National Drug Threat Assessment: U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration

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U.S.
U.S. Department
Department of
of Justice
Justice
Drug
Drug Enforcement
Enforcement Administration
Administration
2015
National
Drug
Threat
Assessment
Summary
DEA-DCT-DIR-008-16
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Drug Enforcement Administration

2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary
October 2015
DEA-DCT-DIR-008-16
This product was prepared by the DEA Strategic Intelligence Section.

Comments and questions may be addressed to the DEA Office of
Public Affairs at (202) 307-7977.
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Table of Contents
Letter from the Acting Administrator..............................................................................iii
Executive Summary............................................................................................................v
Transnational Criminal Organizations .......................................................................................1

Mexican Transnational Criminal Organizations.......................................................................1
Colombian Transnational Criminal Organizations..................................................................4
Dominican Trafficking Organizations...........................................................................................5
Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations.............................................................................6
Gangs.......................................................................................................................................................8
Drugs of Abuse..................................................................................................................13

Controlled Prescription Drugs......................................................................................13
Heroin................................................................................................................................25
Fentanyl.............................................................................................................................41
Methamphetamine.........................................................................................................45
Cocaine..............................................................................................................................55
Marijuana..........................................................................................................................65

Synthetic Designer Drugs..............................................................................................79
MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine).....................................................85
Phencyclidine (PCP)........................................................................................................89
Illicit Finance..................................................................................................................................93
Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands......................................................................................................99
Guam.................................................................................................................................................................102
Tribal Lands.....................................................................................................................................................104
Appendix A: Maps........................................................................................................................................107
Appendix B: Tables......................................................................................................................................121
Appendix C: Glossary of Acronyms.......................................................................................................129
Appendix D: Scope and Methodology..................................................................................................133
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(U) Chart 1. Number of Drug Induced Deaths Compared to the Number

Motor Vehicle and Firearm Deaths, 2004 - 2013
of
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Letter from the Acting Administrator

I am pleased to present the 2015 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA)
Summary, a comprehensive strategic assessment of the threats posed to our
communities by transnational criminal organizations and the illicit drugs they
distribute throughout the United States. This annual assessment provides
policymakers, law enforcement personnel, and prevention and treatment
specialists with relevant strategic drug intelligence to assist in the formulation
of counterdrug policies, establish law enforcement priorities, and allocate
resources.
The trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs pose a monumental danger to our
citizens and a significant challenge for our law enforcement agencies and
health care systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported
that 46,471 of our citizens died of a drug overdose in 2013, the most recent
year for which this information is available. Drug overdose deaths have become the leading cause of
injury death in the United States, surpassing the number of deaths by motor vehicles and by firearms
every year since 2008. Overdose deaths, particularly from prescription drugs and heroin, have reached
epidemic levels.
The most significant drug trafficking organizations operating in the United States today are the dangerous
and highly sophisticated Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) that continue to be the
principal suppliers of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana. These organizations are
responsible for the extreme violence seen in Mexico, as these groups battle for turf and attack public
officials and innocent civilians. Domestically, affiliated and violent gangs are increasingly a threat to the
safety and security of our communities. They profit primarily by putting drugs on the street and have
become crucial to the Mexican cartels.
In 2014, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigations conducted with local, state, federal and
international partners have led to the arrests of major international criminals. The arrests of Mexican
Cartel leaders Hector Beltran-Leyva, Servando Gomez-Martinez, and Omar Tevino Morales are significant
successes for us and Mexico in the fight against Mexican TCOs. The arrests strike at the heart of the
leadership structure of the Knights Templar Cartel, the Beltran-Leyva Organization, and the Los Zetas
Cartel and highlight the continuing cooperation between Mexican and US law enforcement.
The DEA produces the NDTA Summary in partnership with local, state, tribal, and federal agencies. To
accurately depict a national-level perspective of the drug-specific issues facing the United States, the
report integrates the most recently available reporting from law enforcement and intelligence agencies
with the most current data from public health agencies regarding national substance abuse. This years
report also draws on information from more than 1,100 local, state, and tribal law enforcement partners
that responded to our 2015 National Drug Threat Survey.
My thanks to all participating agencies and organizations whose contributions continue to make possible
this vital report. Their views and opinions are important and help us to best meet the needs of the
law enforcement and intelligence communities. I look forward to collaborating on future high-priority
strategic counterdrug initiatives that impact our national security interests, at home and abroad.
Respectfully,
Chuck Rosenberg
Acting Administrator
Drug Enforcement Administration
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Executive Summary
The 2015 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) is a comprehensive assessment of the threat
posed to the United States by the trafficking and use of illicit drugs. The drug section of this report is
arranged in ranking order based on the level of threat each drug presents. The threat level for each
drug is determined by strategic analysis of the domestic drug situation during 2014, based on law
enforcement, intelligence, and public health data available for the period. For instance, each day in
the United States, over 120 people die as a result of a drug overdose. In particular, the number of
deaths attributable to controlled prescription drugs (CPDs) has outpaced those for cocaine and heroin
combined. Additionally, some opioid CPD abusers are initiating heroin use, which contributes to the
increased demand for and use of heroin. For these reasons, CPDs and heroin are ranked as the most
significant drug threats to the United States. Fentanyl and its analogs are responsible for more than
700 deaths across the United States between late 2013 and late 2014. While fentanyl is often abused
in the same manner as heroin, it is much more potent. Methamphetamine distribution and abuse
significantly contribute to violent and property crime rates in the United States. Further, cocaine
distributors and users seek out methamphetamine as an alternative as cocaine availability levels
decline. While marijuana is the most widely available and commonly used illicit drug and remains
illegal under federal law, many states have passed legislation approving the cultivation, possession,
and use of the drug within their respective states. Marijuana concentrates, with potency levels far
exceeding those of leaf marijuana, pose an issue of growing concern. Finally, the threat posed by
synthetic designer drugs continues to impact many segments of the American population, particularly
youth. A full discussion for each of these drugs cannot be undertaken without first examining the
criminal groups that supply these substances to distributors and users in the United States.
(U) Chart 2. Percentage of NDTS Respondents Reporting
Drug Threat, 2007 - 2015
the
Greatest
Source: National Drug Threat Survey
Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) remain the greatest criminal drug threat to the United
States; no other group can challenge them in the near term. These Mexican poly-drug organizations
traffic heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana throughout the United States, using established
transportation routes and distribution networks. They control drug trafficking across the Southwest
Border and are moving to expand their share of US illicit drug markets, particularly heroin markets.
National-level gangs and neighborhood gangs continue to form relationships with Mexican TCOs to
increase profits for the gangs through drug distribution and transportation, for the enforcement of drug
payments, and for protection of drug transportation corridors from use by rival gangs. Many gangs rely
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on Mexican TCOs as their primary drug source of supply, and Mexican TCOs depend on street-level gangs,
many of which already have a customer base, for drug distribution.
Colombian TCOs supply wholesale quantities of cocaine and heroin, primarily to Northeast drug markets.
Typically, Colombian traffickers provide cocaine and heroin to Mexican and Dominican organizations,
which then assume responsibility for further transportation and distribution. Prior to 2000, Colombian
TCOs dominated the cocaine and heroin markets in the Midwest and on the East Coast; however, Mexican
TCOs continue to establish their control over many drug markets in the Northeast and are increasingly
serving as sources of supply for Colombian and Dominican organizations. Colombian TCOs have also
increased their drug trafficking through the Caribbean over the past three years in order to avoid cartelrelated violence in Mexico, increased law enforcement presence in Mexico and at the Southwest Border,
and rising pressure against the Mexican drug cartels.
Dominican trafficking organizations are primarily active in the transportation and distribution of cocaine
and heroin in cities along the East Coast. Dominican traffickers typically serve as transporters and retaillevel distributors of cocaine and heroin for Mexican and Colombian trafficking organizations and recent
reporting indicates Dominican traffickers in the Northeast continue this working relationship. Colombian
and Mexican trafficking organizations rely on Dominican networks to transport and distribute cocaine and
heroin at the retail level.
Asian TCOs operate mainly on the West Coast, but are expanding their operations throughout the United
States. Asian TCOs are responsible for trafficking a variety of drugs, primarily marijuana and MDMA
(3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), with smaller-scale dealings in cocaine and methamphetamine.
State, local, and federal law enforcement reporting indicates that gangs in the United States continue
to expand, develop, and grow more sophisticated in their criminal enterprises. The National Gang
Intelligence Center (NGIC) assesses that the US gang composition is approximately 88 percent street gang
members, 9.5 percent prison gang members, and 2.5 percent outlaw motorcycle gang (OMG) members.
There are approximately 1.4 million active street, prison, and OMG gang members comprising more than
33,000 gangs in the United States. Though gangs are involved in a multitude of criminal activities, streetlevel drug trafficking and distribution continues to be their main source of revenue, and they commit
violent crimes, such as robbery, assault, threats, and intimidation, in furtherance of those ends.
Drug overdose deaths have become the leading cause of injury death in the United States. Each day in the
United States, over 120 people die as a result of a drug overdose. The number of drug poisoning deaths
in 2013, the latest year for which data is available, involving opioid analgesics (16,235) is substantial and
outpaces the number of deaths for cocaine and heroin combined (13,201). While recent data suggest that
abuse of these drugs has lessened in some areas, the number of individuals reporting current abuse of
CPDs is more than those reporting use of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA, and phencyclidine
(PCP) combined. With the slightly declining abuse levels of CPDs, data indicate there is a corresponding
increase in heroin use. Some opioid CPD abusers begin using heroin as a cheaper alternative to the high
price of illicit CPDs or when they are unable to obtain prescription drugs.
The threat posed by heroin in the United States is serious and has increased since 2007. Heroin is available
in larger quantities, used by a larger number of people, and is causing an increasing number of overdose
deaths. Increased demand for, and use of, heroin is being driven by both increasing availability of heroin
in the US market and by some opioid CPD abusers using heroin. CPD abusers who begin using heroin
do so chiefly because of price differences, but also because of availability, and the reformulation of
OxyContin, a commonly abused prescription opioid.
Heroin overdose deaths are increasing in many cities and counties across the United States, particularly
in the Northeast, as well as areas of the Midwest. Possible reasons for the increase in overdose deaths
include an overall increase in heroin users; high purity batches of heroin reaching certain markets,
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causing users to accidentally overdose; an increase in new heroin initiates, many of whom are young
and inexperienced; abusers of prescription opioids (drugs with a set dosage amount and no other
adulterants) initiating use of heroin, an illicitly-manufactured drug with varying purities, dosage amounts,
and adulterants; and the use of highly toxic heroin adulterants such as fentanyl in certain markets.
Further, heroin users who have stopped using heroin for a period of time (due to treatment programs,
incarceration, etc.) and subsequently return to using heroin are particularly susceptible to overdose,
because their tolerance for the drug has decreased.
Fentanyl is a Schedule II synthetic opioid that is approximately 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine,
and 25 to 40 times more potent than heroin. Fentanyl was developed for the pain management
treatment of cancer patients; however, its powerful opioid properties have made it an attractive drug
for abusers. There were over 700 deaths related to fentanyl and its analogs between late 2013 and early
2015. Clandestinely-produced fentanyl is sometimes added to heroin to increase its effects, or mixed with
adulterants and diluents and sold as heroin; many users believe they are purchasing heroin and have no
knowledge of the presence of fentanyl. Clandestinely-produced fentanyl is primarily sourced from Mexico;
fentanyl analogs and precursor chemicals are obtained from distributors in China. Pharmaceutical fentanyl
is also diverted for abuse, but at much lower levels.
Methamphetamine seizures, survey data, price and purity data, and law enforcement reporting indicate
methamphetamine continues to be readily available throughout the United States. Most of the
methamphetamine available in the United States is clandestinely produced in Mexico and smuggled
across the Southwest Border. Although domestic production does occur at small levels, it has declined,
most likely due to restrictions on precursor chemicals in the United States and the increasing availability of
high-purity, high-potency Mexican methamphetamine.
Cocaine availability in the United States appeared to have stabilized at new normal levels in 2014
still well below the availability levels observed prior to 2007, when cocaine availability first began to
decline significantly. Abuse indicators also show a steady decline in cocaine use in the United States
when compared to the previous 10 years. The majority of the cocaine smuggled into the United States
is transported over the Southwest Border with a smaller percentage transported through the Caribbean
corridor. Mexican TCOs continue to dominate cocaine transportation in the United States with little to no
competition.
Marijuana is the most widely available and commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Marijuana
remains illegal under federal law; however, many states have passed legislation approving the cultivation,
possession, and use of marijuana within their respective states. The disparity between federal law and
state laws authorizing the use of medicali or retail marijuana poses a challenge for federal, state, local,
and tribal law enforcement efforts given the different regulatory regimes at the state level. Likewise,
the increased production and use of marijuana in those states with medical or retail marijuana laws is
adversely affecting states in which marijuana remains an illegal substance.
Marijuana concentrates such as hashish, hash oil, and keif have been used for centuries; however,
marijuana concentrates are gaining popularity in the United States, as indicated by the increasing
volume of law enforcement and open source reporting. Marijuana concentrates are extracted from
leafy marijuana in many ways, but the most frequently used, and potentially most dangerous, method is
butane extraction. The butane extraction method uses highly flammable butane gas and has resulted
in numerous explosions and injuries, particularly on the West Coast, where production is most common.
When the term medical marijuana is used in this publication, it is exclusively in reference to state-approved medical
marijuana. Marijuana is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substance Act with no accepted medical use in the
United States.
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The first DEA reporting of the THC extraction process using butane was in 2005 in Oakland, California.
However, as the use of marijuana concentrates has increased, the number of laboratory-related explosions
has also increased.
Synthetic designer drugs mimic the effects of controlled substances, and are oftentimes unscheduled and
unregulated. While there are a variety of synthetic designer drugs, the two most commonly used synthetic
designer drugs in the United States are synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones. Synthetic cannabinoids,
also commonly known as Spice or K2, are chemicals synthesized in laboratories and mimic the biological
effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Cathinones,
also commonly known as bath salts and molly, can produce pharmacological effects substantially similar
to methcathinone, MDMA, amphetamine, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Synthetic cannabinoids and
cathinones are typically manufactured in China and then imported into the United States through mail
services; they are also sold in convenience stores and via the Internet. The negative effects of these drugs
are severe and can include psychosis, heart attack, seizures, convulsions, and kidney and liver failure.
Of note, on October 1, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) Narcotics Control Bureau
announced the sale and distribution of 116 chemical compounds used in the production of synthetic
drugs will be regulated in China, including acetyl-fentanyl. Chinese officials declared these compounds
were found to have no known legitimate use and therefore will be controlled administratively by the MPS.
MDMA, a synthetic Schedule I drug commonly referred to as ecstasy or molly, is available throughout
the United States. Compared to marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and other illicit drugs, the MDMA market in
the United States is small. Most of the MDMA seized in the United States is manufactured in clandestine
laboratories in Canada and smuggled across the Northern Border. Canada-based Asian TCOs are
the primary suppliers of MDMA in the United States, producing tens of millions of tablets for the US
market. Often, tablets sold as ecstasy or molly may not be MDMA at all, but another chemical, such as
cathinones, or a mixture of various chemicals, which may or may not contain MDMA. Additionally, molly
has played a role in several overdose illnesses and deaths.
PCP poses a low threat to the United States due to relatively low levels of use. PCP use is highest in
the Washington, DC area, and the majority of PCP available in the United States is produced in the Los
Angeles, California area.
As federal money laundering laws become more stringent and financial institutions implement enhanced
anti-money laundering measures, TCOs are increasingly creative in their efforts to evade laws and
regulations. TCOs employ a wide array of money laundering tactics to move drug proceeds into, within,
and out of the United States. However, the more commonly used methods have remained the same over
the past several years. These methods include: bulk cash smuggling, trade-based money laundering
(TBML), black market peso exchange (BMPE), structured deposits, and wire transfers.
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Transnational Criminal Organizations

Mexican Transnational Criminal Organizations
(U) Map 1. Mexican Cartels: Areas of Dominant Influence
Key Areas of Conflict
and
Source: DEA
Mexican TCOs pose the greatest criminal drug

threat to the United States; no other group is
currently positioned to challenge them. These
Mexican poly-drug organizations traffic heroin,
methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana
throughout the United States, using established
transportation routes and distribution networks.
They control drug trafficking across the Southwest
Border and are moving to expand their presence in
the United States, particularly in heroin markets.
Boston, Massachusetts: Many of the local
distribution groups are increasingly dealing
with and receiving cocaine directly from
Mexican organizations based in states such as
Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas.
Chicago, Illinois: Mexican TCOs pose the

most significant threat. During 2014, Mexican
organizations continued to dominate
the wholesale distribution of cocaine,
methamphetamine, Mexico-produced
marijuana, and heroin (both Mexican black tar
and South American heroin) in Chicago.
Los Angeles, California: Mexican TCOs use
the Los Angeles area as a strategic hub to
facilitate the movement of drugs north and
west, while also using Los Angeles for the
subsequent smuggling of drug proceeds in
the form of bulk cash back to Mexico.
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Transnational
Criminal Organizations
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Mexican TCOs

are showing increasing interest in establishing
distribution hubs in northeastern US cities
such as Philadelphia. Intelligence indicates
these TCOs may wish to bypass traditional
hubs in the southeastern United States due to
law enforcement pressure.
Mexican Cartels Active in the
United States
In 2014, based on active law enforcement cases,
the following major Mexican TCOs are operating in
the United States: the Beltran-Leyva Organization
(BLO), New Generation Jalisco Cartel (Cartel de
Jalisco Nueva Generacin or CJNG) the Los Cuinis,
Gulf Cartel (Cartel del Golfo or CDG), Juarez Cartel,
Michoacn Family (La Familia Michoacna or LFM),
Knights Templar (Los Caballeros Templarios or
LCT), Los Zetas, and the Sinaloa Cartel. While all of
these Mexican TCOs transport wholesale quantities
of illicit drugs into the United States, the Sinaloa
Cartel appears to be the most active supplier. The

Sinaloa Cartel leverages its expansive resources and
dominance in Mexico to facilitate the smuggling
and transportation of drugs throughout the United
States.
Map 2 reflects data from the Organized Crime Drug
Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Consolidated
Priority Organization Target (CPOT) program to
depict the areas of influence in the United States for
major Mexican cartels.
The CJNG (CJNG leadership had not been
designated as a CPOT as of November 2014,
therefore it is not depicted on this map) is
quickly becoming one of the most powerful
TCOs in Mexico and in some cases rivals Sinaloa
Cartel trafficking operations in Asia, Europe, and
Oceania. The CJNG by virtue of its growing power
continues to expand its trafficking operations to the
United States, with law enforcement increasingly
reporting CJNG members and associates as sources
(U) Map 2. United States: Areas of Influence of major Mexican

Transnational Criminal Organizations within DEA Field Division
Areas of Responsibility
Source: DEA
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of supply for drugs in the United States. Los Cuinis,

an affiliate group of CJNG, provided the initial
funding to facilitate the rise of CJNG.
Operational Structure in the
United States
While operating in the United States, Mexican TCOs
actively seek to maintain low profiles and avoid
violent confrontations between rival TCOs or US law
enforcement.
Mexican TCO operations in the United States
typically take the form of a supply chain system that
functions on an as-needed basis. The system relies
on compartmentalized operators in the supply
chain who are only aware of their own specific
function, and remain unaware of all other aspects
of the operation. In most instances, transporters
for the drug shipments are independent third
parties who work for more than one Mexican TCO.
Since operators in the supply chain are insulated
from one another, if a transporter is arrested the
transporter is easily replaced and unable to reveal
the rest of the network to law enforcement.
The foundation of Mexican TCO operations in the
United States is comprised of extended family and
friends. Families affiliated with various Mexican
TCOs in Mexico vouch for US-based relatives or
friends that are deemed trustworthy enough to
help run various aspects of the drug trafficking
operations in the United States. Actual members
of Mexican TCOs are usually sent to important US
hub cities to manage stash houses containing drug
shipments and bulk cash drug proceeds.
Mexican TCOs serve primarily as wholesale
suppliers of drugs and work with local USbased gangs for distribution. The US-based
gangs maintain power in their territories and
control retail drug markets.
Trafficking Methods
Mexican TCOs transport the bulk of their drugs
over the Southwest Border through ports of
entry (POEs) using passenger vehicles or tractor
trailers. The drugs are typically secreted in hidden
compartments when transported in passenger
vehicles or comingled with legitimate goods when
transported in tractor trailers. Once across the

Southwest Border, the drugs are transported to
stash houses in hub cities such as Dallas, Houston,
Los Angeles, and Phoenix, and then transported via
these same conveyances to distribution groups in
the Midwest and on the East Coast.
Los Angeles, California: From Los Angeles,
tractor trailers transport cocaine to Arizona,
Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New
York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and
Washington. The Sinaloa Cartel employs
drivers who are older US citizens to drive
tractor trailers because they believe they draw
less attention from law enforcement than
younger drivers in passenger vehicles.
Phoenix, Arizona: In Arizona, transportation
and smuggling activities also occur between
the POEs in remote, inhospitable desert
valleys separated by rugged mountainous
terrain. One such location is the West Desert
corridor, which is a sparsely populated area
ideal for smuggling, as transportation groups
use off-road vehicles, backpackers, and all
terrain vehicles to move large amounts
of marijuana for transport to the Phoenix
and Tucson metropolitan areas for further
distribution. These transportation groups use
lookouts and scouts on elevated locations to
direct their cross-border smuggling activities
with advanced radio communications
to avoid law enforcement detection and
apprehension.
Mexican TCOs also smuggle drugs across the
Southwest Border using other methods. Marijuana
is occasionally trafficked through subterranean
tunnels connected to a network of safe houses
on both the Mexico and the US sides of the
border. Mexican TCOs also transport marijuana
via commercial cargo trains and on small boats,
often referred to as pangas, from the West Coast
of Baja California north to the central California
coast. Finally, Mexican TCOs have also transported
drugs across the Southwest Border using ultralight
aircraft.
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Mexican Traffickers Moving Into

Suburban and Rural Areas
Law enforcement reporting indicates some
Mexican trafficking organizations within
the United States are relocating from major
metropolitan areas to establish bases of
operation in suburban or rural areas. Traffickers
are relocating because they feel they can better
conceal their operations in an area where law
enforcement does not expect to find large
trafficking organizations operating or are not
accustomed to dealing with such organizations.
The relocation also makes it difficult for large
federal law enforcement agencies to target these
organizations because the traffickers are removed
from the federal agencies bases of operation in
large cities. This trend has been noted by law
enforcement in Dallas, San Francisco, eastern

Washington State, western Colorado, and parts of
North Carolina.
Outlook
Mexican TCOs will continue to dominate the
trafficking of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine,
and marijuana throughout the United States. There
are no other organizations at this time with the
infrastructure and power to challenge Mexican
TCOs for control of the US drug market.
Mexican TCOs will continue to serve primarily as
wholesale suppliers of drugs to the United States
to distance themselves from US law enforcement.
Mexican TCOs will continue to rely on US-based
gangs to distribute drugs at the retail level.
Colombian Transnational Criminal Organizations

Trafficking Activities
Colombian TCOs supply wholesale quantities of
cocaine and heroin, primarily to Northeast drug
markets. Typically, Colombian traffickers provide
cocaine and heroin to Mexican and Dominican
organizations outside the United States, which then
assume responsibility for further transportation
and distribution. Historically, Colombian TCOs
dominated the cocaine and heroin markets in the
Midwest and on the East Coast; however, Mexican
TCOs continue to establish their control over
many of these drug markets and are increasingly
serving as sources of supply for the Colombian
organizations.
Boston, Massachusetts: Colombian TCOs
in New England continue to receive cocaine
directly from Mexican organizations along
the Southwest Border. In addition, multiple
offices in the New England area report that
Colombian organizations are still directly
involved in wholesale distribution of powder
and crack cocaine.
New York City, New York: Colombian
organizations transport cocaine into New
York City and serve as a primary source of
wholesale quantities of cocaine. However,
Mexican and Dominican trafficking
organizations dominate the transportation of
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cocaine throughout the rest of New York State,

limiting the role of Colombian organizations.
Colombian organizations are also prominent
transporters and distributors of wholesale
quantities of heroin in New York City.
Colombian TCOs have increased their drug
trafficking through the Caribbean over the past
three years. By moving cocaine through the
Caribbean, Colombian TCOs avoid inter-cartel
violence in Mexico, increased law enforcement
presence in Mexico and at the Southwest Border,
and rising pressure against the Mexican drug
cartels. Colombian, Dominican, and Puerto Rican
organizations also traffic cocaine and heroin
through Puerto Rico. In addition, some reporting
indicates an increase in Colombian TCOs operating
out of the Dominican Republic.
Miami, Florida: Colombian TCOs use Florida,
specifically Miami and Orlando, as the point
of arrival for South American cocaine and
heroin transshipped through the Caribbean.
Typically, cocaine shipments arrive in South
Florida through a variety of maritime and
airborne shipping methods, including
commercial air passengers, commercial air
cargo, airborne smuggling on private aircraft,
maritime containerized cargo, and maritime
conveyances such as speedboats, fishing
vessels, and private luxury yachts. While there
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2015Transnational
National Drug Threat
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Summary
Criminal
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have been reported instances of commingled

heroin and cocaine shipments in 2014, the
two drugs are generally shipped separately.
Organizational Structure
The Colombian drug trade in 2014 was dominated
by numerous Bandas Criminales or Criminal
Bands (BACRIM) whose members include the
remnants of the Cali, Medellin, and Norte del
Valle Cartels, and demobilized Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia Peoples Army
(FARC-EP)ii and the United Self-Defense Groups
(AUC) associates. The BACRIMs engage in
numerous, non-drug-related criminal activities,
such as extortion and debt collection. Successful
Colombian law enforcement operations since 2011
have neutralized many Colombian BACRIM leaders,
while other BACRIMs have been co-opted by more
powerful groups. Los Urabeos has emerged
from this landscape as the largest, most powerful
BACRIM and is currently assessed to be one of the
major Colombian organizations supplying large
quantities of illicit drugs to the United States.
However, increased law enforcement attention and
continued pressure from rival groups will challenge
its ability to retain its position.
Moving forward, Colombian BACRIMs may continue
to devolve into smaller, regionally-based groups
with limited power and influence, and seek to
further diversify their criminal activities. Currently,
the BACRIMs continue to supply US markets with
multi-ton quantities of cocaine and significant
quantities of heroin. Colombian TCOs continue to
serve as wholesale sources of supply for cocaine

along the East Coast into key distribution hubs;
however, they rely on third parties, primarily
Mexican TCOs, for distribution throughout the
United States. This is apparent in Mexican TCOs
continued expansion into markets that were
formerly controlled by Colombian TCOs. Similarly,
Colombian TCOs along the East Coast are supplying
Dominican traffickers, who then are in charge of
further transportation and distribution.
While the BACRIM are involved in the production
and transportation of cocaine to Central America
and the Caribbean, the FARC-EP are increasingly
working with Mexican TCOs to smuggle ton
quantities of cocaine into the United States.
Investigative reporting indicates a working
relationship between multiple FARC fronts and
Mexican TCOs, including the Los Zetas, BLO, CJNG,
and the Sinaloa Cartel to transport cocaine into the
United States.
Despite their lack of a traditional cartel structure,
Colombian TCOs continue to have a presence
in the United States along the East Coast.
DEA reporting revealed a connection between
Colombian TCOs operating in Colombia and
Mexican TCOs. These reports detailed a business
relationship between Los Urabeos and the FARC
to distribute cocaine into the United States through
Mexican TCOs. Inside of the United States, both
Sinaloa and Juarez Cartel networks are used to
transport and distribute the cocaine throughout
the eastern United States.
Dominican Trafficking Organizations

Trafficking Activities
sources in New York, and South American

sources via mail.
Dominican trafficking organizations are primarily

active in the transportation and distribution of
cocaine and heroin in cities along the East Coast.
Dominican traffickers typically serve as cocaine
and heroin distributors for Mexican and Colombian
trafficking organizations.
Boston, Massachusetts: Dominican
traffickers continue to dominate heroin
distribution in the region. Local Dominican
traffickers acquire heroin from Mexican
sources on the Southwest Border, Dominican
New Jersey: Dominican traffickers handle

retail-level distribution of cocaine for
Colombian TCOs and also supply local street
gangs, who handle street-level distribution.
Dominican organizations smuggle heroin
into the United States by couriers who
conceal heroin bundles on their persons, in
their apparel, or in their luggage and then

ii
The FARC is a US Department of State Designated Foreign

Terrorist Organization (DFTO).
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Summary
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Criminal
Organizations
board commercial flights into Newark Liberty

International Airport.
New York: Dominican traffickers are the
dominant retail distributors of cocaine in
the New York metropolitan area. Reporting
also indicates Colombian and Mexican TCOs
rely on Dominican traffickers to assist in the
transportation of heroin throughout New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut,
and Massachusetts. Dominican trafficking
organizations use couriers to smuggle
heroin directly into John F. Kennedy (JFK)
International Airport in New York City from
the Dominican Republic.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Local
Dominican organizations dominate the midlevel distribution of cocaine and often bridge
the gap between Philadelphia-based criminal
organizations and Dominican sources of
supply in New York.
Dominican trafficking organizations are involved
in the diversion of CPDs. Reports from Atlanta,
Boston, New York, and Philadelphia indicate
Dominican traffickers engage in the diversion of

CPDs. They typically traffic oxycodone, in response
to the demand for opiates.
Boston, Massachusetts: Investigations
indicate Dominican criminal organizations
distribute hundreds of thousands of CPDs
annually in the New England area. Some
Dominican traffickers receive oxycodone
shipments from Dominican counterparts
based in New York City.
Dominican trafficking organizations typically
operate under an organized hierarchical
structure. The leader of a Dominican trafficking
organization controls multiple cells, each
comprised of approximately five individuals.
These subordinates are typically friends and family
members who are also ethnic Dominicans. This
reliance on family reinforces the tightly organized
structure of Dominican trafficking organizations,
which produces efficient command and control
capabilities.
Asian Trafficking Organizations

Asian TCOs operate mainly on the West Coast,
but are increasingly spreading their operations
throughout the United States. Asian TCOs are
responsible for trafficking a variety of drugs,
primarily marijuana and MDMA, with smaller-scale
dealings in cocaine and methamphetamine. Asian
TCOs engage in a variety of other illicit and violent
crimes such as arms trafficking, assault, auto theft,
cybercrime, money laundering, and murder.
Dallas, Texas: Hydroponic and traditional
marijuana indoor grow houses are prevalent
in the Dallas area, operated by Laotian
and Vietnamese TCOs. The indoor grow
operations are complex, with grows in
multiple stages, allowing for frequent
harvests of mature marijuana plants.
Seattle, Washington: In May 2014, several
search warrants were executed at residential
locations targeting a large-scale Vietnamese
TCO directing several indoor marijuana
grow operations in residential homes. Law

enforcement officials seized 1,154 marijuana
plants, and arrested four TCO members.
Asian TCOs dominate the US market as the primary
suppliers of MDMA in each region. MDMA is
imported from China to Canada, or produced in
Canada, and then smuggled into the United States,
or smuggled directly into the United States via mail
services. Asian TCOs traffic MDMA in both tablet
and powder form.
Los Angeles, California: In May 2014,
officers conducted a routine traffic stop and
discovered 1,500 MDMA tablets in the vehicle.
Members of an Asian TCO were transporting
the MDMA tablets from California to Las
Vegas. The TCO purchases MDMA in
thousand-tablet quantities from Canada.
New Orleans, Louisiana: The New Orleans
area continues to see wholesale quantities
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Organizations
of MDMA trafficked by Asian TCOs. These

TCOs primarily distribute MDMA in coastal
communities and travel to Houston to obtain
MDMA from larger distributors.
(U) Seizure
of
in
Two Kilograms
New Orleans
of
MDMA
Washington, DC: Canada-based Asian TCOs

continue to import wholesale quantities of
MDMAin tablet and powder formsinto
the Washington, DC, area. In addition to
importation from Canada, MDMA also enters
the US via mail services from China.
Asian TCOs also traffic cocaine and
methamphetamine, although in smaller
quantities than marijuana and MDMA. Asian
TCOs typically obtain ounce or gram quantities
of cocaine and methamphetamine from Mexican
sources of supply; in some cases, these groups
obtain kilogram quantities.
Los Angeles, California: Asian TCOs in and
around Orange County routinely receive bulk
quantities of powder cocaine from sources
of supply in Mexico. Asian TCOs, primarily
Vietnamese, also convert powder cocaine into
crack cocaine within their residences.
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota: Californiabased Asian TCOs traffic ounce and pound
quantities of methamphetamine using mail
services.
Portland, Maine: Asian TCOs are working
with Somali, Sudanese, and African American
groups to distribute powder cocaine and
crack cocaine in the Portland, Maine area.
Other Criminal Activity
Asian TCOs are involved in a variety of illicit and

violent activities in addition to drug trafficking.
Asian TCOs traffic weapons such as assault rifles,
sub-machine guns, and pistols throughout the
United States; these guns are sold for cash or traded
in exchange for drugs. Asian TCOs are involved
in human and sex trafficking, particularly young
girls, from Asian countries into Mexico and into the
United States. Asian TCOs also engage in various
forms of computer fraud and cybercrime, and
commit acts of credit card and identity fraud, as
well as money laundering. These TCOs also commit
neighborhood crimes such as home burglaries and
(U) Photo 1. Two kilogram package of MDMA seized.

