To
Contents
To Previous Page
To Next Page
To Publications
Page
To Home Page
National Drug Intelligence Center |
Heroin produced in each of the four major source areas (South America, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and Southwest Asia) is available to varying degrees in the United States. However, Mexican heroin distribution by Mexican criminal groups is expanding, increasing availability of the drug and enabling Mexican heroin distributors to gain market share among a stable or declining user population. Mexican heroin distributors are increasingly operating in eastern white heroin markets, fueled by rising heroin production in Mexico and decreasing heroin production in Colombia. Southwest Asian heroin availability and distribution are limited; however, some Nigerian criminal groups distributing Southwest Asian heroin are attempting to increase their influence over heroin distribution in some areas, including those where Southwest Asian heroin trafficking previously had not been prevalent. Southeast Asian heroin availability in the United States is very limited and declining.
Drug demand data show that, nationally, heroin use is stable or decreasing. Drug prevalence and treatment data indicate that rates of use for heroin and the number of individuals seeking treatment for heroin addiction have been stable or have declined for most age groups. According to MTF, rates of past year use for heroin did not change significantly from 2003 through 2007 for eighth, tenth, or twelfth graders (see Table B7 in Appendix B). NSDUH data also show that past year rates of use for heroin did not significantly change in any measured age group during that same period (see Table B6 in Appendix B). Moreover, TEDS data show that admissions to federally funded drug treatment facilities for heroin addiction decreased from 2002 (286,219) to 2006 (264,143) (the most recent data available) and that heroin accounted for a smaller percentage of all treatment admissions during that period. (See Table B8 in Appendix B.)
Although heroin use is stable, it could increase as more prescription narcotics abusers switch to heroin. Officials in treatment facilities throughout the country9 report that many abusers of prescription opiates such as OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin eventually begin abusing heroin because it is typically cheaper and easier to obtain, and it provides a more intense high. Treatment officials also report that once an individual switches from prescription opiates to heroin, he or she rarely switches back to exclusively abusing prescription opiates. According to NSDUH data, the rate of past year abuse for prescription narcotics for individuals aged 12 and older increased from 4.7 percent in 2002 to 5.0 percent in 2007; moreover a higher number of first-time abusers of drugs (2,147,000) abused opioid pain relievers than any other drug in 2007. As the number of prescription narcotics users rises, the number of individuals switching from prescription narcotics to heroin will likely rise as well. In some areas this trend is already apparent. For example, drug treatment providers in Williams, Fulton, and Defiance Counties in Ohio reported a large increase in the number of heroin abusers seeking treatment in the first half of 2008. Prior to 2008 these treatment providers were treating 90 percent of their clients for prescription opiate abuse; however, they are now treating 60 to 70 percent of their clients for heroin abuse.
Heroin trafficking and abuse are most prevalent in eastern states. The strong and lucrative heroin markets in these states are attracting Mexican criminal groups. National-level drug availability and abuse data indicate that the prevalence of heroin is highest in the eastern states, particularly the northeastern states that compose the Mid-Atlantic, New York/New Jersey, and New England Regions. According to DEA, heroin-related arrests in these regions accounted for 51 percent (5,775 of 11,327) of the DEA heroin arrests from 2002 through 2006 (the latest full year for which data are available). Preliminary data indicate that this trend continued in 2007. Similarly, TEDS data indicate that heroin-related treatment admissions in these regions (173,738 admissions) outnumbered heroin admissions for all other regions combined (90,405 admissions) in 2006. Heroin seizures are also disproportionately high in northeastern states. According to DEA's National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS), heroin accounted for a greater percentage of analyzed drug items in the northeast (8 percent) than in any other region in the first half of 2007. High arrest, seizure, and treatment levels for heroin in the northeast resulted in a relatively high percentage of state and local law enforcement agencies in these states10 that identified heroin as the greatest drug threat in their area in 2008. According to NDTS 2008 data, 25 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies in the states that compose the Mid-Atlantic, New York/New Jersey, and New England Regions identify heroin as the greatest drug threat in their areas, compared with 4 percent in the rest of the country. NDTS data for 2008 also show that a higher percentage of state and local law enforcement agencies in northeastern states identify heroin as the drug that most contributes to violent and property crime.
