|
DEA
Congressional Testimony
Statement
by:
Michele M.
Leonhart
Special Agent in Charge
Los Angeles Field Division
Drug Enforcement Administration
Before
the:
House Judiciary
Subcommittee on Crime
Pasadena, California
Date:
July 06,
2000
Note: This document
may not reflect changes made in actual delivery.
Mr. Chairman, and
distinguished members of the Subcommittee: I am pleased to have the opportunity
to appear before you today to discuss the serious methamphetamine, Ecstasy
and club drug problem facing the citizens of Southern California and our
nation. I would especially like to take this opportunity to thank you
for your continued support of federal, state and local drug law enforcement.
Methamphetamine
has become the most notable drug problem facing Federal, state and local
law enforcement in Southern California. It is fair to say that methamphetamine
is one of the most significant law enforcement and social issues facing
our nation today, and it has affected specific regions of the country
in a dramatic fashion. Our country has seen methamphetamine trafficking
and its use increase exponentially over the past six years.
The increasing use
of synthetic club drugs such as MDMA (a.k.a. Ecstasy), GHB, Ketamine,
and LSD by young adults is also quickly becoming a significant concern
for law enforcement in Southern California. DEA reporting indicates widespread
abuse within virtually every major city throughout the United States with
indications of trafficking and abuse expanding to smaller cities across
the nation.
It is my hope that
at the conclusion of my testimony today, you will have a clearer understanding
of how Southern California plays a key role in the production, trafficking
and availability of methamphetamine in our nation, as well as a key role
in the trafficking and availability of Ecstasy and other club drugs.
The History
of Methamphetamine in Southern California
Methamphetamine is
not a new problem for California, unlike other areas of the country. Methamphetamine
trafficking and clandestine methamphetamine laboratories have been encountered
by California's Federal, state and local law enforcement officials since
the 1970's. Historically, the suppliers of methamphetamine throughout
the United States have been outlaw motorcycle gangs and numerous other
independent trafficking groups. Although these groups continue to produce
and distribute methamphetamine, organized, polydrug trafficking organizations
operating from Mexico and California now dominate wholesale methamphetamine
trafficking in the United States. Over the past few years, these groups
have revolutionized the production of this drug by operating large-scale
laboratories in Mexico and the United States that are capable of producing
unprecedented quantities of methamphetamine. These groups have saturated
the western U.S. market with this product, increasingly moving the product
to markets in the eastern United States.
The Methamphetamine
"Source"
Presently, while
Mexican organizations operate approximately 5% to 20% of the laboratories,
they produce an estimated 95% of the methamphetamine produced in the Southern
California area. The principal reasons for their rise to dominance is
the Mexican drug traffickers' ability to exploit an existing, well established
transportation and distribution network on both sides of the border, as
well as their ability to illegally secure precursor chemicals.
Most of the methamphetamine
sold throughout the country is produced in California super laboratories,
making California a "source area" for this illicit drug. These "super
labs" are capable of producing over 10 pounds of finished product per
process. Almost all of the "super labs" operating in the country are located
in California, and almost half of them are located in Southern California.
These "super labs" supply at least 80 to 90% of the methamphetamine in
this country. The methamphetamine production process in a "super lab"
takes approximately one to two days to complete.
Current DEA statistics
indicate that in 1999, DEA alone seized 2,021 clandestine laboratories
and that the total number of laboratories seized by Federal, state and
local law enforcement officers nationwide was over 7,000. The majority
of the labs seized in California were located in Los Angeles County, Riverside
County, San Bernardino County, and Orange County. In 1999, 48% of the
clean up costs paid by the State of California were as the result of labs
seized in the four-county Los Angeles area.
Domestically
Produced Methamphetamine
While the vast majority
of methamphetamine available in the United States is produced and trafficked
by the well-organized groups from Mexico, domestic production of methamphetamine
is also a significant problem. The production level of these laboratories,
often makeshift and described as mom and pop labs, is relatively low;
however, the large number of these labs and the environmental and law
enforcement concerns associated with their operation, poses major problems
to state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as to DEA.
Methamphetamine is,
in fact, a very simple drug to produce. A user can go to retail stores
and easily purchase the vast majority of the ingredients necessary to
manufacture the drug. Precursor chemicals such as pseudoephedrine can
be extracted from common, over-the-counter cold medications. Unlike Fentanyl,
LSD, or other types of dangerous drugs, it does not take a college-educated
chemist to produce methamphetamine. In 1999, 20 Los Angeles area officers
and/or firefighters were injured responding to methamphetamine lab explosions
and fires.
