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Drug Situation: The nation's capital has long been plagued by a variety of drug problems, most notably the violence associated with crack cocaine distribution. Street "crews" operating in open-air markets or on neighborhood corners continue to thrive in Washington, DC. The city's large international population provides insulation for ethnic drug trafficking groups from almost every major supply country in the world and the suburbs surrounding the city provide a steady supply of customers.

Cocaine: Cocaine and crack are the most significant drug problems in Washington, DC. The violence associated with the crack trade in the city remains high. Open-air markets situated along commuting corridors and within public housing projects provide dealers with a consistent stream of customers, either from the neighboring Virginia and Maryland suburbs or from within the neighborhoods they service. However, throughout 2008, sporadic instances of reduced cocaine availability and higher prices indicated an occasional shortage of cocaine in the Washington, DC area.

Heroin: Although Washington, DC does not host anywhere near the number of addicts of its metropolitan neighbor Baltimore, the city is home to a large number of long-term heroin abusers who frequent various open-air drug markets within the city. The city's heroin suppliers set up heroin shops catering to a specific user population. The markets located along commuter routes into the city peddle high purity heroin to suburban abusers, while the shops situated near methadone clinics and those co-existing with open-air markets tend to service long-term addicts with lower purity heroin. In the District of Columbia, heroin is sold under various street/brand names and is packaged primarily in small, usually colored or marked, Ziploc baggies. Most of the heroin encountered in Washington, DC is of South American origin, but it is not unusual to discover heroin from other source areas as well, most recently Southwest Asian.

PCP: PCP is readily available in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, although availability is far below the level of cocaine, crack or heroin. PCP has a long history of higher-than-average levels of abuse in Washington, DC, and metropolitan police reports indicate an increase in abuse during 2008. Long-established dealers in Washington, DC maintain connections to sources of supply for the drug in southern California, or to mid-level suppliers in Prince George’s County, MD whose sources are also in California.

Methamphetamine: There is a very limited market for methamphetamine in the District of Columbia. What demand exists is centered on the city's thriving rave and nightclub scene and among the city's gay population. Most of the methamphetamine available in Washington, DC comes from sources of supply in California via overnight or regular mail delivery services

Club Drugs: Washington, DC's rave scene has thrived for many years. MDMA, Ketamine, GHB, crystal methamphetamine and various other hallucinogenic and stimulant drugs have been in demand and readily available in the District for more than a decade.

Marijuana:Marijuana is the most widely abused of all drugs in the District, crossing socioeconomic, age and ethnic lines. It is readily available in qualities and quantities ranging from "nickel bags" of loose, commercial-grade product to hundred-pound quantities of high grade marijuana. The use of marijuana in "blunts" has not diminished and is often observed taking place openly. Marijuana is often sold alongside cocaine, crack and heroin in open-air markets.

Pharmaceutical Diversion: Current investigations indicate that diversion of oxycodone products such as OxyContin® continues to be a problem in Washington D.C. 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), and forged prescriptions. Hydrocodone products, Buprenorphine, and Xanax® were also identified as being among the most commonly abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in Washington D.C.

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. There have been two MET deployments since the inception of the program, in Washington, D.C., the most recent in 2008/2009.

Special Enforcement Initiatives: The Washington/Baltimore HIDTA supports and assists in the funding of a multi-agency enforcement task force and an intelligence group in Washington, DC. The Washington Division also participates in the Team DC Initiative, a multi-agency task force created to combat violent crime within the District of Colombia. In addition, the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department has its own Major Narcotics Branch, and other drug and violent crime-related enforcement operations in place.

More about Washington's Division Office.

Sources

Factsheet last updated: 3/2009

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