Photo Source: DEA
In March 2014, DEAs New Orleans Tactical

Diversion Squad seized two kilograms of
MDMA (See Photo 1) from a Chinese source
of supply during a controlled delivery to a
Vietnamese restaurant. Upon receipt of the
package, the suspect, an employee of the
restaurant, was observed writing something
on the parcel and then leaving it behind at
the bar. The suspect returned the following
afternoon and, when detained, confessed
that he had been instructed to write Return
to Sender on the package upon receipt and
then abandon it. This trafficking technique
was intended to prevent law enforcement
from associating or charging the package
recipient with acceptance of drugs in the
case of an immediate seizure upon delivery,
and allows for a recipient to apply plausible
deniability of a drug shipment. If there is no
immediate seizure, the recipient will retrieve
the package after a brief time.
automobile theft. In addition, Asian TCOs engage in
violent crimes such as assaults, drive-by shootings,
and murder.
Asian TCOs operate throughout the United States
with concentrations on the East and West Coasts.
Asia-based criminal groups partner with and recruit
Asian-Americans in US immigrant communities to
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Summary
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Criminal
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exploit US markets while blending in with existing

communities. These groups continue to grow
and are particularly expanding in communities in
California where growth in the number of Asian
immigrants has been the greatest. Many Asian
TCOs seek to emulate the style and clothing
worn by African American and Hispanic gangs.
Asian TCOs tend to prioritize financial gain over

other incentives and may travel outside of their
established territories, even across state lines, to
conduct operations. A distinguishing feature of
Asian TCOs is the lack of stigma attached to social
mobility; many members pursue higher education
or professional careers.
Gangs
State, local, and federal law enforcement reporting
indicates that gangs continue to expand, develop,
and grow more sophisticated in their criminal
enterprises. The National Gang Intelligence Center
(NGIC) assesses that the US gang composition is
approximately 88 percent street gang members,
9.5 percent prison gang members, and 2.5 percent
Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMG) members. There
are approximately 1.4 million active street, prison,
and OMG gang members comprising more than
33,000 gangs in the United States. Though gangs
are involved in a multitude of criminal activities,
street-level drug trafficking and distribution
continues to be their main source of revenue,
and they commit violent crimes, such as robbery,
assault, threats, and intimidation, in furtherance
of those ends. To a lesser degree, gangs also
engage in lower-risk crimes, such as prostitution,
counterfeiting, extortion, and tax fraud to
supplement their profits.
Gulfport, Mississippi: In February 2014, a
joint federal, state, and local law enforcement
operation disrupted a violent cocaine
trafficking organization that was operating
throughout Forrest and Lamar Counties
in Mississippi, with the arrest of five Black
Gangster Disciples (BGD) members.
According to reporting, members of the BGD
routinely committed violent crimes in the
area, to include armed home invasions and
commercial robberies, burglary, aggravated
assault with a weapon, and firearms violations
in furtherance of their drug trafficking
activities.
Sacramento, California: In August 2014,
federal indictments were issued against
members of the Vagos OMG for conspiracy
to possess and intent to distribute
methamphetamine. The investigation
8
targeted three Sacramento-area chapters

of the Vagos that were involved in the
distribution of methamphetamine, the
purchase of illegal weapons, and the
trafficking of stolen motorcycles.
Gang Collaboration
Street gangs are generally structured along racial,
ethnic, or geographical lines, and, historically, the
rivalry between gangs and the competition for
territory has spurred incidents of violence and
murder. Today, in an effort to expand their criminal
enterprises and increase profits, many gangs are
establishing mutually beneficial relationships to
further their criminal activities.
California: In February 2014, a multiagency investigation involving the DEA,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives (ATF) into the gun
and methamphetamine-trafficking activities
of individuals with ties to the Oriental Killer
Boys, the Oriental Mob Crips, the Viet Boys,
the Tiny Oriental Crips, the Logan Heights
Calle Treinta, and Linda Vista Crips culminated
with the arrest of 45 persons. The illegal
trafficking operation reached from California
to Minnesota, Hawaii, and Guam.
Gangs Nationwide
Street gangs continue to expand nationwide
to increase profit and attain dominance in the
drug trade, to establish new territory, and to
seek legitimate employment to supplement their
illicit income. Gangs have now migrated to every
major city in the country, where they continue to
perpetuate crime and violence.
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Los Angeles, California: The California

Attorney Generals Office reports that in Los
Angeles County law enforcement agencies
have identified over 10,000 gang members
and 500 gangs. In August 2013, there were
approximately 186,000 gang members and
approximately 4,900 gangs in California,
making the state one of the most gang-dense
states in the country.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: In 2013, the
Philadelphia Police Department Criminal
Intelligence Unit identified approximately
169 gangs operating within the city and
in the immediate suburbs, representing
an increase of over 76 percent from 2009
figures. These gangs are known to control
heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, and
prescription drug distribution.
Fresno, California: The Fresno Bulldogs
street gang is the largest Hispanic gang
operating in central California, with
membership estimated at 5,000 to 6,000.
The street-level distribution of crack,
methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin
is a primary source of income for the gang
members, who are also involved in assault,
burglary, homicide, and robbery.
Gangs and Social Media
(U) Gang Terminology

The term Gang refers to a group of three or
more individuals, whose members collectively
use a group identity of a common name,
slogan, tattoo, style or color of clothing, or
hand sign, and the purpose of their association
is to engage in criminal activity and use
violence or intimidation to further their
criminal objectives.
The term Prison Gang refers to a criminal
organization that originated within the penal
system and has continued to operate within
correctional facilities throughout the United
States. Prison gangs are self-perpetuating
criminal entities that can continue their
operations outside the confines of the penal
system.
The term Outlaw Motorcycle Gang refers
to highly-structured organizations whose
members use their motorcycle clubs as
conduits for criminal enterprises, such as
violent crime, weapons trafficking, and drug
trafficking. There are more than 300 active
OMGs in the United States.
Prison Gangs
Gangs continue to adapt to changing social and

economic conditions, using new technologies to
advance their criminal activities and evade law
enforcement. Gang members routinely use social
networking sites to further their illicit operations
such as drug trafficking, extortion, identity theft,
money laundering, and prostitutionthreaten
rivals, showcase their gang activities, recruit new
members, expose informants, and monitor law
enforcement.
Prince Georges County, Maryland: In
September 2013, the Prince Georges County,
Maryland PD reported local Mara Salvatrucha
(MS)-13 members were conducting
surveillance, using digital cameras in mobile
phones, of law enforcement officers to
determine how close a gang member could
get to an officer before the officer noticed or
confronted him.
Typically, a prison gang consists of a select group

of inmates who have an organized hierarchy, who
are governed by an established code of conduct,
and who are structured along racial or ethnic
lines with the major racial categories of African
American, Caucasian, and Hispanic. The primary
prison gangs in federal and state prison systems
are the Aryan Brotherhood (AB), the Black Guerilla
Family (BGF), the California Mexican Mafia (Eme),
the Texas Mexican Mafia (occasionally referenced
as TMM but more commonly known as Emi; not
to be confused with Eme), the Nuestra Familia (NF),
and the Texas Syndicate (TS). All of these gangs are
highly active and influential in correctional facilities
at state and federal levels nationwide, as well as
participating in criminal activity on the streets
once they have been released. The smuggling
of contraband, such as drugs, weapons, and cell
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Criminal
Organizations
phones, into prisons furthers the gangs moneymaking activities both inside and outside of the
facilities.
Baltimore, Maryland: BGF members, along
with corrections officers at the Baltimore
City Detention Center, were charged in a
wide-ranging drug smuggling plot, in which
inmates and corrections officers worked
together to smuggle drugs and cell phones
into the jail.
Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMGs)
According to the National Gang Intelligence Center
(NGIC), law enforcement reporting indicates that
OMGs are considered a lower threat to public safety
when compared to street or prison gangs, primarily
due to lower OMG membership numbers. However,
the threat to communities increases in areas of the
country where OMGs are attempting to expand into
rival territory. OMGs in the Southwest, Mid-Atlantic,
and Northwest regions present a significant threat.
Despite their smaller numbers, OMGs continue
to be problematic due to the solid organizational
structure, criminal sophistication, and their use
of violence to further their criminal activities and
protect their interests.
In June 2014, members of the rival OMGs
Wheels of Soul and the Pagans engaged in a
violent brawl at a Pennsylvania park, where
citizens were also holding graduation parties,
baby showers, and birthday parties. Gunshots
were fired, and although no one was struck,
two gang members were hospitalized, one
after being hit in the head with an ax handle.
In December 2014, four members of the
Hells Angels were arrested on suspicion of
drugs and firearms possession after leaving
a Christmas toy drive in Ventura County,
CA. Loaded firearms, brass knuckles, and
methamphetamine were confiscated during
the arrests.
Based on information provided to the NGIC by law
enforcement, OMG members or associates have
been employed, or attempted to seek employment,
with military, law enforcement, corrections, and
10
judiciary agencies to acquire training and get

access to weapons and sensitive information.
OMG members or associates who have been
employed with the military or have attempted
such employment include: the Bandidos,
Devils Disciples, Hells Angels, Iron Horsemen,
Mongols, Outlaws, Pagans, Sin City Disciples,
Vagos and Warlocks.
OMG members or associates who have been
employed with law enforcement or have
attempted such employment include: the
Diablos and Hells Angels. Employment with
law enforcement most commonly occurs
through non-sworn civilian positions.
Though drug trafficking continues to provide
the biggest source of revenue for OMGs, many
gangs appear to also be diversifying their
activities to include crimes with a potential for
low-risk detection and high-profit gains. These
sources of revenue can include prostitution or
human trafficking, mortgage and tax fraud, and
the production and sale of counterfeit goods, to
include such items as designer clothes, shoes,
purses, jewelry, cosmetics, DVDs, electronics, and
medicine.
According to open source reporting, the
president of the Kansas City chapter of the
Sons of Silence was sentenced to federal
prison for a 2014 indictment charging him
with transporting a child victim across state
lines to engage in prostitution.
In January 2013, an indictment was filed in
the Southern District of Indiana charging
51 individuals associated with the Outlaws
Motorcycle Club with a wide variety of
offenses, including racketeering, mail fraud,
money laundering, extortion, drug charges,
wire fraud, witness tampering, and operating
an illegal gambling operations.
According to the NGIC, some OMGs collaborate
with transnational criminal organizations (TCOs)
in Mexico and Central America. Although these
relationships vary in nature, most are based on
gang and TCO alliances, geographic convenience,
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Unclassified

money-making opportunities, and business
efficiency. Their criminal enterprises include
such activities as drug trafficking, extortion,
enforcement, debt collection, and money
laundering.
Law enforcement reporting in 2013 indicated
the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington,
which lies in close proximity to the Canadian
border, allows for a constant flow of drug
trafficking throughout the reservation.
TCOs transport cocaine, marijuana, and
methamphetamine north and south through
the area, aided by Hispanic gangs and OMGs,
such as the Bandidos.
Based on NGIC reporting, the Bandidos OMG
has been known to partner with the Los Zetas
Mexican TCO in furtherance of their criminal
activities.
In Texas, the top four gangsTango Blast (TB)

and Tango cliques, TS, Emi, and BApose the
greatest threat to Texas due to their relationships
with Mexican TCOs, as well as large membership
numbers, high levels of transnational criminal
activity, and organizational effectiveness. Most
of these relationships are based on opportunity
or personal relationships, rather than an exclusive
cartel/street-gang agreement. Activities the
street gangs carry out for the cartels include drug
trafficking, weapons and human smuggling, and
contract murder.
According to the NGIC, links between Mexican
Cartels and TCOs, and US-based gangs include, but
are not limited to:
Gangs and Controlled Prescription Drugs

Street gang members have capitalized on the
increased CPD abuse problem in the United States
by trafficking prescription opioids, specifically
hydrocodone and oxycodone. Numerous
methods are used to obtain the drugs, including
unscrupulous physicians, pill mills, prescription
fraud, robbery, and burglary.
Gangs and Cartels
National-level gangs and neighborhood gangs
continue to form relationships with Mexican
TCOs to increase profits for the gangs through
drug distribution and transportation, for
the enforcement of drug payments, and for
protection of drug transportation corridors from
use by rival gangs. Law enforcement reporting in
many states indicates that US gang and Mexican
TCO relationships are opportunistic in nature, rather
than based on an exclusive association with the
TCO. Many gangs rely on Mexican TCOs as their
primary drug source of supply, and Mexican TCOs
depend on the street-level gangs, many of which
already have a customer base, for drug distribution.
This arrangement allows the highest-ranking
members of Mexican TCOs to remain in Mexico
where they can avoid US law enforcement action.
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National Drug
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Transnational
Criminal
Organizations
(U) Table 1. Mexican Cartel

Connections
Gulf Cartel
Juarez Cartel
(VCF Organization)
La Familia Michoacn
Los Zetas
Sinaloa Cartel
Gang
Gang
Cartel/TCO
Arellano-Felix
and
Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation

Border Brothers
California Mexican Mafia
Florencia 13
Logan Heights Gang
Sureos
Bloods
Crips
Emi
Hermanos Pistoleros Latinos
MS-13
Partido Revolucionario Mexicano
Raza Unida
Texas Syndicate
Barrio Azteca
Crips
Eme
Los Cholos
Murder Inc.
MS-13
Sureos
Tango Blast
Aryan Brotherhood of Texas
Bandidos Motorcycle Club
Bloods
Crips
Eme
Emi
MS-13
Sureos
Norteos
Texas Syndicate
Border Brothers
Bloods
Eme
Crips
MS-13
Sureos
Tango Blast
United Blood Nation
Source: 2013 National Gang Report, National Gang Intelligence Center
12
UNCLASSIFIED
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Rx

Controlled Prescription
Drugs (CPDs)
Overview
(U) Table 2: DEA Field Division

Reporting of CPD Availability in the
First Half of 2014 and
Comparison to Previous Period
The threat posed by CPD abuse is prevalent,

and every year since 2002 the number of deaths
attributable to CPDs has outpaced those for
cocaine and heroin combined. While recent data
suggest that abuse of these drugs has lessened in
some areas, the number of individuals reporting
current use of CPDs is more than those reporting
use of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA,
and PCP combined. With the slightly declining
abuse levels of CPDs, data indicate there is a
corresponding increase in heroin use. Many CPD
abusers begin using heroin as a cheaper alternative
to the high price of illicit CPDs or when they are
unable to obtain prescription drugs.
Field Division
Atlanta Field Division

Caribbean Field Division
Availability
DEA investigative reporting shows high CPD
availability in cities throughout the United
States. (See Table 2.) Ten of DEAs 21 domestic
Field Divisionsiii (FDs) list CPDs as one of their top
three drug threats. Additionally, 17 of the 21 FDs
reported that CPD availability was high during the
first half of 2014; four other FDs reported moderate
CPD availability. Finally, most FDs reported that
availability was stable at high levels compared
to the previous reporting period. Significantly,
only the Miami FD indicated less availability this
reporting period compared to the previous. (See
discussion on Florida on pages 20 - 22.)
According to the 2015 National Drug Threat Surveyiv
(NDTS), 15 percent of respondents nationwidev
indicated that CPDs were the greatest drug threat
in their areadown considerably from 2013 when
28 percent reported the same. (See Chart 3 and
Map A3 in Appendix A.) Additionally, the number
of respondents reporting high availability of CPDs
nationwide declined from 2014 (75.4%) to 2015
(56.7%). (See Map 3.) The OCDETF regionsvi with
the largest number of respondents ranking CPDs as
the greatest drug threat were New England, New
York/New Jersey, and the Southeast. (See Maps A4
and A6 in Appendix A and Table B1 in Appendix B.)
The significant decrease in the number of Florida/
Caribbean respondents reporting CPDs as the
greatest drug threat is largely due to successful law
enforcement initiatives and the implementation
Availability During
First Half 2014
Availability Compared
to Second Half 2013
High Stable
Moderate
Stable
Chicago Field Division
High Stable
Dallas Field Division
High Stable
Denver Field Division
High Stable
Detroit Field Division
High
More
El Paso Field Division
Moderate
Stable
Houston Field Division
Moderate
Stable
Los Angeles Field Division
High Stable
Miami Field Division
High
New England Field Division
High Stable
New Jersey Field Division
High Stable
New Orleans Field Division
High Stable
New York Field Division
High Stable
Philadelphia Field Division
High
Phoenix Field Division
High Stable
San Diego Field Division
High
More
Moderate
Stable
San Francisco Field Division
Less
More
Seattle Field Division
High Stable
St. Louis Field Division
High Stable
Washington Field Division
High Stable
Source: DEA
See Map A14 in Appendix A.
The National Drug Threat Survey, or NDTS, is conducted

annually to solicit information from a nationally
representative sample of state, local, and tribal
law enforcement agencies. The recipients of the
survey were queried on their perception of the drug
threat in their jurisdiction relative to the availability,
demand, transportation, and distribution of heroin,
methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, CPDs, and
synthetic drugs. In 2015, the survey was disseminated
to 2,761 recipients. There were 1,105 respondents from
across the country. From 2013 to 2015, the NDTS received
responses from 40 to 48 percent of those who received
the survey. The NDTS was conducted annually from 2000
to 2011 by the National Drug Intelligence Center.
iii
iv
vi
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NationalPrescription
Drug Threat Assessment
Summary
Controlled
Drugs (CPDs)
(U) Chart 3. OCDETF Regions Reporting CPDs

2014 - 2015
as
Greatest Drug Threat,
(U) DEAs Ninth Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Nets 309 Tons
of
Pills
Four years after creating the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Initiative, DEA hosted its ninth
one in September 2014, collecting 309 tons of unused or unwanted prescription drugs. This brought
the total amount of drugs collected in four years to 2,411 tons.
DEA began hosting the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in September 2010 because at that
time the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) made no legal provision for patients and their caregivers
to dispose of unwanted CPDs except to give them to law enforcement (it was illegal for hospitals
or pharmacies to accept unused or unwanted drugs). On September 9, 2014, DEA published
new disposal regulations in the Federal Register allowing certain authorized DEA registrants
(manufacturers, distributors, reverse distributors, narcotic treatment programs, retail pharmacies,
and hospital/clinics with an on-site pharmacy) to become authorized collectors.
of a state-wide Prescription Drug Monitoring
Programvii (PDMP) in Florida.
treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities

for non-heroin opiate/synthetic abuse in 2012
was 36.5 percent higher than the number in 2008;
Abuse
Survey, treatment, and demand data indicate high
levels of CPD abuse. The number of individuals
reporting current CPD abuse is second only to
marijuana and is more than those reporting abuse
of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA,
and PCP combined. (See Chart 4.) The number of
14
vii
A Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, or PDMP, is a

statewide electronic database, which collects designated
data on substances dispensed in the state. The PDMP is
housed by a specified statewide regulatory, administrative,
or law enforcement agency. The housing agency
distributes data from the database to individuals who are
authorized under state law to receive the information for
purposes of their profession.
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2015Controlled
National Drug
Threat Assessment
Prescription
DrugsSummary
(CPDs)
(U) Map 3. Percentage of NDTS Respondents Reporting High CPD Availability

Jurisdictions 2008 - 2011, 2013 - 2015viii
in their
however the number of admissions declined from

2011 to 2012. This decline can likely be attributed
to the number of CPD abusers using heroin, which
increased from 2011 to 2012. Many abusers, when
unable to obtain or afford CPDs, begin using
heroin, a cheaper alternative that offers similar
physiological effects.
first decline in 2012, the latest year for which

national-level data is available. In 2011, there
were 194,583 non-heroin-related opiate
admissions, but that number decreased 13
percent to 169,868 in 2012. (See Table B3 in
Appendix B.)
Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey data for
2014 show a decrease in adolescent trends for
past year CPD use. MTF queried 12th grade
students on CPD abuse and only 13.9 percent
of those surveyed indicated past year use of
CPDs, down from 15.0 percent in 2013. (See
Table B4 in Appendix B.)
The National Survey of Drug Use and Health

(NSDUH) data indicate slight declines in the
number of past month, past year, and lifetime
nonmedical users of psychotherapeutic
drugs. In 2012, there were 6.83 million
people aged 12 or older who reported
current (past month) non-medical use of
psychotherapeutic drugs. In 2013, that
number declined to 6.48 million. (See Chart 4
and Table B2 in Appendix B.)
According to Treatment Episode Data Set
(TEDS) information, non-heroin-related
opiate treatment admissions to publicly
funded treatment facilities increased every
year from 2002 to 2011, before posting its
In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control

(CDC) reported that drug misuse and abuse
caused approximately 2.5 million emergency
department visits. Of these, more than 1.4
million were CPD-related.
The National Drug Threat Survey was not administered in

2012.
viii
UNCLASSIFIED
15
UNCLASSIFIED
2015 NationalPrescription
Summary
Controlled
Drugs (CPDs)
(U) Chart 4. Number of Past Month, Nonmedical Users of Psychotherapeutic Drugs

Compared to Other Select Drugs of Abuse, 2009 - 2013
Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health
(U) Hydrocodone Combination Products
moved from
Schedule III
to
Schedule II
On August 22, 2014, DEA published in the Federal Register the Final Rule moving hydrocodone
combination products (HCPsix) from Schedule III to the more-restrictive Schedule II.
When Congress passed the CSA in 1970, it placed HCPs in Schedule III even though it had placed
hydrocodone in Schedule II. The current analysis of HCPs by Health and Human Services (HHS)
and the DEA shows HCPs have a high potential for abuse which may lead to severe psychological
or physical dependence. Adding nonnarcotic substances like acetaminophen to hydrocodone
does not diminish its abuse potential. Data and surveys from multiple federal and non-federal
agencies show the extent of abuse of HCPs. For example, MTF surveys of noncollege and collegeaged individuals found that twice as many people used the HCP Vicodin, nonmedically as used
OxyContin, a Schedule II substance, which is more tightly controlled. Vicodin was abused by 9.5
percent of the noncollege group and 4.4 percent of college students; the corresponding numbers
for OxyContin were 4.4 percent and 2.3 percent.
The purpose of this ruling is to minimize the misuse of HCPs for recreational purposes while still
ensuring that patients with severe pain have reasonable access to the amount of HCPs needed to
control their pain and suffering.

ix
16
Hydrocodone combination products (HCPs) are

pharmaceuticals containing specified doses of
hydrocodone in combination with other drugs, such as
acetaminophen, in specified amounts. These products are
approved for marketing for the treatment of pain and for
cough suppression.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015Controlled
National Drug
Threat Assessment
Prescription
DrugsSummary
(CPDs)
(U) Table 3. Drug Poisoning Deaths Involving Selected Illicit Drugs,

2007 - 2013

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Opioid analgesic 14,408 14,800 15,597 16,651 16,917 16,007 16,235

Cocaine
6,512 5,129 4,350 4,183 4,681 4,404 4,944
Heroin
2,402 3,041 3,278 3,036 4,397 5,927 8,257
Source: National Center for Health Statistics/Centers for Disease Control, Final death data for each calendar year
Drug overdose deaths have become the leading

cause of injury death in the United States. Each
day in the United States, over 120 people die as
a result of a drug overdose. The number of drug
poisoning deaths in 2013, the latest year for which
data is available, involving opioid analgesics is
substantial and outpaces the number of deaths for
cocaine and heroin combined. (See Table 3.)
DEA arrest data show that nearly 3,000 individuals
were arrested for CPD-related offenses in Fiscal
Year (FY) 2014, with just over half of them for
opioid-related offenses. However, the number of
CPD-related arrests has declined since FY2011. (See
Chart 5.)
Indianapolis, Indiana: On January 6,
2015, DEA and local law enforcement
officers arrested a physician and a nurse
practitioner on felony charges including
reckless prescribing, Medicaid fraud, forgery,

and registration offenses. Since 2002, this
physicianwho had been practicing for 20
yearshad operated the largest pain clinic
conglomerate in Indiana, with 13 clinics.
Since 2013, the excessive prescribing from
this health conglomerate was connected to
10 overdose deaths. Four nurse practitioners
from the clinics were responsible for writing
nearly 127,000 prescriptions over a two-year
period.
Diversion
According to the 2015 NDTS, nationwide, about half
of respondents indicated that diversion of narcotics
was high, similar to the percentage the previous
year. (See Table B5 in Appendix B.) Additionally,
another quarter indicated that narcotic diversion
(U) Chart 5. DEA CPD-related Domestic Arrests, Fiscal Years

2007 - 2014.
Source: DEA
UNCLASSIFIED
17
UNCLASSIFIED
Controlled
Drugs (CPDs)
2015
Summary
(U) Chart 6. Source Where Pain Relievers Were Obtained for Most Recent
Nonmedical Use among Past Year Users Aged 12 or Older: 2012 - 2013
Source Where User Obtained
More than One Doctor 2.6%
Source Where Friend/Relative Obtained

One Doctor
21.2%
Other1 4.3%
Bought on the
Internet 0.1%
Drug Dealer/Stranger
4.3%
Bought/Took from
Friend or Relative 14.6%
Free from
Friend or Relative
53.0%
One Doctor 83.8%
Other1 1.2%
More than One Doctor 3.3%