The highly toxic
and flammable chemicals involved make these rudimentary laboratories ticking
time bombs that require specialized training to dismantle and clean up.
DEA is pleased to have certified thousands of state and local law enforcement
officers in raiding and dismantling them and provide funds for cleaning
them up.
The threats posed
by clandestine labs are not limited to fire, explosion, poison gas, and
booby traps; the chemical contamination of the hazardous waste contained
in these labs also poses a serious danger to our nation's environment.
Each pound of methamphetamine generated in a clandestine lab can result
in as much as five pounds of toxic waste, which clandestine lab operators
routinely dump into our nation's streams, rivers, and sewage systems to
cover up the evidence of their illegal operations. The average clean-up
costs per clandestine lab in FY 2000 is estimated to be $3,500. The clean
up of "super-labs" can cost over $100,000.
Social Impact
The violence associated
with methamphetamine trafficking and use has also produced a collateral
impact in our communities. Mental health agencies in the Southern California
area warn that methamphetamine abuse can be directly linked to a myriad
of social and economic problems, to include child abuse, domestic violence,
poverty and homelessness. Spousal and child abuses, as well as homicides
abound among methamphetamine users. Particularly children and infants
are susceptible to permanent health damage resulting from inhalation of
chemical fumes. In 1999, 548 children were present or residing at clandestine
laboratories located in the Los Angeles area at the time of law enforcement
intervention.
DEA Methamphetamine
Strategy
The primary focus
of the National Methamphetamine Strategy calls for a strong and highly
aggressive enforcement effort that is aimed at chemical companies, chemical
brokers, and large scale domestic Mexican trafficking organizations involved
in the production, transportation and distribution of methamphetamine
and its precursors.
The tracking of methamphetamine
precursor chemicals is essential in the Drug Enforcement Administration's
effort to identify and eliminate methamphetamine production. By tracking
precursor chemical purchases of pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, red phosphorus
and freon from rogue chemical companies, numerous methamphetamine production
laboratories have been identified and seized. Because of federal, state,
and local efforts aimed at chemical suppliers, there has been a noticeable
shortage of available freon and caustic soda.
Nationwide, methamphetamine
arrests by the Drug Enforcement Administration in 1999 totaled 8,783,
a 37% increase over 1998. In the past six years alone, DEA Los Angeles
has realized a staggering 370% increase in methamphetamine related arrests
in the Southern California area.
In the last two years
alone, we initiated more than 40 investigations aimed directly at significant
methamphetamine and chemical traffickers. Information obtained from these
investigations indicates that these drug trafficking groups are complex
and steadily weaving their way throughout the United States.
Due to the significant
role Southern California plays in the overall methamphetamine situation,
DEA has also initiated a local methamphetamine strategy that addresses
critical areas that could not be addressed by local law enforcement due
to limited resources. While we have focused our efforts on targeting significant
chemical suppliers and Mexican methamphetamine organizations, we have
strengthened our assistance and support to our state and local counterparts.
MDMA: The
Drug
Primarily illicitly
manufactured in and trafficked from Europe, 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(MDMA), a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) is
the most popular of the club drugs. Its origins can be traced to Germany
in 1912 where it was patented but never studied or marketed for human
consumption. In the 1970's and early 1980's some health care professionals
experimented with the drug in "introspective therapy" sessions, outside
of FDA-approved research. DEA reporting indicates widespread abuse of
this drug within virtually every city in the United States. Although it
is primarily abused in urban settings, abuse of this substance also has
been reported in rural communities. Prices in the United States generally
range from $25 to $40 per dosage unit, with prices as low as $20 per dosage
unit in Los Angeles, and as high as $50 per dosage unit in Miami.
The drug is a synthetic,
psychoactive substance possessing stimulant and mild hallucinogenic properties.
Known as the "hug drug" or "feel good" drug, it reduces inhibitions and
produces feelings of empathy for others, the elimination of anxiety, and
extreme relaxation. In addition to chemical stimulation, the drug reportedly
suppresses the need to eat, drink or sleep. This enables club scene users
to endure all-night and sometimes 2-3 day parties. MDMA is taken orally,
usually in tablet form, and its effects last approximately 4-6 hours.
Taken at raves, the drug may lead to severe dehydration and heat stroke,
since it has the effect of "short-circuiting" the body's temperature signals
to the brain. An MDMA overdose is characterized by rapid heartbeat, high
blood pressure, faintness, muscle cramping, panic attacks, and in more
severe cases, loss of consciousness or seizures. One of the side effects
of the drug is jaw muscle tension and teeth grinding. As a consequence,
MDMA users will often use pacifiers to help relieve the tension. The most
critical, life-threatening response to MDMA is hyperthermia or excessive
body heat. Recent reports of MDMA-related deaths were associated with
core body temperatures ranging from 107 to 109 degrees Fahrenheit. Many
rave clubs now have cooling centers or cold showers designed to allow
participants to lower their body temperatures.
