![]() |
|
Drug Situation: New Mexcio falls within the El Paso Division area of responsibility. The El Paso Division covers 54 counties in western Texas and New Mexico, comprising 778 miles (approximately 40 percent of the United States/Mexico Border. The El Paso Division has 45 agents in New Mexico, covering an area that includes three Ports-of-Entry (POE) and six checkpoints. The border area between New Mexico and Mexico is sparsely populated and has limited natural or man made barriers to illegal crossing. This, coupled with an extensive road network that traverses the state in all directions, makes New Mexico a haven for the transshipment of illegal drugs from Mexico to destination points throughout the United States. New Mexico’s proximity to the El Paso/Juarez area is an additional vulnerability to illegal drugs smuggled through the major POEs. Additional threats to the region are the shipments of controlled substances via commercial vehicles, including aircraft, buses, and by Amtrak rail. New Mexico is also considered a hub for significant amounts of drug proceeds being laundered through small businesses. Most of the New Mexico/Mexico international border (approximately 180 miles) is open desert and is generally uninhabited with numerous roads, trails, footpaths, and ranches allowing smugglers easy entry into the U.S. and access to major highways which traverse the country. New Mexico encompasses over 50,000 square miles of land and is one of the largest states geographically, yet it is very sparsely populated. Three interstate highways dissect the state: I-10 and I-40 provide east/west access along the southwest border from California to the East Coast. I-25 provides north/south access from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Colorado and Wyoming. The largest drug threat in New Mexico is the transshipment of drugs and drug proceeds, by Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (MDTOs). MDTOs have also established local poly-drug distribution organizations that are capable of distributing multiple kilogram quantities locally and regionally. Another factor significantly impacting New Mexico is the strain drug trafficking and immigration cases puts on the federal judicial and corrections system. The U.S. District Court in New Mexico has the highest case load per judgeship in the nation and has the fourth busiest court overall in the United States. The overwhelming percentages of the caseload confronting the U.S. District Court in New Mexico are immigration and drug cases. In addition to an overloaded court system, the state of New Mexico is critically short on jail space. Current enhanced enforcement operations by the Department of Homeland Security in Arizona will most likely force drug traffickers and alien smugglers to shift their smuggling efforts from Arizona to New Mexico. This, in turn, will have a serious impact on enforcement operations and judicial proceedings in New Mexico. While additional enhancements for Border Patrol agents in southern New Mexico has somewhat mitigated the increased use of southern New Mexico as a viable route for alien smuggling, there has been a marked increase in the number of drug seizures and apprehensions of illegal aliens. The marked increase in drug seizures and alien apprehensions severely impacts enforcement operations and judicial proceedings in New Mexico. Agent personnel assigned to the New Mexico offices also respond to seven New Mexico Motor Transportation Division stations.
Crack Cocaine: There is ample availability of crack cocaine throughout New Mexico. In smaller municipalities, such as Hobbs and Silver City, crack cocaine use and distribution is at a level that is considered dangerous to the quality of life. The majority of the crack available comes from cocaine HCl supplied by MDTOs to local crack distributors who then convert the powder cocaine into crack. Local gangs are the primary distributors of crack cocaine in urban areas posing a threat to school children. Street level distributors can be found in all social and economic layers of the community. Of special concern is the high level of violence associated with crack cocaine traffickers.
Prescription Drugs: The diversion of prescription drugs continues to be a significant enforcement issue. Illegal or improper prescription practices are the primary source for illegally obtained prescription drugs, primarily in the oxycodone/hydrocodone families. Interdiction efforts also indicate that prescription drug smuggling from Mexico, where these drugs can be sold over the counter, contributes to the illegal distribution of prescription medications. Compounding this issue is the state's severe shortage of qualified medical personnel forcing state authorities to grant prescriptive authority to practitioners not licensed in other states. New Mexico has recently become one of the few states to grant prescribing authority to psychologists who have no medical or pharmaceutical training.
Pharmaceutical Diversion: Current investigations indicate that diversion of hydrocodone products continues to be a problem in New Mexico. 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), forged prescriptions, and in-transit theft. Oxycodone products (such as OxyContin®), Lortab®/Lorcet®, and Vicodin® were also identified as being among the most commonly abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in New Mexico.
Drug Proceeds: The transportation route through the western Texas and New Mexico areas facilitates drugs coming into the U.S. and money being sent back to Mexico. These drug proceeds are difficult to trace and seize. Money is often laundered through legitimate businesses and money exchange houses. Conducting financial investigations leading to the identification and seizure of assets used to facilitate drug smuggling operations, or acquired as a benefit of such an enterprise, is an effective deterrent. Currency seizures also indicate that New Mexico is being utilized to return drug proceeds to Mexico and to the wholesale distributors in Arizona and California. Two areas of concern for money laundering activities in the state are that: Approximately 14 Native American owned and operated casinos that handle billions of dollars in cash that are almost completely unregulated by state and Federal authorities. In Las Cruces, New Mexico, less than 50 miles from the United States/Mexico border, there are over 200 banking facilities, including many that operate from private residences, that are not FDIC insured. Other cities of similar size average 5-10 banking facilities. Special Topics: New Mexico – SB 258 enacts the Lynn Pierson Compassionate Use Act to allow qualified patients to possess an “adequate supply” of marijuana, which they must obtain from a “licensed producer.” This measure was passed by the Senate and is currently being reviewed by the House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. More information about the El Paso Division Office. Factsheet last updated: 3/2009 |