Free from Friend or Relative 5.1%
Bought/Took from Friend or Relative 4.9%
Drug Dealer/Stranger 1.4%
Bought on the Internet 0.3%
Source: NSDUH
(U) Chart 7. How Different Misusers of Pain Relievers Obtain Their Drugs
(Percentage)
Source: NSDUH
18
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015Controlled
National Drug
Threat Assessment
Prescription
DrugsSummary
(CPDs)
was moderate. Prescription opioid analgesics

specifically those containing oxycodone and
hydrocodoneare the most common type of CPDs
diverted and abused.
NSDUH data indicate that 53 percent of
nonmedical users of CPDs (pain relievers,
tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives) aged
12 or older got the prescription drugs they most
recently used from a friend or relative for free.
More than four in five of these nonmedical users
who obtained prescription drugs from a friend or
relative for free indicated that their friend or relative
had obtained the drugs from a single doctor. (See
Chart 6.) Further analysis of the NSDUH data
showed that as CPD users become more frequent
abusers, they more frequently obtained CPDs via
purchases from friends and family, street dealers, or
via the Internet. (See Chart 7.)
In addition to obtaining CPDs from friends and

family, CPDs are also frequently diverted from
the legitimate market or supply chain for illegal
distribution and abuse. Types of diversion include
doctor shopping, prescription fraud/forgery,
employee theft (from pharmacies, hospitals,
physician offices, etc.), non-therapeutic prescribing
by rogue practitioners, and burglaries or armed
robberies of pharmacies and drug distributors.
The amount of opioid CPDs available on the
legitimate market is significant and a large
percentage (over 80%) are oxycodone and
hydrocodone products. (See Chart 8.) Data
regarding legitimate commercial disbursal
of prescription opioids show the amount of
opioid CPDs disbursed to pharmacies, hospitals,
practitioners, and teaching institutions steadily
rose from 2006 to its peak in 2011, before declining
slightly to current levels. (See Table 4.)
(U) Chart 8. All Opioid CPDs Compared to the Number of Hydrocodone

Oxycodone CPDs Available on the Legitimate Market, 2006 - 2013
and
Source: DEA
(U Table 4. Number of Dosage Units of Opioid Narcotics Disbursed

Distributors by Manufacturers, 2006 - 2014*

to
US
IN BILLIONS
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Opioids 11.7 13.2 14.2 15.2 16.0 17.2 16.9 16.2 12.0
*January to September 2014.
Source: DEA
UNCLASSIFIED
19
UNCLASSIFIED
2015
Summary
Controlled
Drugs (CPDs)
(U) Table 5. Number of Dosage Units of Opioid

Narcotics Lost, 2009 - 2014

IN MILLIONS
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Opioids
12.1 12.5 19.5 13.1 11.5 10.7

Source: DEA
(U) Table 6. Total Number of Prescription Drug

Armed Robberies, 2009 - 2014

Total
Number

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
746 771 711 802 736 808

Source: DEA
While the percentage of opioid narcotics that are

diverted from the legitimate market is smallless
than 1 percent of what is legitimately available
that amount still totaled more than 10 million
dosage units in 2014. (See Table 5.)
CPD diversion by robbery and theft is increasing
in some areas of the United States. According to
the DEA Drug Theft and Loss Database, the total
number of armed robberiesx of DEA registrants
where prescription drugs were stolen has
fluctuated but increased overall since 2009 (See
Table 6). In 2014, California, Nevada, New Mexico,
and Oklahoma reported a significant increase in the
number of armed robberies from the previous year.
(See Map A7 in Appendix A.)
Florida: Legislative and Law

Enforcement Measures Curb Diversion
Rogue pain management clinics, commonly
referred to as pill mills, have contributed greatly to
the extensive availability of illicit CPDs in the United
States. Florida, long embattled by illegal pill mills
and unscrupulous physicians, has recently seen a
significant decline in the CPD threat. Successful law
enforcement initiatives and the implementation
of a state-wide PDMP in September 2011 have
contributed to reductions in the number of
treatment admissions, doctor shopping episodes,
and overdose deaths.
According to the 2015 NDTS, only 8.2 percent
of respondents in the Florida/Caribbean
OCDETF region reported CPDs as the greatest
drug threat. This is a significant decline from
2013 when over 60 percent reported CPDs as
the greatest drug threat and from 2014 when
over 52 percent reported the same. (See
Table 7.)
Baltimore, Maryland: In December 2014,

seven individuals hijacked a pharmaceutical
delivery truck in Baltimore at gunpoint.
The truck and driver were taken to another
location in Baltimore where approximately
87 cases of Schedule II and Schedule III
narcotics were removed from the delivery
truck and transported to a waiting truck.
The pharmaceutical truck driver was left
abandoned at the second location.
Des Moines, Iowa: In October 2014, a woman
was arrested for robbing a local pharmacy.
She told an employee that a man was outside
with her children, threatening to harm them
unless she returned with Dilaudid, a Schedule
II opioid analgesic. The pharmacist gave her 6
bottles containing a total of 542 pills.
20
The number of non-heroin opiate treatment

admissions in Florida increased 540 percent
from 2002 to 2011. However, since the Florida
PDMP, E-FORCSE, was funded in 2011,
The DEA Drug, Theft, and Loss Database compiles

information as reported by DEA registrants on armed
robberies, customer theft, employee pilferage, CPDs lost in
transit, and night break-ins at analytical labs, distributors,
exporters, hospitals/clinics, importers, manufacturers, midlevel practitioners, pharmacies, practitioners, researchers,
reverse distributors, and teaching institutions. Data are
self-reported by registrants.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015Controlled
National Drug
Threat Assessment
Prescription
DrugsSummary
(CPDs)
(U) Chart 9. Non-heroin Opioid/Synthetics Treatment Admissions, Florida Number

of Admissions Aged 12 and Older, 2002 - 2012
Source: Treatment Episode Data Set
(U) Table 7. 2015 NDTS Florida/

Caribbean Respondents Reporting CPDs
as Greatest Drug Threat
(U) Florida Pill Mill Arrests

In January 2015, a Tampa physician and his
wife were arrested for conspiracy to possess
with intent to distribute oxycodone and
conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The physician is also facing substantive
counts charging him with multiple drug
toxicity deaths of three individuals dating
back to 2011. The physician operated out
of his Pinellas Park pain clinic and wrote
prescriptions for various drugs, charging
$300 cash or credit per patient visit.
The physicians wife handled all monies
generated by the pain clinic transferring
large sums into and out of local Tampa area
banks, as well as money transfers to Canada.
This three-year investigation resulted in the
seizure of $2.6 million in assets, including
currency, gold coins, jewelry, vehicles, and
real property.
PERCENTAGE
OCDETF Region 2013 2014 2015
Florida/Caribbean 60.4 52.5 8.2

the number of treatment admissions have

declined 41 percent from 2011 to 2012. (See
Chart 9).
According to E-FORCSE, there has been a 53
percent drop in doctor shopping episodes
since the implementation of the PDMP.
In 2009, CPD overdoses in Florida were
attributed to one in eight deaths. However,
since the implementation of the PDMP, the
number of oxycodone deaths declined over
27 percent from 2012 to 2013.
The reformulationxi of OxyContin in 2010, has
also contributed to the decline in CPD abuse
indicators. At the height of the CPD abuse problem,
OxyContin was, by far, the most commonly
abused CPD in Florida and in the United States. By
2010, drug manufacturers and distributors were
disseminating over 650.8 million dosage units
of oxycodone products to Florida dispensaries.
xi
OxyContin was reformulated to include a tamperresistant ingredient that made it more difficult to abuse
and made it less potent to those who did abuse the drug.
The reformulated version can still be abused if crushed
and taken orally, but does not provide as potent a high,
because the pieces still retain some of their time-release
ingredient, which delays absorption.
UNCLASSIFIED
21
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015
Summary
Controlled
Drugs (CPDs)
for 25 days in 2011 during which he wrote

prescriptions for 196 patients. The patients
had traveled to Georgia from Kentucky, Ohio,
and Florida. Eight other individuals, who
either organized or worked for the clinic,
some of whom had no medical education
or training, were also charged. The clinic
organizers had been associated with pill mill
operations in Florida, but relocated to Georgia
after changes in Florida law restricted nonmedical doctors from owning pain clinics.
(U) Florida CPD Facts 2009 - 2011

In 2009, one in eight deaths in Florida was
attributable to CPD overdose.
By 2010, 90 of the top 100 physicians
purchasing oxycodone in the United
States were located in Florida.
There were more than 2,500 overdose
deaths in 2010 and again in 2011.
In 2011, a statewide public health
emergency was declared on the
prescription drug problem.
However, by 2013, that number had declined more

than 51 percent to only 317.8 million dosage units.
(See Chart 10.)
During the height of the Florida pill mill problem,
traffickers from numerous other states traveled
to Florida to obtain multi-hundred dosage units
of prescription narcotics. However, since the
implementation of Floridas PDMP, many of the pill
mill physicians began relocating from Florida to
other states, such as Georgia and Massachusetts. As
a result, traffickers and abusers are now traveling to
neighboring states such as Alabama, Georgia, and
Tennessee to obtain CPDs. Incidentally, although
Georgias PDMP became operational in January
2013, the state was unable to secure grant funding
to keep the PDMP operating past September 2015.
Orlando, Florida: In September 2014, two
individuals were sentenced for their role in
a multi-state prescription organization. The
head of this organization arranged for fellow
members to travel to Florida from Puerto Rico
and Massachusetts to obtain CPDs, primarily
oxycodone. Once the CPDs were obtained
from Florida pharmacies, the drugs were
mailed back to Massachusetts for distribution.
Savannah, Georgia: In August 2014, a
Georgia physician was sentenced to over 11
years in prison for his part in writing excessive
prescriptions for oxycodone. The physician
worked for a Georgia pain management clinic
22
Atlanta, Georgia: In June 2014, two area

physicians were each sentenced to 15 years in
prison on federal drug and money laundering
charges. The two individuals owned and
operated a pain clinic, which served as a
front for the mass distribution of pain killers,
primarily oxycodone. One of the physicians
sentenced had relocated his pill mill operation
to Georgia after being acquitted for similar
charges of running a Florida pill mill.
Economic Impact of Prescription Drug
Abuse
The economic impact of prescription drug abuse
is significant. Healthcare costs were expected to
surpass $3 trillion by 2014. The most conservative
estimate of the amount of total healthcare
expenditures lost to fraud is three percent;
however, that equates to over $70 billion annually.
Losses attributed to wasteful spending, including
fraud and abuse, may actually be as high as 30
percent of healthcare expenditures.
Unscrupulous physicians add to the health care
burden in the United States. In pill mills across the
country, most physicians accept cash payments
from patients and some often file claims with
private insurance companies and Medicare/
Medicaid. Corrupt pharmacists also contribute to
burgeoning health care costs in the United States.
Miami, Florida: In June 2014, a Miami
Beach physician was sentenced for his role
in a Medicare fraud scheme. The physician
admitted to executing a scheme to defraud
the Medicare program and attempting to
cause a loss in excess of $2.5 million dollars.
He was ordered to forfeit $1.6 million dollars
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015Controlled
National Drug
Threat Assessment
Prescription
DrugsSummary
(CPDs)
and his Miami residence, as well as pay nearly

$1.65 million in restitution to the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services, the amount
of loss suffered by the Medicare program.
Boston, Massachusetts: In March 2014, a
physician specializing in pain management
was charged with overbilling the Medicare
program. This doctor overbooked patient
appointments, often with as many as four
patients per slot, and trained physician
assistants and registered nurses to overbill
the Medicare program. This physician owned
pain management clinics in Massachusetts
and Rhode Island and reportedly billed
Medicare nearly $3.5 million in 2012.
(U) Twin Brother Pharmacists

Sentenced to Prison for Health
Care Fraud
In March 2014, two Newark, New Jersey
pharmaciststwin brotherswere each
sentenced to 42 months in prison for
reaping at least $15 million by defrauding
patients, Medicaid, and private insurance
companies over the previous 15 years. These
pharmacists devised a multifaceted system in
which they:
Outlook
CPD availability and abuse will continue to pose
a significant drug threat to the United States. The
implementation of legislation and successful
law enforcement efforts have proven effective
in various areas of the country. However, as
these measures succeed in one area, abusers and
traffickers move their operations to parts of the
country in which PDMPs do not exist or are not fully
funded, thereby increasing the CPD threat in a new
area.
Under-filled prescriptions, yet billed

Medicaid and private insurers for a
fully-filled prescription.
Substituted generic drugs,
unbeknownst to the patient, and
billed Medicaid and private insurance
companies for the full cost of the
brand-name drug.
Filled outstanding refills without a
patients knowledge or consent, and
filed insurance claims.
Purchased prescription drugs back
from existing patients and reused
those drugs to fill other patients
prescriptions, before billing Medicaid or
private insurance companies.
Purchased heavily discounted
prescription drugs from non-licensed
wholesalers and billed Medicaid and
private insurers for the full costs of the
drug.
UNCLASSIFIED
23
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015
Summary
Controlled
Drugs (CPDs)
24
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Heroin
(U) Map 4. Percentage
of
NDTS Respondents Reporting High Heroin Availability,

2008 - 2011, 2013 - 2015
Overview
The threat posed by heroin in the United States
is serious and has increased since 2007. Heroin
is available in larger quantities, used by a larger
number of people, and is causing an increasing
number of overdose deaths. Increased demand
for, and use of, heroin is being driven by both
increasing availability of heroin in the US market
and by some CPD abusers using heroin. CPD
abusers who begin using heroin do so chiefly
because of price differences, but also because of
availability, and the reformulation of OxyContin, a
commonly abused prescription opioid.
Heroin overdose deaths are increasing in many
cities and counties across the United States,
particularly in the Northeast area (the Mid-Atlantic,
New England, and New York/New Jersey OCDETF
Regions), as well as areas of the Midwest. Possible
reasons for these increases in overdose deaths

include an overall increase in heroin users; high
purity batches of heroin reaching certain markets,
causing users to accidentally overdose; an increase
in new heroin initiates, many of whom are young
and inexperienced; abusers of prescription opioids
(drugs with a set dosage amount and no other
adulterants) initiating use of heroin, an illicitlymanufactured drug with varying purities, dosage
amounts, and adulterants; and the use of highly
toxic heroin adulterants such as fentanyl in certain
markets. Further, heroin users who have stopped
using heroin for a period of time (due to treatment
programs, incarceration, etc.) and subsequently
return to using heroin are particularly susceptible
to overdose, because their tolerance for the drug
has decreased.
UNCLASSIFIED
25
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015
National Drug Threat Assessment Summary
Heroin
DEA heroin arrests nearly doubled between 2007

(2,434) and 2014 (4,780).
According to the 2015 NDTS, 38 percent of
respondents reported heroin was the greatest drug
threat in their area; more than for any other drug.
Since 2007, the percentage of NDTS respondents
reporting heroin as the greatest threat has steadily
grown, from 8 percent in 2007 to 38 percent in
2014. (See Chart 2 in the Executive Summary and
Map A8 in Appendix A.)
(U) Table 8: DEA Field Division Reporting

of Heroin Availability in the
First Half of 2014 and
Field Division
to Second Half 2013
High Stable
Moderate
Stable
High
More
Availability
Moderate
More
Moderate
Stable
Reporting from federal, state, and local law

enforcement agencies indicates heroin availability
is increasing in areas throughout the nation.
Availability levels are highest in the Northeast and
areas of the Midwest. (See Map 4.)
According to the 2015 NDTS, 53 percent of

respondents said heroin availability was high
or moderate in their areas. In addition, 65
percent of respondents reported that heroin
availability was increasing and 64 percent said
that heroin demand was increasing.
DEA investigative reporting shows increasing
heroin availability in cities throughout the
United States. Ten of DEAs 21 FDs reported
that heroin availability was high during
the first half of 2014; all others reported
availability was moderate. Seven FDs
reported heroin availability across the Division
area of responsibility (AOR) was increasing
from the previous reporting period. (See
Table 8.)
Seizure data also indicate a substantial
increase in heroin availability in the United
States. According to National Seizure
System (NSS) data, heroin seizures in the
United States increased 81 percent over
five years, from 2,763 kilograms in 2010 to
5,014 kilograms in 2014. (See Chart 10.)
Traffickers are also transporting heroin in
larger amounts. The average size of a heroin
seizure in 2010 was 0.86 kilograms; in 2014,
the average heroin seizure was 1.74 kilograms.
Law enforcement officials in cities across
26
Availability During
First Half 2014
High Stable
Moderate
Stable
Moderate
Stable

High Stable
Moderate
More
High Stable
High Stable
Moderate
More
High Stable
High
More
Moderate
Stable
Moderate
More
Moderate
More

High Stable
Moderate
Stable
High Stable
Source: DEA Field Division Reporting
the country report seizing larger than normal

quantities of heroin over the past two years.
Availability by Heroin Type

Most of the heroin available in the United States
comes from Mexico and Colombia. (See Chart 11.)
Despite significant decreases in Colombian heroin
production between 2001 and 2009, South
American heroin continues to be the predominant
type available in eastern US markets. While
Southwest Asia supplies most of the worlds heroin,
very little makes it way to the United States; most
Southwest Asian heroin supplies markets in Africa,
Asia, and Europe. Southeast Asia was once the
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Heroin
(U) Chart 10. Heroin Seizures
in the
United States, 2010 - 2014
Source: EPIC National Seizure System
(U) Chart 11. Source
of
Origin for US Wholesale-level Heroin Seizures,

1977 - 2012
Source: Heroin Signature Program
UNCLASSIFIED
27
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015
Heroin
dominant supplier of heroin in the United States,

but Southeast Asian heroin is now rarely detected
in US markets. Mexico and, to a lesser extent,
Colombia dominate the US heroin market, because
of their proximity, established transportation and
distribution infrastructure, and ability to satisfy US
heroin demand.
Production of White Heroin in

Mexico
Alleged Mexican White (AMW) heroin is a South
American-heroin-like powder that is most likely
made from Mexico-produced poppies, with
morphine extracted by Mexican or South American
methods, and processed into heroin hydrochloride
using South American processing methods. The
DEA Special Testing and Research Laboratory
(SFL1), which uses signature analysis to determine
the geographic source region of heroin samples,
has analyzed an increasing number of Mexicosourced heroin samples, as well as heroin samples
of an unknown classification. The unknown
samples are found primarily in the Eastern and
Midwestern United States, where South American
heroin typically dominates the market. Seizure
data indicate that these unknowns are Mexicoproduced. When they are seized in transit they are
routinely seized at or near the Southwest Border,
and also along trafficking routes to markets in the
Midwest established by Mexican organizations over
the past two decades. This indicates that Mexican
TCOs may be producing white heroin in Mexico and
also may be mixing South American heroin with
Mexican brown powder heroin to create a product
more appealing to white powder markets in the
eastern United States. Further, DEA investigative
reporting indicates Mexican TCOs are producing
white heroin. SFL1 has established a formal
signature of this type of heroin.
The suspected production of white powder heroin
in Mexico is important because it indicates that
Mexican traffickers are positioning themselves
to take even greater control of the US heroin
market. It also indicates that Mexican traffickers
may rely less on relationships with South American
heroin sources-of-supply, primarily in Colombia,
in the future. If Mexican TCOs can produce their
own white powder heroin, there will be no need
to purchase white powder heroin from South
28
(U) Southwest Asian Heroin: A Small

Part of the US Heroin Market
Southwest Asian (SWA) heroin is the most
common type of heroin produced in the
world; however, its availability in the US
market is very low. In 2012, SWA heroin
accounted for only four percent of the total
weight of heroin classified by the HSP. SWA
heroin is available in the United States in
some major metropolitan areas such as
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New
York City, Pittsburgh, and Washington, DC;
however, it is available at much lower levels
than heroin sourced from South America or
Mexico.
The small amount of SWA heroin available in
the United States is generally transported by
West African, primarily Nigerian, traffickers,
via commercial air, into large cities in the
eastern United States. SWA heroin is more
commonly found is in eastern US cities
because it is a white powder heroin, which
meets regional market demands.
According to Canadian law enforcement,
SWA heroin is the predominant type of
heroin available in Canada, but it does not
appear to be entering the United States
across the Northern Border. SWA heroin
in Canada is currently cost prohibitive for
the US market. In the first half of 2014, a
kilogram of SWA heroin in Canada cost an
average of $95,000 per kilogram while a
kilogram of South American white powder
heroin in the United States cost an average
of $63,360. Further, SWA heroin traffickers
cannot compete with the transportation and
distribution networks of Mexican and South
American organizations in the United States.
America to meet demand in the United States.

This would also reinforce Mexican TCOs poly-drug
trafficking model and ensure their domination
of all major illicit drug markets (heroin, cocaine,
methamphetamine, and marijuana) in the United
States.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Heroin
(U) Chart 12. Signature Source for Retail-level Heroin Purchased

Western US Cities, 1999 - 2012
in
Source: Heroin Domestic Monitor Program

Eastern US Cities, 1999 - 2012
in
UNCLASSIFIED
29
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015
Heroin

Louis, 1999 - 2012
in
St.
(U) The DEAs Heroin Signature

Program and Heroin Domestic
Monitor Program
The DEAs HSP and HDMP provide in-depth
chemical analysis on the source area origin
and purity of heroin found in the United
States. Since 1977, the HSP has reported
the geographic source and purity of heroin
seized at ports-of-entry, as well as wholesalelevel seizures within the United States. Each
year, chemists at SFL1 perform in-depth
chemical analyses on 500 to 900 samples to
assign geographic origin based on authentic
samples obtained from the heroin producing
regions around the world. The HDMP,
initiated in the New York FD in 1979, provides
data on the price, purity, and geographic
origin of street level (retail-level) heroin
purchased in 27 US cities.xii Both programs
provide a snapshot of the US heroin market.
Since not all heroin seizures in the United
States are submitted for analysis, the source
area proportions should not be characterized
as market share.
30
For at least the past 30 years the retail US heroin

market has been roughly divided by the Mississippi
River, with Mexican black tar and brown powder
heroin dominating west of the Mississippi and
white powder heroin (most recently South
American) more common in the East. There are a
few markets that do not conform to this description
(for example, there are markets in Ohio and North
and South Carolina where Mexican black tar heroin
is used), but these are exceptions. Data from the
DEA Heroin Domestic Monitor Program (HDMP)
shows the majority of retail-level heroin purchased
in eastern US markets was South American in type,
while almost all of the heroin purchased at the
retail level in western US markets was Mexican in
type. (See Charts 12 and 13.) The Miami FD was the
only DEA FD to have 2014 HDMP purchase exhibits
of both Mexican and South American heroin
signatures. Heroin purchases in St. Louis indicate a
heroin market in flux, as availability has transitioned
from black tar heroin to white powder heroin. (See
Chart 14.)
xii
Albuquerque, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas,

Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
Orleans, New York City, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia ,
Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Richmond, San Antonio,
San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan, Seattle, St. Louis, and
Washington DC.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Heroin
(U) Chart 15. Current Heroin Users, 2007 - 2013
Use
National-level treatment, survey, and
epidemiological data indicate heroin use and
demand are increasing. Indicators of increased use
were reported in cities across the United States in
2014, particularly in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic
states.
According to TEDS information, primary
heroin-related treatment admissions to
publicly funded facilities stayed relatively
stable between 2008 (281,410) and 2012
(285,451). (See Table B3 in Appendix B.)
Of the total number of users admitted for
heroin-related treatment in 2012, 67.4 percent
reported their frequency of use as daily and
70.6 percent reported their preferred route of
administration as injection.
Repeated sessions of treatment are often
necessary for heroin users. In 2012, 80
percent of the primary heroin admissions
had been in treatment prior to the current
episode, and 27 percent had been in
treatment five or more times.
From 2002 through 2012, heroin treatment
admission rates were consistently highest in
the New England and Mid-Atlantic states.
According to the NSDUH, the number of

heroin users reporting current (past month)
use increased by 80 percent between 2007
and 2012. (See Chart 15.) There was an
83 percent increase in users who reported
past year heroin use during that time, and a
26 percent increase in users who reported
lifetime heroin use.
NSDUH data also indicate an increase in the
number of people who initiated heroin use in
the past year. The estimated number of new
heroin initiates fluctuated but increased 43
percent overall between 2004 (118,000) and
2013 (169,000).
CPD Abusers Using Heroin

Some CPD abusers are initiating heroin use,
which is contributing to the increased demand
for and use of heroin. This trend represents a
continuing opioid abuse problem in the United
States. CPD abusers and heroin users are all
classified as opioid abusers. CPD abusers who
begin using heroin should not be viewed as
quitting one type of drug and starting another;
rather, these are opioid abusers who started their
abuse with one type of opioid and are also using
another type of opioid: heroin. Heroin use is a
progression of an untreated substance use disorder.
It is also important to realize that in earlier decades
UNCLASSIFIED
31
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Heroin
(U) Chart 16. Percentage of the Total Heroin-Dependent Sample that Used
Heroin or a Prescription Opioid as Their First Opioid of Abuse
*Note: 2010s data includes only 2010 to 2013.
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry; Cicero, Theodore J., PhD;
Matthew S. Ellis, MPE; Hilary L. Surratt. PhD; Steven P. Kurtz, PhD, The Changing Face of
Heroin Use in the United States: A Retrospective Analysis of the Past 50 Years, July 2014.
prescribers only provided patients with opioids in

rare circumstances (e.g., for terminal cancer). The
present era is the first time in many decades where
much of the US population has had appreciable
exposure to prescription opioids.
This trend has been consistently reported by
law enforcement and treatment officials in areas
throughout the United States. A recent NSDUH
study found that, from 2002 to 2011, heroin use was
19 times higher among those who had previously
used pain reliever CPDs non-medically. The study
also found that four out of five recent heroin
initiates had previously abused pain relieving CPDs.
While the number of CPD abusers initiating heroin
use was a relatively small percentage of the total
number of CPD abusers from 2002 to 2011 (an
estimated 3.6%), it represented a large percentage
of new heroin initiates (79.5%).
Research indicates those CPD abusers who begin
using heroin do so because of price differences,
availability differences, and the reformulation of
OxyContin, a commonly abused prescription
opioid. A 2014 study examined heroin-dependent
individuals who started their use in each decade
from the 1960s to the 2010s. The study found
32
that most users in the 1960s started their opioid

use with heroin; however, that steadily changed
until the 2000s, when 75 percent of heroindependent users in the study reported starting
their use with prescription opioids. (See Chart 16.)
More than 90 percent of the prescription opioid
abusers who began using heroin did so because
of the high it provided and because it was more
readily accessible and much less expensive than
prescription opioids. The study also found that
there seemed to be widespread acceptance of
heroin use among those who abused opioid drugs.
Further, a 2012 study examining the effects of the
reformulation of OxyContin found 66 percent of
patients studied indicated switching to another
opioid, with heroin the most common response.
It is important to note that the OxyContin
reformulation appears to have been successful
both in helping to curb abuse of the drug and in
reducing overdose deaths. In 2011, emergency
department visits involving oxycodone declined
for the first time after steadily rising since 2004, and
overdose deaths involving opioid analgesics began
to decrease in 2011, after more than a decade of
steady increases. The reformulation will also help to
prevent new users from beginning opioid abuse.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015 National
Drug Threat Assessment Summary
Heroin
(U) Chart 17. Drug-poisoning Deaths Involving Heroin, 1999 - 2013
Note: Heroin includes opium.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics/Centers for Disease Control,

Final death data for each calendar year
(U) Heroin Deaths Are Often

Undercounted
Heroin deaths are often undercounted because
of variations in state reporting procedures, and
because heroin metabolizes into morphine
very quickly in the body, making it difficult
to determine the presence of heroin. Many
medical examiners (MEs) are reluctant to
characterize a death as heroin-related without
the presence of 6-monoaceytlmorphine
(6-MAM), a metabolite unique to heroin, but
which quickly metabolizes into morphine.
Thus many heroin deaths are reported as
morphine-related deaths. Further, there is no
standardized system for reporting drug-related
deaths in the United States. The manner of
collecting and reporting death data varies with
each ME and coroner.
Overdose Deaths
The number of heroin-related overdose deaths
in the United States has increased significantly,
rising 244 percent between 2007 and 2013. There
has been a particularly sharp increase in deaths
since 2010. (See Chart 17.)
Heroin, while used by a smaller number of people

than other major drugs, is much more deadly
to its users. The population that currently uses
prescription pain relievers non-medically was
approximately 15 times the size of the heroin user
population in 2013; however, opioid analgesicinvolved overdose deaths in 2013 were only twice
that of heroin-involved deaths. Current cocaine
users outnumbered heroin users by approximately
5 times in 2013, but heroin-involved overdose
deaths were almost twice those of cocaine. Deaths
involving heroin are also increasing at a much faster
rate than for other illicit drugs, more than tripling
between 2007 (2,402) and 2013 (8,257).
Possible reasons for the increase in heroin overdose
deaths include an overall increase in heroin users;
high-purity batches of heroin reaching certain
markets, causing users to accidentally overdose; an
increase in new heroin initiates, many of whom are
young and inexperienced; abusers of prescription
opioids (drugs with a set dosage amount and
no other adulterants) initiating use of heroin, an
illicitly-manufactured drug with varying purities,
dosage amounts, and adulterants; and the presence
of highly toxic heroin adulterants such as fentanyl
in certain markets. Further, heroin users who have
stopped using heroin for a period of time (due
to treatment programs, incarceration, etc.) and
subsequently return to using heroin are particularly
susceptible to overdose, because their tolerance for
the drug has decreased.
UNCLASSIFIED
33
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015
Heroin
Death data may not be representative of

user locations
Heroin overdose data may be over-accounting
for cities that are heroin distribution centers, and
under-accounting for outlying areas. Many law
enforcement agencies have reported that overdose
numbers in their communities include a significant
number of deaths of non-residents. Heroin users
from suburban and rural areas are traveling to
distribution cities, usually in more urban areas,
using heroin, and overdosing in those cities, which
causes the overdose statistic (hospital admission,
death data, etc.) to be counted in the city where
the user overdosed instead of the users city of
residence. A 2014 snapshot study of Camden, New
Jersey, heroin overdoses, conducted by the New
Jersey State Police Regional Operations Intelligence
Center (ROIC), found that only 40 percent of the
overdose cases were Camden residents; 60 percent
had come from outlying areas. In Washington, DC,
a significant portion of the people who purchase,
use, and overdose on heroin in the District were
found to have travelled there from the numerous
communities surrounding the city. This trend is
notable because law enforcement and treatment
officials in these outlying areas may be unaware of
the magnitude of heroin use in their communities.
Naloxone (Narcan)
In response to increasing overdoses caused by
the use of heroin and other opioids, many law
enforcement agencies are training officers to
administer naloxone, a prescription drug that can
reverse the effects of opioid overdose, and ensure
follow-up medical attention. Naloxone can be
nasally-administered and generally has no adverse
effect if administered to a person who is not
suffering from opioid overdose.
In April 2014, the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) approved Evzio, a device that delivers a
single dose of naloxone via a hand-held autoinjector. Evzio is injected into the muscle
(intramuscular) or under the skin (subcutaneous).
Once turned on, the device provides verbal
instruction to the user describing how to deliver the
medication, similar to automated defibrillators. It
is the first naloxone treatment specifically designed
to be given by family members or caregivers.
34
Some areas reported shortages of naloxone

and substantial price increases in late 2014. In
Massachusetts, the price per kit (2 atomizers and
2 vials) increased from $42 to $75 and naloxone
was back-ordered for several months. The price
increases for naloxone will have a significant impact
on public health and law enforcement budgets.
However, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the
manufacturer of naloxone, has reached agreements
with the states of New York and Ohio to offer a
rebate of six dollars per dose to state public entities
that purchase naloxone. The rebate will also
automatically increase, dollar-for-dollar, to match
any future growth in wholesale naloxone prices.
Production
Poppy cultivation
Opium poppy is produced in four major source
areas of the world: Southwest Asia,xiii Southeast
Asia,xiv Mexico,xv and South America. Southwest
Asia produces, by far, the majority of the worlds
heroin; however, very little of the heroin produced
in Southwest Asia supplies US markets. Most of the
heroin produced in Southwest Asia is consumed in
Europe and Asia. Likewise, very little of the heroin
produced in Southeast Asia is transported to the
United States. The majority of the heroin produced
in Southeast Asia is consumed in that region and in
Australia. Mexico is the primary supplier of heroin
to the United States. Opium poppy cultivation in
Mexico has increased significantly in recent years
reaching 17,000 hectares in 2014, with an estimated
pure potential production of 42xvi metric tons of
heroin. This increase was driven in part by Mexican
organizations shift to increased heroin trafficking.
In 2014, the US Government estimated that 800
hectares of opium poppy were under cultivation in
Colombia, sufficient to produce about two metric
Mainly Afghanistan, also Pakistan.
xiii
Mainly Burma, also Laos and Thailand.
xiv
xv
Small amounts are also produced in neighboring