The long-term effects
of MDMA are still under evaluation; however, research by the National
Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1998 directly measured
the effects of the drug on the human brain. The study revealed that the
drug causes damage to the neurons (nerve cells) that utilize serotonin
to communicate with other neurons in the brain, and that recreational
MDMA users risk permanent brain damage that may manifest itself in depression,
anxiety, memory loss, learning difficulties, and other neuropsychiatric
disorders.
MDMA can produce
stimulant effects such as an enhanced sense of pleasure, self-confidence
and increased energy. Its hallucinogenic effects include feelings of peacefulness,
acceptance, and empathy. Users claim they experience feelings of closeness
with others and a desire to touch them. As such, because of the feelings
attained by the MDMA user, there exists a misconception that these drugs
are relatively safe. However, various researchers have shown that use
of club drugs can cause serious health problems and, in some cases, even
death. Used in combination with alcohol, some of these club drugs can
be even more dangerous. Furthermore, MDMA's long-term psychological effects
can include confusion, depression, sleep problems, anxiety and paranoia.
The ecstasy drug
market in the United States is supplied and controlled by Western European-based
drug traffickers. In recent years, Israeli Organized Crime syndicates,
some composed of Russian émigrés associated with Russian
Organized Crime syndicates, have forged relationships with the Western
European traffickers and gained control over a significant share of the
European market. Moreover, the Israeli syndicates remain the primary source
to the U.S. distribution groups. The increasing involvement of organized
crime syndicates signifies the "professionalization" of the MDMA market.
These organizations have proven to be capable of producing and smuggling
significant quantities of MDMA from source countries in Europe to the
United States. DEA reporting indicates their distribution networks are
expanding from coast to coast, enabling a relatively few organizations
to dominate MDMA markets nationwide.
MDMA is clandestinely
manufactured in Western Europe, primarily in the Netherlands and Belgium.
It is estimated that 90% of MDMA distributed worldwide is produced in
these countries. MDMA production is a relatively sophisticated chemical
process making it difficult for inexperienced individuals to produce MDMA
successfully. However, there are several manufacturing processes for MDMA
and a multitude of "recipes" that are posted on the Internet. Most of
the MDMA laboratories are capable of producing 20-30 kilograms on a daily
basis, although law enforcement authorities have seized some labs with
the capability of producing 100 kilograms per day.
Normally, the MDMA
is manufactured by Dutch chemists and transported and distributed by various
factions of Israeli Organized Crime groups. These groups recruit and utilize
Americans, Israeli and western European nationals as couriers. These couriers
can smuggle anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 tablets (2.5-5 kilograms) on
their person and up to 50,000 tablets (10 kilograms) in specially designed
luggage. In addition to the use of couriers, these organizations use the
parcel mail, DHL, UPS, and U.S. Postal Service. Due to the size of the
MDMA tablet, concealment is much easier than other traditional drugs smuggled
in kilogram-size packages (cocaine, heroin and marijuana).
What brings these
Drug Trafficking Organizations together is the enormous profit realized
in these ventures along with the fact that MDMA is not produced in the
United States. Although estimates vary, the cost of producing an MDMA
tablet can run between $.50 - $1.00. The wholesale, or first level price
for MDMA tablets have ranged from $1.00-$2.00 per tablet, contingent on
the volume purchased. This potential four-fold profit provides huge incentives
for the laboratory owner or chemist. Furthermore, manufacturing laboratories
can realize these profits without coming into contact with anyone except
the first level transportation or distribution representatives. Once the
MDMA reaches the United States, a domestic cell distributor will charge
$6-$8 per tablet. The retailer then turns around and distributes it for
$25-$40 per pill. Clearly, there is a tremendous profit realized in each
function in MDMA trafficking from the producer or clandestine laboratory
operator to the transporter to the wholesaler to the retailer, then on
to the consumer.
Overview
of Other "Club Drugs": An Emerging Epidemic
The use of synthetic
drugs has become a popular method of enhancing the club and rave experience.
These rave functions, which are parties known for loud techno-music and
dancing at underground locations, regularly host several thousand teenagers
and young adults who use MDMA, LSD, GHB, alone or in various combinations.
Users of drugs such as MDMA report that the effects of the drug heighten
the user's perceptions, especially the visual stimulation. Quite often,
users of MDMA at clubs will dance with light sticks to increase their
visual stimulation. Legal substances such as Vicks's VapoRub are often
used to enhance the effects of the drug.
