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

Appendix B. New York/New Jersey HIDTA Region Enforcement Initiatives

(U) The Regional Intelligence Center (RIC), which is led by the NYPD and located at the NY/NJ HIDTA Center in Manhattan, is staffed by representatives from numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The RIC is the central conduit for information-sharing among law enforcement in the NY/NJ HIDTA region. The cornerstone of the RIC is the timely and accurate collection, analysis, and dissemination of criminal intelligence, particularly drug intelligence.

(U) The El Dorado Money Laundering Task Force is a multiagency task force whose mission is to disrupt, dismantle, or render ineffective organizations involved in the laundering of proceeds from illicit drug trafficking and other financial crimes in the New York City metropolitan area. This mission is accomplished by targeting the primary avenues used by drug traffickers to launder drug profits--money services, physical transportation, merchandising, banking and brokerages, and bulk cash. The task force is led by ICE and consists of 178 representatives from various federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The El Dorado Task Force is also part of the High Intensity Financial Crimes Area Program for the New York City metropolitan area. In 2009, the task force dismantled two drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and disrupted 12 such organizations and seized more than $15.7 million. Additionally, the task force seized 2.3 kilograms of cocaine, 3.8 kilograms of heroin, and nearly 597 kilograms of marijuana in 2009.

(U) The Regional Fugitive Task Force is led by the U.S. Marshals Service and comprises more than 120 federal, state, county, and local law enforcement officers from 50 law enforcement agencies. The task force's mission is to apprehend dangerous, violent fugitives in the New Jersey/New York metropolitan areas. In 2009, the task force arrested 7,711 fugitives, of whom 1,333 were charged with drug felonies. The task force seized 11.6 kilograms of cocaine, 0.7 kilograms of heroin, and 113.5 kilograms of marijuana.

(U) The New Jersey Drug Trafficking Organization Task Force draws together investigators from DEA and state, county and local law enforcement agencies to disrupt or dismantle major DTOs in New Jersey. In 2009, the task force dismantled 2 DTOs and disrupted 9 others. The task force seized 412.3 kilograms of cocaine, 27.2 kilograms of heroin, 1,367.0 kilograms of marijuana, and more than $7 million.

(U) The New York OCDETF Strike Force comprises investigators from DEA, FBI, ICE, the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Marshals Service, NYPD, and the New York State Police. Its mission is to disrupt and dismantle major DTOs that have been designated by the U.S. Department of Justice as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs) and affiliates operating within the New York City metropolitan area. In 2009, the task force dismantled 12 DTOs and disrupted 32 others. The task force also seized 2,610.8 kilograms of cocaine, 24.9 kilograms of heroin, 526.4 kilograms of marijuana, 248,281 dosage units of MDMA, and approximately $16 million.

(U) The Buffalo Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Capital District Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Central NY Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Rochester Drug Enforcement Task Force became operational toward the end of 2008. In 2009 these Task Forces dismantled seven DTOs and disrupted eight others. Further, they seized 41.5 kilograms of cocaine, 3.9 kilograms of heroin, 3,802.6 kilograms of marijuana, and seized more than $5 million.

(U) The Adirondack HIDTA Drug Task Force and the Franklin County Narcotics Border Task Force have been funded for 2010 and will focus on combating both domestic and international drug smuggling and trafficking across the U.S.-Canada border and reducing the resulting violence by disrupting/dismantling CPOTs and Regional Priority Organizational Targets that supply DTOs illicit narcotics for distribution along the eastern seaboard and ultimately throughout the United States.

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