U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center

Title:

Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis 2010

Publication Date: May 2010

Document ID: 2010-R0813-015

Archived on: September 1, 2011. This document may contain dated information. It remains available to provide access to historical materials.

This assessment is an outgrowth of a partnership between the NDIC and HIDTA Program for preparation of annual assessments depicting drug trafficking trends and developments in HIDTA Program areas. The report has been coordinated with the HIDTA, is limited in scope to HIDTA jurisdictional boundaries, and draws upon a wide variety of sources within those boundaries.

Your questions, comments, and suggestions for future subjects are welcome at any time. Addresses are provided at the end of the page.

Contents

List of Figures

Figure 1. Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
Figure 2. Greatest Drug Threat in the Midwest HIDTA Region as Reported by State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, by Number of Respondents
Figure 3. Methamphetamine Clandestine Laboratory Seizures, by Midwest HIDTA States, 2005-2009
Figure 4. Change in Methamphetamine Laboratory Seizures, Midwest HIDTA Counties, 2008 and 2009
Figure 5. Midwest HIDTA Transportation Infrastructure

List of Figures in Appendix A

Map 1. Methamphetamine Laboratory Seizures in Missouri, by County, 2009

Strategic Drug Threat Developments

The Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) region is a significant transit area for illicit drugs. Its central geographic location is widely used by traffickers who transport methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and other illicit drugs into the area from Southwest Border and Northern Border locations en route to midwestern and northeastern markets, including Chicago and New York. Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) dominate wholesale methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana distribution in the HIDTA region. African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian traffickers operate at the midlevel and retail level.

The widespread availability and abuse of methamphetamine and cocaine and associated violence, the local production of methamphetamine, increased Mexican heroin availability and abuse, and controlled prescription drug (CPD) abuse are the most significant drug concerns in the HIDTA region.

The following are significant, strategic drug threat developments in the Midwest HIDTA region:

• Increasing availability of Mexican black tar heroin and brown powder heroin in the HIDTA region during the past year resulted in increased abuse, particularly among young Caucasians in suburban and rural communities, and in smaller markets in Kansas and Missouri, where the drug was not previously available. This situation is expected to result in increased heroin-related treatment admissions and overdoses.
   
• Mexican methamphetamine shortages were reported in the region during 2009 (mostly in smaller North Dakota markets), while cocaine availability has varied over the past few years. Unstable methamphetamine and cocaine supplies, along with an increasing market share of lower-potency Mexican d,l-methamphetamine (nonephedrine-based), have caused some abusers to switch between methamphetamine and cocaine, based on the availability of both drugs and the potency of methamphetamine. This situation is expected to continue in the near term.
   
• Law enforcement officials in some areas of the Midwest HIDTA region, such as the Kansas City metropolitan area and North Dakota, report that the distribution and abuse of CPDs (primarily prescription opioids) pose an increasing threat. If abusers are unable to obtain CPDs at a low cost, some may switch to heroin, which is increasingly available and relatively inexpensive.

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Addresses

Web Addresses

ADNET:  http://ndicosa.adnet.sgov.gov
DOJ:  http://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/
LEO:  https://www.leo.gov/http://leowcs.leopriv.gov/lesig/archive/ndic/index.htm
RISS:  ndic.riss.net

Questions and comments may be directed to Pacific/West Central Unit, Regional Threat Analysis Branch through NDIC.Contacts@usdoj.gov.

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