Mexican criminal groups are expanding Mexican heroin distribution in eastern states, where previously only South American heroin had been available. Mexican heroin distribution groups are distributing the drug in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. For example, in February 2008 DEA announced the sentencing of a Mexican national convicted of leading a black tar heroin distribution group in Charlotte, North Carolina. Members of the Charlotte criminal group had worked with other Mexican nationals in Arizona, California, Indiana, and Ohio to smuggle 10 to 15 kilograms of black tar heroin each month from Nayarit, Mexico, for distribution throughout the United States. The Charlotte organization had also established distribution cells throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Mexican criminal groups are also expanding into the strong northeastern heroin markets previously supplied exclusively by Colombian and Dominican DTOs. Mexican DTOs most commonly distribute South American heroin in these markets; however, they are introducing Mexican heroin into some northeastern markets. Since 2006, Mexican heroin has become readily available in several cities in Ohio and has been seized in several New England drug markets, such as Providence, Rhode Island, and Brighton, Hamilton, and Haverhill, Massachusetts. Mexican black tar heroin was also seized in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where only white heroin had been available previously. In 2006 Mexican drug traffickers established a black tar heroin distribution network in Pittsburgh and recruited local residents to distribute Mexican heroin throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. In July 2007, 23 members of the organization were arrested by officials of the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigation. Since the criminal group was dismantled, black tar heroin availability has been very limited in the Pittsburgh area; however, the group showed that distribution of black tar heroin was possible in the Pittsburgh area and that the drug would be accepted by heroin users there.
The expansion of Mexican heroin distribution by Mexican criminal groups into areas previously supplied exclusively by Colombian and Dominican heroin distributors has not resulted in violent disputes between these groups--an indication that these heroin markets are large enough to bear a greater Mexican presence. Further, Colombian DTOs are sometimes willing to relinquish market share to Mexican DTOs in order to decrease their exposure to law enforcement interdiction. For example, in New York City, the nation's largest heroin market, Colombian DTOs have ceded the riskier aspects of drug trafficking, such as transportation and lower-level distribution, to Mexican as well as Dominican DTOs. Over the past decade Mexican DTOs have used this arrangement to increase their presence in the New York City heroin market without significant attendant violence.
Rising Mexican heroin production and purity during a period of decreasing heroin production and purity in Colombia are fueling the expansion of Mexican heroin distribution in the United States. Heroin production trends in Mexico and Colombia, the two primary sources of heroin in the United States, have diverged as Mexican heroin production has increased and Colombian heroin production has decreased. According to U.S. Government estimates, heroin production in Mexico has fluctuated from year to year but has increased significantly overall since 1999 (see Figure 16). In fact, Mexican heroin production increased 105 percent from 1999 (8.8 MT) to 2007 (18.0 MT). Colombian heroin production also fluctuated but decreased 47 percent from 1999 (8.7 MT) to 2006 (4.6 MT). No estimate for heroin production in Colombia was reported for 2007; however, according to U.S. Department of State reporting, sustained eradication has greatly reduced plantation-size opium poppy cultivation in Colombia.
Figure 16. Potential Heroin Production for Mexico and Colombia, in Metric Tons, 1999-2007*
Source: Crime and Narcotics Center.
*
CNC did not report an estimate for Colombia
for 2005 or 2007.
Purity data for Mexican and South American heroin show a trend similar to production trends. According to DEA Heroin Domestic Monitor Program (HDMP) data for 2001 through 2006, the most recent data available, Mexican heroin purity has increased significantly and South American heroin purity has decreased significantly. The opposing trends in heroin purity have resulted in a convergence in average purity for South American and Mexican heroin, whereas in 2001 the average purity of South American heroin (49.7 percent pure) was more than 28 percentage points higher than that of Mexican heroin (21.0 percent pure) (see Figure 17). The increased production of Mexican heroin combined with Mexican heroin purity levels that are comparable to those of South American heroin aids Mexican criminal groups in expanding distribution of Mexican heroin in markets where South American heroin typically dominates.
Figure 17. South American and Mexican Retail Heroin Purity, by Percentage, 2001-2006
Source: Drug Enforcement Administration Heroin Domestic Monitor Program.
Drug seizure data indicate that traffickers are increasingly relying on smuggling routes through the Southwest Border to supply heroin to U.S. drug markets. NSS data show that heroin seizure totals along the Southwest Border fluctuated but increased overall during a period of rapid and continuous decrease in seizures from commercial air POEs (see Figure 18). Southwest Border heroin seizures increased 16 percent from 2003 (310.34 kg) to 2007 (360.15 kg). NSS data showed a 65 percent decline in commercial air heroin seizure totals from 2003 (1,217.92 kg) to 2007 (422.54 kg). Seizure data for 2008 indicate that these trends are continuing.
Figure 18. Heroin Seizures At Commercial Air Ports of Entry and At Southwest Border, in Kilograms, 2003-2008*
Source: National Seizure System.
*
Data run September 15, 2008.
Heroin seizure trends for Southwest Border and commercial air POEs primarily reflect an increased flow of Mexican heroin and a decreased flow of South American heroin into the United States. Data regarding the type of heroin seized for each seizure event are very limited but show that most heroin seized along the Southwest Border is Mexican heroin and a much smaller amount is South American heroin. For example, of the Southwest Border heroin seizure events in which the heroin type was identified,11 85 percent (227 of 267 events) involved Mexican heroin. Only 14 percent (38 of 267 events) involved South American heroin. Conversely, nearly all heroin seizures at commercial air POEs are South American heroin seizures. NSS data show that of the commercial air heroin seizure events in which the heroin type was identified, 85 percent (801 of 941 events) involved South American heroin. Only 2 percent (21 of 941 events) involved Mexican heroin seizures.
