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Drug Situation: The use of methamphetamine continues to affect all areas of South Dakota. Use of and demand for methamphetamine has continued to rise over the past year. Methamphetamine has come to the attention of the public through an increasingly aware media, informed public officials from the local to national level, and concerned citizens. Public efforts are underway by law enforcement, politicians, social service agencies and the media to further educate the public to the dangers of methamphetamine use and abuse. In addition, marijuana is readily available in all areas of South Dakota. It continues as the most abused of the illegal controlled substances. Also, the controversial issue of "hemp" remains a high profile topic.

Cocaine: Cocaine is easily obtained throughout South Dakota and has increased in availability during the last year. Kilogram quantity cocaine transactions are rare in South Dakota. However, recent intelligence indicated that established groups had brought kilogram quantities of HCl to Sioux Falls which was then converted to crack cocaine. Cocaine is obtained from individuals or organizations based in Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Sioux City, Iowa. An area of concern is the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. Even with the proliferation of methamphetamine in the area, cocaine remains the drug of choice in many areas on this reservation and is readily available.

Heroin: Heroin is typically available only in personal use quantities in South Dakota.

Methamphetamine: The majority of methamphetamine available in the Sioux Falls area appears to be distributed by long-time Caucasian residents and Mexican drug traffickers that are attempting to shield themselves from law enforcement detection within the area's growing Hispanic communities. Hispanic immigrants are relocating to cities within the region, seeking employment in meat and poultry packing facilities in rural communities in South Dakota. Mexican traffickers avoid heightened law enforcement scrutiny by blending in with these growing Hispanic communities. Mexican traffickers often use these meatpacking towns as transshipment hubs and secondary markets for drug distribution. Recently, pound quantities of methamphetamine have come to Sioux Falls from the Minneapolis, Minnesota area. Methamphetamine continues to be a drug of choice in the Rapid City area and is increasingly available. Methamphetamine traffickers in the Rapid City area are mainly supplied from sources in larger cities such as Denver, Colorado, and the southwestern United States. Almost all methamphetamine seized locally is now "ice" methamphetamine, but purity levels frequently fall below 90% and usually range from 50-80%.

Predatory Drugs: Availability of MDMA (Ecstasy) is limited in South Dakota, but appears to be increasing, as small amounts are found with other seized drugs. Law enforcement in South Dakota reports limited availability of LSD.

Marijuana: Marijuana is readily available throughout South Dakota. Multi-hundred pound quantities are transported into the state from the southwest border, Colorado, California, and Washington. Smaller quantities are also shipped via express mail services or purchased from Hispanic males in the Sioux City area and driven back to Sioux Falls. Higher purity marijuana is produced in indoor grow operations in the Sioux Falls area, which typically contain less than 100 plants. Larger indoor operations are occasionally found located in residences but usually number less than 100 plants.

Other Drugs: OxyContin is a growing problem throughout South Dakota, and has been found at methamphetamine laboratory sites. According to the South Dakota Department of Health, hydrocodone products, codeine, and Darvocet-N are the most popular abused pharmaceutical substances in the state.

Pharmaceutical Diversion: Diversion of OxyContin® and hydrocodone products continues to be a problem throughout South Dakota. Primary methods of diversion being reported are “doctor shopping”(going to multiple doctors to obtain prescriptions for controlled pharmaceuticals), forged prescriptions, and phony call-ins. Alprazolam and lorazepam were also identified as being among the most commonly abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in South Dakota.

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 South Dakota, in Yankton Sioux.

Special Topics: Interstate 90 runs east and west through the state of South Dakota and has become a significant transportation route for drug trafficking organizations. There appears to be a consistent trend by Hispanic poly-drug traffickers based in the northwestern United States crossing South Dakota via I-90 en-route to metropolitan areas in the eastern United States and returning west utilizing the same route to transport drug proceeds. It is anticipated that seizures along Interstate 90, both for narcotics and U.S. currency, will increase with the more frequent use by traffickers.

More information about the St. Louis Division Office.

Sources

Factsheet last updated: 3/2008

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