Club drugs have become
such an integral part of the rave circuit that there no longer appears
to be an attempt to conceal their use. Rather, drugs are sold and used
openly at these parties. Traditional and non-traditional sources continue
to report the flagrant and open drug use at "raves." Intelligence indicates
that it has also become commonplace for security at these parties to ignore
drug use and sales on the premises. Tragically, many teens do not perceive
these drugs as harmful or dangerous. These drugs are marketed to teens
as "feel good" drugs. The following is a brief summary of other selected
club drugs.
Gamma HydroxyButyrate
(GHB) is easily accessible at rave parties and is currently popular among
teenagers and young adults alike. Commonly referred to as a date rape-drug,
GHB was originally used as a substitute anabolic steroid for strength
training. GHB has been used in the commission of sexual assaults because
it renders the victim incapable of resisting, and may cause memory problems.
GHB costs approximately $10-$20 per dose and is frequently mixed with
alcohol. As of January 2000, DEA documented 60 GHB-related deaths nationwide.
The drug is used predominantly by adolescents and young adults, often
when they attend nightclubs and raves. GHB is often manufactured in homes
with recipes and ingredients found and purchased on the Internet. As a
result of the Hillory J. Farias and Samantha Reid Date-Rape Prohibition
Act of 2000, GHB was designated a Schedule I drug under the CSA.
Gamma Butyrolactone
(GBL), a List I chemical, is a precursor chemical for the manufacture
of GHB. Several Internet sites offer kits that contain GBL, sodium hydroxide
or potassium hydroxide and directions for the manufacture of GHB. This
process is relatively simple and does not require complex laboratory equipment.
Upon ingestion, GBL is synthesized by the body to produce GHB. As a consequence,
some partygoers drink small quantities of GBL straight. GBL increases
the effects of alcohol, and can cause respiratory distress, seizures,
coma and death.
d-lysergic acid diethylamide
(LSD), listed as a Schedule I drug under the CSA, first emerged as a popular
drug of the psychedelic generation in the 1960's. Its popularity appeared
to decline in the late 1970's, an effect attributed to a broader awareness
of its hazardous effects. Over the past decade, there has been a resurgence
of LSD abuse, especially among young adults. Adverse effects of LSD include
panic, confusion, suspicion and anxiety. Liquid LSD has been seized in
Visine bottles at rave functions. LSD is also sold at raves on very small
perforated paper squares that are either blank or have a cartoon-figure
design. Most users of LSD voluntarily decrease or stop using it over time,
since it does not produce the same compulsive, drug-induced behavior of
cocaine and heroin. LSD manufacturers predominantly operate on the West
Coast of the United States, with distribution occurring all over the country.
As of August 1999,
Ketamine, also known as "Special K," was placed in Schedule III of the
Controlled Substance Act. Used primarily by veterinarians as an anesthetic,
Ketamine produces hallucinogenic effects similar to PCP with the visual
effects of LSD. Ketamine is diverted in liquid form, dried and distributed
as a powder. Prices average $20 per dosage unit. Ketamine is snorted in
the same manner as cocaine at 5-10 minute intervals until the desired
effect is obtained.
DEA Enforcement
Initiatives
Operation
"Flashback":
In an effort to target
organizations and individuals that distribute and manufacture club drugs,
DEA established Operation "Flashback" in July 1997. On July 2, 1998, MDMA
was approved for inclusion under this Special Enforcement Program. Since
February 1998, active investigations have increased from 6 to 140, many
being conducted in Southern California, which is indicative of the increasing
law enforcement demand and availability of club drugs. Operation "Flashback"
seeks to achieve the following five primary objectives:
- Develop prosecutable
cases against individuals and organizations that manufacture and distribute
so-called club drugs.
- Develop intelligence
links between domestic wholesale distributors and the foreign source
of supply.
- Identify, arrest,
and prosecute violators at a high level of distribution, including the
clandestine lab operators.
- Establish and
coordinate an overall strategy for all domestic and foreign investigative
efforts.
- Identify the command
and control infrastructures of organizations that are distributing so-called
club drugs.
Furthermore, this
Special Enforcement Program provides a mechanism to enforcement components
in the field to fund undercover buys, confidential source payments, installation
of pen registers and activation of Title III wiretaps. In addition, it
acts as a central depository for any and all information related to club
drugs. This database contains information on targets, organizations, arrests,
seizures, modes of smuggling, types of drugs and the logos/brand names
they bear.
Presently, DEA has
several ongoing investigations into these MDMA trafficking organizations.