The increasing flow of Mexican heroin into the United States through the Southwest Border includes increasingly large heroin shipments, particularly through the Nogales, Arizona, POE. NSS data show that the average weight per seizure event on the Southwest Border from January through August 2008 (2.4 kg) was higher than the average weight per seizure annually from 2003 through 2007 (2.0 kg). In fact, the average weight of heroin seizures along the Southwest Border was higher in 2008 than in any year from 2003 through 2007 (see Figure 19). In Nogales, Arizona, several heroin seizures in 2008 were much larger than average, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
For example:
Figure 19. Average Heroin Weight per Southwest Border Seizure Event, in Kilograms, 2003-2008*
Source: National Seizure System.
*
Data run September 15, 2008.
Despite high and increasing production of Southwest Asian heroin, availability of the drug in the United States is limited. Most global heroin production occurs in Southwest Asia, particularly in Afghanistan; however, relatively little of this heroin is destined for U.S. drug markets. According to U.S. Government estimates, Afghan opium cultivation accounted for approximately 94 percent (664 of 709 MT) of potential worldwide heroin production in 2006 (the latest full year for which data are available) (see Table B9 in Appendix B). Most of the heroin produced in Afghanistan or Pakistan is destined for European and Asian markets. In fact, relatively little Southwest Asian heroin is transported to the United States. According to DEA Heroin Signature Program (HSP) data,12 wholesale seizures of Southwest Asian heroin that were analyzed through the HSP decreased from 10 percent (by weight) of the wholesale heroin seized in 2002 to 4 percent (by weight) in 2006, the most recent data available (see Figure 20). According to HDMP data, only 12 of 720 qualified heroin samples, or 1.67 percent of retail heroin purchases, were identified as Southwest Asian heroin in 2006, the lowest percentage recorded since prior to 2002. Furthermore, NSS data show that heroin seizures from couriers and cargo aboard commercial flights departing from countries such as France, Ghana, and Nigeria (common transit countries for Southwest Asian heroin smugglers) decreased significantly from 2004 (240.79 kg) to 2007 (6.50 kg).
Figure 20. Percentage of Seized Heroin Weight, by Source Area, 2002-2006
Source: Drug Enforcement Administration Heroin Signature Program.
Most Southwest Asian heroin traffickers smuggle the drug from Europe, Africa, or Asia to the United States using couriers on commercial flights. Southwest Asian heroin destined for the United States typically is smuggled by couriers on commercial flights from Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, and Turkey and transits western Africa countries (such as Nigeria and Ghana) or Europe. According to law enforcement reporting, Southwest Asian heroin couriers typically enter the United States on commercial flights arriving in large U.S. cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Southwest Asian heroin is also transported through the Southwest Region of the United States, particularly Los Angeles, by Afghan, Iranian, Pakistani, and Turkish traffickers and is subsequently transported to drug markets in eastern states. Drug traffickers also smuggle Southwest Asian heroin to the United States by couriers aboard cruise ships, by package delivery services, and hidden in containerized cargo.
West African criminal groups have recently attempted to expand distribution of Southwest Asian heroin in some areas. West African criminal groups, the primary traffickers of Southwest Asian heroin in the United States, are attempting to increase their influence over heroin distribution in some cities. According to law enforcement reporting, West African criminal groups, particularly Nigerian criminal groups, control wholesale distribution of Southwest Asian heroin in the New York/New Jersey, Mid-Atlantic, and Great Lakes Regions. These criminal groups have attempted to expand their distribution of Southwest Asian heroin in some areas, particularly in the Great Lakes Region. For example, according to law enforcement reporting, Nigerian criminal groups in Detroit have increased their involvement in heroin distribution in that city. Nigerian criminal groups in Detroit have shifted from serving only as heroin couriers (smuggling heroin into the United States for other distributors) to now transporting Southwest Asian heroin to Detroit and distributing it on their own behalf. Furthermore, law enforcement reporting indicates that Nigerian drug traffickers are expanding their distribution of heroin (most likely Southwest Asian heroin, although the origin has not been confirmed by signature testing) in the Southeast Region. For example, in June 2008 a Nigerian national smuggling heroin on a commercial flight departed from Nigeria, arrived in New York City, and proceeded to North Carolina. Upon arrival in North Carolina, the smuggler was hospitalized, and doctors removed approximately 600 grams of heroin (42 balloons) from his body. The smuggler lived in North Carolina, and the heroin was most likely intended for local distribution.