Guatemala.
xvi
The potential production of 42 metric tons may be an

overestimate or an underestimate of the actual figure.
There are no recent, reliable crop yield studies of opium
poppy in Mexico, thus it is impossible to estimate potential
heroin production in Mexico with high confidence.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Heroin
(U) Chart 18. Heroin Seizures
at the
Southwest Border, 2000 - 2014
Source: EPIC National Seizure System
tons of pure heroin. The DEA Intelligence Division

assesses that opium poppy cultivation in Colombia
remains limited.
Heroin Milling in the United States
Heroin is commonly milled (wholesale quantities
broken down and packaged into mid-level and
retail quantities) in the United States. Wholesale
quantities of heroin are delivered to the mill
location (usually a private home or apartment)
where members of the trafficking organization
break the heroin down into smaller quantities.
Heroin baggers can be paid as much as several
thousand dollars per shipment for their labor.
Kilogram- and pound-sized blocks are broken down
using blenders or food processors, and diluents
and adulterants such as lactose, mannitol, and
quinine are added to the heroin. The heroin is then
repackaged for mid-level or retail sale.
Heroin mills are most commonly seized in the
New York City metropolitan area. In 2014, DEA
dismantled 13 heroin mills in the New York FD AOR.
DEA reporting also indicates heroin trafficking
organizations are operating heroin mills and stash
locations in the suburbs and more affluent areas
of New York City and nearby states, because these
groups believe they will avoid interdiction by law
enforcement and theft by other organizations.
Transportation
Heroin is most commonly brought to the United
States overland across the Southwest Border
(mostly Mexican heroin, some South American
heroin) or transported by couriers on commercial
airlines (South American, Southwest Asian, and
Southeast Asian heroin). Seizures at the Southwest
Border are rising as Mexican TCOs increase heroin
production and transportation. Heroin seizures
at the border more than doubled over five years,
from 2010 (1,016 kilograms) to 2014 (2,188
kilograms), most likely due to increased Mexican
heroin smuggling and enhanced law enforcement
efforts along the border. (See Chart 18.) Most
heroin smuggled across the border is transported
in privately-owned vehicles, usually through
California, as well as through south Texas.
In 2014, more than half of US Customs and
Border Protection (CBP) heroin seizures at the
Southwest Border were seized in the southern
California corridors of San Diego and El
Centro; seizures in both corridors increased
from 2013. Seizures in the South Texas
corridors of Laredo and Rio Grande Valley,
while decreasing from 2013, still represent a
significant portion of the heroin seized at the
Southwest Border. (See Map 5.)
UNCLASSIFIED
35
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Heroin
(U) Map 5. 2014 Change
in
Heroin Trafficking
in the
CBP Corridors
Source: DEA and US Customs and Border Protection
in
California,
Kilograms
(U) Chart 19. Heroin Seized by the DEA Los Angeles FD

FY 2005 - FY 2014
Source: DEA Los Angeles Field Division Seizure Data
36
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Heroin
(U) Chart 20. Heroin Seized by the DEA Dallas FD,

FY 2009 - FY 2013
Source: DEA Dallas Field Division Seizure Data
Heroin is still commonly transported by couriers

on commercial aircraft, particularly to the New York
City metropolitan area. JFK International Airport in
New York City is the primary arrival point for heroin
couriers, usually carrying South American and, to
a lesser extent, Southwest Asian heroin. Heroin is
also commonly seized at airports in Miami, Newark,
and Orlando.
More Heroin Transiting Western States
As more heroin enters the United States through
the Southwest Border, the western states roles as
heroin transit areas are increasing. Reporting from
several western states indicates heroin is transiting
those areas in greater volumes and in larger
shipment sizes.
Los Angeles, California: Reporting from the
DEA Los Angeles shows a notable increase
in the volume of heroin transiting southern
California during the past three FYs. (See
Chart 19.) The increase in heroin seized in
Los Angeles FD cases was not the result
of a higher number of incidences, but of
larger-sized seizures. The median seizure
size increased from 26 grams in FY2010 to a
kilogram in FY2014.
Dallas, Texas: In the DEA Dallas FD AOR,
in addition to Mexican black tar or brown
powder heroin, which are the primary types
used in the Dallas area, bulk seizures of white

powder heroin passing through the area have
occurred, destined for East Coast markets.
DEA heroin seizures in the Dallas-Fort Worth
area have increased significantly since
FY2009. (See Chart 20.)
Seattle, Washington: The DEA Seattle FD
reports seizing heroin in larger amounts in
recent years. Seizures are now commonly
6 to 12 pounds in size. In one notable 2014
investigation, approximately 35 pounds of
Mexican black tar heroin were seized from the
trunk of a car.
Phoenix, Arizona: In the Phoenix
metropolitan area, up until 2008, only multiounce quantities of heroin were seized
and the seizure of a pound was considered
significant. Now, kilogram quantities
of heroin are commonly seized, usually
transiting the area.
Denver, Colorado: Heroin shipment sizes in
the DEA Denver FD AOR are increasing. A few
years ago a large shipment of heroin for the
Denver area was one to five pounds in size;
now heroin shipments of 10 to 12 pounds are
common.
Salt Lake City, Utah: Law enforcement in Salt
Lake City report a sizeable influx of heroin
UNCLASSIFIED
37
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Heroin
into that area. The DEA Metro Narcotics

Task Force seized 31 pounds of heroin over
the course of a single investigation in 2014.
Mexican organizations operating out of
Sinaloa and Nayarit, Mexico increasingly send
multi-pound quantities of heroin to Utah
using couriers.
Distribution
Mexican traffickers are expanding their
operations to gain a larger share of eastern US
heroin markets. Mexican traffickers already control
many western US heroin markets where Mexican
heroin is commonly used. However, heroin use
in the United States is much more prevalent in
the Northeast and Midwest areas, where white
powder heroin is used. The largest, most lucrative
heroin markets in the United States are the big
white powder markets in major eastern cities: New
York City and the surrounding metropolitan areas,
Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston and its surrounding
cities, Detroit, Washington, DC, and Baltimore.
Mexican traffickers are expanding their operations
to gain a larger share of these markets. Mexican
organizations are now the most prominent
wholesale-level heroin traffickers in the DEA
Chicago, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington,
DC FD AORs, and have greatly expanded their
presence in the New York City area.
Changing Trends in Heroin

Trafficking
Increased heroin availability has prompted
some local traffickers to begin distributing
heroin. Reporting also indicates that cocaine and
methamphetamine distributors in some cities
are now distributing heroin. In the DEA New
Orleans FD AOR, traffickers having difficulties
obtaining cocaine are switching to distributing
heroin. In the DEA Atlanta FD AOR, oversaturation
in methamphetamine markets has caused
some methamphetamine traffickers to turn to
distributing heroin. The steady flow of heroin into
the United States and the increasing number of
heroin users are attractive to traffickers.
DEA reporting from the Dallas FD indicates that
Mexican traffickers are forcing methamphetamine
distributors in Texas to buy and distribute heroin
(U) China White Heroin: Not
Southeast Asian Heroin
China White is a term that was historically
used to refer to high-quality Southeast Asian
white powder heroin. Southeast Asian heroin
is now rarely available in the United States,
but the term China White is still used in many
US heroin markets to refer to any high-purity
white powder heroin, regardless of source
origin. Many Mexican heroin traffickers are
using China White as a marketing strategy
both in the United States and Mexico.
Traffickers in Chicago, Miami, and Newark use
the term China White as a marketing tool
to imply their heroin is high-purity. In some
areas of New York State the term is also used
in reference to fentanyl and heroin mixed with
fentanyl.
Black Tar Heroin in the Eastern United

States
There were several sizeable seizures of Mexican
black tar heroin in eastern US states in 2013 and
2014, including Florida, New Jersey, New York,
and Pennsylvania. This may indicate Mexican
traffickers are attempting to open up black tar
markets in the East; however, efforts to do this have
been unsuccessful thus far. With the exception of
some markets in North and South Carolina, heroin
users in states along the East Coast prefer white
powderxvii heroin, and are unwilling to switch.
Nevertheless, Mexican traffickers who distribute
black tar heroin may continue to attempt to create
such markets in the eastern United States because
of the large number of heroin users in those states.
These black tar seizures are also indicative of the
growing influence of Mexican traffickers in eastern
US heroin markets.
38
Source: DEA
White powder heroin is a term referring to the type of

powdered heroin generally produced in South America,
Southeast Asia, and Southwest Asia. White powder heroin
is generally off-white or tan in color, but can be brown or
gray depending on how it is processed and what diluents/
adulterants are added to it. Users who prefer white
powder heroin may believe that a lighter color powder is
indicative of a higher-purity product, however this is not
necessarily true.
xvii
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Heroin
along with methamphetamine. The distributors are

being told they must also buy heroin or they will
not be supplied with methamphetamine. Mexican
traffickers are also trying to present heroin to CPD
abusers as an alternative to prescription opioids.
Outlook
Heroin use and overdose deaths are likely to
continue to increase in the near term. Mexican
traffickers are making a concerted effort to increase
heroin availability in the US market. The drugs
increased availability and relatively low cost make
it attractive to the large number of opioid abusers
(both prescription opioid and heroin) in the United
States.
UNCLASSIFIED
39
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015
Heroin
40
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Fentanyl
Overview
(U//LES) Fentanyl is a Schedule II synthetic opioid

that is approximately 80 to 100 times stronger
than morphine, and 25 to 40 times more potent
than heroin. Fentanyl was developed for the
pain management treatment of cancer patients;
however, its powerful opioid properties have made
it an attractive drug for abusers. Clandestinelyproduced fentanyl is sometimes added to heroin to
increase its effects, or mixed with adulterants and
diluentsxvii and sold as heroin; many users believe
they are purchasing heroin and have no knowledge
of the presence of fentanyl. Pharmaceutical
fentanyl is also diverted for abuse.
In March 2015, DEA issued a nationwide alert about
the dangers of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues/
compounds, stating Fentanyl is commonly laced
in heroin, causing significant problems across the
country, particularly as heroin use has increased.
Most recently, there have been over 700 deaths in
the United States related to fentanyl and its analogs
between late 2013 and late 2014. The deaths have
continued in 2015. The last fentanyl crisis occurred
in 2005 through 2007, resulting in approximately
1,000 deaths, primarily in midwestern and eastern
states.
Clandestinely-produced fentanyl is primarily
manufactured in Mexico, with its analogs and
precursors obtained from distributors in China.
Mexico-produced fentanyl is smuggled across
the Southwest Border and mixed with heroin or
diluents in the United States and then distributed
in heroin markets, primarily in the eastern United
States.
Availability
scale than clandestinely-produced fentanyl.

Pharmaceutical fentanyl is available in transdermal
patches, lozenges, and liquid.
Clandestine fentanyl is illegally manufactured
in clandestine laboratories, primarily in Mexico.
Clandestine fentanyl is available throughout the
United States, most commonly in white powder
heroin markets. Fentanyl is added to heroin to
increase its potency, or is mixed with diluents
and sold as fentanyl or disguised as highly potent
heroin.
Abuse
Fentanyl is abused for its strong opioid properties.
Fentanyl provides users with an intense, albeit
short-term high and temporary feelings of
euphoria. Adverse effects of fentanyl abuse include
a dangerous reduction in respiration and blood
pressure, nausea, fainting, seizures, and death.
Clandestine fentanyl is typically abused by injection
or inhalation, like heroin. In fact, many times
users purchase heroin touted as a stronger heroin,
unaware that it contains fentanyl. Occasionally,
users seek out fentanyl outright.
Hartford, Connecticut: In February 2014,
DEA and local law enforcement officers seized
wax envelopes of heroin. Laboratory testing
concluded that some of the heroin samples
were mixed with fentanyl. The fentanyl was
5.6 percent pure.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is diverted in its
transdermal patch, lozenge, and liquid forms.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is often diverted in
personal use quantities.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: In 2014, state
law enforcement officers reported fentanyl
was being diverted from nursing homes by
unscrupulous staff members. Transdermal
patches are cut and squeezed to remove the
Fentanyl is available in the United States in two

varieties: pharmaceutical fentanyl, which is
illegally diverted; and clandestine fentanyl, which
is illegally manufactured. Both types of fentanyl
are abused, primarily in white powder heroin
markets.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is diverted from healthcare
facilities, pharmacies, and manufacturing plants
for personal use or sale, albeit on a much smaller
Adulterants are substances added to drugs to augment

or increase their effects. Diluents are substances added to
drugs in order to increase quantity or volume; they do not
alter the drugs effects.
xviii
UNCLASSIFIED
41
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015
Fentanyl
(U) Map 6. States Affected
by
Fentanyl Overdose Incidents
and
Deaths, 2013 - 2014
Source: State Medical Examiners Death Data and Open Source Reporting
fentanyl gel and the empty patches are left

affixed to patients.
St. Albans, Vermont: In 2014, Vermont
law enforcement officers arrested a
pharmaceutical manufacturer employee
for diverting transdermal fentanyl patches.
The employee stole 27 fentanyl patches and
smuggled them out in his clothing.
There have been over 700 deaths related to
fentanyl and its analogs across the United States
since late 2013. (See Map 6.) While fentanyl is
often abused in the same manner as heroin, it is
much more potent, resulting in fatalities of even
experienced opioid users. However, many coroners
and crime laboratories do not test for fentanyl
specifically, unless give a reason to do so. Further,
some fentanyl deaths have been attributed to
heroin.
Toluca, Mexico. Investigative reporting indicates

the currently available fentanyl is also being
produced in a laboratory or laboratories in Mexico.
The fentanyl responsible for the deaths during the
2005-2007 fentanyl crisis ranged from 20 to 25
percent purity at the wholesale level. Wholesale
quantities of fentanyl involved in the most recent
deaths (late 2013 to early 2015) ranged from four to
seven percent purity.
Analogs of fentanyl, such as acetyl fentanyl, are also
available in the United States. Most of the acetyl
fentanyl available in US markets is manufactured in
China. As noted in the Executive Summary (page
viii), on October 1, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of
Public Security announced new controls on 116
chemical compounds, including acetyl fentanyl.
Acetyl fentanyl is unscheduled in the United States
and is not intended for human consumption.
Production
Clandestine fentanyl is manufactured primarily
in Mexico. The fentanyl seized in 2005-2007 was
produced in a single clandestine laboratory in
42
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015 National Drug Threat Assessment

Summary
Fentanyl
Outlook
(U) Photo 2. Twelve kilograms of suspected fentanyl.
Source: DEA
Transportation and Distribution

Fentanyl is smuggled across the Southwest
Border in kilogram quantities and stored at stash
houses, often with other drugs.xix It is transported
concealed in spare tires, gas tanks, and hidden
compartments. Fentanyl is also transported across
the country through mail courier services.
Fentanyl will remain a threat while the current

clandestine production continues; however, it
is unlikely to assume a significant portion of the
opioid market. Fentanyls short-lasting high,
coupled with its high mortality rate, renders it
unappealing to many opioid users who prefer the
longer-lasting high that heroin offers and who
wish to avoid the increased danger from fentanyl.
Fentanyl will continue to remain available in
limited quantities; however, it will most commonly
be consumed unknowingly, mixed with heroin
or other drugs. Fentanyl will remain a significant
threat to law enforcement personnel and first
responders as minute amountsequivalent to a
few grains of saltof fentanyl can be lethal, and
visually, can be mistaken for cocaine or white
powder heroin.
Los Angeles, California: In November 2014,

DEA Los Angeles FD and High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area (HIDTA) officers arrested
three individuals and seized 12 kilograms of
fentanyl, 28 pounds of methamphetamine, a
stolen semi-automatic handgun, and $25,000
from a local stash house. (See Photo 2.)
Buffalo, New York: In March 2015, the DEA
Buffalo RO and the Buffalo PD arrested two
individuals and seized 8 kilograms of fentanyl
and 24 kilograms of cocaine.
(U//LES) Clandestine fentanyl is distributed in the
United States in the same manner as heroin. It is
sold in its powder form in glassine bags or wax
envelopes, often stamped with brand names. It is
often sold as heroin, with many users not aware of
the presence of fentanyl in the substance.
xix
The fentanyl seized in kilogram quantities in 2014 and

2015 has ranged in purity from 4 to 7 percent. Because
fentanyl is so potent, these purities are wholesale-level,
and the drug must still be diluted several times before
being distributed in user quantities at the retail level.
UNCLASSIFIED
43
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015
Fentanyl
44
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UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Methamphetamine
(U) Map 7. Percentage of NDTS Respondents Reporting High Methamphetamine

Availability, 2008 - 2011, 2013 - 2015
Overview
Methamphetamine seizures, survey data,
price and purity data, and law enforcement
reporting indicate methamphetamine
continues to be readily available throughout
the United States. Use data remains stable while
treatment data increased slightly in 2012. Most
of the methamphetamine available in the United
States is clandestinely produced in Mexico and
smuggled across the Southwest Border. Domestic
production continues to occur at much lower
levels than Mexico, and seizures of domestic
methamphetamine laboratories have declined,
most likely due to the high availability of highpurity, high-potency Mexican methamphetamine.
Availability
Methamphetamine availability continues to
increase in the United States. According to the
2015 NDTS, 33 percent of responding agencies
reported that methamphetamine was the

greatest drug threat in their areas. (See Map A9
in Appendix A.) Additionally, 42.2 percent of
the respondents reported methamphetamine
was highly available, meaning the drug is easily
obtained at any time. NDTS respondents also
reported methamphetamine as the drug that
most contributes to both violent crime (38.2 %)
and property crime (33.4 %). (See Maps A12
and A13 in Appendix A and Tables B6 and B7 in
Appendix B.) DEA FDs, NDTS respondents, and
laboratory reporting indicates high availability of
methamphetamine throughout the United States.
(See Map 7 and Table B8 and B9 in Appendix B.)
In 2014, most DEA FDs reported
methamphetamine availability was high
and availability was stable compared to the
previous reporting period. The Chicago,
El Paso, Philadelphia, and San Diego FDs
reported higher availability in 2014. (See
Table 9.)
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Methamphetamine
(U) Table 9: DEA Field Division Reporting

of Methamphetamine Availability in the First
Half of 2014 and
Field Division

Availability During
First Half 2014
to Second Half 2013
High Stable
Moderate
Stable
High
More
High Stable
High Stable
Moderate
Stable
Moderate
More
High Stable
High Stable
Moderate
Low Stable
Low Stable
High Stable
Low Stable
Low Stable
High
High Stable
High
High Stable
High Stable
Purity and Potency

The DEA Methamphetamine Profiling Program
(MPP) purity and potencyxx results for recent
methamphetamine samples obtained from
the USMexico Border remain high, indicating
the continued availability of high quality
methamphetamine.
Use
The threat from methamphetamine use is
persistent. While national use survey data
appear to be stable, national treatment data as
well as localized public health officials, indicate
methamphetamine use may be increasing. The
number of methamphetamine-related treatment
admissions was 6.5 percent higher in 2012 than
Stable
seizures in 2014 occurred in California; 23

percent occurred in Texas.
(U) DEAs Methamphetamine

Profiling Program
The DEA Methamphetamine Profiling Program
(MPP) provides an in-depth chemical analysis
of selected methamphetamine samples
to establish trends associated with the
manufacture of methamphetamine seized
primarily in the United States. The MPP further
establishes the method used to manufacture
methamphetamine, as well as tracks purity
levels and other related trends. However,
the MPP is unable to determine the source
origin of methamphetamine samples because
the drug is synthetically produced, unlike
morphine and cocaine, which are extracted
from organic sources. It should also be noted
that the MPP data set is only reflective of the
MPP sampling plan, and is not representative
of all methamphetamine samples submitted to
the DEA laboratory system.
More
More
Low Stable
Methamphetamine reports to the National

Forensic Laboratory Information System
(NFLIS) increased 14.8 percent between 2012
(180,187 reports) and 2013 (206,784 reports).
In addition, methamphetamine reports
increased significantly53.3 percentsince
2009 (134,891 reports).
Methamphetamine seizures continue
to increase along the Southwest Border.
According to CBP, seizure statistics indicate
that methamphetamine seizures along the
Southwest Border increased 20 percent
from calendar year (CY) 2013 to CY 2014. In
addition, seizures increased in each corridor
along the Southwest Border. (See Map 8.)
The majority (61%) of methamphetamine
46
xx
Purity is defined as a measure of the amount of an

illicit substance present in a sample compared to other
substances in the sample such as adulterants, diluents,
or solvents. Potency is defined as the measure of drug
activity in terms of the dosage required to exert an effect
on the body.
UNCLASSIFIED
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Methamphetamine
Summary
(U) Map 8. CBP Methamphetamine Seizures by Southwest Border Corridor

2014, with Percent Change from 2013
in
in 2011, but is still well below levels from 2005,

following a seven-year decline.
According to NSDUH, there has been a steady
increase in the last four years in the number
of past year users of methamphetamine, as
well as the number of new users. In 2013, the
number of past year users, which includes
new initiates and current users, was 1,186,000,
up from 1,155,000 in 2012. The number of
past year methamphetamine initiates ages
12 or older was 144,000 in 2013. However,
these numbers remain significantly lower than
estimates from 2002 to 2006. The average
age at first use was 18.9, which has remained
relatively stable since 2002. (See Chart 21.)
TEDS data indicate the number of
methamphetamine-related treatment
admissions increased to 124,227 in 2012.
However, this increase follows a steady

decrease that occurred between 2005 and
2011. (See Chart 22.)
Methamphetamine threat levels are much higher
in the western United States. According to the
2015 NDTS, the OCDETF regions with the largest
number of respondents ranking methamphetamine
as the greatest drug threat were the Southwest
(69.7%), West Central (66.5%), and Pacific (55.4%)
regions.
According to the Oregon State ME Office, the
number of methamphetamine-related deaths
in that state increased 32 percent from 2012
to 2013. More than 55 percent of all drugrelated deaths in Oregon were associated
with methamphetamine use. However,
the ME Office noted the majority of the
methamphetamine-related deaths were not
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Methamphetamine
(U) Chart 21. Past Year Methamphetamine Initiates among Persons Aged 12
or Older and Mean Age at First Use of Methamphetamine among Past Year
Initiates Aged 12 to 49: 2002 - 2013
(U) Chart 22. Methamphetamine Primary Admissions

Treatment Facilities
to
Publicly Funded
48
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Methamphetamine
Summary
(U) Chart 23. Number of Methamphetamine Laboratories Seized,

by Capacity, 2010 - 2014
Note: These seizures are laboratory seizures only and do not include chemical and dumpsite seizures.
Source: EPIC National Seizure System as of March 31, 2015
overdoses, but related to other events, such

as traffic crashes, seizures, or heart attacks.
Additionally, TEDS data indicate Oregon
had 210 per 100,000 methamphetamine
treatment admissions, which is well above the
national average of 47 per 100,000 people.
According to the San Diego County ME
2013 Annual Report (the most recent year
available), methamphetamine is the number
one cause of drug/medication-related deaths.
There was a 34 percent increase in the
number of unintentional deaths caused by
methamphetamine between 2012 (142) and
2013 (190).
Methamphetamine use levels may be increasing
as some cocaine users may be switching to
methamphetamine when cocaine is unavailable.
Cocaine availability has diminished in recent years
and methamphetamine (also a stimulant) can
serve as a cheaper and more potent alternative
to cocaine. Some distributors sell both drugs.
The DEA Atlanta, Philadelphia, and St. Louis

FDs report cocaine distributors are now selling
methamphetamine to supplement their income
from diminishing cocaine supplies.
Production
Production in Mexico
Most of the methamphetamine seized in the
United States is clandestinely produced in Mexico
and smuggled across the Southwest Border.
Methamphetamine clandestinely produced in
Mexico continues to be highly pure and potent
as Mexican TCOs have adapted to precursor
restrictions on pseudoephedrine by switching to
producing the drug using the reductive amination
method. This method calls for the use of phenyl2-proponone (P2P) instead of pseudoephedrine.
According to the DEA MPP, samples analyzed in
recent years were almost exclusively produced by
a reductive amination method, using P2P as the
precursor chemical.
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UNCLASSIFIED

Methamphetamine
(U) Methamphetamine Conversion Laboratory Seized
(U) Photo 3. Crystal methamphetamine suspended in liquid.
Source: DEA
in
Washington State
(U) Photo 4. The final processing of crystal

methamphetamine.
Source: DEA
In February 2014, federal and local law enforcement officers arrested 13 individuals and uncovered
a methamphetamine conversion lab. Officers seized 50 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and
two gallons of methamphetamine in liquid that was in the process of being converted to crystal
methamphetamine. Over the course of the year-long investigation, law enforcement seized 66
pounds of crystal methamphetamine, 2.5 pounds of heroin, a total of $310,000, 25 vehicles (some
with hidden compartments for drugs and cash), and seven firearms (three of them stolen).
Domestic Production
Domestic methamphetamine production has
decreased significantly since 2010, most likely
due to restrictions on precursor chemicals in the
United States and the increased availability of
Mexico-produced methamphetamine. In 2014,
most of the seized domestic laboratories were
one pot or shake and bake methamphetamine
laboratories. Generally, these laboratories produce
two ounces or less of methamphetamine per batch.
The ingredients, which are common household
items (e.g., pseudoephedrine/ephedrine tablets,
lithium batteries, camp fuel, starting fluid, cold
packs), are mixed in a container such as a plastic
soda bottle, providing a portable way of producing
small amounts of methamphetamine.
The number of domestic methamphetamine
laboratories decreased 44 percent from 2010
(10,520) to 2014 (5,935). Additionally, in
2014, 84 percent of all methamphetamine
laboratories seized in the United States were
small laboratoriescapable of producing two
ounces or less of methamphetamine. (See
Chart 23.)
50
Methamphetamine in Solution
The concealment of methamphetamine in liquids
has increased significantly throughout the United
States and especially along the Southwest Border.
Methamphetamine in solution refers to powdered
methamphetamine that is dissolved in solution,
such as water or alcohol (methanol, ethanol,
isopropanol). Methamphetamine in solution
provides TCOs with a unique concealment method
and an equally dangerous threat to innocent
civilians. When methamphetamine is dissolved in
liquids, the odor and color of the parent liquid may
serve to disguise the drug. Methamphetamine
in solution is concealed in various consumer
products including liquor bottles, detergent
bottles, and other commercial product containers
that appear to be factory sealed. Most frequently,
methamphetamine in solution is concealed in
non-alcoholic beverage bottles such as soft drinks,
sports drinks, juices, and water bottles. In addition
to disguising the methamphetamine in solution as
an imported consumer product, it is also concealed
in areas of a vehicle typically used to hold liquids
UNCLASSIFIED
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UNCLASSIFIED
Methamphetamine
Summary
(U) Photo 6. Packs of 1,000 quantity methamphetamine pills

Source: DEA
(U) Photo 5. Pill press.
Source: DEA
such as radiator overflows, batteries, windshield

washer fluid reservoirs, and fuel tanks.
California: In January 2014, a teen crossing
the USMexico border at the San Ysidro
POE claimed the two bottles he carried
were apple juice. Upon further questioning,
the teen volunteered to drink from the
bottles and died hours later from acute
methamphetamine intoxication.
Conversion Laboratories
Conversion laboratories are not production
laboratories, but rather laboratories that
convert powder methamphetamine or
methamphetamine which has been dissolved
in a liquid into crystal methamphetamine.
Conversion laboratories present a challenge to law
enforcement because they can be small in size and
do not require a significant amount of equipment
or space. The equipment commonly used in these
laboratories consists of plastic containers such as
a thermos or coolers; the only chemical commonly
used is acetone. (See Photos 3 and 4.)
Methamphetamine tablets
Methamphetamine tablets are often produced
using a mixture of powder methamphetamine
and caffeine. Methamphetamine in tablet form is
often found in Asia and while it is uncommon in the
United States there have been seizures in California,

Kentucky, and Texas. For example, in December
2014, the DEA Houston FD and the Harris County
Sheriffs Office arrested four individuals and seized
approximately 20,000 methamphetamine pills
along with two industrial pill presses. (See Photos 5
and 6.)
Transportation
Methamphetamine in the United States
originates primarily from clandestine laboratories
in Mexico and is smuggled across the Southwest
Border. Traffickers most commonly transport
methamphetamine in tractor trailers and passenger
vehicles with hidden compartments. In addition,
traffickers send methamphetamine through various
mail services or by couriers traveling via bus or
commercial airline.
Mexican TCOs are continually looking for new and
creative ways to conceal illegal drugs and smuggle
them across the border. In addition to seizures of
methamphetamine in solution, methamphetamine
is concealed as, or co-mingled with, legitimate
merchandise.
Dallas Texas: In August 2014, the DEA Dallas
FD seized approximately 275 pounds of
crystal methamphetamine, wrapped inside
heavy-duty latex balloons and concealed
inside hollowed-out coconuts. (See Photo 7.)
Atlanta, Georgia: In October 2014, the
DEA Atlanta HIDTA seized approximately
UNCLASSIFIED
51
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Methamphetamine
50 pounds of crystal methamphetamine

disguised as, and co-mingled with, candy.
(See Photos 8 and 9.)
Distribution
Mexican TCOs control wholesale
methamphetamine distribution, while both
Mexican and Caucasian criminal groups
typically control retail distribution. However,
African American criminal groups have been
increasingly involved in the retail distribution of
methamphetamine in some areas of the United
States.
New Orleans, Louisiana: Methamphetamine
has historically been distributed by Caucasian
criminal groups in the New Orleans area.
However, law enforcement reporting
indicates that African American criminal
groups are becoming increasingly involved
in the use, transportation, and distribution of
methamphetamine.
St Louis, Missouri: While Mexican TCOs

typically transport methamphetamine into
the St. Louis area, there have been reports
indicating African American groups are
now involved in the retail distribution of
methamphetamine.
(U) Photo 8. Crystal methamphetamine concealed in candy

Source: DEA Atlanta HIDTA
Atlanta, Georgia: Methamphetamine

has almost exclusively been dominated
by Mexican TCOs, while retail distribution
has been handled by Caucasian criminal
groups. However, there has been an
increase of African American criminal groups
involvement in the retail distribution of
methamphetamine.
(U) Photo 9. Crystal methamphetamine concealed in candy
Source: DEA Atlanta HIDTA
(U) Photo 7. Broken coconut with methamphetamine-filled balloon

inside
Source: Dallas Field Division HIDTA
52
(U) Photo 10. Methamphetamine disguised as candles

Source: Gulf Coast HIDTA
UNCLASSIFIED
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Methamphetamine
Summary
(U) Mexican TCOs Use Drones
to
Transport Methamphetamine
(U) Photo 11. Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), or drone seized near San Ysidro POE
Source: DEA
In recent years, law enforcement reporting indicates an increase in the number of UAS, or drones,
used by TCOs. UASs are small, quiet, can fly at high altitudes over a distance of several miles and,
depending on their size, are generally capable of carrying 5 to 10 pounds of drugs. While UASs will
not replace traditional methods of moving contraband, the low costs and simplicity of operation
present a very attractive, cost efficient addition to current transportation methods.
San Ysidro, California: In January 2015, a drone crashed in a supermarket parking lot in
Mexico, near the San Ysidro POE. (See Photo 11.) This drone likely crashed due to the excess
weight it carried. The six-propeller remote-controlled aircraft was weighted down with six
packages of methamphetamine weighing more than six pounds.
Outlook
Methamphetamine availability will continue
to increase as Mexican TCOs have adapted to
restrictions placed on precursor chemicals and
are able to continue producing large amounts of
high-purity, high-potency methamphetamine.
Methamphetamine use and treatment admissions
will likely increase in the near term, especially
if cocaine supplies remain at low levels,
inducing distributors and users to switch to
methamphetamine. Mexican TCOs will continue to
adapt their methods of concealment, and seizures
of methamphetamine in solution will likely increase
as this method has proven successful in the past.

