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U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center
New England HIDTA Drug Market Analysis 2010
June 2010
Law enforcement officials throughout the NE HIDTA region report a distinct relationship between drug trafficking and crime--both violent and property crime. They indicate that most robberies, thefts, shootings, murders, and cases of domestic violence have a drug nexus. Illicit drug abusers in the HIDTA region have robbed pharmacies to obtain CPDs for personal use and for resale to other addicts. Additionally, most of the bank robberies in the HIDTA region have been linked to drug abusers. According to NDTS 2010 data, 94 of the 276 state and local law enforcement agency respondents in the NE HIDTA region identify crack cocaine as the drug that most contributes to violent crime in their areas; 118 respondents identify heroin as the drug that most contributes to property crime.
Violent, armed street gang members who engage in midlevel and retail drug distribution, particularly of powder cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin, frequently commit violent crimes (such as assaults on police officers and civilians, home invasion robberies, shootings and assaults with dangerous weapons, and robberies) and property crimes (burglaries and thefts) to protect and expand drug operations and to collect drug debts. Additionally, some drug traffickers in the region use threats of violence to intimidate witnesses in trials against them. The propensity for violence is significant, particularly among gang members who joined the military, received training in weapons and tactics, and returned to gang life following discharge.
The acquisition and use of firearms by street gang members poses an increasing threat in the NE HIDTA region. Gang members generally obtain firearms through either direct or intermediary purchases, by theft, or in exchange for drugs. Many suburban and rural communities in New England are experiencing increasing gang-related crime and violence because of expanding gang influence, particularly incidents related to disputes over drug territories. Most street gangs that operate in New England engage in violence in conjunction with various crimes, including retail-level drug distribution.
UNCLASSIFIED
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