One particular investigation of note was conducted by DEA's Special Operations
Division. The Special Operations Division is a joint national coordinating
and support entity comprised of agents, analysts and prosecutors from
DOJ, the USCS, the FBI and DEA. This investigation, entitled Operation
Rave, focused on an MDMA distribution cell that operated throughout the
northeast and Florida. The leader of this organization, an Israeli national,
was responsible for the distribution of approximately 150,000 tablets
of MDMA per week. This and related spin-off investigations resulted in
the arrest of 105 defendants, the seizure of 620,000 tablets of MDMA and
approximately $935,000 in U.S. currency. The significance of this investigation
was the fact that it identified, for the first time, the involvement of
Israeli and Russian crime groups in MDMA trafficking.
In addition, DEA,
in conjunction with the United States Customs Service (USCS) and Los Angeles
area state and local Task Forces, has conducted controlled deliveries
of MDMA tablets which originated in Europe and were destined for the Los
Angeles area. Working together, DEA, FBI and the USCS are currently investigating
the highest levels of MDMA international and national trafficking organizations
impacting on the United States.
Demand
Reduction Initiatives:
The increasing power
and diversity of drug trafficking organizations operating throughout the
United States and abroad demands an equally authoritative and creative
response. These drug trafficking organizations seek to entrench criminal
enterprise in modern society; they attempt to lure the youth of this country
into the dark world of drug abuse and crime on a daily basis. As such,
DEA is committed to developing and employing multi-faceted strategies
to combat both drug trafficking and drug abuse. With this in mind, DEA's
Demand Reduction program was created in 1986 in response to the widespread
belief that both law enforcement and drug prevention were necessary components
of a comprehensive attack against the drug problem in the United States.
Given the age of the targeted user population of MDMA, DEA has created
a very aggressive and comprehensive plan to bring this issue to the attention
of the American public. It should be noted that DEA's Operations Division
has organized a club drug conference scheduled for the latter part of
July 2000 in the Washington, D.C. area. Participants will include law
enforcement personnel from around the world, leading researchers, clinicians,
prevention specialists, educators, and medical professionals to discuss
the alarming resurgence in use of MDMA and other club drugs.
In addition, DEA's
Los Angeles Field Division has sponsored several club drug training courses
for agents and police officers. Demand Reduction presentations have also
been conducted by DEA in the Los Angeles area to warn and educate young
adults and parents about the alarming rise in Ecstasy and club drug abuse
in Southern California.
Conclusion:
Methamphetamine,
and other controlled substances, which are produced in clandestine laboratories,
provides an increasing threat to drug law enforcement personnel as well
as the citizens of our nation. The vast power and influence of international
drug trafficking syndicates, particularly those based in Mexico, continues
to grow. Their impact on communities around our nation is devastating.
The DEA will continue to promote cooperative investigative efforts and
work closely with state and local agencies within the parameters of national,
regional and local methamphetamine strategies.
As the number of
clandestine labs operated by both internationally-based criminal organizations
and mom and pop, small, independent groups continues to escalate, the
chances of narcotics officers, or other uniformed personnel, inadvertently
encountering clandestine labs will increase. In the years to come, DEA
will continue to work to improve its efforts in the methamphetamine arena
to ensure a safe future for both our law enforcement personnel dedicated
to addressing this dangerous problem as well as our citizens.
MDMA abuse, although
a relatively new phenomenon, has certainly taken parts of this country
by storm. The magnitude of the current MDMA problem cannot be understated.
The media coverage alone is indicative of the impact this drug has had
on the United States. One only has to review the dramatic increase in
seizures over the past twenty-four months to recognize the insidious upsurge
of this drug.
DEA will continue
to utilize a multi-faceted approach employing both prevention and enforcement
strategies in targeting MDMA and methamphetamine trafficking and abuse.
In this regard, DEA is working in conjunction with law enforcement officials
throughout Europe and Israel in an effort to identify, target, dismantle
and prosecute those organizations responsible for the proliferation of
MDMA throughout the U.S. and Europe. Furthermore, DEA has established
a methamphetamine strategy that focuses on international drug trafficking
groups, independent domestic methamphetamine operations, and rogue chemical
companies that are responsible for the smuggling, production, and distribution
of methamphetamine in the United States.
DEA greatly appreciates
the assistance given to us by both the Congress and this Administration
in our efforts to combat the methamphetamine threat posed to our communities.
DEA will continue to fully utilize these assets and support any new initiatives
that will assist in this ongoing struggle. I thank you for providing me
with this opportunity to address the Subcommittee and I look forward to
taking any questions you may have on this important issue.
|