Mexican TCOs will continue to control wholesale
distribution and, although Mexican TCOs are
involved in retail distribution, other independent
criminal groups will likely increase their
involvement in the methamphetamine market.
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53
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Methamphetamine
54
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UNCLASSIFIED
Cocaine
(U) Chart 24. Cocaine Indicators,
based on
2006 Value, 2002 - 2013
Source: Office of National Drug Control Policy
Overview
Cocaine availability in the United States appeared
to have stabilized at new normal levels in 2014
still well below the availability levels observed prior
to 2007, when cocaine availability first began to
decline significantly. Use indicators also show a
steady decline in cocaine use in the United States
when compared to the previous 10 years. (See
Chart 24.) Most of the cocaine smuggled into the
United States is transported over the Southwest
Border with a smaller percentage transported
through the Caribbean corridor. Mexican TCOs
continue to dominate the cocaine transportation
infrastructure in the United States with little to no
competition.
the new normal. The majority of DEA FDs in 2014

indicated cocaine availability was moderate in their
area, meaning cocaine is accessible. Only two DEA
FDsBoston and Philadelphiaindicated that
cocaine availability was high. Additionally, only
14.9 percent of 2015 NDTS respondents indicated
high availability of cocaine with only 19.7 percent
indicating the same for crack cocaine. (See Maps 9
and 10.) Cocaine no longer saturates the US drug
market as it did previous to 2007, but still poses a
significant threat in the United States.
Availability
Atlanta, Georgia: In 2014, cocaine availability

continued to remain stable at both the retail
and wholesale levels compared to 2013.
During 2014, bulk cocaine seizure amounts
in the DEA Atlanta FD AOR typically ranged
between 1 and 25 kilograms.
The availability of cocaine in the United States

remained at historically lower levels in 2014, but
appears relatively stable when compared to the
previous seven years, at what can be considered
Chicago, Illinois: Cocaine is still readily

available throughout the DEA Chicago
FD AOR. Kilogram seizures of cocaine
are becoming more routinely comingled
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55
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Cocaine
(U) Map 9. Percentage of NDTS Respondents Reporting High Powder Cocaine

Availability, 2008 - 2011, 2013 - 2015
with kilogram quantities of heroin and

methamphetamine.
Denver, Colorado: Although reporting during
2013 indicated that some distributors in the
DEA Denver FD AOR experienced difficulty
in obtaining consistent supplies of cocaine
from sources in Mexico, cocaine availability
and prices remained stable in 2014. Many
distributors added adulterants to the drug to
extend their supplies.
New York City, New York: During 2014,
cocaine remained readily available in the New
York City area, which serves as an important
distribution hub for East Coast markets.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: During 2014,
wholesale cocaine shipments consisting of
multi-kilogram quantities originating from
Arizona, California, and Texas dominated the
local cocaine market.
56
San Diego, California: Price, seizure, and

investigative reporting suggest TCOs may be
trafficking less cocaine in recent years than in
the past, but wholesale and retail quantities
of cocaine remain available in the San Diego
area. Cocaine investigations and seizures
often include at least one additional drug as
well, typically methamphetamine.
St. Louis, Missouri: DEA reporting indicates
many traffickers consider retail quantities of
cocaine are available, but of inferior quality.
Several traffickers asserted that Mexican
cartels, once primarily involved in cocaine
distribution, have transitioned to other drugs
such as crystal methamphetamine and heroin,
claiming cocaine is too hard to get.
DEAs Cocaine Signature Program (CSP) indicates
that the vast majority of cocaine seized in US
markets continues to be of Colombian origin.
According to the CSP, of the 2014 samples analyzed
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Cocaine

Summary
(U) Map 10. Percentage of NDTS Respondents Reporting High Crack Cocaine
Availability, 2008 - 2011, 2013 - 2015
to date, approximately 90 percent of cocaine tested

was of Colombian origin, while approximately
10 percent was sourced to Peru, the highest
percentage in at least a decade. In the past five
years, Peruvian cocaine only comprised one to four
percent of the CSP samples analyzed. However,
available data on cultivation and cocaine yields
indicate an increase in production from Colombia
when compared to pre-2011 levels, which could
impact cocaine availability in the United States.
Methamphetamine as an Alternative to
Cocaine
Consistently lower levels of cocaine available
in the United States since 2007 forces
distributors to increasingly cut cocaine in
order for them to stretch supplies and meet
demand. Distributors sell this less potent cocaine
at higher prices in an effort to make up for lost
profits. Cocaine distributors also compete against
methamphetamine distributors, a drug which can

serve as a cheaper and more potent alternative to
cocaine.
St. Louis, Missouri: Some African American
cocaine trafficking organizations have
transitioned to or expanded operations
to include crystal methamphetamine
distribution. These groups once primarily
distributed cocaine and crack, but now
supply large volumes of Mexican-produced
crystal methamphetamine to the region.
This development suggests traffickers are
attempting to capitalize on geographical areas
with an established high methamphetamine
demand.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: DEA
investigative reporting indicates that Mexican
organizations are pushing methamphetamine
distribution on traditional cocaine trafficking
organizations.
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57
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Cocaine
(U) DEAs Cocaine Signature Program (CSP)

Each year, the DEA CSP determines the purity and origin of some 2,000 samples from domestic
cocaine seizures made by US federal authorities and samples from a smaller number of foreign
seizures made by international law enforcement agencies. CSP data is not intended to reflect US
market share per seas it is not based on a systematic random sampling of all cocaine seizures
rather, it provides a snapshot of overall trends in cocaine processing and cocaine flow from the
analysis of samples from major seizures. However, the CSP provides a huge dataset (over 47,000
exhibits since 1998) for strategic intelligence analysis that reflects random cocaine samples taken
from wholesale-level domestic seizures (submitted to all DEA laboratories) that total metric tons of
cocaine each year. CSP analysis has consistently indicated that Colombian-origin cocaine dominates
the market in the United Statesaccounting for over 90 percent of the cocaine analyzed (by
weight and by the number of exhibits). These forensic findings are consistent with all available law
enforcement intelligence and investigative reporting.
DEA Forensic Chemists employ various scientific methods to determine the geographic origin of
the coca leaf used to make cocaine base. To geo-source the coca leaf is to geo-source the cocaine
base as it is not practical to transport metric tons of coca leaf any significant distances (other DEA
scientific studies have shown that nearly one metric ton of fresh coca leaf is required to produce
one kilogram of cocaine base in Colombia.) It is for this reason that primitive cocaine base labs
are typically located near coca fields in the cocaine source countries of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia.
Analysis of the trace solvents and chemicals/alkaloids found in the cocaine samples also provide
insight into how and where the finished cocaine powder was produced. In addition, the CSP also
analyzes cocaine samples for their wholesale purity level and the presence of bulking agents (such
as table salt that has no pharmacological effects), adulterants (such as caffeinea stimulantthat
does have pharmacological effects), or enhancing agents (such as levamisole thought to increase
or prolong the effects of cocaine).
Atlanta, Georgia: According to DEA sources,
traffickers experience periods in which they
are temporarily unable to obtain cocaine from
their respective sources of supply. During
these times, traffickers will often supplement
their revenue stream with methamphetamine
sales.
Use
Cocaine use has continued to decline since 2007
and mirrors the decline of cocaine availability in
the United States. According to the 2013 NSDUH,
there were an estimated 601,000 persons aged 12
or older who had used cocaine for the first time
within the past 12 months. This number was similar
to estimates reported from 2008 to 2012 (ranging
from 623,000 to 724,000), but was significantly
lower than estimates from 2002 to 2007 (ranging
from 0.9 million to 1.0 million).
58
According to NSDUH data in 2013, most

(81.9 %) of the 0.6 million recent cocaine
initiates were aged 18 or older when they
first used cocaine. The average age at first
use among recent initiates aged 12 to 49 was
20.4 years. The average age estimates have
remained fairly stable since 2002.
According to the 2014 MTF, about one in eight
young adults aged approximately 13 to 18
years (12%) had tried cocaine, and 4.5 percent
had tried it by their senior year of high school.
Treatment data indicate the number of
cocaine-related admissions (aged 12 and
older) to publicly funded facilities declined
from 13 percent in 2002 to 7 percent in
2012. (See Chart 25.) Smoked cocaine
(crack) represented 69 percent of all primary
cocaine admissions in 2012, down from 73
percent in 2002. The high proportion of
cocaine admissions from crack is in contrast
UNCLASSIFIED
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UNCLASSIFIED

Summary
(U) Chart 25. Cocaine-related Treatment Admissions, 2002 - 2012
to investigative reporting, which indicates

the use of crack is limited when compared to
powder cocaine.
Cocaine contributes to a significant number
of drug poisoning deaths in the United States,
although the number of cocaine-related deaths
has decreased concurrent with declines in
availability and use; however, some areas still
have high fatality rates. According to the CDC,
there were 4,944 cocaine-related deaths in the
United States in 2013. This was a 34 percent decline
from 2006 (7,448 deaths). (See Chart 26.)
According to post-mortem toxicology
data provided by the Los Angeles County
Department of the Coroner between 2005 and
2010, cocaine is the second-most commonly
detected street drug in drug toxicity deaths in
the Los Angeles area.
According to the San Diego County ME
2013 Annual Report, cocaine caused 40
unintentional deaths in 2013, up from 34 in
2012.
Virginia Poison Control statistics for the
Virginia area within the Washington, DC
Metropolitan area reported 131 cocainerelated incidents for 2013, which reflects a 62
percent increase compared to the 81 incidents
reported for 2012.
Production
Most of the cocaine available in the United States
is Colombia-produced; however, according to
US Government estimates, Peru remains the top
producer of export quality cocaine followed by
Colombia with the majority of Peruvian cocaine
transported to European or Asian markets. US
Government cocaine production estimates indicate
a 30 percent increase in potential pure cocaine
production in Colombia between 2013 and 2014,
from 185 metric tons to 345 metric tons. Potential
pure cocaine production in Peru also increased
between 2013 and 2014, from an estimated 265
metric tons to 285 metric tons.
DEAs Breakthrough Program provides unique
insight when assessing cocaine production
capabilities in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, the
three Andean Region cocaine source countries.
The program found that the production potential
of Colombia trails behind both Peru and Bolivia
on a per hectare basis. On a national average, the
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Cocaine
(U) Chart 26. Drug Poisoning Deaths Involving Cocaine, 1999 - 2013
Source: National Center for Health Statistics/Centers for Disease Control,

Final death data for each calendar year
amount of pure cocaine that can be produced per

hectare per year in Peru and Bolivia is significantly
higher than the amount of pure cocaine generated
per hectare per year in Colombia.
The higher yields and increase in Peruvian
production impacts US cocaine availability far less
than Colombian production estimates because
CSP data indicates Peruvian-sourced cocaine
accounts for a small proportionapproximately
10 percentof the cocaine available in the
United States. Colombian TCOs dominate the
cocaine supply to the United States due to their
experience and longstanding working relationships
with Caribbean, Central American, and Mexican
traffickers. Cocaine traffickers in Peru lack such a
historical link to the US market. Further, higher
cocaine prices in other parts of the world present a
strong incentive for Peruvian traffickers to establish
other markets rather than compete with Colombian
TCOs for the US market.
Mexican TCOs also appear to be smuggling cocaine
base to Mexico for finished conversion to powder
cocaine there, possibly in an effort to increase their
participation in the cocaine production process.
Peru: In February 2014, Peruvian officials
seized approximately 75 kilograms of cocaine
60
base concealed within 160 large sacks of garlic

from a container in Callao, Peru, that were to
be exported to Mexico.
Colombia: In January 2014, Colombian
authorities intercepted 490 kilograms of
cocaine base from a Mexico-bound Cessna
aircraft at Ipiales airport in the Nario Province.
Peru: In January 2014, Peruvian officials seized
273 kilograms of cocaine base concealed
inside 400 sheets of plywood. The shipping
documents indicated the container was to be
shipped from the Port of Callao in Lima to the
Port of Mazatln in Mexico.
Transportation
The majority of cocaine destined for US markets
is transported across the Southwest Border via
Mexico in kilogram quantities. After the cocaine is
smuggled across the USMexico Border, it is moved
to major hub cities in Arizona, California, and Texas
near the Southwest Border. The cocaine is then
transported via interstate highways to the Midwest
and East Coast, to include major hub cities such as
Atlanta, Chicago, and New York.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Summary
(U) Map 11. 2014 Change
in
Cocaine Trafficking
in the
CBP Corridors
The majority of the cocaine seized at the

Southwest Border is interdicted in California
(San Diego sector) and South Texas (Laredo
and Rio Grande Valley sectors). In 2014,
cocaine seizures at the Southwest Border
continued to decline from the previous year.
(See Map 11.)
Cocaine is also transported through the
Caribbean corridor to the East Coast of the United
States. An estimated 13 percent of cocaine flow
into the US transit zone was through the Caribbean
corridor, while most87 percentwas transferred
via the Mexico/Central America corridor. In 2014,
over 90 metric tons was moved from South America
to the Caribbean corridor, primarily toward the
Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico via go-fast
boats.
In some instances cocaine is also transported
directly from South American source countries
to the United States via containerized cargo and

couriers on commercial flights. South American
cocaine traffickers exploit the large volume of
containerized cargo used in international trade to
smuggle cocaine to the United States. This method
is successful due to corrupt officials in South
American ports and the logistical impossibility of
inspecting all containerized cargo. In addition,
couriers on commercial flights smuggle small
amounts of cocaine. DEA reporting indicates
instances of courier smuggling from Guyana to
New York (See Table 10).
Cocaine trafficking organizations use an array
of methods to transport cocaine throughout
the United States. Tractor trailers and passenger
vehicles are frequently used to transport multikilogram quantities of cocaine. Cocaine is hidden
amongst legitimate cargo or secreted inside
of intricate hidden compartments built within
passenger vehicles.
UNCLASSIFIED
61
UNCLASSIFIED
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Cocaine
(U) Table 10. Cocaine Seizures with Direct Links

Between Guyana and New York
DATE SEIZURE
October 2013
November 2013
January 2014
January 2014
February 2014
February 2014
April 2014
3.36 kg
2.93 kg
15.30 kg
4.05 kg
10 .00 kg
13.39 kg
7.05 kg
DETAILS
Concealed in undergarments
Hidden in false wall of suitcase
Hidden in suitcase
Seized at JFK, concealed in handbags
Hidden in produce
Seized at JFK, concealed in checked luggage
Concealed in baked goods
Source: DEA Reporting. Unless noted, all seizures occurred at the
Cheddi Jagan International Airport on flights destined to JFK.276
Norfolk, Virginia: In December 2013, CBP

seized 332 kilograms of cocaine concealed
inside cans of juice in Norfolk, Virginia, from a
cargo container which originated in Trinidad
and Tobago.
Fort Myers, Florida: In August 2014, the DEA
Fort Myers RO seized a package from Buenos
Aires, Argentina, containing a spiral binder
of twelve sheets of paper impregnated with
cocaine.
New York: New York Organized Crime Drug
Enforcement Strike Force reporting indicates
that cocaine is smuggled into the United
States via business-sized envelopes carried by
passengers aboard cruise ships.
Riverside, California: In April 2015, DEA and
the San Bernardino County Sherrifs Office
seized 20 kilograms of cocaine concealed in
a hidden compartment in the rear seat of a
passenger vehicle.
Mexican TCOs continue to dominate cocaine
transportation in the United States. In the past,
Colombian organizations controlled a wider
cocaine transportation network, but are now
operating in only a small number of locations
along the East Coast. Major Mexican TCOs
rely on associated US-based organizations or
independent third parties to transport cocaine to
their distribution cells. At the present time there
appear to be no other criminal groups that possess
the requisite power to challenge Mexican TCO
dominance of cocaine transportation in the United
States.
62
Distribution
The distribution of cocaine at the retail-level is
typically carried out by local US criminal groups
and street gangs of varying ethnic origins.
Mexican TCOs are not as involved in retail-level
distribution in the United States, as they actively
seek to limit attention from US law enforcement
and focus on wholesale quantity transportation.
Colombian and Dominican trafficking organizations
still participate in cocaine distribution along
the East Coast as well, but on a limited scale in
comparison to previous years.
Boston, Massachusetts: Colombian and
Dominican trafficking organizations have
historically dominated the importation and
wholesale distribution of cocaine throughout
the New England states. However, many of
these groups are increasingly dealing with
and receiving cocaine directly from Mexican
TCOs based in Arizona, California, Texas, and
even Mexico.
Newark, New Jersey: Recent reporting
indicates local Mexican criminal organizations
are increasing involvement in wholesale
cocaine distribution. However, cocaine
distribution is generally organized in a
hierarchy based on nationality. Colombian
TCOs, historically, controlled wholesale
distribution of cocaine in the New Jersey
area, while Dominican groups handled retail
distribution for Colombian groups. The
Dominican groups typically supplied African
American street gangs, who handled street
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Summary
level distribution. While Dominican groups

work with Colombian TCOs, they also operate
independent of each other.
New York City, New York: Colombia-based
distributors continue to supply New York
Citys distribution networks, dominated
by Dominican trafficking organizations.
Colombian drug traffickers regularly smuggle
multi-hundred kilogram shipments of cocaine
to New York City. New York City-based
cocaine distribution organizations also serve
as the source of supply to organizations
operating throughout the eastern United
States. Mexican TCOs are also involved in local
wholesale level distribution.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Dominican
trafficking organizations engage in wholesale
and retail level cocaine distribution and to
a lesser extent are also involved in cocaine
transportation.
Outlook
Cocaine availability will remain stable in the
near term at new normal levels. With the high
availability of less costly methamphetamine, which
serves as a cocaine alternative in areas such as the
Midwest, it is unlikely that cocaine levels will return
to pre-2007 levels in the near term.
Mexican TCOs will continue to dominate the
transportation of cocaine throughout the United
States as evidenced by the significant percentage
of the cocaine available in the United States that
transits the Mexico/Central America corridor.
Further, at the present time no other TCOs control
enough of the drug trafficking infrastructure to
challenge Mexican TCOs.
Colombian cocaine will continue to dominate the
US market in the near term despite higher levels
of production in Peru. This is due to the historic
working relationship between Colombian cocaine
producers and Mexican TCOs.
UNCLASSIFIED
63
UNCLASSIFIED
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Cocaine
64
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Marijuana
(U) Map 12. Percentage
of
NDTS Respondents Reporting High Marijuana Availability,

2008 - 2011, 2013 - 2015
Overview
Marijuana is the most widely available and
commonly used illicit drug in the United States.
Marijuana remains illegal under federal law,
however, many states have passed legislation
approving the cultivation, possession, and use
of marijuana within their respective states. The
disparity between federal law and state laws
authorizing the use of medical or retail marijuana
has hindered federal, state, local, and tribal law
enforcement efforts given the different regulatory
regimes at the state level. Likewise, the increased
production and use of marijuana in those states
with medical or retail marijuana laws is adversely
affecting states in which marijuana remains an
illegal substance.
While it is too early to determine the full impact
of state marijuana legalizationboth recreational
and medicallegalization measures have had
several effects, including increases in domesticallyproduced marijuana, a shift in demand for higherquality marijuana, increasing seizures of marijuana
concentrates, and an increasing number of
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) extraction laboratories.
Availability
Marijuana is available in all areas of the United
States. According to the 2015 NDTS, 80 percent
of responding agencies reported that marijuana
availability was high in their jurisdictions, and 16
percent reported that marijuana availability was
moderate. (See Map 12.) In addition, 57 percent of
respondents reported that marijuana availability
had stayed the same, while 37 percent reported
that availability had increased over the past year.
According to the MTF survey data, 81 percent
of high-school seniors say it is easy to obtain
marijuana.
UNCLASSIFIED
65
UNCLASSIFIED
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Marijuana
(U) Chart 27. DEA Domestic Marijuana Cases FY 2007
to
FY 2014
Source: DEA
to
FY 2014
Number of Arrests
(U) Chart 28. DEA Domestic Marijuana Arrests FY 2007
Source: DEA
All but five DEA FDs reported that marijuana

availability was high in their jurisdictions, and that
availability remained stable from 2013 to 2014.
The DEA New England and Dallas FDs
reported marijuana availability was high
in their jurisdiction, with an increase in
availability from 2013 to 2014.
66
The DEA New Jersey, New York, and

Washington FDs reported marijuana
availability was moderate and remained
stable from 2013 to 2014.
Beginning in 2013, the number of DEA domestic
marijuana-related investigations surpassed the
number of investigations involving foreign-
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
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Summary
Marijuana
(U) Map 13. Current Marijuana Legal Status October 2015
Source: DEA
produced marijuana. (See Chart 27.) Foreignproduced marijuana-related cases peaked in

2010, and have since steadily declined. Arrests
for foreign-produced marijuana remain higher
than arrests for domestically-produced marijuana,
although they have continued to decline from
their peak in 2010. The number of arrests in
domestically-produced marijuana investigations
has also declined. This decline in marijuana arrests,
in particular those for domestic marijuana, and
marijuana cases is due in part to state-approved
marijuana measures. (See Chart 28.)
Federal Legality and State-Approved
Marijuana Measures
In the United States, marijuana is a Schedule I
substance under the CSA, making it a federal crime
to grow, possess, or distribute marijuana and to
open, rent, or maintain a place of business for any
of these purposes.
In 1973, many states began decriminalizing

marijuana. Decriminalization typically means
possession of small amounts of marijuana incur no
jail time, but a minor penalty or fine is assessed.
Currently, 20 states and the District of Columbia
have decriminalized marijuana. (See Map 13.)
In 1996, many states began passing medical
marijuana legislation. Currently, 23 states and
the District of Colombia have passed medical
marijuana legislation. In 2014, states started
passing legislation regarding marijuana that
is typically referred to as Limited Access or
Cannabidiol (CBD)-only medical marijuana.
CBD is a cannabinoid/chemical compound of
marijuana. CBD marijuanatypically ingested in
the form of oils, oil-filled capsules, and tincturesis
extracted from marijuana that contains low levels
of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and high levels
of CBD. Many medical marijuana advocates and
parents of children with epilepsy claim that CBD
UNCLASSIFIED
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UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Marijuana
(U) Chart 29. Potency Monitoring Program Average THC

CBD Potency, Marijuana Seizures 1995 - 2014
and
Source: University of Mississippi, Potency Monitoring Program, Quarterly Report 127
helps control epileptic seizures, but at this time

there is only anecdotal evidence that CBD benefits
those with seizure disorders. In addition to the 23
states with medical marijuana laws, 17 other states
have approved legislation regarding CBD-only
marijuana, which means 80 percent of states have
approved some form of medical marijuana.
Washington and Colorado passed legislation in
2012 to allow for the cultivation and sale of retail
or recreational marijuana. Sales of marijuana
began in Colorado on January 1, 2014 and in
Washington on July 8, 2014. In November 2014,
Oregon and Alaska passed legislation to allow the
cultivation and sale of retail/recreational marijuana,
but, to date, sales have not begun. Also in
November 2014, Washington, DC passed legislation
to allow cultivation and possession of marijuana;
however, retail or recreational sales of marijuana are
not yet approved.
Increasing THC Potency of

