To Contents
To Previous Page
To Next Page
To Publications
Page
To Home Page
U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center
Philadelphia/Camden HIDTA Drug Market Analysis 2010
April 2010
Mexican DTOs are expanding their drug trafficking operations in the HIDTA region, and as a result, the direct influence of New York City-based Colombian DTOs in the region has diminished significantly. Mexican DTOs and criminal groups transport drugs from Southwest Border states and, increasingly, Atlanta. They are the principal suppliers of wholesale quantities of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and ice methamphetamine in the PC HIDTA region. Mexican DTOs also transport significant quantities of cocaine and heroin on behalf of Colombian DTOs operating in South America. Mexican traffickers do not supply significant quantities of Mexican heroin to the region because SA heroin is preferred by abusers.
Dominican DTOs are becoming more influential in the illicit drug trade in the HIDTA region, controlling much of the midlevel cocaine and heroin distribution. Dominican DTOs have increasingly become the midlevel distributors for Mexican DTOs operating both in the region and along the Southwest Border. They also are branching out and obtaining cocaine and heroin from sources in the Caribbean. In turn, the Dominican DTOs are supplying other Hispanic DTOs that conduct street-level operations in the HIDTA region.
Asian, Jamaican, and Puerto Rican DTOs also operate in the PC HIDTA region. Asian DTOs, primarily Chinese and Vietnamese, based in Canada have emerged as significant transporters and distributors of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as ecstasy) and high-potency marijuana in the region. They also continue to produce high-potency marijuana in Canada and have increased indoor cannabis cultivation operations in the HIDTA region. Jamaican and Puerto Rican DTOs obtain cocaine, heroin, and marijuana supplies from Mexican and Dominican distributors, either locally or in southwestern drug markets; they also supply marijuana from Florida and the Caribbean to the region.
Hispanic (primarily Latin Kings, Mara Salvatrucha (MS 13), Ņetas, and Sureņos) and African American (primarily Bloods and Crips) street gangs are expanding their retail-level drug operations and gaining control over distribution in suburban and rural areas in the region. Gang members distribute primarily crack cocaine; however, many sell more than one type of drug. Street gangs in the region are typically unorganized neighborhood gangs that define their territories based upon the street or housing project where their members live. Some Hispanic street gangs, however, display a more organized and structured organization than other gangs in the region. Asian street gangs, such as Asian Boyz, have also increased their presence in the region and are emerging as key suppliers of Canadian MDMA and high-potency marijuana. Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) such as Pagan's, Warlocks, and Outlaws distribute illicit drugs in the PC HIDTA region to a limited extent.
|
The Bloods Street Gang Bloods, the largest street gang in the PC HIDTA region, continues to expand as members move into Camden from northern New Jersey. The gang is gaining control over drug distribution in surrounding suburban and rural areas that were previously supplied by local independent groups, a situation that has contributed to increased violence in the region. Bloods recruits heavily within public and private schools; impressionable school children, often looking to fit in, are regularly persuaded by members to join the gang. Gang members who are past juvenile age are often urged to obtain jobs in law enforcement or branches of the military to obtain skills or training that would benefit the gang. Some recruits are advised to avoid getting gang-related tattoos in order to stay "under the radar." The Bloods gang also recruits heavily in correctional facilities throughout the region by promising protection and status within the prisons. Upon being released or paroled from prison, many of the recruits continue their allegiance to the gang. |
UNCLASSIFIED
End of page.