past several years at least in part to the use of
CompStat. CompStat was so effective that similar mapping systems were
established to monitor all city services. Police departments across the
country are modeling the CompStat program due to its success in New York
City.
NYPD operates mobile Tactical Narcotics Teams (TNT) and
Neighborhood Stabilization Teams (NST) to disrupt drug distribution
activities. TNTs are deployed on a short-term basis to areas of the city
identified as "hot spots" to make daily drug arrests and force
drug distribution indoors by targeting both distributors and abusers.
NSTs replace TNTs on a long-term basis to prevent recurrences of drug
distribution activities.
NYPD operates a Model Block Program to prevent drug
distribution in areas identified as "high risk." Emergency
service vehicles equipped with halogen lights illuminate select streets
from dusk to dawn and law enforcement officials place barriers at both
ends of select blocks to prevent entry. Uniformed officers stop and
question anyone attempting to gain access to these blocks. Only
residents and individuals with legitimate business are granted access to
these areas--and only with police escort.
NYPD operates the North Manhattan Initiative (NMI) to
promote information sharing among federal, state, and local law
enforcement officials in New York City and surrounding counties. This
initiative was instrumental in the February 8, 2003, seizures of 675
kilograms of cocaine in Madison, New Jersey, and Upper Manhattan.
NYPD proactively enforces the Nuisance Abatement Act to
stop drug distribution. Landlords of properties where drug distribution
is identified are held accountable even if just peripherally involved
and are not permitted to rent their properties for 6 months. Under this
act, police officers also are empowered to padlock storefronts from
which drugs or drug paraphernalia are sold. Smoke shops, which had
proliferated throughout the city, no longer exist because of proactive
enforcement of this statute. (See text box.)
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Enforcement of the Nuisance Abatement Act
On February 7, 2003, the New York State
Supreme Court ordered the closure of two Manhattan
nightclubs--The Sound Factory and Exit--for allowing
college-age students to distribute drugs such as MDMA and
ketamine on the premises. At Exit, undercover officers from
the Narcotics Division of NYPD, the office of the Special
Narcotics Prosecutor, and the NYPD Civil Enforcement Unit
purchased illicit drugs and witnessed open illicit drug use at
the club. At The Sound Factory, undercover law enforcement
officers purchased MDMA, ketamine, methamphetamine, cocaine,
and marijuana and observed open drug use.
|
In 2002 New York State began placing photos of convicted
drug distributors along with the amount of time each will serve in
prison in known drug distribution territories to deter others from
engaging in similar activities. In November 2002 photos of the leader of
a violent drug gang--Thief David's Crew--and his enforcers were posted
throughout the Bronx; each photo included crew members' prison sentences
(totaling 120 years) and the caption "Don't be Next!"
In 2002 NYPD formed a partnership with New York City
schools entitled Operation Safe Schools to combat crimes, including drug
distribution, in schools. The operation entails training 300 safety
agents and installing state-of-the-art surveillance cameras in hallways.
On January 1, 2001, New York State began an Expanded
Syringe Access Demonstration Program (ESADP) to increase the
availability of "clean" hypodermic needles and prevent the
spread of needleborne illness such as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome). There were 122,758 adult and pediatric AIDS cases in New York
City in 2000, according to OASAS data. Forty-five percent of the adult
AIDS cases involved heterosexual injecting drug users (IDUs).
Forty-seven percent of the 1,975 pediatric AIDS patients in New York
City in 2000 involved mothers who had injected drugs; 16 percent
involved mothers who were sex partners of IDUs, according to OASAS data.
The ESADP allows licensed pharmacists and healthcare professionals
specifically registered with the State Department of Health to sell 10
hypodermic needles or less to individuals aged 18 or older without a
prescription. An independent evaluation was submitted to the governor
and the legislature on January 15, 2003, to assess the impact of the
program on issues such as needle-sharing, substance abuse, and syringe
disposal; however, published results have yet to be released.
Impediments
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have resulted
in a reallocation of resources--from counterdrug to counterterrorism
efforts--in New York City. In addition, local law enforcement officials
report that a significant number of officers who serve in the National
Guard or military reserve units have been called to active duty, further
diminishing the resources available for counterdrug programs,
initiatives, and operations.
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State and Regional
New Jersey
Morris County
Police Department
Prosecutor's Office
New York
City of New York
New York Police Department
Civil Enforcement
Unit
Gang Unit
Intelligence
Division
Laboratory
Major Case Units
Major Narcotics
Unit
Organized Crime
Control Bureau
Narcotics Division
Drug Enforcement Task Force
Narcotic Borough Queens Major Case Unit
Narcotics Investigation and Trafficking of Recidivist Offenders Unit
Organized Crime Investigation Division
Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor
New York State
Division of Criminal Justice Services
Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
Services
Street Studies
Unit
Supreme Court
New York/New Jersey
New York/Regional Task Forces
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force
New York/New
Jersey
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
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Federal
Executive Office of the President
Office of National Drug Control Policy
High Intensity
Drug Trafficking Areas
New York/New Jersey
U.S. Department of Commerce
Census Bureau
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration
Office of Applied
Studies
Drug Abuse Warning Network
Treatment Episode Data Set
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Border and Transportation Security Directorate
Bureau of Customs
and Border Protection (formerly U.S. Customs Service)
New York Division
Coast Guard
New York City
U.S. Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Administration
Diversion Unit
New York Division
New York Police Department/Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force
Federal Bureau of Investigation
New York Field
Office
National Institute of Justice
Arrestee Drug
Abuse Monitoring Program
U.S. Attorney's Office
Eastern District
Southern District
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
High Intensity
Money Laundering and Related Financial Crime Area
New York/New Jersey
U.S. Postal Service
U.S. Sentencing Commission
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