Marijuana
The average THC content of seized marijuana

continues to increase. In 1995, the average THC
potency of traditional leafy marijuana seizures
was around 4 percent; the average THC potency
was 12.05 percent in 2013. Partial year data for
2014 indicate the average THC potency in 2014
(11.80%) was consistent with 2013.xxi The highest
level of THC tested for traditional marijuana by
the University of Mississippis Potency Monitoring
Program (PMP) was 37 percent. The average THC
content of marijuana concentrate seizures, referred
to as hash-oil, has also increased significantly.
In 1995, the average THC of hash-oil was 13.23
percent; in 2013, the average THC potency of hashoil was 52.32 percent, with some seizures testing
xxi
The two main cannabinoids of the cannabis

plant are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
and cannabidiol (CBD). CBD has recently gained
68
media attention for possible health benefits to

those suffering from seizures; however, analysis of
marijuana seized by law enforcement indicates it
has very low levels of CBD.
To date, only 298 traditional marijuana seizures have been

analyzed for 2014. When the final 2014 numbers become
available this percentage (11.80%) is likely to change
slightly. For example, in 2013, there were 1,093 seizures
analyzed and the average THC potency was 12.05 percent,
and the average CBD potency was 0.17 percent.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Summary
Marijuana
(U) Chart 30. Annual Prevalence of Marijuana Use Among 8th, 10th,
and 12th Grade Students, 1991 - 2014
Source: Monitoring the Future
(U) Chart 31. Perception Among 8th, 10th, and 12th Grade Students
Marijuana Use Being Harmful, 1991 - 2014
of
Regular
Source: Monitoring the Future
UNCLASSIFIED
69
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Marijuana
above 80 percent. Again, partial year data indicate

potency levels for 2014 (52.18%) were similar to
2013.xxii The average marijuana concentrate/hash
oil is over four times more potent that the average
traditional leaf marijuana. (See Chart 29.)
(U) Social Media
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit

drug in the United States, with an estimated
19.8 million current (past month) users in 2013,
according to NSDUH. Marijuana was used by 80.6
percent of the total number of current illicit drug
users.
Reported marijuana use among middle and high
school students decreased from 2013 to 2014 for
lifetime, annual, and monthly use, after steadily
increasing over the previous five years. Marijuana
use among those over the age of 18 has increased
as indicated by both the NSDUH and MTF data sets.
In November 2014, after the success of a

popular online challengexxiii, another social
media challenge was issued for people
to post photos and videos of themselves
using marijuana in public places with the
corresponding hashtag #loudchallenge. In
response to the challenge, people have
posted videos of themselves using marijuana
in restaurants, in airports, on public
transportation, and in classrooms.
In 2014, nearly 6.0 percent of 12th graders reported

daily marijuana use, 21.2 percent reported past
month use, and 35.1 percent reported annual use.
(See Chart 30.) Of the 12th graders who reported
annual use, 40 percent of the students in states
with medical marijuana used marijuana edibles
compared to 26 percent of those students in states
without medical marijuana.
Disapproval of marijuana use, and perception of

marijuana being harmful, significantly declined for
those in middle and high school. In 2014, only 36.1
percent of 12th graders viewed regular marijuana
use as harmful; this was a 3.4 percent decline from
2013, and an 18.5 percent decline from 2004. (See
Chart 31.)
Marijuana use continues to exceed tobacco use in
all three MTF grade levels. In 2014, 21.2 percent
of 12th graders used marijuana in the past 30
70
Marijuana Use
Social media reflects how younger people

perceive marijuana use as evidenced by
various Internet searches that demonstrate
minors using marijuana publicly and with
impunity. Social media users of all ages,
but primarily younger individuals, have
posted hundreds of thousands of photos
of themselves with marijuana products on
various social media sites; these photos are
associated with hashtags that represent
marijuana (e.g. #420, #710, #BHO, #dabs). In
2014, approximately 1,200 new photos and
videos were posted to Instagram each day
associated with the hashtag #BHO, a slang
term for marijuana concentrates.
Use
Marijuana use among young adults in college

is increasing. In 2006, 30 percent of the nations
college students said they used marijuana in the
previous year, whereas in 2013 nearly 36 percent
reported previous year use. Daily or near-daily use
of marijuana, defined as 20 or more occasions of
use in the prior 30 days, rose from 3.5 percent in
2007, to 5.1 percent in 2013.
and
days compared with 13.6 percent who smoked

cigarettes. The 2014 MTF survey was the first to ask
students about their use of electronic cigarettes,
and 17.1 percent of 12th graders said they had used
electronic cigarettes in the past 30 days; however,
the substances they used inside of the electronic
cigarettes was not reported.
Marijuana accounts for a significant portion
of treatment admissions in the United States.
According to TEDS, in 2012, 17 percent of all
treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities
To date, only 13 hash-oil seizures have been analyzed for
2014. When the final 2014 numbers become available this
percentage is likely to change. In 2013, 29 seizures were
analyzed and the average THC potency for 2013 was 52.32
percent; the average CBD potency was 0.50 percent.
xxii
The ice bucket challenge benefiting amyotrophic lateral

sclerosis (ALS) research..
xxiii
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
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Summary
Marijuana
for the
United States,
Number of Admissions
(U) Chart 32. Marijuana Treatment Admissions

2002 - 2012
were marijuana-related, up from 15 percent in

2002. Nationally, there was a 6 percent increase in
the number of treatment admissions for marijuana
from 2002 to 2012; however, between 2011 and
2012 that number declined 13 percent. (See Chart
32.) Treatment admissions for marijuana were
less likely than all other drugs to be reported as
self or individual referrals; criminal justice referrals
accounted for 51.6 percent of marijuana treatment
admissions.
Marijuana is the most common substance for
treatment admissions among adolescents.
In 2012, 76 percent of people between the
ages of 12 and 17 admitted to treatment for
substance abuse were admitted for marijuana
use.
Production
Foreign Production
Marijuana is smuggled into the United States
from Mexico in large volumes, with comparatively
smaller volumes from Canada and the Caribbean.
Marijuana that is smuggled from Mexico is typically
classified as commercial-grade or low-grade
marijuana. The quality of marijuana produced

in Mexico and the Caribbean is thought to be
inferior to the marijuana produced domestically
in the United States, or in Canada; however, law
enforcement reporting indicates that Mexican
cartels are attempting to produce higher-quality
marijuana to keep up with US demand for highquality marijuana.
There was a 23.6 percent decline in the total weight
of marijuana seizures along the Southwest Border
from 2013 to 2014, according to CBP data. The
reasons for this decline are not well defined and
remain unclear; cartel intentions and the possible
impact of domestic legalization initiatives are
continuing intelligence gaps relative to the levels
of Mexican marijuana entering the United States.
It should be noted that Mexico remains the most
significant foreign source for marijuana in the
United States and, despite the decline, marijuana
seizures along the Southwest Border totaled over
984,600 kilograms in 2014.
Most of the marijuana seized by CBP occurs in the
Tucson, Arizona, West Desert Corridor, which is
controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel. CBP seized the
second largest amount of marijuana in the Rio
UNCLASSIFIED
71
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Marijuana
(U) Map 14. CBP Marijuana Seizures by Southwest Border Corridor

Percent Change from 2013.
in
2014,
with
Grande Valley, Texas, corridor, which is controlled

primarily by the Gulf Cartel. (See Map 14.)
Domestic Production
Although marijuana is cultivated in all 50 states,
the majority of domestically-produced marijuana
(that which is produced outside of stateauthorized cultivation) comes from California.
In 2014, the Domestic Cannabis Eradication
Suppression Program (DCE/SP) eradicated 4.3
million plants in the United States; 2.68 million
were in California. Marijuana can be grown both
outdoors and indoors; indoor production is more
difficult for law enforcement to discover and does
not rely on climate conditions or seasons. (See
Table B10 in Appendix B.) Criminal organizations of
all sizes and types are involved in illegal marijuana
cultivation in the United States.
number of eradicated plants declined by 58 percent

during that time. (See Charts 33 and 34.) The
majority of this decline can be attributed to a 64
percent decrease in eradication in California (7.39
million plants in 2010 to 2.68 million plants in 2014).
The decrease was due to several factors: a shift
in enforcement priorities due to state-approved
marijuana measures, to include the defunding of
the California Campaign Against Marijuana Planting
(CAMP) in 2012, and the implementation of an
automated collection database in 2010, which
changed the way seizure statistics were collected.
The total number of grow sites eradicated by DCE/

SP declined by 68 percent from 2010 to 2014; the
72
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Photo 12. THCInfused Lollipops

Source: Clovis,
California Police
Department
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Summary
Marijuana
Marijuana Concentrates
(U) Chart 33. Total Cannabis Cultivation Sites

Eradicated by DCE/SP, CY 2010 - CY 2014
Marijuana concentrates such

as hashish, hash oil, and keif
have been used for centuries;
however marijuana concentrates
are gaining popularity in the
United States, as indicated by
the increasing volume of law
enforcement and open source
reporting. Street terms for
marijuana concentrates include:
Butane Honey Oil, BHO, Hash Oil,
Dabs/Dabbing, Wax, Shatter, 710,
and Errl.
Source: DEA Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program
(U) Chart 34. Total Cannabis Plants Eradicated

DCE/SP, CY 2010 - CY 2014
by
Marijuana concentrates are often

consumed in e-cigarettes, also
known as vaporizers. Marijuana
concentrates are also found in
other forms such as edibles,
topicals, tinctures, capsules, and
patches. These new forms of
marijuana present a challenge
to law enforcement, as they are
easier to conceal. (See Photos 12,
13, 14, and 15.)
Marijuana concentrates are

extracted from leafy marijuana
in many ways, but the most
frequently used, and potentially
Source: DEA Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program most dangerous, method is
butane extraction. The butane
extraction method uses highly
flammable butane gas and has resulted in
numerous explosions and injuries, particularly on
the West Coast, where production is most common.
The first DEA report of the THC extraction process
using butane was in 2005 in Oakland, California.
However, as the use of marijuana concentrates
has increased, the number of laboratory-related
explosions has increased. (See Map 15xxiv)
(U) Photo 13. Marijuana Capsules and Vaporizer

Source: Southern Maryland Information Center
The THC extraction laboratories listed were collected

from 2014 law enforcement, NSS, and open
source news reporting. This list is not meant to be
exhaustive. The majority of these laboratories were
discovered after a fire/explosion occurred; however,
many were discovered upon search warrant entry,
thus not all laboratories resulted in an explosion.
xxiv
UNCLASSIFIED
73
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Marijuana
Environmental Impact
(U) Photo 14. 199 E-Cigarette Cartridges each containing 1.1 milliliters
of marijuana concentrates
Source: Lafayette, Louisiana Police Department
Illegal outdoor cannabis cultivation sites

have a significant, harmful impact on
the environment. Marijuana cultivation
is associated with illegally diverted water,
illegal deforestation, and soil contamination.
Additionally, rodenticide and insecticide
toxicants are frequently discovered on
marijuana cultivation sites and are detrimental
to wildlife. Research indicates that each
cannabis plant requires roughly 1,200 gallons
of water; therefore 500,000 plants would
use 600 million gallons of water enough
water to supply the city of San Francisco for
approximately three weeks. Over 110,000
acres of land in California have been destroyed
since 2006 due to fires associated with illegal
marijuana cultivation, costing taxpayers more
than $55 million in suppression costs.
(U) Photo 15. Marijuana concentrates

Source: Lafayette, Louisiana Police Department
According to the California Drug Endangered

Children Training and Advocacy Center (DEC-TAC),
there have been 441 THC extraction laboratories
recorded in California as of April 6, 2015. Of the
total number of laboratories recorded, 291 (66%)
were found in 2014; there were 53 laboratories
discovered in the first 3 months of 2015. DEC-TAC
reports children were present at 72 THC extraction
laboratories, resulting in 12 children injured, and
the death of 3 children. Further, DEC-TAC reports
140 adults were injured, and 41 adults were killed
due to THC extraction laboratory explosions.
74
UNCLASSIFIED
In 2014, the California Department of

Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) reported several
cases of illegal marijuana cultivation
where water was illegally diverted. One
case, in May 2014, resulted in the seizure
of 4,000 cannabis plants and two tons of
waste and hazardous materials; another
case, also in May 2014, resulted in the
seizure of over 9,000 cannabis plants, and
over 2,500 pounds of waste, to include
hundreds of pounds of fertilizers and
pesticides.
During 2014, public safety agencies in
California reported illegal dumping of
hazardous material; thousands of empty
butane canisters have been discarded
on private and public property. In 2014,
the Oakland (California) Fire Department
reported that they cleaned up at least
two dump sites per week, and most
dump sites contain 500 to 800 butane
canisters.
UNCLASSIFIED
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Summary
Marijuana
(U) Map 15. THC Extraction Laboratories 2014
Source: DEA
(U) THC Extraction Laboratories

The term THC extraction lab is used instead of BHO lab (for Butane Honey Oil) as butane is
not the only solvent used to extract THC from marijuana; DEA has reported the use of propane,
Freon, carbon dioxide (CO2), dry ice, and alcohol (isopropyl and ethanol) in the extraction process.
However, butane appears to be the most common solvent used, especially in conjunction with
the THC extraction explosions.
(U) Photo 16. Marijuana concentrates inside of an oven located at a THC

extraction laboratory
Source: DEA
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Photo 17. Various THC extraction equipment located at a

THC extraction laboratory
Photos source: DEA
75
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Marijuana
of marijuana. In May 2014, TTF agents

assisted the Tijuana RO with the seizure of an
additional tunnel seizure in Tecate, California.
Transportation and Distribution

Transportation of Foreign-Produced
Marijuana
Large quantities of foreign-produced marijuana
are smuggled into the United States via
personally-owned vehicles, commercial vehicles,
buses, subterranean tunnels, rail cargo containers,
ultralight aircraft, and maritime vessels.
Marijuana smuggled from foreign sources of supply
is typically transported in larger shipments than
domestically-produced marijuana.
Mexico TCOs smuggle large quantities of marijuana
from Mexico into the United States through
subterranean tunnels along the Southwest Border.
Subterranean tunnels allow traffickers to avoid
enforcement activities at POEs. Mexican TCOs may
allow independent traffickers to use the tunnels
for a fee; however, reporting indicates that the
fees are often substantial, such as half the drug
proceeds or half the quantity of drugs smuggled.
Tunnels discovered by law enforcement are filled
with concrete, and the cost to the government to
destroy these tunnels can range from $30,000 to
hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Nogales, Arizona: In February 2014, the DEA
Nogales RO, in conjunction with ICE, located
a 481-foot long subterranean tunnel used to
transport drugs into the United States from
Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. Officers seized
heroin and marijuana at this location.
Nogales, Arizona: During 2014, the United
States Border Patrol (USBP) Nogales, Arizona
Station discovered five incomplete tunnels
along the Arizona-Mexico border.
San Diego, California: In April 2014, the
San Diego, California Tunnel Task Force (TTF)
seized two tunnels located in the Otay Mesa
area of San Diego, California. The tunnels
contained sophisticated rail and lighting
systems and originated at a storage unit
facility in Tijuana, Mexico. The TTF arrested
two suspects and executed search warrants at
separate warehouse locations in the Miramar
area of San Diego and Corona, California,
and seized approximately 45,000 pounds
76
Mexican TCOs continue to send shipments of

marijuana via non-commercial maritime vessels
from the West Coast of Baja California north
to the central California coast. Operators of
pangassmall, fast-moving vesselscruise great
distances from the California shoreline to avoid law
enforcement detection.
California: In March 2014, law enforcement
seized over 6,900 pounds of marijuana
and arrested 3 Mexican nationals during a
maritime interdiction off the coast of southern
California.
California: In May 2014, a panga boat
and a sport utility vehicle were discovered
on a beach near Pescadero State Park in
California with approximately 1,000 pounds of
marijuana.
California: According to the FY2014: United
States Maritime Cross-Border Drug Smuggling
assessment, in FY2014, the US Coast Guard
(USCG) along with other law enforcement
agencies seized 140,000 pounds of marijuana,
88 percent of which123,000 poundswas
seized from non-commercial vessels on the
Pacific Coast. Mexican TCOs smuggle the
drug from the Pacific coast of Mexico into
California.
Pharr, Texas: In March 2015, ICE agents in
McAllen, Texas, seized 10,120 packages of
marijuana weighing over 1,300 kilograms that
was comingled and disguised as onions from
a warehouse in Pharr, Texas. The marijuana
load was destined for North Carolina. (See
Photos 18 and 19.)
Transportation of Domestically-Produced
Marijuana
Various TCOs and domestic criminal groups are
involved in transporting domestically-produced
marijuana. Mexican nationals operate illegal largescale outdoor marijuana grows, Asian and Cuban
criminal organizations operate sophisticated illegal
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Summary
Marijuana
(U) Photo 18. Onion pallet containing onions filled

with marijuana
Source: Southwest Border HIDTA
(U) Photo 19. Onions filled with marijuana
indoor grows, Caucasian criminal organizations

operate both large-scale outdoor grows and smallscale indoor grows, and other criminal groups
obtain large quantities of marijuana from state
authorized entities for illegal resale. Domesticallyproduced marijuana is typically trafficked from the
West Coastparticularly from states with robust
medical marijuana or recreational marijuana
lawsto states on the East Coast and in the
Southeast.
DEA reporting indicates marijuana shipments
via commercial parcel delivery services have
increased throughout the United States.
Multiple online blogs, forums, and Internet sites
explain how to ship marijuana so as to avoid law
enforcement detection. There is also a website
that claims to provide legal advice, Federal Bureau
of Investigation (FBI) and US Postal Service (USPS)
insider information, labeling, and packaging
secrets. CBP data indicate traffickers are using
Source: Southwest Border HIDTA
express consignment to transport shipments of

marijuana and other drugs throughout the United
States. Express consignment seizures in the United
States increased 58 percent between FY 2011 and
FY 2014.
Outlook
Marijuana will remain abundant in the United
States; use will remain high and will increase as
perceptions of the drugs harmfulness diminish.
State legalization, and the shifting of law
enforcement priorities in many localities, will allow
small-scale domestic criminal organizations to
cultivate and traffic marijuana with more freedom
than in the past. Mexican TCOs will continue to
cultivate and traffic marijuana into the United
States, and may attempt to cultivate higher-quality
marijuana to compete with US demand for highquality marijuana.
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Synthetic Designer Drugs

Overview
Synthetic designer drugs refer to man-made
substances created to mimic the effects of
controlled substances, and are oftentimes
unscheduled and unregulated. There are a variety
of synthetic designer drugs, such as cannabinoids,
cathinones, and hallucinogens known as
phenethylamines. The two most commonly used
types of synthetic designer drugs in the United
States are synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones.
Synthetic cannabinoids, also commonly known
as Spice and K2, are chemicals synthesized in
laboratories and simulate the biological effects
of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in
marijuana. Cathinones, also commonly known as
bath salts, can produce pharmacological effects
substantially similar to cathinone, methcathinone,
MDMA, amphetamine, methamphetamine, and
cocaine. Synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones
are typically manufactured in China and then
imported into the United States through mail
services; they are sold in convenience stores and
via the Internet. Synthetic cathinones are usually
snorted or swallowed in their powder or crystal
forms. Negative effects of synthetic cathinone
use include heart attack, kidney and liver failure,
paranoia, panic attacks, and breakdown of muscle
tissue.
Phenethylamines are organic compounds that
affect the central nervous system, primarily
by interacting with neurotransmitters. The
NBOMes (N-methoxybenzyl) are a series of
potent psychedelic drugs that fall under the
phenethylamine class of synthetic drugs.
Common drugs used in this series are 25I-NBOMe,
25B-NBOMe, and 25C-NBOMe, all three of which
were temporarily placed into Schedule I of the CSA
by DEA in November 2013, after they were linked to
multiple deaths.
Availability
Synthetic cannabinoids, cathinones, and
phenethylamines are available throughout the
United States. Most domestic DEA offices report
that synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones are
(U) Table 11: DEA Field Division

Reporting of Synthetic Cannabinoid and
Cathinone Availability in the First Half of
2014 and Comparison to Previous Period
Field Division
Availability During
First Half 2014
to Second Half 2013
Low Stable
Low Stable

Moderate
Less
High Stable
Moderate
Stable
Moderate
Stable
Moderate
Stable
Moderate
Stable
Nothing to Report
Stable

Low Stable
Moderate
Stable
Moderate
More
Moderate
Stable
Moderate
Stable
Low
Less
Moderate
Stable
Moderate
Stable
Low Stable
Moderate
Stable
Moderate
More
Moderate
Stable
moderately available, and that availability is

mostly stable compared to 2013. The Chicago
and Philadelphia FDs indicated less availability in
2014 compared with 2013, and the New Jersey and
Seattle FDs reported higher availability in 2014 (See
Table 11).
Jefferson City, Missouri: In 2014, DEA
seized hundreds of kilograms of synthetic
cannabinoids from numerous package,
smoke, and convenience stores. Several of
these stores began selling them after noticing
that the profits of a local liquor store doubled
by selling the drugs.
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Designer
Drugs
Frederick, Maryland: In 2014, DEA arrested

three individuals and seized hundreds of
packets of synthetic cannabinoids from
a group of gas stations. The drugs were
produced locally in a warehouse and one
gas station location sold as many as 50 to 60
packets of the drugs per day.
Elyria, Ohio: In June 2014, DEA seized 1,500
packets of synthetic cannabinoids when they
intercepted a parcel delivery service package
that had originated in Oklahoma.
Washington DC: Current reporting indicates
that many gas station and convenience
store owners state that, even if their stock
of synthetic cannabinoids is seized, they will
continue to restock and sell the drugs if they
are not prosecuted, because the profits are so
large.
Use
Synthetic designer drugs are typically used by
younger individuals. Synthetic cannabinoids and
cathinones are sold in packages adorned with
bright colors and cartoons to attract younger users.
(See Photo 20.) These drugs are often marketed
under varieties such as blueberry, strawberry,
mango, and bubblegum, to entice consumption.
The use of legitimate-looking packaging, coupled
with availability in conventional stores, greatly
reduces the stigma of these drugs.
Synthetic Cannabinoids
Synthetic cannabinoid use remains prevalent
throughout the United States. Synthetic
cannabinoids are the fourth most popular drug
used among 8th graders (after marijuana, inhalants,
and amphetamines), the third most popular drug
used among 10th graders (after marijuana and
amphetamines) and the fourth most popular
drug used among 12th graders (after marijuana,
amphetamines, and Adderall). In the most current
MTF survey data, the percentage of 8th, 10th,
and 12th graders surveyed who used synthetic
cannabinoids declined from 6.4 percent in 2013 to
4.8 percent in 2014. The MTF survey also found that
when posed the question, How much do you think
people risk harming themselves (physically or in
80
(U) Photo 20. Spice is sold in legitimate packaging materials and foodassociated varieties such as Blueberry to entice consumption.
Source: DEA
other ways), if they try synthetic marijuana once or

twice, 27.1 percent answered with great risk, the
selection with the highest level of risk.
The American Association of Poison Control
Centers (AAPCC) also indicates that in 2014,
there were 3,677 calls to poison centers
regarding synthetic marijuana exposure. This
number is up from 2,668 in 2013a 37.8
percent increase. (See Chart 35.) This is the
first increase since the number of calls peaked
in 2011 at 6,968; 2012 and 2013 showed a
decline in the number of calls.
In August 2014, the New Hampshire Governor
declared a State of Emergency when, within
a few days, over 40 people overdosed on
bubblegum-flavored synthetic cannabinoids
sold over the counter.
Synthetic Cathinones
Some use and availability data indicators show
that synthetic cathinone use is decreasing, yet
cathinones remain prevalent in the US market.
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Threat Assessment
Summary
Designer
Drugs
(U) Chart 35. Number of Exposure Calls to the American Association

of Poison Control Centers 2010 - 2014
Source: American Association of Poison Control Centers
(U) Synthetic Cannabinoid Use
among the
Prison Population
Synthetic cannabinoids are used by the inmate population and others monitored by the criminal
justice system. In a special study conducted under the Community Drug Early Warning System
in 2013 by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the University of Marylands
Center for Substance Abuse Research, an average of 33 percent of urine samples tested positive for
synthetic cannabinoids in the Washington, DC inmate, parole and probation, and pretrial surveillance
populations. These samples passed traditional drug screening and synthetic cannabinoids were only
identified by special testing not ordinarily used in the criminal justice system.
Clinton, Louisiana: In October 2014, four inmates in a Louisiana prison overdosed on synthetic
cannabinoids smuggled into the prison concealed inside cigarettes. The inmates became
unresponsive and were taken to the hospital. One was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.
Live Oak, Florida: In December 2014, a Florida prison correctional officer was arrested for
selling synthetic cannabinoids to inmates. Inmates purchased the drugs from him using
disposable prepaid cash cards.
AAPCC statistics continue to show a

declining number of calls to poison centers
for cathinone exposure. For the year 2014,
there were only 580 calls, a 41.7 percent drop
from the 995 calls in 2013. In the previous
reporting period from 2012 to 2013, the
number of calls dropped from 2,691 to 995, a
63 percent decrease.
NSS data reflect a significant decrease in the

amount of cathinones seized since 2012. In
2012, law enforcement officers seized 990
kilograms of cathinones; however, in 2013,
officers seized 839 kilograms and only 52.8
kilograms in 2014.
MTF survey data show that the percentage of
8th, 10th, and 12th graders using cathinones
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dropped from 0.9 percent in 2013 to 0.7

percent in 2014. MTF survey data also found
that when asked the question, How much
do you think people risk harming themselves
(physically or in other ways), if they try bath
salts (synthetic stimulants) once or twice, 48.5
percent answered with great risk.
While many indicators suggest declining abuse
levels of synthetic cathinones, many distributors
have rebranded these drugs as MDMA, molly, or
flakka thereby users may not be aware they are
consuming a synthetic cathinone or bath salts.
Additionally, data could be skewed as unwitting
users would indicate that they had consumed
MDMA. The AAPCC register bath salts and MDMA
as separate entities, which further distorts this data
as an indicator of use levels.
Synthetic cathinones, namely methylone, are falsely
represented as a pure form of ecstasy to MDMA
users. Methylone has been seized in all forms of
supposed MDMA: pressed pills, gel capsules, and
loose powder crystals.
New Jersey: In 2014, reporting indicated
that much of the MDMA being trafficked in
New Jersey was actually methylone. True
MDMA was too expensive to make a profit so
methylone was substituted.
New York: In 2014, laboratory analysis
showed most of the purported pure
MDMA/molly contained cathinones such as
methylone.
Phenethylamines
NBOMes are commonly imported into the United
States from China in their white powder form.
The drug can be diluted in liquid and snorted,
dropped onto blotter paper and ingested orally,
or administered as liquid drops directly into the
eye or the nasal cavity. Once administered, effects
of the drug may be felt in as little as 10 to15
minutes. Users experience temporary feelings of
euphoria, visual and auditory hallucinations, as well
as potential harmful effects such as aggression,
agitation, seizures, kidney injury, and death.
Due to similarities in appearance and effects,
82
25I-NBOMe is often mistaken for lysergic acid

diethylamide (LSD). (See Photo 21.)
(U//LES) Photo 21. NBOMe blotter paper.
Source: DEA
Production
While synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones are
chemicals created in laboratories, each variety
of these drugs requires different precursor
chemicals and different scientific processes to
synthesize them. While the varieties of synthetic
cannabinoids and cathinones produce similar
effects to the organic illicit drugs they mimic,
they are each a different chemical; therefore,
the synthesis of cannabinoids and cathinones
vary as different methods are used to produce
each compound variant. Most require relatively
sophisticated scientific equipment and glassware,
and the techniques require chemistry knowledge
and skill. However, due to their wide availability
from countries such as China, India, and the
Netherlands, most traffickers in the United States
simply purchase the chemicals already synthesized
and perform final preparations and processing
domestically. Sites for the final processing of
synthetic cannabinoids and application onto
plant material are known as spice processing
labs. As synthetic cathinones are usually snorted
or swallowed in their powder and crystal forms,
further processing is usually not needed.
Spice processing labs are typically found in homes
and warehouses throughout the United States.
After acquiring synthetic cannabinoid chemicals,
distributors dilute the white powdered substance in
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2015 National DrugSynthetic

Threat Assessment
Summary
Designer
Drugs
an alcohol such as ethanol. Cheap plant material is

dehydrated and spread out on large work surfaces.
The synthetic cannabinoid chemicals in liquid form
are then sprayed onto the plant material and left
to dry. This can lead to the uneven application of
the drug resulting in hot spots in batches of the
drug. After drying, the finished Spice is packaged
in individual foil packets, typically in 10 or 15 gram
quantities.
The foil packets used for packaging synthetic
cannabinoids can be purchased online in wholesale
quantities. These packets are already branded with
logos and names such as Bizarro or Scooby Snax.
Because these empty packets can be purchased
in wholesale quantities by different distributors,
no two packets may have the same contents, as
distributors use a variety of different synthetic
cannabinoids in search of cheaper or more potent
drugs. Therefore, any two sealed packets of
Scooby Snax for sale may have two completely
different synthetic cannabinoids, even in the same
shop.
Transportation
The chemicals used to make synthetic
cannabinoids and cathinones are typically
purchased through mail order and transported
into the United States via package delivery
services. Synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones
are usually imported into the United States from
companies in China. To a lesser extent, synthetic
cannabinoids and cathinones arrive in the mail
from companies in Germany, the Netherlands, and
even within the United States. These packages
have been seized at both business and residential
locations.
Distribution
Synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones are
distributed through convenience stores, head
shops, adult stores, hookah and smoke shops,
and gas stations. While both vendors and the
packaging of these drugs may claim that the drugs
are not for human consumption, these drugs are
usually sold along with smoking paraphernalia
such as pipes. Some vendors display and sell
these drugs openly, while some hide them from
sight and sell only to customers with a trusted
(U) Flakka
In 2015 there was a sharp rise in the number
of overdoses related to the synthetic
cathinone a-Pyrrolidinovalerophenone
Hydrochloride or Alpha-PVP, also known by
the street names Flakka and Gravel. Flakka
is commonly available in a white, pink, or
blue crystallized form and appears similar
to methamphetamine. Flakka is typically
smoked or snorted and is sometimes abused
in conjunction with other drugs. Flakka
is transported into the United States from
China and distributed throughout the United
States. Flakka acts as a stimulant and may
cause users to hallucinate; it is responsible
for a variety of aggressive behaviors such
as robbery and assault. In 2014, DEA
temporarily placed Flakka in Schedule I of
the CSA while further research is conducted
to formally schedule the drug. As previously
mentioned, on October 1, 2015, the Chinese
government introduced new regulations
regarding the control of 116 chemical
compounds, including Alpha-PVP.
and established relationship. All 50 states have

some type of legislation regulating the sale of
synthetic drugs. However, the chemical make-up
of synthetic drugs often differ by only one element,
and this poses a challenge to law enforcement.39
As certain compounds are scheduled, producers
quickly change one or two elements in the banned
substance thereby creating a new compound
that has similar psychoactive effects but is not
yet illegal. Since 2009, when these drugs were
first encountered in the US, more than 250 new
synthetic compounds have been encountered.
Outlook
Synthetic cannabinoids, cathinones, and
phenethylamines will continue to pose a nationwide threat. Synthetic drug producers modify and
experiment with chemical formulas in search of
new psychoactive substances. Once a new drug
is formulated, the Internet and social media are
used to market its arrival on the scene, allowing
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Designer
Drugs
for its fast adoption and use. Due to the changing

nature of the chemical formula for synthetic
designer drugs, distributors are able to reap
significant profits before legislation to control
these psychoactive substances is enacted. While
synthetic drugs will remain prevalent as a whole,
synthetic cannabinoid use will remain steady or
increase, while synthetic cathinone use appears to
be on the decline. The United States will continue
to see overdoses and deaths as a result of synthetic
drug use, primarily among the youth population.
84
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MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine)
(U) Table 12. 2015 NDTS Respondents