The availability of Southeast Asian heroin in U.S. cities has been very low since 2002 and decreased further in 2006. Southeast Asian heroin production has declined significantly since 2002. Southeast Asian heroin samples identified by the HDMP have been low since 2002; none were identified in 2006. Moreover, the price per milligram of pure Southeast Asian heroin more than doubled between 2002 and 2005, a likely indication of low and decreasing availability (see Figure 21); no pricing information is available for 2006. HSP data also indicate a significant decline in Southeast Asian heroin availability. The number of heroin exhibits classified as Southeast Asian under the HSP declined from 21 in 2004 to 11 in 2005. There were no Southeast Asian samples submitted to the HSP in 2006 and only one in 2007. In 2007 opium poppy cultivation increased slightly in Burma, the country where most of the Southeast Asian heroin is produced. However, most of the heroin produced in Southeast Asia supplies consumer markets in Asia and Australia. There is no indication that the increased production in Burma has resulted in any increased flow of Southeast Asian heroin to U.S. drug markets.
Figure 21. Price per Milligram of Pure Heroin, by Source Area, 2002-2006*
Source: Drug Enforcement Administration Heroin Domestic Monitor
Program.
*
No heroin samples were identified as Southeast
Asian by HDMP in 2006.
Significant disparity exists between Mexican and South American heroin production estimates and data regarding U.S. market share for Mexican and South American heroin. Most heroin produced in South America and Mexico is destined for U.S. drug markets. Since 2003, estimated production of South American heroin has decreased to a level much lower than that for Mexican heroin (see Table B9 in Appendix B). However, according to law enforcement reporting as well as HDMP and HSP data, South American heroin is the type most commonly seized in most of the largest U.S. heroin markets in northeastern states. For example, in 2006, 76 percent (by weight) of HSP seizures were identified as South American heroin, whereas only 20 percent were identified as Mexican. Furthermore, HSP data indicate that South American heroin is the most prevalent type seized and analyzed at the wholesale level in the United States.13 Further, TEDS data indicate that admissions to publicly funded treatment facilities for heroin abuse are much higher in predominantly South American heroin markets than are admissions in heroin markets where Mexican heroin is predominant. The disparity in the data is a concern to analysts because it may suggest significant errors in the estimates either for production in Mexico and South America or for the prevalence of the drugs in U.S. markets. However, the reasons for the disparity are unclear.
Mexican DTOs will attempt to establish new Mexican heroin markets in northeastern states. Recent encroachments by Mexican heroin distributors into more eastern drug markets, fueled by increased heroin production in Mexico, most likely indicate a determination on the part of Mexican DTOs to expand Mexican heroin distribution. Recent attempts by Mexican DTOs to introduce Mexican heroin into eastern markets have had varying degrees of success. However, Mexican DTOs most likely are eager to gain a larger market share in northeastern cities, where heroin abuse is higher than in any other area of the country.
The presence of Southwest Asian heroin may increase in U.S. cities that were not previously considered Southwest Asian heroin markets. According to law enforcement reporting, West African couriers have been arrested with significant amounts of heroin in U.S. cities after departing from countries commonly used to transship Southwest Asian heroin, such as Nigeria. In some of the cities where these arrests occurred, such as Raleigh, North Carolina, the availability of Southwest Asian heroin has been low or nonexistent. It is possible that traffickers of Southwest Asian heroin are attempting to open new markets for their product in cities where availability is very limited.
9.
Input was gathered from officials at treatment facilities
in California, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Utah,
Washington, and West Virginia.
10.
Northeastern states include Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
and Vermont.
11.
Heroin origin identification for specific heroin
seizures at ports of entry (POEs) is based on a determination by law enforcement
officials who consider such factors as the individuals smuggling the heroin, the
appearance and form of the heroin, and other investigative information. Identification
of heroin origin for specific seizures at POEs is not based on signature testing.
12.
Signature testing is conducted as part of DEA's
Heroin Signature Program (HSP) and DEA's Heroin Domestic Monitor Program (HDMP).
Under the HSP, DEA's Special Testing and Research Laboratory analyzes heroin samples
from POE seizures, as well as a random sample of other seizures and purchases submitted
to DEA laboratories, to determine source areas. The HDMP is a heroin purchase program
designed to identify the purity, price, and origin of heroin available at the retail
level in 28 major U.S. metropolitan markets. Heroin samples, obtained from undercover
purchases, are submitted to the program and are subject to in-depth chemical analysis
at the DEA Special Testing and Research Laboratory to determine the purity and,
if possible, the geographic source area of the heroin.
13.
The DEA indicator programs (HSP and HDMP) were
not designed to estimate market share or consumption.
To Top To Contents To Previous Page To Next Page
To Publications Page To Home Page
UNCLASSIFIED
End of page.
