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Drug Situation: Methamphetamine is the major concern for law enforcement within the state of Nebraska. Nebraska continues to be a transshipment state for Mexican methamphetamine with Interstate 80 providing easy west to east access across the state. Nebraska has over 165 meat-packing/poultry plants and 55,000 farms statewide. The number of Hispanic workers, both legal and illegal, has nearly tripled in the last 10 years and Hispanic children currently represent the largest minority student population in the state. This rapid population growth has allowed members of drug trafficking organizations with ties to Mexico to more easily blend into the community.

Cocaine: Cocaine remains readily available in the larger cities of Nebraska and is abused by all social and ethnic groups. Cocaine is obtained primarily from sources in southwest border states. Cocaine distributors in Omaha are primarily of Hispanic origin and are known to trade with African-American groups who convert the cocaine to crack.

Heroin: Heroin is available in small amounts in the Omaha, Nebraska area, and is primarily obtained from sources in Mexico. While not considered a drug of choice in Nebraska, some Hispanic trafficking organizations have heroin available for consumer use.

Methamphetamine: The availability of i mported methamphetamine is stable in all areas of Nebraska with a negligible presence of local low-yield labs in the rural areas. Hispanic controlled trafficking organizations import methamphetamine into Nebraska primarily in vehicles. Although these organizations are willing to sell their product to non-Hispanic organizations or individuals, control of the product from production until it reaches the consumer is usually kept within the Hispanic community. Crystal methamphetamine or “ice” is still readily available in Omaha and has become the preferred form of methamphetamine.

Predatory Drugs: The popularity of predatory or club drugs continues to be a concern to law enforcement and to local communities. There is a perception among users that these drugs are "safe" to use. Preliminary investigations show organizations in Nebraska have been receiving multi-hundred to thousand dosage units of MDMA (ecstasy) from Texas, Florida, and Arizona. Efforts are currently underway to link investigations of mid-level distributors and users.

Marijuana: Marijuana is readily available throughout the major cities in Nebraska. The marijuana available in the state includes marijuana from Mexico and from sources in the state of Washington which may have obtained their marijuana from grow operations in British Columbia, Canada. Mexican originated marijuana is transported to Nebraska via the El Paso, Texas; Nogales, Arizona; and southern California ports of entry. Methods of transportation include all forms of vehicles via the U.S. highway system and through the use of commercial transportation such as Greyhound buses and Amtrak. Trafficking organizations are primarily controlled by Hispanics.

Other Drugs: MDMA (ecstasy), LSD, and PCP are rarely encountered in Nebraska. OxyContin® is widely available throughout Nebraska. Stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, anabolic steroids and illegally diverted pharmaceuticals are abused to a much lesser degree than the more traditional drugs in Nebraska.

Pharmaceutical Diversion: Diversion of OxyContin®, hydrocodone, and codeine-based cough syrups continues to be a problem in Nebraska. Methods of diversion include “doctor shopping” (going to multiple doctors to obtain prescriptions for controlled pharmaceuticals) and forged prescriptions. "Pharming" parties are becoming popular among junior high / high school students, where controlled pharmaceuticals are traded and abused.

DEA Mobile Enforcement Teams: This cooperative program with state and local law enforcement counterparts was conceived in 1995 in response to the overwhelming problem of drug-related violent crime in towns and cities across the nation. Since the inception of the MET Program, 473 deployments have been completed nationwide, resulting in 19,643 arrests. Since the inception of the program, there has been one MET deployment in the State of Nebraska, in Lexington.

Special Topics: Interstate 80 crosses Nebraska from east to west and serves as a major smuggling route for drug trafficking organizations. Eastbound travel from western and southwestern source cities connects with North Platte, Kearney, Lincoln, and Omaha, then into Iowa to Des Moines, the Quad Cities and further east to Chicago, Illinois. Westbound travel on I-80 leads out of Nebraska at two points. At one point, near the Colorado border, I-80 forks to the southwest into Colorado and becomes Interstate 76 which connects with Sterling and continues to Denver, a known source city. The second point occurs west of Kimball, Nebraska entering Wyoming at Pine Bluffs. A cooperative agreement between DEA, the Nebraska State Patrol, and other county law enforcement agencies, ensures DEA’s presence in all significant Operation Pipeline interdictions. Operation Pipeline interdictions accounted for nearly 65% of all DEA investigations in Nebraska during FY-2007.

More information about the St. Louis Division Office.

Sources

Factsheet last updated: 3/2008

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