Reporting High Availability of MDMA,
by Region
(Percentage)
OCDETF Region
(U) Photo 22. MDMA
Source: DEA
Overview
MDMA, a synthetic Schedule I drug commonly
referred to as ecstasy and molly, is available
throughout the United States. Compared to
marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and other illicit drugs,
the MDMA market in the United States is small.
Most of the MDMA seized in the United States
is manufactured in clandestine laboratories
in Canada and smuggled across the Northern
Border. Canada-based Asian TCOs are the primary
suppliers of MDMA in the United States, producing
tens of millions of tablets for the US market. (See
Photo 22.) MDMA acts as both a stimulant and as
a psychedelic. It produces an energizing effect,
distortions in time and perception, and enhanced
enjoyment of tactile experiences.
DEA reporting indicates the sources of supply for
molly are either US-based rogue chemists or
foreign-based traffickers from China and, to a lesser
extent, India and Eastern Europe. Molly is often
ordered from Internet websites using Bitcoin for
payment.
Availability
MDMA is available throughout the United States,
but availability is generally declining. The only
respondents to the 2015 NDTS to report an increase
in MDMA availability from the previous year were
the Southeast and the Southwest OCDETF regions.
2014
2015
Florida/Caribbean
Great Lakes
Mid-Atlantic
New England
New York/New Jersey
Pacific
20.6
18.0
7.5
2.3
5.3 2.9
12.4
4.4
15.1
13.1
10.7 8.0
Southeast
Southwest
West Central
Nationwide
10.3 11.6
5.5 11.8
5.4
2.3
8.8 7.3
Nationally, 7.3 percent of law enforcement agencies

surveyed indicated that MDMA availability was at
high levels in their jurisdiction. However, the data
indicate that MDMA is significantly more available
in certain regions. (See Table 12.)
The drug molly is purported to be a pure form of
MDMAfree of any added substancesbut the
true chemical make-up of molly varies. Drugs
marketed or sold as molly are often made up of
several different substances, including synthetic
cathinones such as methylone, and do not always
contain MDMA. (Methylone is a Schedule I
controlled substance and is commonly imported
from China via the Internet for use in the United
States.)
Intelligence indicates that some tablets sold as
ecstasy or molly may not be MDMA at all, but
another chemical or a mixture of various chemicals
which may or may not contain MDMA. DEA
laboratories have analyzed samples that have
contained methamphetamine, ketamine, caffeine,
dimethylsulfone, N-benzylpiperazine (BZP), and
trifluoromethylpiperazine (TFMPP), in addition to
MDMA.
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MDMA
(3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine)
(U) Table 13. National Survey on Drug Use

2009 - 2013

Past Month Use
Past Year Use
Lifetime Use
and
Health, MDMA Initiates,
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

763,000
691,000
544,000
628,000
660,000
2,804,000
2,653,000
2,422,000
2,610,000
2,588,000
14,280,000
15,929,000
14,570,000
16,162,000
17,815,000
Use
Production
Demand data indicate that MDMA use is generally

on the decline. According to NSDUH, while the
number of people reporting both lifetime and
current use of MDMA has increased, the number
reporting past year use has decreased. (See Table
13.) Additionally, MTF data show that past year
MDMA use has declined in each of the grades (8th,
10th, and 12th) surveyed.
Canada continues to be the primary source

country of MDMA for domestic use in the United
States. Investigative reporting and intelligence
indicate that Canada-based Asian TCOs continue
to dominate the production and distribution
of MDMA. These TCOs manufacture wholesale
quantities of MDMA in clandestine laboratories
located in Canada, producing tens of millions
of tablets. MDMA production takes place
predominantly in British Columbia; however, it is
also manufactured in smaller quantities in Ontario
and Quebec. While seizures along the USCanada
border have declined from the peaks seen in 2008
and 2009, the smuggling of MDMA from Canada
into the United States remains a threat.
MDMA is generally used by adolescents and

college-aged youths. NSDUH data indicate that
69.4 percent of the MDMA initiates in 2013 were
aged 18 or older at the time they first used MDMA.
(U) Chart 36. Number
of
MDMA Domestic Cases Opened

2007 - 2014
and
Arrests
by
DEA
Source: DEA
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MDMA
2015
River which is used by TCOs in Ontario and Quebec
to smuggle MDMA into the United States.
Transportation
Asian TCOs smuggle MDMA across the border using
various methods and modes of transportation such
as personal vehicles, commercial trucks, buses,
planes (small personal planes and helicopters as
well as couriers on commercial airlines), trains,
vessels, all-terrain vehicles, and snowmobiles. In
addition, TCOs recruit individuals at and between
POEs along the entire USCanada border to carry
the drug on their persons. There are five major
corridors used by drug traffickers to smuggle illicit
drugs. These areas are in the vicinity of Blaine,
Washington; Detroit, Michigan; Champlain and
Buffalo, New York; and to a lesser degree, the Saint
Regis Mohawk Reservation, on the St. Lawrence
Distribution
Asian organizations dominate the trafficking of
MDMA in the United States and collaborate with
various US street gangs and OMGs to facilitate
distribution of the drug. Recent DEA reporting
indicates that Mexican organizations traditionally
involved in cocaine, methamphetamine, and
marijuana trafficking are now obtaining MDMA
from Canada and selling wholesale amounts (1,000
tablets or more) to local drug traffickers in the
United States.
(U) Operation Northern Exposure Dismantles MDMA Trafficking Organization

In October 2014, seven members of a Canada-based TCO were arrested on charges of international
MDMA distribution and money laundering in connection with OCDETF investigation Operation
Northern Exposure. This TCO shipped multi-thousand dosages of MDMA via package delivery services
to numerous distributors in the Denver metro area. The tablets were multi-colored and often shipped
intermixed with popular brands of candy in an effort to avoid law enforcement detection. Several
bank accounts in Canada, China, and the United States were tied to the organization, leading to
money laundering charges. Three members of the organization were arrested in Colorado and four
were arrested in Canada.
(U) Photo 24. MDMA concealed in commercial candy
(U) Photo 23. Seized MDMA
Source: DEA
Source: DEA
(U) Photo 25. 6,000 MDMA pills purchased in Vancouver, Canada

Source: DEA
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2015 National
The number of DEA MDMA cases and arrests
declined significantly between 2007 and 2014,
although there was a slight increase in arrests and
cases opened between 2012 and 2014. (See Chart
36.)
MDMA is usually distributed in tablet form
with logos that create brand names for users
to seek out. However, the drug is also available
in capsule, powder, and liquid forms. MDMA is
considered a party drug and is often mixed with
other substances such as alcohol and marijuana.
While it is most commonly used by adolescents
and college-aged young adults, it is no longer
considered exclusively a rave or club drug, and is
used by nontraditional groups.
(U) Photo 26. Molly in gel capsules
Source: DEA
Drugs sold as molly are usually sold in powder

form and can be white, off-white, brown, yellow,
or pink in color. Molly also can be sold in gel
capsules. (See Photo 26.) Molly is typically fine in
texture, but another form of the drug is known as
moon rocks, and is chunkier in appearance. (See
Photo 27.) Moon rocks are a crystalized form of
MDMA, usually yellow or white in color and similar
in appearance to crack cocaine. Molly can be
ingested by sniffing or snorting, orally, smoked,
or liquefied and injected. Some consume molly
by a method known as parachuting, whereby
the powder is wrapped in a facial tissue and then
swallowed. As the tissue slowly dissolves, the
molly is introduced into the stomach.
Outlook
MDMA and molly will pose a continuing,
albeit relatively low, threat to the United States,
particularly to young people. MDMA and molly
are inexpensive and easy to obtain and will
continue to be popular drugs of use among high
school and college students, as well as young adults
who attend concerts, clubs, and music events.
(U) Photo 27. Molly in Moon Rock form
88
Source: DEA
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Phencyclidine (PCP)
Overview
PCP is a hallucinogenic drug that is often sold in
a variety of tablet, capsule, and colored powder
forms that are normally snorted, smoked, or orally
ingested. In pure form, PCP is a white, crystalline
powder that dissolves easily in water or alcohol. As
a liquid, it is clear, yellow, or tan and often sold in
vanilla extract bottles.
PCP user symptoms mimic schizophrenia, such
as delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, disordered
thinking, and a sensation of distance from ones
environment. Long-term use of PCP causes
impaired memory, persistent speech problems
including stuttering and inability to articulate,
chronic and severe anxiety and depression,
suicidal tendencies, aggressive or hostile behavior,
paranoia, and delusional thinking.
PCP poses a low threat to the United States due
to relatively low levels of use. Use is highest in
the Washington, DC area, and the majority of PCP
available in the United States is produced in the
Los Angeles, California area.
Availability
PCP remains available in Washington DC, especially
the southeast quadrant of the city, in multi-gallon
quantities. Established dealers in DC maintain
connections to PCP sources of supply in southern
California, or mid-level suppliers in Prince Georges
County, Maryland.
Landover, Maryland: In February 2014,
US Marshals went to a home in Landover,
Maryland, with a bench warrant for a male
for the possession and intent to distribute
cocaine. As a result of the search, US Marshals
seized two clear bottles of suspected PCP in
addition to 44 grams of cocaine, and a digital
scale. (See Photo 28.)
PCP availability and use are reportedly increasing
throughout Philadelphia. Investigations revealed
PCP dealers operating in Philadelphias public
housing projects, as well as in sections of north and
northeast Philadelphia. California and New York
(U) Photo 28. PCP in bottle
Source: DEA
City are the primary sources for synthetic drugs, in

particular PCP, entering the Philadelphia FD AOR.
Use
PCP use remains low throughout the United States,
with the notable exception of Washington, DC.
Data from the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring
Program II indicates that less than two percent of
male arrestees in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, New
York, and Sacramento tested positive for PCP in
2013, with Atlanta and Denver reporting zero
percent of male arrestees testing positive for PCP.
These percentages have remained steady at these
low levels since 2007, and, with the exception of
Chicago, the other four cities percentages for males
testing positive for PCP have not risen above two
percent. (See Chart 37.)
The District of Columbia Pretrial Services Agency
reports that the two age groups of arrestees in
Washington DC with the highest percentage of
positive tests for PCP are the 26 to 30 and 31 to
35 age groups. In 2013, 14.1 percent of arrestees
between the ages of 31 and 35 tested positive for
PCP, down from 18.3 percent in 2012. However, the
percentage of arrestees between the ages of 26
and 30 testing positive for PCP nearly doubled from
2012 (9.1%) to 2013 (18.0%).
TEDS information reveals there were 5,732
PCP-related treatment admissions aged 12 and
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Threat Assessment Summary
Phencyclidine
(PCP)
(U) Chart 37. Percentage of Male Arrestees Testing Positive

FY 2007 - FY 2013
for
PCP,
Source: Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program II
older in 2012, the last year for which data is

available. These admissions accounted for 0.3
percent of the total treatment admissions aged 12
and older for 2012. Further, TEDS data reveals that
PCP was reported to be the primary substance of
abuse in just two admissions per 100,000, indicating
PCPs relatively low use levels across the United
States. The largest numbers of admissions for PCP
abuse were 1,851 admissions in the Middle Atlantic
Census divisionxxv followed by 1,343 admissions in
the South Atlantic Census division.xxvi Nevertheless,
these admission numbers still represent only 0.5
percent of the admissions in the Middle Atlantic and
0.4 percent of the admissions in the South Atlantic.
Production
African American street gangs in Los Angeles,
California, dominate the manufacture and
production of PCP. Specifically, the Compton area
of Los Angeles continues to serve as the source area
for PCP destined for other parts of the country.
DEA Los Angeles FD reporting indicates PCP
precursor chemicals are readily available and are
diverted locally and from other states.
Long Beach, California: In November
2014, two individuals were arrested for the
manufacture of a controlled substance, in
90
connection with the seizure of a clandestine

PCP lab in Long Beach.
Transportation
Large quantities of PCP are typically transported
from Los Angeles across the country via motor
vehicles and other commercial road transportation
with smaller amounts transported by bus, rail, as
well as shipped by commercial parcel services.
DEA Washington FD reporting reveals that in some
cases, couriers are sent to southern California
or, rarely, Texas to pick up PCP and transport the
drug back via commercial air, private vehicle, or
train. However, most of the PCP supplied to the
Washington DC area is sent via mail services to
established distributors.
Corona, California: In June 2014, one
individual was arrested for transporting 165
gallons of diethyl ether, a precursor chemical
used to manufacture PCP. (See Photo 29.)
The Middle Atlantic Census division includes New Jersey,

New York, and Pennsylvania.
xxv
The South Atlantic Census division includes Delaware,

Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Virginia, Washington DC, and West Virginia.
xxvi
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
2015 National Drug Threat

Assessment Summary
Phencyclidine
(PCP)
(U//LES) Photo 29. Drums of diethyl ether
Source: DEA
Distribution
African American criminal groups are the primary
PCP distributors in the Washington, DC area.
Street-level and mid-level dealers in Washington,
DC are generally African American males who
represent a mixture of recent (past few years) versus
established (decades) dealers. Local distribution
of PCP in the Philadelphia FD AOR is controlled
by African American, Jamaican, and Caucasian
criminal groups, and its use is frequently reported
in conjunction with marijuana use.
the city. However, the overall rates of PCP abuse

will continue to remain low compared to other
major drugs, such as marijuana, heroin, CPDs, and
cocaine.
Outlook
Los Angeles, California, will continue to serve as
the primary source for PCP in the United States, as
is evidenced by the number of seizures involving
large quantities of precursor chemicals in the Los
Angeles area. PCP will continue to be used in high
amounts in Washington DC, relative to other areas
in the United States, as local African American
criminal groups will continue to use established
networks to dominate the distribution of PCP in
UNCLASSIFIED
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UNCLASSIFIED
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2015 National Drug

Threat Assessment Summary
Phencyclidine
(PCP)
92
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Illicit Finance
(U) Table 14. Top 3 States for Bulk Currency Seizures,

2011 - 2014
Rank
2011 2012 2013 2014
1
CALIFORNIA
NEW YORK
NEW YORK
CALIFORNIA
$134,666,241 $212,069,936 $100,779,781 $124,393,673
2

NEW YORK
CALIFORNIA
CALIFORNIA
NEW YORK
$89,340,689 $132,274,001 $91,579,306 $28,450,308
3 TEXAS TEXAS TEXAS FLORIDA

$77,561,314 $66,797,740 $38,019,137 $19,934,742
Source: National Seizure System Data as of January 26, 2015
indicate Mexican TCOs routinely transport

large sums of currency from the United States
to Mexico via tractor-trailers. Due to the large
volume of tractor-trailers crossing the USMexico border, Mexican TCOs are reportedly
under the impression that this method of
transporting bulk currency is minimally
detected by law enforcement. Alternatively,
couriers transporting money back to Mexico
deliberately cross the border on foot during
times and at locations with long waits to
avoid law enforcement scrutiny. Some
couriers declare bulk currency at the border,
where it is difficult for officials to count
large quantities of cash on a regular basis.
Couriers traveling into the United States
often declare more cash than on hand. The
inflated declaration form is used to legitimize
the origin of additional proceeds available in
the United States when depositing the funds
into bank accounts. Bulk cash is also seized
from arriving airline and train passengers, as
well as from parcels shipped to destinations
in California from other domestic and
international locations. Sixty-four bulk
currency seizures were conducted at the San
Francisco International Airport (SFO) and
Overview
As federal money laundering laws become more
stringent and financial institutions implement
enhanced anti-money laundering measures, TCOs
are increasingly creative in their efforts to evade
laws and regulations. TCOs employ a wide array of
money laundering tactics to move drug proceeds
into, within, and out of the United States. However,
the more commonly used methods have remained
the same over the past several years. These
methods include: bulk cash smuggling, tradebased money laundering (TBML), black market peso
exchange (BMPE), structured deposits, and money
transmissions.xxvii
Currently, bulk cash smuggling is still the most
widely-reported method used by TCOs to move
illicit proceeds. In 2014, law enforcement officials
reported over 4,000 bulk cash seizures to the NSS
totaling over $382.2 million in US Currency (USC).xxviii
California, New York, and Florida reported the
highest dollar amounts in seizures for a combined
figure of $172.6 million. This was the first time since
2011 that Texas was not reported as one of the top
three states for bulk currency seizures. Seizures in
New York also dropped significantly, from $100.7
million in 2013 to $28.4 million USC in 2014. (See
Table 14.)
California: Throughout California, illicit
proceeds are primarily transported as
bulk currency from Northern California
to Southern California and Mexico via
privately-owned vehicles and tractor trailers.
Investigative reporting and currency seizures
Money transmissions are ways of transferring funds

domestically or internationally via money transmitting
businesses outside of the conventional financial institution
system. These include but are not limited to: wires, checks,
drafts, facsimiles, or couriers.
xxvii
The information reported to NSS by contributing agencies

may not necessarily reflect total seizures nationwide.
xxviii
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2015 National
Illicit
Finance
its mail and parcel facility during the first

half of CY 2014. The seized monies, totaling
$2.8 million USC, were suspected drug sales
proceeds or payments for drugs. Of this
amount, $2.4 million USC was confiscated
from arriving airline passengers. TCOs use
couriers to travel to and from the Los Angeles
area by domestic airline carriers. Many
couriers smuggle currency in luggage, carryon bags, and via body carry. One example
of a concealment method was a checked-in
suitcase with a false bottom made from the
cutout exterior of another roller suitcase.
The suitcase was filled with mens clothing
and behind the false bottom was a towel
and large amount of cash sealed in a heat/
vacuum sealed plastic bag. Reporting in the
Los Angeles area also suggests unwitting
legitimate trucking companies are used to
facilitate the transportation of illicit-drug
proceeds.
New York: Bulk cash shipments were
reported from New York to: Colombia,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Florida,
Mexico, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the
US Virgin Islands, and other islands in
the Caribbean. In the Albany area, bulk
currency shipments are often en route to
Canada when seized. Bulk cash proceeds
are transported in courier luggage or
clothing and sometimes co-mingled with
legitimate goods in containerized cargo.
For example, automobiles shipped to the
Dominican Republic are used to conceal bulk
cash. Airline employees may also serve as
money couriers from New York City to the
Dominican Republic. Extensive enforcement
actions regarding bulk seizures of cash in
vehicles, apartment buildings, and storage
facilities were common in the most recent
reporting period. Colombian, Dominican,
Jamaican, Lebanese, and Mexican trafficking
organizations were involved in money
laundering activities in New York. Dominican
traffickers are typically involved in money
pick-ups/drops. Local drug traffickers,
particularly involved in the marijuana trade,
often store drug proceeds at warehouses
and stash houses before they are smuggled
outside the region.
94
Florida: Similar to other regions of the

United States, bulk currency is commonly
transported from South Florida to the
Southwest Border in tractor trailers and
private vehicles. Bulk currency is also shipped
via commercial cargo vessels departing South
Florida ports. The majority of bulk currency is
seized through investigations or traffic stops.
Bulk currency interdictions occur mainly
along the I-10 (along the Florida panhandle),
I-75, and I-95 corridors, as bulk currency is
sent toward the Southwest Border, Atlanta, or
East Coast cities.
Trade-based money laundering (TBML) continues
to be a commonly used method to disguise illicit
proceeds. TCOs launder proceeds through trade
transactions to make the origins of the illicit funds
appear to be legitimate. TBML is an attractive
means for money launderers because it can bring
in a high profit and offers low risk of detection
from authorities. The complexity of TBML schemes
is only limited by the means and capabilities of a
TCO. Common TBML schemes include bartering
(commodity-for-commodity exchange) and invoice
manipulation by over/under invoicing merchandise
or services.
Los Angeles: In September 2014, federal and
local law enforcement authorities seized over
$65 million USC and arrested nine suspects
during an operation to disrupt the Sinaloa
Cartels exploitation of the Los Angeles
fashion district for TBML. The Sinaloa Cartel
used US drug proceeds to purchase clothes
imported from China that were stored in the
targeted fashion businesses warehouses.
The clothes were then shipped across the
border into Mexico for resale and the profits
placed into the Mexican financial system as
legitimate proceeds. The Sinaloa Cartel also
used these warehouses to store bulk cash
until couriers working for Mexico-based
fashion stores arrived with an invoice for
the cash and drove it across the Southwest
Border. (See Map 16.)
The Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE)
continues to be a popular money laundering
method, particularly with Latin American TCOs.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Illicit Summary
Finance
(U) Map 16. Trade-Based Money Laundering Scheme Exploits Los

Angeles Fashion District
Source: Drug Enforcement Administration
A form of TBML, the BMPE was pioneered by

Colombian TCOs in the 1980s. Mexican TCOs began
using the BMPE method along the Southwest
Border shortly thereafter and its use has grown in
response to Mexicos anti-money laundering (AML)
regulations governing the use of US currency
within Mexico. This method eliminates the risk
associated with bulk cash smuggling while, at the
same time, lending illicit funds an air of legitimacy.
In 2014, the BMPE continued to be a top
money laundering method in metropolitan
cities throughout California, Georgia,
Florida, New York, and Texas. Money brokers
operating mainly out of Bogot and Cali,
Colombia coordinate money pickups in the
continental United States, Central America,
and Europe. The money brokers drop off
or wire millions of dollars to hundreds of
electronics and computer companies in the
United States. These companies co-mingle
the illicit money with legitimate merchandise
sales. The money is ultimately repatriated
to TCOs in Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela
through the sale of equipment.
Virtual currencies, such as the popular cryptocurrency Bitcoinxxix, are quickly evolving economic
tools that attract TCOs eager to exploit the often

unregulated and decentralized virtual currency
markets. Though still not a mainstream form
of commerce, virtual currencies are increasingly
accepted by large international businesses and
could attain a much-improved stabilization in
price despite falling market values. As with any
new technology, there is a growing exploitation
of virtual currencies by criminal organizations. In
response, the US Department of Justice charged
the unlicensed money transmitter Liberty
Reserve and prosecuted the owner of the webbased marketplace Silk Road, which dealt almost
exclusively in Bitcoin and connected drug traffickers
with users.
Though the price of Bitcoin continued to decline
during 2014, an increasing number of major stores
and websites accept Bitcoin as a viable currency.
For the purpose of this report, the accepted practice

nomenclature for writing the word Bitcoin is used
throughout (en.Bitcoin.it/wiki). Therefore, when referring
to Bitcoin as a protocol, software, or community, the word
will be capitalized and singular: Bitcoin (e.g., The money
launderer exploited Bitcoin to move drug proceeds). If
referring to the units of currency a lowercase b is used
and the word is plural: bitcoins (e.g., The money launderer
moved bitcoins to the TCO account).
xxix
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95
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2015 National
Illicit
Finance
This list includes global online retailers, major

clothing chains, restaurant franchises, international
electronics companies, and many others,
particularly new web-based businesses. Working
closely with Bitcoin exchangers, these companies
can resell the bitcoins for fiat currencyxxx before any
price changes occur. As more businesses embrace
virtual currencies as acceptable forms of payment,
virtual currencies should attract more users and, in
turn, more investment. This could help stabilize the
rate of exchange, and large withdrawals or deposits
will not wildly affect the price.
(U) Splintering Dark Web Marketplace

Silk Road, the original dark webxxxi marketplace
for drugs and other contraband, was shut
down in 2013 by the US Department of Justice.
However, in the following month, Silk Road 2.0
was quickly established. Like its predecessor,
Silk Road 2.0 was located on the dark web,
difficult to access, featured increased user
anonymity, and sold a variety of contraband,
including illegal drugs. Continuing its
enforcement actions against these illicit web
marketplaces, the US Department of Justice
also shut down Silk Road 2.0 in November
2014, and arrested its alleged owner.
Though the United States continues to improve its

requirements for businesses and individuals dealing
in virtual currencies, no overarching international
regulation of virtual currencies exists. In March
2013, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
(FinCEN) provided some enforcement oversight,
later followed by further guidance in January
2014. FinCEN defined all businesses engaged in
the exchange or movement of virtual currency to
be money services businesses (MSBs), which must
adhere to regular MSB requirements stated by the
Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). In March 2014, the Internal
Revenue Service classified virtual currency as a
property for tax purposes, applicable to all past and
future transactions.
The dismantling of Silk Road 2.0 has splintered

the dark web drug market into numerous
emerging websites. This rapid increase in
successor websites presents new challenges
for law enforcement to track and follow the
sale and purchase of drugs on these markets
as users seek alternatives that provide higher
levels of anonymity.
For example, Evolution, an online marketplace
website launched in early 2014, gained higher
levels of use than either Silk Road website
and boasts over 22,000 product listings of
contraband items such as drugs, weapons,
counterfeit documents, and stolen credit
cards. Evolution permitted the use of Bitcoin
for purchases and offered multi-signature
transactions and an escrow service to promote
user confidence in the security of transactions.
However, on March 18, 2014, Evolution
suddenly closed and its owners absconded
with users bitcoins, valued at potentially over
$12 million. This scam exposed the risks of
selling/buying anonymously on the dark web
and may increase user caution that will make it
more difficult for law enforcement to penetrate
these hidden illicit networks.
The continued growth and acceptance of

virtual currencies has contributed to increasing
exploitation by criminals seeking to sell illegal
drugs in the United States. Reporting indicates
Colombian TCOs may be using Bitcoin as a tool
to conduct TBML schemes between the United
States and Colombia. TCOs purchase bitcoins in
the United States with drug proceeds and then
buy merchandise from the wide range of US-based
businesses that accept bitcoins. The merchandise
can include phone and Internet minutes, tickets
for events or travel, clothes, or luxury items. The
merchandise is shipped to Colombia for resale as in
a traditional TBML scheme.
Other Money Laundering Methods used
by TCOs
TCOs continue to exploit the banking industry
to give illicit drug proceeds the appearance
of legitimate profits. Money launderers often
open bank accounts with fraudulent names
or businesses and structure deposits to
96
A fiat currency is a currency that a government has

declared as legal tender.
xxx
The dark web is the portion of the Internet that cannot

be found using a regular search engine. Though many
methods exist for building a dark web page, only certain
search engines created for dark web browsing can access
it.
xxxi
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED

Illicit Summary
Finance
avoid reporting requirements. TCOs contract

individuals to deposit cash drug proceeds
in increments below $10,000 USC into
numerous bank accounts.xxxii Once deposited,
the funds are electronically wired to other
locations around the world.
(U) TCO Member Sentenced

150 years in Prison for
Drug Money Laundering
In June 2014, Spanish national Alvaro

Lpez-Tardn was convicted in Miami,
Florida on 14 federal counts to launder
$26.4 million in drug proceeds from selling
thousands of kilograms of cocaine in Spain.
Three months later, Lpez-Tardn was
sentenced to prison for 150 years on 13
money laundering charges and one charge
of conspiracy. The judge also imposed
a $2 million fine and allowed the US
Government to seize $14.4 million worth of
property from Lpez-Tardn.
The use of money remitters remains a

common method for laundering drug
proceeds and sending payments for drug
shipments.xxxiii TCOs in the Boston area
reportedly use money remitters to send
money to Colombia and the Dominican
Republic in amounts under $10,000. Heroin
TCOs in Oklahoma City are reportedly sending
drug proceeds to Mexico on a frequent basis
through money remitters.
Purchasing real estate and businesses is
a prevalent method used to launder drug
proceeds. Typically, illicit proceeds are
deposited in a domestic or foreign bank, a
limited liability company (LLC) is formed to
buy property, and the money is wired to the
title company or a cashiers check is supplied
for a cash closing. Purchasing properties
under a LLC can obscure the identity of the
actual owner(s) or the person(s) controlling
the property.
In recent years, the casino industry has been
the subject of multiple federal investigations
for various money laundering issues. The
exploitation of casinos for money laundering
has increased as US casino companies have
expanded internationally, opening branches
in China, the Philippines, and Latin America.
These companies generally allow funds to be
deposited in one of their casinos and then
used or withdrawn as winnings in another.
Money launderers exploit this system by
placing or structuring drug proceeds into a
US casino and then withdrawing the money
at an international branch. Another tactic is
to purchase chips with illicit cash proceeds,
gamble, and then exchange the chips for
a cashiers check. The illicit proceeds now
appear as legitimate winnings without raising
much suspicion.
to
Lpez-Tardn purchased high priced cars,

jewelry, watches, and real estate properties
in Miami. Among the properties were 14
condominium units mostly purchased by
LLCs, including Lpez-Tardns residential
penthouse in South Beach. According to
court records, Fabiani Krentz purchased
five units and transferred them through
quitclaim deeds to companies owned by
Lpez-Tardn.xxxiv Krentz purchased and
managed Miami properties, on behalf of the
TCO of which Lpez-Tardn was a member,
to legitimize the TCOs earnings from
cocaine sales.
The Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) requires financial institutions

to file Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs) for deposits,
withdrawals, exchange of currencies, or other payments in
currency of $10,000 or more.
xxxii
Money remitters fall under money service businesses

(MSBs), which are non-financial institutions that transmit
or convert money. According to FinCEN, MSBs include
currency dealers or exchangers, check cashers, issuers of
travelers checks, money orders or stored value, seller or
redeemer of travelers checks, money transmitters, and US
Postal Services.
xxxiii
A quitclaim deed is a legal instrument that releases a

persons right to real property, title, or interest to another
party without providing a guarantee or warranty of title.
xxxiv
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97
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Illicit
Finance
2015 National
98
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Puerto Rico
and the
US Virgin Islands
With approximate populations of 3.7 million and

