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U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center
Philadelphia/Camden HIDTA Drug Market Analysis 2010
April 2010
Cocaine, heroin, and marijuana are abused at particularly high levels in the PC HIDTA region. Cocaine, especially crack, is a primary contributor to drug-related deaths, emergency department visits, and treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities. Heroin abuse is increasing in the region, especially among teens and young adults. Marijuana is the most widely available and commonly abused illicit drug in the region.
CPDs are widely available throughout the HIDTA region, and an increasing number of teenagers and young adults are abusing them. Treatment providers indicate that the abuse of CPDs alone or in combination with illicit drugs has contributed to an increasing number of drug-related deaths. For example, benzodiazepines, hydrocodone, fentanyl, methadone, and oxycodone are frequently reported on toxicology screens conducted on decedents in the HIDTA region. Additionally, one or more of these drugs were found in over 73 percent of the decedents for whom toxicology screens indicated drug-positive results in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area in 2008 (the latest available data). Benzodiazepines, a family of tranquilizers and sedatives, were noted in more than 35 percent of cases, generally in combination with illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Many teenagers in the region reportedly obtain CPDs by stealing them from family members and friends who have legitimate prescriptions. As a result, in November 2009, New Jersey established a program to highlight the issue of prescription and over-the-counter medicine abuse and theft. (See text box.)
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"Operation Medicine Cabinet New Jersey Yields More Than 9,000 Pounds of Prescription and Over-The-Counter Medicine
Source: Drug Enforcement Administration. |
PCP (phencyclidine) abuse has increased in the HIDTA region but poses a much lower threat than cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and CPD abuse because of the limited number of users. However, PCP's hallucinogenic and sometimes violence-inducing effects pose risks not only to users but also to those who may encounter them. PCP-related incidents such as shootings, assaults, overdoses, and arrests have increased over the past 2 years in New Jersey, particularly in Camden County. PCP is often sold as "wets," which are leafy materials such as mint leaves or cigarettes dipped in liquid PCP and smoked by the abuser.
Drug traffickers in the PC HIDTA region launder illicit drug proceeds through a variety of methods. Mexican, Dominican, and Colombian wholesale drug distributors typically transport bulk cash drug proceeds from the region to drug source areas such as Atlanta, Miami, New York City, and the Southwest Border area and Mexico in commercial or private vehicles. In 2009, PC HIDTA initiatives reported the seizure of $4,895,260 in cash. Traffickers also launder illicit drug proceeds by investing in real estate and purchasing luxury items; some exploit casinos in the region to launder illicit funds. Law enforcement officials report that some family-based criminal groups in the HIDTA region hide drug money in bulk, spending the cash to purchase items such as vehicles or jewelry rather than using banks or government institutions, which they generally distrust. According to NDTS 2010 data, 14 of the 27 law enforcement agency respondents in the PC HIDTA region report that wholesale traffickers in their jurisdictions use bulk cash smuggling to move illicit drug proceeds, and 11 of the 27 report that wholesale traffickers use money services businesses to launder illicit drug proceeds.
UNCLASSIFIED
End of page.
On
November 14, 2009, more than 9,000 pounds (3.5 million tablets) of prescription
and over-the-counter medicine with a street value of over $35 million were
collected during Operation Medicine Cabinet New Jersey. This operation--the
first statewide day of disposal for unused, unwanted, and expired medicine
in the nation--hosted collection sites at 440 local police and sheriff's
departments in all 21 New Jersey counties. According to the Partnership
for a Drug-Free New Jersey, Operation Medicine Cabinet New Jersey drew unprecedented
attention to the issue of CPD and over-the-counter medicine abuse and caused
tens of thousands of New Jersey residents to look at their medicine cabinets
as a potential source for young people to access highly addictive and deadly
drugs.