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Drug Situation: The trafficking and use of methamphetamine is the primary concern for law enforcement and public health officials in North Dakota. At the present time, no single drug trafficking organization dominates the distribution of methamphetamine. Mexican poly-drug organizations have sources of supply in Mexico, California, and Washington, and transport methamphetamine into North Dakota via privately owned vehicles, Amtrak trains, and Greyhound buses. Smaller quantities of methamphetamine are mailed via U.S. mail and Federal Express. Mexico-based drug trafficking organizations dominate the transportation of marijuana from the Southwest Border to North Dakota. Private vehicles and commercial mail carriers are used to ship small quantities, ranging from five to ten pounds. Local cultivation of marijuana is done on a relatively small scale.

Cocaine: Cocaine is no longer the stimulant of choice - methamphetamine surpassed cocaine in the area several years ago. The Fargo Resident Office reports relatively few encounters with cocaine.

Heroin: Heroin distribution and use have not been a significant problem in North Dakota. Heroin trafficking is a low priority for law enforcement agencies in the state. Virtually, the heroin encountered in North Dakota, mainly in Fargo, is black tar heroin from Mexico.

Methamphetamine: The methamphetamine threat in North Dakota is a two-pronged problem. First, quantities of methamphetamine produced by Mexican organizations based in California and Washington are transported into and distributed throughout the state. Second, methamphetamine is produced in small laboratories, capable of producing only a few ounces at a time. Because of the extreme rural nature of the state, as well as the state's dependence on the agriculture industry, there is a high level of use and availability of anhydrous ammonia among the state's legitimate agricultural community. Farmers use "nurse tanks" to apply anhydrous ammonia in their fields. There has been a sharp decline in thefts of anhydrous ammonia-commonly used in the "Birch" methamphetamine manufacturing method. The decline in thefts of anhydrous is a direct result of the North Dakota’s State General Assembly passing legislation requiring every individual purchasing a product containing pseudoephedrine must show photo identification. The end result of this legislation has dramatically decreased methamphetamine labs in North Dakota.

Club Drugs:There have been only minor indications that “Club Drugs” are making their way into the Fargo area in small quantities.

Marijuana: The presence of marijuana cultivated in Canada (both "B.C. Bud" and hydroponically generated) had increased dramatically. Canadian drug organizations from Vancouver and Manitoba use the wide North Dakota border with Canada to bring these types of marijuana into the United States; but with the bulk of the marijuana destined for areas outside of North Dakota.

Other Drugs: There is no significant diversion of legitimate drugs to report.

Pharmaceutical Diversion: Recent investigations indicate that diversion of hydrocodone products is taking place in North Dakota. Typical methods of diversion are illegal sale and distribution by health care professionals and workers, “doctor shopping” (going to a number of doctors to obtain prescriptions for a controlled pharmaceutical), forged prescriptions, and the Internet.

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. There have been no MET deployments in the State of North Dakota.

DEA Regional Enforcement Teams: This program was designed to augment existing DEA division resources by targeting drug organizations operating in the United States where there is a lack of sufficient local drug law enforcement. This Program was conceived in 1999 in response to the threat posed by drug trafficking organizations that have established networks of cells to conduct drug trafficking operations in smaller, non-traditional trafficking locations in the United States. As of January 31, 2005, there have been 27 deployments nationwide, and one deployment in the U.S. Virgin Islands, resulting in 671 arrests. There have been no RET deployments in the State of North Dakota.

Special Topics: Currently, there are six Task Force Officers, representing five law enforcement agencies, assigned to the DEA in North Dakota. North Dakota is covered by the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), along with Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The Midwest HIDTA has established four initiatives in North Dakota: Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Bismarck, Fargo (DEA Task Force), and Grand Forks. The Midwest HIDTA initially was created to concentrate on fighting the overwhelming increase in the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine. Accordingly, Midwest HIDTA is funding methamphetamine investigations allowing law enforcement agencies to investigate poly-drug trafficking groups.

More information about the Chicago Division Office.

Sources

Factsheet last updated: 3/2008

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