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Drug Situation: The drug threat in Wisconsin varies by area. Of concern in eastern and central Wisconsin are the availability, distribution, and abuse of powder and crack cocaine; the increasing availability of high purity heroin; and the number of new users, particularly in the Milwaukee area. Marijuana remains the most readily available and most widely abused drug throughout Wisconsin. Methamphetamine production and use are present, but appears to be declining. Most of the methamphetamine found in Wisconsin continues to be in the western part of the state, near the border of Iowa and Minnesota. Three types of organizations are responsible for most of the transportation and wholesale distribution of drugs in Wisconsin: Mexican drug trafficking organizations that transport cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine; Nigerian criminal groups that distribute Southwest Asian heroin; and Dominican criminal groups that distribute cocaine and South American heroin. Loosely organized African American and Hispanic street gangs, particularly organized street gangs are involved in the street-level distribution of most drugs, particularly crack cocaine.

Cocaine: Both cocaine and crack are widely available in Wisconsin. Cocaine is transported into the state by Mexican drug trafficking organizations. These organizations transport large shipments of cocaine from the southwest border either through Chicago or to Milwaukee directly, concealed within shipments of legitimate goods in tractor-trailers. These Mexican organizations also are the primary wholesale distributors of cocaine and also supply African American and Hispanic street gangs that are involved in the retail distribution of crack throughout the state. DEA Milwaukee and DEA Madison report that cocaine is readily available in multi-kilogram quantities. DEA Green Bay reports that cocaine is readily available in multi-ounce to kilogram quantities.

Heroin: The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office records show that heroin abuse has stabilized in Wisconsin over the past few years. Most heroin use is concentrated in the Milwaukee and Racine areas. Rising levels of purity give users the option of snorting the drug rather than injecting, an option that may appeal to younger users. West African traffickers are the sources of Southwest Asian heroin available in Milwaukee, while South American heroin is distributed primarily by Dominican traffickers. The availability of brown heroin remains low, and black tar heroin is rare in Milwaukee.

Methamphetamine: While methamphetamine abuse seemed to be expanding from Minnesota and Iowa into rural counties in western Wisconsin, production of the drug in Wisconsin has declined steadily. Some methamphetamine is imported into the state by Mexican sources from the southwest border. DEA Milwaukee has not observed a significant increase in distribution or use of methamphetamine. DEA Green bay reports that there is limited availability of methamphetamine in its area. DEA Madison reports that methamphetamine is readily available in ounce quantities in northwestern Wisconsin, supplied by sources from Minneapolis.

Club Drugs: "Club drugs" and "designer drugs" are general terms for synthetic chemical drugs that have become popular with teenagers and young adults. These drugs include MDMA (ecstasy), Ketamine, GHB, GBL, and LSD. According to a recent drug price survey in Wisconsin, most of the law enforcement agencies that responded indicated that club drugs were available in their jurisdictions, albeit at low levels. The DEA has reported encounters with Ketamine in Milwaukee and Madison, and with GHB in Green Bay.

Marijuana: Marijuana remains the most readily available and most widely used drug in Wisconsin. Milwaukee and Madison are both major destinations for Mexico-produced marijuana and transshipment points to other areas in the state. This is augmented by local cultivation. DEA Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay report that marijuana is readily available in multi-kilogram quantities. There has been a noticeable increase in the availability and use of high-grade marijuana throughout the state, particularly in the Madison area.

Other Drugs: The use of diverted controlled substances in Wisconsin continues to be a problem. The most commonly diverted controlled substances from the licit market are Ritalin®, Vicodin®, hydrocodone, and other hydrocodone products, OxyContin®, and other oxycodone products, and the benzodiazepines.

Pharmaceutical Diversion: Current investigations indicate that diversion of hydrocodone products (such as Vicodin®), and OxyContin® continues to be a problem in Wisconsin. Primary methods of diversion being reported 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. Benzodiazepines, Dilaudid®, methadone, and Percocet® were also identified as being among the most commonly abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in Wisconsin.

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 four MET deployments in the State of Wisconsin since the inception of the program, in Racine, Beloit, and Milwaukee (2).

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 Wisconsin.

Special Topics: The Chicago Field Division is committed to fostering cooperative efforts among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies within Wisconsin. There are 15 Task Force Officers, representing eight law enforcement agencies, assigned to the DEA in Wisconsin. A special heroin task force was formed by the DEA to combat high purity heroin in the Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha areas. The task force is comprised of representatives from DEA, the Division of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE), the Milwaukee Police Department, and the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department and is funded through a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) grant.

More information about the Chicago Division Office.

Sources

Factsheet last updated: 3/2008

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