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U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center
Michigan HIDTA Drug Market Analysis 2010
June 2010
African American, Mexican, and Asian DTOs are major wholesale distributors of drugs in the region. African American and Mexican traffickers supply cocaine, Mexican marijuana, and SA and Mexican heroin in most areas of the HIDTA region. Asian and, to a lesser extent, Albanian traffickers are wholesale suppliers of high-potency marijuana and MDMA produced in Canada. Caucasian and Middle Eastern traffickers are also wholesale distributors of cocaine and marijuana in the region.
African American criminal groups and gangs are the primary retail-level distributors of crack cocaine and heroin throughout the HIDTA region; they also distribute marijuana and some MDMA in urban areas of the region. African American criminal groups from Detroit travel to Kalamazoo County to distribute heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. These groups use the houses of local drug users as distribution locations for short periods of time, generally for one day, before moving to another house to avoid law enforcement scrutiny. Mexican, Hispanic, Caucasian, Middle Eastern, and West African criminal groups, as well as independent dealers, OMGs, and street gangs, also distribute illicit drugs at the retail level throughout the HIDTA region.
Crack cocaine is the drug that contributes to most crime in the HIDTA region. According to the NDTS 2010, 29 of the 51 state and local law enforcement respondents in the Michigan HIDTA region identify crack as the drug most associated with violent crime; 26 respondents report the same for property crime. (See Figures 4 and 5.) The distribution and abuse of cocaine, heroin, and other drugs are also associated with a large amount of the crime in the Michigan HIDTA region. Violent crime, much of which is drug-related, is a serious problem in the HIDTA region, especially in Detroit and Flint. Approximately 75 percent of property crime that occurs in the HIDTA region is drug-related.
Figure 4. Drug Most Associated With Violent Crime in the Michigan HIDTA Region as Reported by State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, by Number of Respondents
Source: National Drug Threat Survey 2010.
Figure 5. Drug Most Associated With Property Crime in the Michigan HIDTA Region as Reported by State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, by Number of Respondents
Source: National Drug Threat Survey 2010.
Marijuana and methamphetamine producers commit various crimes to support their illegal operations. Marijuana producers who operate indoor grows often steal electricity by reversing or bypassing meters. Methamphetamine producers typically steal precursor chemicals or obtain them through illegal sources. Furthermore, many marijuana and methamphetamine producers protect their properties with traps designed to injure intruders or law enforcement and may also use violence to defend their operations.
Drug customers and distributors often fall victim to drug-related rip-offs, some of which are violent. Law enforcement reporting indicates that young people, often students, are targeted by criminals offering to sell them drugs. Instead, the criminals arrange to meet the purchasers and steal their cash, cell phones, car keys, and other belongings. This type of crime may be underreported as victims might be hesitant to report such incidents to the authorities, since they were engaged in illegal activity at the time. Drug distributors also are frequently targeted by other criminals seeking to steal their drugs and cash. Some criminals specialize in such rip-offs and gather intelligence to determine the best time and place to steal from the distributors. Some of these thieves are reportedly impersonating law enforcement officers and wearing police equipment. Many drug-related thefts are likely unreported given the illegal nature of the stolen property.
Drug abusers typically commit crimes, including burglary, retail fraud, robbery, and theft, in order to obtain drugs or money to purchase drugs. They steal a wide variety of items that they can sell, including scrap metal, window air conditioners, catalytic converters, and grounding bars from cellular phone and radio towers, in order to acquire drug funds. CPD distributors also commit drug store robberies and home invasions to obtain supplies and cash. Law enforcement officials in the eastern HIDTA counties continue to report noticeable increases in the level of property crimes that can be attributed to both drug abusers and the weakened economy.
UNCLASSIFIED
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