U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center
New England HIDTA Drug Market Analysis 2010
June 2010

Drug Threat Overview

Opioids--including heroin (primarily SA heroin) and diverted controlled prescription drugs (CPDs) such as OxyContin and Percocet (both oxycodone) and Vicodin (hydrocodone)--collectively pose the greatest drug threat to the NE HIDTA region. According to National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS)a 2010 data, 173 of the 276 state and local law enforcement agency respondents in the NE HIDTA region identify either heroin or CPDs as the greatest drug threat in their jurisdictions. Law enforcement officials seized 21.7 kilograms of heroin, 13,200 dosage units of OxyContin, 4,502 dosage units of Percocet, and 1,316 dosage units of oxycodone in conjunction with NE HIDTA initiatives in 2009. (See Table 1.)

Table 1. Drug Seizures in the New England HIDTA Region, 2009

Source: New England High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

Source: National Drug Threat Survey 2010.

Controlled prescription opioid abusers are fueling the heroin abuse problem in the region: an increasing number of these abusers are switching to heroin because of its higher potency and greater affordability. Heroin prices at the street level decreased substantially in some primary drug distribution centers in 2009 and remain low. Heroin abuse now encompasses a broad cross section of society, including chronic abusers in urban areas, residents of suburban and rural communities, and young adults and teenagers who switched to heroin after initially abusing CPDs.

Cocaine, particularly crack, is commonly abused in some parts of the region, mainly inner-city neighborhoods in Boston, Springfield, and Providence, and in Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven, Connecticut. Crack availability has also expanded in many northern New England cities, such as Burlington, Manchester, and Portland, largely because African American and Hispanic criminal groups and street gangs from southern New England states and New York City have increased distribution in those areas.

Marijuana abuse is pervasive throughout the NE HIDTA region, with commercial-grade Mexican marijuana and high-potency marijuana from regional domestic and Canadian suppliers readily available. New England law enforcement officials believe that marijuana seizure amounts will decline as local production increases in the near future, mainly as a result of the Massachusetts law passed in November 2008 that decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana, and state-enacted medical marijuana programs in Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

MDMA is widely available, and distribution and abuse are increasing in some areas of the region. Some synthetic drug tablets available in the NE HIDTA region are represented as MDMA but actually contain methamphetamine--or methamphetamine and MDMA in combination, as well as other drug combinations.b Public health officials report that MDMA and methamphetamine combinations may produce greater adverse neurochemical and behavioral effects than either drug alone, thus placing abusers at greater risk.

Footnotes

a. NDTS data for 2010 cited in this report are as of March 1, 2010. NDTS data cited are raw, unweighted responses from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies solicited through either NDIC or the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) HIDTA program. Data cited may include responses from agencies that are part of the NDTS 2010 national sample and/or agencies that are part of HIDTA solicitation lists.
b. Synthetic drug tablets, capsules, or powder seized in New England often contain multiple ingredients in various combinations, including substances such as MDMA, MDA (3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine), methamphetamine, amphetamine, 4-Methylmethcathinone (4-MMC, Mephedrone), BZP (1-benzylpiperazine), caffeine, ephedrine, ketamine, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), OMPP (ortho-methoxyphenylpiperazine), PCP (phencyclidine), procaine, pseudoephedrine, and TFMPP (1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine). Some laboratory operators who produce synthetic drugs custom-blend drug tablets and capsules to provide abusers with a specific physiological effect, and they use information about that effect as a marketing tool. Moreover, methamphetamine, which is less costly to produce, has been used as an adulterant/additive to MDMA tablets for several years. MDMA producers sometimes add methamphetamine during MDMA manufacturing to stretch their supplies and increase their profit margins. Methamphetamine is often more readily available to laboratory operators and less expensive than pure MDMA. Because the chemical structure of MDMA is similar to that of methamphetamine and the two drugs produce similar stimulant effects, producers can sell combination MDMA/methamphetamine tablets to an unsuspecting MDMA user population.

UNCLASSIFIED

End of page.