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Drug Situation: Indiana is an active drug transportation and distribution area. The northern part of Indiana lies on Lake Michigan, which is a major waterway within the St. Lawrence Seaway system providing international shipping for all sections of the Midwest. Seven interstate highway systems and 20 U.S. highways provide interstate and intrastate links for drug trafficking, especially with the southwest border and California. Highway (automobile and trucking) and airline trafficking are the primary means of drug importation, with busing systems as a secondary means. Mexican criminal groups are the primary wholesale distributors of marijuana, powdered cocaine, and methamphetamine within Indiana.
Other Drugs: The diversion of over-the-counter pseudoephedrine products is a major contributor to clandestine methamphetamine manufacturing. Retail stores, a source of pseudoephedrine for clandestine manufacturers, monitor inappropriate retail level purchases by individuals. OxyContin continues to be a threat. In addition, hydrocodone and benzodiazepines remain the primary pharmaceutical drugs abused throughout the state of Indiana. The state of Indiana expanded the prescription-monitoring program to include Schedule II to Schedule V pharmaceutical controlled substances. Pharmaceutical Diversion: Current investigations indicate that diversion of hydrocodone products continues to be a problem in Indiana. Primary methods of diversion being reported are the 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. Xanax®, Valium®, and methadone were also identified as being among the most commonly abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in Indiana. 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 six MET deployments in the State of Indiana since the inception of the program: Ft. Wayne, Indianapolis, Michigan City, Hammond, Terre Haute, and La Porte. 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 Indiana. Special Topics: During October 1997, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) designated a single county in northwest Indiana as the Lake County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (Lake County HIDTA). The Lake County HIDTA consists of several state, county, local, and federal agencies. More information about the Chicago Division Office. Factsheet last updated: 3/2009 |