Midwest Region

National Drug Intelligence Center
Pharmaceuticals Drug Threat Assessment
November 2004

NDTS data for 2004 show that 3.2 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies in the Midwest report that diverted pharmaceuticals pose the greatest drug threat to their areas. Moreover, NDTS 2004 data show that 2.6 percent of agencies in the Midwest region report that diverted pharmaceuticals are the drugs contributing most to violent crime in their areas, while 2.2 percent of agencies report that these drugs contribute most to property crime. Although only a small percentage of state and local law enforcement agencies identify pharmaceuticals as the greatest drug threat in their areas, the diversion and abuse of these drugs remain a concern.

The diversion and abuse of prescription narcotics such as oxycodones (OxyContin, Percocet, and Percodan), hydrocodones (Lorcet and Vicodin) and, to a lesser extent, hydromorphones (Dilaudid) are significant and increasing threats to the Midwest region. NDTS 2004 data indicate a high percentage of state and local law enforcement agencies in the Midwest region report that oxycodones (60.9%) and hydrocodones (51.8%) are commonly diverted and abused in their areas. A smaller percentage of agencies (7.8%) report that hydromorphones are commonly diverted and abused in their areas.

Regional drug prevalence data are not available; however, drug consequence data show increases in the number of ED mentions and treatment admissions for prescription narcotics. DAWN data indicate that the combined number of ED mentions for "Narcotic Analgesics" (prescription narcotics) for the four DAWN reporting cities in the Midwest region (Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, and St. Louis) increased sharply and steadily from 2000 (4,422 mentions), to 2001 (6,413 mentions), to 2002 (7,728 mentions). Furthermore, TEDS data show that admissions to publicly funded treatment facilities in the Midwest region for "Other Opiates" (nonheroin opiates/synthetics) increased significantly from 2000 (4,463 admissions), to 2001 (5,254 admissions), to 2002 (6,549 admissions), the most recent year for which data are available.

Law enforcement survey data as well as DAWN and TEDS data indicate that prescription depressant diversion and abuse are a significant threat to the Midwest region. NDTS 2004 data show that the percentages of state and local law enforcement agencies in the Midwest region that report Valium and Xanax are commonly diverted and abused in their areas are 71.2 percent and 62.8 percent, respectively. DAWN data show that the combined number of ED mentions for benzodiazepines (Valium and Xanax) increased sharply in the four DAWN reporting cities (Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, and St. Louis) in the Midwest region from 2000 (5,995 mentions), to 2001 (7,033 mentions), to 2002 (8,149 mentions), the most recent year for which such data are available. However, TEDS data have fluctuated in the number of treatment admissions within the region for prescription depressants (tranquilizers and sedatives) such as Valium and Xanax. According to TEDS, the number of treatment admissions to publicly funded treatment facilities in the Midwest region for depressants decreased from 1,538 admissions in 2000 to 1,477 admissions in 2001, but increased to 1,636 admissions in 2002.

The diversion and abuse of pharmaceutical stimulants, particularly methylphenidate (Ritalin), are a concern to law enforcement and public health agencies; however, the threat posed to the region by stimulant diversion and abuse appears to be lower than that of prescription narcotics and depressants. NDTS 2004 data show that 56.6 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies in the Midwest region report that Ritalin is commonly diverted and illicitly used in their areas. DAWN and TEDS data regarding the number of ED mentions and treatment admissions to publicly funded treatment facilities for prescription stimulants are not available.

Arrest of Wholesale Xanax Suppliers

Investigators with the Warren-Clinton County Task Force report that three Mexican nationals were indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio for allegedly supplying wholesale quantities of Xanax to distributors in Ohio. According to the investigators, the defendants were arrested on July 10, 2004, in Kyle, Texas, and indicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Investigators identified the defendants after arresting an alleged retail distributor of diverted pharmaceutical drugs and his midlevel distributor in early 2004. During a follow-up investigation, investigators discovered that the midlevel supplier had obtained bulk quantities of Xanax from the three defendants. The defendants allegedly smuggled Xanax from Mexico into Texas and then sold the drugs to the midlevel distributor. The midlevel distributor traveled to Texas several times a month to purchase 70,000 to 100,000 Xanax tablets from the defendants. On one occasion the midlevel distributor allegedly purchased 300,000 tablets. The midlevel distributor bought Xanax from the defendants for $0.50 per tablet in Texas and then sold the tablets in southwestern Ohio and northern Kentucky for $1 per tablet to retail distributors. The retail distributor in Ohio usually sold the tablets locally for $3 per tablet. Other agencies participating in the investigation include DEA, FBI, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, and Texas Department of Public Safety.

Source: Warren-Clinton County Task Force.

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