106,000, respectively, Puerto Rico (PR) and the
United States Virgin Islands (USVI) are part of an
island chain located along the eastern edge of the
Caribbean Sea, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Both are unincorporated, organized territories of
the United States. The islands economies depend
largely on tourism. High unemployment rates (14%
to 16% in PR and 10% to 14% in the USVI), coupled
with a strategic geographic location (mid-point
between the United States and South America)
make the islands attractive to illicit drug traffickers
and money launderers.
Port security is a major international concern

in the Caribbean, as many ports lack adequate
equipment and manpower to monitor and interdict
illegal shipments. This lack of resources, combined
with corruption and sophisticated concealment
methods, creates a significant law enforcement
challenge, particularly as cocaine flow shifts back
toward the Caribbean. The Puerto Rico Ports
Authority currently administers several cargo
facilities in PR that handle both containerized and
bulk cargo. These facilities are leased to private
companies that act as terminal operators. There are
five cargo vessel serving facilities in the USVI.
Drug Threat
Traffickers exploit the high frequency of cruise ship

traffic in PR and the USVI to transport drugs. The
Port of San Juan is one of the largest cruise ship
destinations in the Western Hemisphere and can
dock as many as 12 cruise ships simultaneously. In
St. Thomas, USVI, as many as nine ships dock at the
island per day. Traffickers also exploit ferry services
that carry thousands of passengers and hundreds
of cargo containers per week between PR and the
Dominican Republic and between the USVI and the
British Virgin Islands.
In PR, cocaine is the greatest illicit drug threat. It

is more profitable to smuggle than other drugs
because of local demand, as well as illicit drug
market demands in the continental United States
(CONUS) and Europe. In the USVI, crack cocaine
also poses a serious threat because of its low price
($10 per rock) and addictive properties. Cocaine
is transported to the islands primarily via maritime
vessels from Colombia, Venezuela, and the
Dominican Republic. Documented cocaine flow
through the Caribbean has increased significantly,
nearly tripling over the last four years.
Go-fast vessels and maritime pleasure craft
are the preferred illicit drug transportation
methods in the DEA Caribbean FD AOR. Due to
enforcement successes by Dominican authorities
and interdiction efforts by the USCG, traffickers
have been forced to send multi-ton quantities of
cocaine from Venezuela and Colombia directly
into PR, bypassing the Dominican Republic. This
resulted in a significant increase in kilogram prices
of cocaine in the Dominican Republic and increased
smuggling movements directly to PR.
The large amount of container traffic from PR to
the United States provides an opportunity for
illicit drug smuggling. Containers arriving from
PR are considered domestic cargo upon reaching
CONUS seaports. Traffickers hide large quantities
of drugs amid legitimate container traffic, making
interdiction extremely difficult without specific
intelligence leads.
As Colombian and Venezuelan trafficking

organizations have reduced the number of air
smuggling operations into the Dominican Republic
over the last five years, there has been a noticeable
increase in the frequency of maritime cocaine
trafficking activities in the eastern Caribbean
corridor.xxxv This trafficking trend directly impacts
PR and the USVI. Most recently, traffickers almost
exclusively use go-fast boats either departing
directly from Venezuela or coming across the Mona
Passage from the Dominican Republic.
PR is a major transit point for cocaine smuggled
through the Caribbean to the CONUS. Cocaine is
smuggled through Luis Muoz Marn International
Airport, in Carolina, on commercial flights destined
for major airports in cities such as New York,
Miami, and Philadelphia. The Rafael Hernndez
International Airport in Aguadilla is also a key link
The Eastern Caribbean Corridor includes the Lesser

Antilles, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
xxxv
UNCLASSIFIED
99
UNCLASSIFIED
between western PR and the CONUS. The airport

also serves as a cargo station for package delivery
companies and offers regular flights to major East
Coast cities. There are also approximately 19 small
commercial/charter airports located in PR, some of
which are located in rural areas and only partially
monitored.
Cocaine is concealed in parcels and mailed from
PR and the USVI to the northeastern US, primarily
Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and New
Jersey. Marijuana is smuggled into PR and the USVI
via parcels, primarily from California and Texas.
Heroin also poses a serious threat to PR; the drug
is consumed locally and transported through PR,
destined for the CONUS. In the USVI, heroin does
not pose a major threat. The heroin trafficked in PR
and the USVI is of South American origin.
Marijuana is widely used in PR and the USVI.
Despite a preponderance of Jamaica-produced
marijuana in many Caribbean countries, Mexican
marijuana continues to dominate the marijuana
supply to both PR and the USVI. According to a
recent study conducted by PRs Administration
of Mental Health and Addiction Services
(Administracin de Servicios de Salud Mental
y Contra la Adiccin), marijuana was the most
commonly used illicit drug by Puerto Rican youth
in 2012, with a prevalence of 12.4 percent. This is
more than twice the rate reported in 2007 (6.1%).
In the USVI, marijuana is the most used drug after
cocaine.
Drug-related Crime
Puerto Rico and the USVI both have high homicide
rates. However, violent crime and homicide rates
in PR have declined every year since peaking
in 2011 with 1,164 homicides (approximately 5
times the US per capita average). Additionally,
the USVI marked its highest homicide total in
2010 with 66 homicides (approximately 10 times
the US per capita average), but showed a sharp
decline by 2013 with only 38 homicide deaths.
Law enforcement officials estimate that 80 percent
or more of the homicides are drug-related; most
homicide victims are 19 to 24 years of age.
The vast majority of retail-level traffickers in PR
operate out of public housing developments
100
and oversee drug markets located in the housing

developments or in nearby nightclubs, restaurants,
and bars. These organizations use intimidation,
violence, and murder to gain or retain control
of drug markets. Approximately 90 percent of
trafficking organizations are poly-drug, distributing
cocaine, crack, heroin, marijuana, and CPDs; many
are also involved in illegal weapons trafficking,
extortion, and gambling. Wholesale-level
traffickers, responsible for large-scale importation
of illicit drugs, supply retail-level organizations in
PR and export drugs to the CONUS. Wholesalelevel trafficking organizations usually do not
use violence to the same degree as the smaller
trafficking groups, unless control of their smuggling
routes or distribution markets is threatened.
Drug Availability
Approximately 20 to 30 percent of the cocaine
shipments that arrive in PR are consumed on the
island; the rest is ultimately destined for the CONUS.
An undetermined amount of cocaine remains in the
USVI for local consumption.
Heroin availability in PR is moderate. In PR, cocaine
and heroin are often sold in public housing
developments. In the USVI, cocaine and heroin are
most often purchased on street corners.
Most of the marijuana consumed in PR originates
in Mexico. Mexican marijuana is smuggled
into the United States through the Southwest
Border and then transported by couriers to PR on
commercial airline flights or through commercial
parcel services. Synthetic cannabinoids were
widely available in PR through sales at local gas
stations and shops until August 2012, when the
Puerto Rican legislature amended two articles of
the Controlled Substance Law of 1971 to prohibit
the sale of any products containing synthetic
cannabinoids.
Drug Trafficking Groups

Colombian, Dominican, Venezuelan, and
Puerto Rican trafficking organizations are the
primary transporters of cocaine to PR and the
USVI. Dominican and Puerto Rican trafficking
organizations are the primary wholesale and
retail distributors of cocaine. These organizations
are highly mobile and unrestricted by national
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
boundaries. They often change their smuggling

patterns to avoid law enforcement detection.
Diversion/Illicit Use of Controlled

Prescription Drugs
Puerto Rico-based trafficking organizations

have established heroin trafficking routes from
Venezuela to PR. In some cases, traffickers
are instructing couriers to travel from Caracas,
Venezuela to cities along the East Coast, such as
New York or Miami, and then to PR to deliver the
heroin. This indirect route is taken in order to
evade law enforcement scrutiny. Heroin available
in PR is also smuggled through the Dominican
Republic. Heroin trafficking organizations based
in the Dominican Republic use human couriers to
smuggle heroin on the vehicle/passenger ferry that
operates between the Dominican Republic and PR.
While there is very little illegal flow of diverted

pharmaceuticals between PR and the CONUS,
the diversion of pharmaceutical products and
prescription drug abuse is a growing threat in
PR. The vast majority of people involved in CPD
diversion obtain CPDs locally. Pharmaceutical
prescriptions are primarily diverted by
unscrupulous physicians who prescribe medication
without legitimate medical examinations, and
by individuals using forged prescriptions. CPDs
are also obtained through Internet pharmacies
and from patients who sell their own legitimate
prescriptions. Further, criminal organizations
obtain CPDs through doctor shopping, operating
in small groups of three to five people. CPDs are
available at almost all drug markets in PR. In the
USVI, CPD abuse is low.
Drug Production
Marijuana is cultivated in rural areas of both PR and
the USVI. Marijuana seizures and indoor marijuana
grows have significantly increased in PR.
Outdoor cannabis cultivation occurs in southern PR,
while hydroponic cultivation has become common
in the eastern areas, contributing to widespread
marijuana availability. However, seizures at
cultivation sites in PR are rare.
In the USVI, the densely forested regions and
mountainous areas of St. Thomas, along with
national park areas of St. John, are significant
marijuana cultivation sites. Outdoor cultivation
and hydroponic grows have been increasing. For
example, in August 2013, enforcement operations
eradicated 6,504 marijuana plants, while a similar
eradication operation netted 5,516 plants in 2012.
Although authorities seized 300 marijuana plants
in June 2013 from inside a private residence in St.
Thomas, indoor grow operations in the USVI are still
not considered to be a significant threat.
UNCLASSIFIED
101
UNCLASSIFIED
Guam
Guam, an organized and unincorporated territory
of the United States, is an island in the North
Pacific Ocean. Strategically located, it is the largest
and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands
archipelago. The majority of its population is of
Chamorro ethnicity at 37 percent, followed by
Filipino at 25.5 percent, then by Caucasian at 10
percent. In 2014, Guams population was estimated
at approximately 168,000. The islands economy
depends largely on tourism and US national
defense spending, followed by construction and
transshipment services. As of March 2014, Guams
unemployment rate was 7.4 percent. Many of
Guams violent crimes are linked to drugs, alcohol
abuse, lack of economic opportunities, and lack of
educational attainment.
Drug Threat
Methamphetamine is the principal drug of choice
in Guam. Major sources for the methamphetamine
available in Guam are California, Hawaii, the
Philippines, and other Asian countries. In 2014,
DEA, USPS, and the Guam Customs and Quarantine
Agency seized approximately 8.8 kilograms of
crystal methamphetamine. Most of Guams
property crime, which consists of burglary, larceny,
motor vehicle theft, and arson, is linked to drug
trafficking and abuse. Drugs and drug trafficking
have increased the possession and use of firearms
and explosives. Guam PD investigations indicate
the number of drug transactions involving the
trade and use of firearms and explosives has
increased to serious levels. In 2012, the Guam PD
made 153 arrests related to drug activity. In 2013,
Guam PD made 227 arrests and in 2014 they made
202 arrests related to drug activity.
In 2014, Guam voters approved a ballot initiative
legalizing marijuana for debilitating medical
conditions. The Department of Public Health
and Social Services (DPHSS), which is in charge
of creating the rules and regulations for medical
marijuana, is considering allowing three
dispensaries, for northern, central, and southern
parts of Guam.
Substance abuse in Guam remains stable and has
not changed significantly over the last three years,
with the exception of crystal methamphetamine.
102
However, according to the Guam DPHSS, most

victims of family violence come from homes where
the family member inflicting violence abuses drugs
or alcohol. In the 2013 preliminary Guam PD Adult
Arrest Charge Report, individuals were arrested
for 495 criminal counts of family violence and 156
counts of child abuse. In 2014, the Prevention
Education and Community Empowerment
(PEACE) Council published a draft of the Guam
State Prevention Enhancement Comprehensive
Strategic Plan for 2014-2018. The plan focuses on
substance abuse prevention and early-intervention.
Combined, violence against family members
accounts for 9.5 percent of total arrest counts in
Guam. Additionally, the District Court of Guam
released its 2014 Annual Report stating that 42
percent of all felony offenses were drug-related.
Drug Availability
Crystal methamphetamine poses the greatest
threat to Guam. The drug is commonly used and
available, and use has been described by medical
and law enforcement experts as reaching epidemic
proportions in Guam. Over the past several years,
street prices for methamphetamine have ranged
from $350 to $800 a gram.
Marijuana also poses a significant threat to Guam.
Low-quality marijuana is cultivated in Guam. In
2014, Guam Customs seized approximately 3.7
kilograms of marijuana. In 2014, street prices
ranged from $500 to $700 for an ounce of
marijuana, and approximately $7,500 per pound.
Drug Trafficking Groups

Asian syndicates are the most prevalent criminal
groups in Guam and are typically comprised
of Korean, Filipino, and Chinese nationals who
smuggle methamphetamine to the island via
couriers. Guamanians residing on the mainland
often acquire methamphetamine and mail it to
family members in Guam, who sell the drug for
increased profits. Current reporting indicates no
direct relationship between Mexican organizations
and traffickers in Guam. Monetary proceeds are
mailed to the CONUS or sent through wire remitters
or bank accounts.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
According to the US Postal Inspection Service

(USPIS), methamphetamine and marijuana have
been hidden in pillows, toothpaste, powdered drink
containers, potato chip bags, candles, and candy
during 2014.
Drug Production
Cannabis is cultivated in Guam. Local growing sites
are located within heavy jungle growth in close
proximity to residential dwellings. Most of these
sites are located in rural areas with little or no public
access. The average yield per plot is 25 to 50 plants.
According to Guam PD, there has been an increase
in indoor marijuana production. The average
indoor marijuana cultivation site consists of
between 15 and 20 plants. It is believed that
marijuana cultivators are growing indoors so
they can control various factors (including light,
nutrients and water, and the security of their plants)
involved in cultivating marijuana plants for a more
potent product.
(U) Guam Resident Sentenced on Drug

and Money Laundering Charges
In November 2014, in Agana, Guam, three
members of a trafficking organization were
convicted of money laundering, conspiracy to
distribute methamphetamine hydrochloride,
and conspiracy to import methamphetamine
hydrochloride. They were part of a group
shipping methamphetamine from Nevada to
Guam. During this investigation, 17 members
of the organization were convicted or pleaded
guilty and approximately 1,000 grams of
methamphetamine was seized.
UNCLASSIFIED
103
UNCLASSIFIED
Tribal Lands
Drug Threat in Indian Country

The drug threat in Indian Countryxxxvi varies by
region and is influenced by the illicit drugs available
in major cities near the reservations. Most illicit
drugs available throughout Indian Country are
transported to reservations by Native American
criminal groups and independent dealers who
travel to nearby cities to purchase drugs, primarily
from Mexican traffickers and other criminal groups.
The number of drug cases worked by Indian
Country law enforcement programsxxxvii increased
seven-fold between FY2009 and FY2014; drug
arrests increased eleven-fold during that time. (See
Charts 38 and 39.)
High levels of unemployment and poverty
are prevalent throughout Indian Country and
contribute to Native American communities
susceptibility to substance abuse and exploitation
by drug traffickers. While marijuana and
methamphetamine are the illicit substances most
widely used by American Indians, prescription drug
and heroin use have increased in many areas of
Indian Country.
Most illicit drugs are transported onto reservations
by Native American criminal groups or individuals
who travel to nearby cities to purchase the illicit
drugs and transport them back to the reservations.
In some instances distributors who reside on
remote reservations travel long distances to obtain
drugs for distribution in their home communities.
Although marijuana is the most widely available
illicit drug on reservations, ice methamphetamine,
powder and crack cocaine, bath salts, diverted
pharmaceuticals, heroin, and MDMA are also
available at various levels. Mexican traffickers,
the principal wholesale suppliers and producers
of most illicit drugs available to reservations
throughout Indian Country, pose the greatest
organizational threat.
through them. Further, Mexican traffickers play a

prominent role in producing cannabis at outdoor
grow sites in remote locations on reservations,
particularly in the Pacific Region.
Traffickers continue to smuggle multiple tons
of high-potency marijuana through the Tohono
Oodham Reservation in south/central Arizona,
which accounts for less than 4 percent of
the USMexico border. These traffickers also
smuggle lesser amounts of cocaine, heroin, and
methamphetamine. Drug traffickers exploit the
vast stretches of remote, sparsely populated
desert, the 75 miles of largely unprotected border
with Mexico, and the highways that connect
the reservation to major metropolitan areas to
distribute illicit drugs in markets throughout the
United States.
Traffickers also smuggle large amounts of illicit
drugs into the United States through reservations
that are located near or overlapping the USCanada
border, namely the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation
in New York, commonly referred to by its Mohawk
name, Akwesasne. Traffickers smuggle multithousand tablet quantities of MDMA into the
United States and multi-kilogram quantities of
cocaine into Canada through the reservation.
The use of illicit drugs leads to impaired personal
behavior that often results in violence and other
criminal behavior. While crime rates on some
reservations continue to be five times (in some
cases more) higher than the national averages, the
widespread availability and abuse of drugs coupled
with trafficking by multiple criminal groups and
gangs operating in Indian Country, contribute to
a wide range of violent and property crime. Drug
traffickers engage in these crimes to facilitate their
operations, while drug users generally engage in
Indian Country includes all land within the limits of any

Indian reservation, all dependent Indian communities
within the borders of the United States, and all Indian
allotments, the Indian titles to which have not been
extinguished.
xxxvi
Drug production in Indian Country is limited;

however, there are readily available supplies of illicit
drugs typically in cities near reservations, and in the
case of reservations bordering Mexico and Canada,
because of the supplies of illicit drugs transported
104
These include the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the BIA

Division of Drug Enforcement, and Tribal law enforcement.
xxxvii
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Chart 38. Indian Country Law Enforcement Program Drug Cases,
FY 2009 - FY 2014
4,660
3,364
2,157
1,605
656
722
Source: Bureau of Indian Affairs
(U) Chart 39. Indian Country Law Enforcement Program Drug Arrests,
FY 2009 - FY 2014
6,193
4,289
3,104
1,103
559
671
Source: Bureau of Indian Affairs
UNCLASSIFIED
105
UNCLASSIFIED
such crimes to support their addiction. Further,

most reservations remain economically depressed
and lack the resources necessary to counter the
drug threat.
106
(U) Indian Affairs and the Bureau

of Indian Affairs
Indian Affairs (IA) is the oldest bureau of the
United States Department of the Interior.
Established in 1824, IA currently provides
services (directly or through contracts,
grants, or compacts) to approximately 1.9
million American Indians and Alaska Natives.
There are 566 federally-recognized American
Indian tribes and Alaska Natives in the
United States. The Bureau of Indian Affairs
(BIA) is responsible for the administration
and management of 55 million surface acres
and 57 million acres of subsurface minerals
estates held in trust by the United States for
American Indians.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Map A1. Nine OCDETF Regions
Appendix A: Maps
Source: Organized Crime Enforcement Task Force
UNCLASSIFIED
107
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Map A2. 2015 National Drug Threat Survey Respondents
Source: 2015 National Drug Threat Survey
108
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Map A3. Greatest Drug Threat Represented Nationally

by State and Local Agencies, 2013 - 2015
as
Reported
UNCLASSIFIED
109
(U) Map A4. 2015 NDTS Greatest Drug Threat Represented Regionally
as Reported by State and Local Agencies, 2013 - 2015
UNCLASSIFIED
110
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Map A5. 2015 Drug Availability by Region - Percentage

State and Local Agencies Reporting high Availability
of
UNCLASSIFIED
111
(U) Map A6. CPDs as the Greatest Drug Threat as Reported

by State and Local Agencies 2008 - 2011, 2013 - 2015
UNCLASSIFIED
112
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Map A7. Armed Robberies Reported

2010 - 2014
by
Pharmacies,
Source: DEA Theft and Loss Database

UNCLASSIFIED
113
(U) Map A8. Heroin as the Greatest Drug Threat as Reported

UNCLASSIFIED
114
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Map A9. Methamphetamine as the Greatest Drug Threat as Reported

UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
115
(U) Map A10. Cocaine as the Greatest Drug Threat as Reported

UNCLASSIFIED
116
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Map A11. Marijuana as the Greatest Drug Threat as Reported

UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
117
(U) Map A12. Drug that most Contributes to Violent Crime Represented
Nationally as Reported by State and Local Agencies 2014 - 2015
UNCLASSIFIED
118
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Map A13. Drug that most Contributes to Property Crime Represented
Nationally as Reported by State and Local Agencies 2014 - 2015
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
119
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Map A14. Areas
of
Responsibility
for
Domestic DEA Field Divisions
120
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
Appendix B: Tables
(U) Table B1. Percentage of 2015 NDTS Respondents Reporting Greatest Drug Threat,
by Drug, by Region
Powder
OCDETF Region
Cocaine
Florida/Caribbean
6.8
Great Lakes
0.2
Crack

Cocaine
21.6
1.5
Methamphetamine Heroin
Marijuana CPDs
33.0
7.5
13.4
8.2
13.8
67.4
3.4
13.4
Mid-Atlantic
0.0
5.4
3.9
74.7
0.2
15.8
New England
0.0
0.9
0.5
63.4
13.9
21.3
New York /New Jersey
0.0
0.9
11.7
48.4
15.4
23.3
Pacific
3.0
0.2
55.4
33.4
1.8
5.8
Southeast
0.5
15.1
41.0
10.9
4.8
25.6
Southwest
5.9
10.8
69.7
4.3
7.2
1.6
West Central
1.2
1.0
66.5
15.5
5.5
9.3
Nationwide
1.4
5.8
33.0
37.6
6.2
14.9
UNCLASSIFIED
121
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Table B2. Trends in Lifetime, Past Year, and Past Month Drug Use Among Persons Aged 12 or Older,
2009 - 2013
Lifetime Use
Cocaine (any form)

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Crack
8,390,000
9,208,000
8,214,000
9,015,000
8,870,000
Heroin
3,683,000
4,144,000
4,162,000
4,565,000
4,812,000
Marijuana
104,950,000
Methamphetamine
12,908,000
13,060,000
11,928,000
12,259,000
12,257,000
MDMA
14,280,000
15,929,000
14,570,000
16,162,000
17,815,000
Prescription Psychotherapeutics
51,991,000
51,832,000
51,243,000
54,389,000
53,172,000
35,197,000
34,908,000
34,247,000
37,045,000
35,473,000
Non-medical Prescription
Pain Relievers
36,742,000
37,361,000
106,613,000
37,688,000
107,842,000
111,239,000
Past Year Use

Cocaine (any form)

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Crack

1,008,000 885,000 625,000 921,000 632,000
Heroin

605,000 621,000 620,000 669,000 681,000
Marijuana

28,688,000 29,301,000 29,739,000 31,513,000 32,952,000
Methamphetamine

1,167,000
MDMA

2,804,000 2,653,000 2,422,000 2,610,000 2,588,000

16,064,000 16,051,000 14,657,000 16,666,000 15,348,000

12,450,000 12,242,000 11,143,000 12,489,000 11,082,000
6,462,000

4,806,000 4,533,000 3,857,000 4,671,000 4,182,000
125,000
Past Month Use
6,552,000
114,712,000
6,271,000
PCP
6,103,000
37,634,000
PCP
Pain Relievers
6,255,000
36,921,000
959,000 1,033,000 1,155,000 1,186,000
96,000
119,000
172,000
90,000

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Cocaine (any form)

1,637,000 1,466,000 1,369,000 1,650,000 1,549,000
Crack

497,000 378,000 228,000 443,000 377,000
Heroin

193,000 239,000 281,000 335,000 289,000
Marijuana

16,826,000 17,409,000 18,071,000 18,855,000 19,810,000
Methamphetamine

502,000 353,000 439,000 440,000 595,000
MDMA

763,000 691,000 544,000 628,000 660,000

6,980,000 6,957,000 6,119,000 6,831,000 6,484,000

5,257,000 5,100,000 4,471,000 4,862,000 4,521,000
PCP
Pain Relievers

54,000 36,000 26,000 32,000 33,000
122
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Table B3. Admissions to Publicly Licensed Treatment Facilities,

by Primary Substance, CY2008 CY2012
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Cocaine
237,648 192,370 158,478 151,930 121,065
Heroin
281,410 286,959 266,048 283,092 285,451
Marijuana
355,346 370,373 357,592 352,428 305,560
Methamphetamine
128,954 118,644 118,212 116,671 124,227
Non-Heroin
Opiates/Synthetic*
124,407 145,502 167,626 194,583 169,868
* These drugs include codeine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, meperidine,

morphine, opium, oxycodone, pentazocine, propoxyphene, tramadol, and any
other drug with morphine-like effects. Non-presecription use of methadone is not
included.
Note: Tennessee included heroin admissions in other opiates through June 2009. In
this report, Tennessees 2009 heroin admissions are still included in the other opiates
category since there is less than a full year of disaggregated heroin data.
UNCLASSIFIED
123
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Table B4. Adolescent Trends in Percentage of Past Year Drug Use
20112014
2011
2012
2013
2014
Cocaine (any form)

8th Grade
1.4
1.2
1.0
1.0
10th Grade
1.9
2.0
1.9
1.5
12th Grade
2.9
2.7
2.6
2.6
Crack
8th Grade
0.9
0.6
0.6
0.7
10th Grade
0.9
0.8
0.8
[0.5]
12th Grade
1.0
1.2
1.1
1.1
Heroin
8th Grade
0.7
0.5
0.5
0.5
10th Grade
0.8
0.6
0.5
0.5
12th Grade
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.6
Marijuana
8th Grade
12.5
11.4
12.7
11.7
10th Grade
28.8
28.0
29.8
[27.3]
12th Grade
36.4
36.4
36.4
35.1
Methamphetamine
8th Grade
0.8
1.0
1.0
0.6
10th Grade
1.4
1.0
1.0
0.8
12th Grade
1.4
1.1
0.9
1.0
MDMA
8th Grade
[1.7]
[1.1]
1.1
0.9
10th Grade
4.5
[3.0]
3.6
[2.3]
12th Grade
5.3
3.8
4.0
3.6
Prescription Narcotics
8th Grade NA NA NA NA
10th Grade NA NA NA NA
12th Grade
15.2
14.8
15.0
[13.9]
Synthetic Marijuana
8th Grade NA
4.4
4.0
3.3
10th Grade NA
8.8
5.4
[5.4]
12th Grade NA
11.3
[7.9]
[5.8]
Bath Salts
8th Grade NA
6.8
1.0
[0.5]
10th Grade NA
0.6
0.9
0.9
12th Grade NA
1.3
0.9
0.9
Note: Data in brackets indicte statistically

significant change from the previous year.
124
UNCLASSIFIED
Source: Monitoring the Future Survey
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Table B5. 2015 NDTS Respondents Reporting High Diversion and
Use of Prescription Narcotics, by Region
(Percentage)
OCDETF Region
Diversion
2014
Use
2015
2014
2015
Florida/Caribbean
52.3 44.8 59.2 47.2
Great Lakes
49.0 47.9 61.3 57.0
Mid-Atlantic
56.1 52.6 69.7 60.1
New England
62.3 52.4 72.8 58.3
43.5 44.2 40.7 47.3
Pacific
42.9 44.9 50.1 56.4
Southeast
63.1 65.3 76.1 70.6
Southwest
45.0 63.0 46.8 73.5
West Central
52.2 52.4 66.0 62.2
Nationwide
52.4 53.3 61.6 60.9

(U) Table B6. Percentage of 2015 NDTS Respondents Reporting Drug
That Contributes to Violent Crime, by Region
(Percentage)
Crack
Powder
OCDETF Region

Methamphetamine Heroin Marijuana CPDs
Cocaine Cocaine
Florida/Caribbean
9.7
36.3 20.8 1.2 2.4 7.5
Great Lakes
0.5 12.2
18.0
Mid-Atlantic
2.6
17.9
14.4 42.3 5.7 5.9
New England
1.6 4.7
0.5
46.7 8.9 16.5
0.4 7.7
11.4
36.4 3.9 20.1
Pacific
0.2 3.4
81.0
6.4 5.5 1.0
Southeast
5.1
24.2
44.6
5.1 3.4 7.2
Southwest
1.0
13.7
73.7
1.6 3.4 3.9
West Central
1.2 2.8
72.2
5.9 7.6 4.8
Nationwide
2.1
13.2
38.2 20.5 5.8 8.4
Note: Not all respondents answered this question,

therefore totals for each region may not equal
100 percent.
UNCLASSIFIED
35.6 8.2 10.1
125
UNCLASSIFIED

(U) Table B7. Percentage of 2015 NDTS Respondents Reporting Drug
That Contributes to Property Crime, by Region
(Percentage)
Powder
OCDETF Region
Cocaine
Florida/Caribbean
5.1
Crack

Methamphetamine Heroin Marijuana CPDs
Cocaine
27.0
25.6
6.0
2.6
23.8
Great Lakes
0.1
5.0
16.5
54.3
8.5
13.1
Mid-Atlantic
0.0
5.0
2.2
66.5
2.5
20.8
New England
0.0
0.0
0.0
83.3
2.3
12.9
11.4
1.1
0.0
48.1
3.6
16.6
Pacific
0.0
0.8
70.0
22.8
0.8
5.2
Southeast
0.2
18.5
37.7
4.6
5.4
22.9
Southwest
0.2
12.8
73.8
4.8
0.9
7.0
West Central
1.2
0.5
68.6
11.8
8.7
8.4
Nationwide
1.5
7.5
33.4
32.9
5.0
14.5
Note: Not all respondents answered this question, therefore

totals for each region may not equal 100 percent.
(U) Table B8. Percentage of National Drug Threat Survey

Respondents Reporting Nationwide High Availability, by Drug,
CY2013 CY2015
2013
2014
2015
Powder Cocaine
22.9
18.1
14.9
Crack Cocaine
24.1
23.6
19.7
Methamphetamine
39.5
40.6
42.2
Heroin
30.3
34.0
38.4
Marijuana
88.2
80.0
79.8
Controlled Prescription Drugs
75.4
63.2
56.7
MDMA
8.8
7.3
Synthetic Cathinones
11.9
6.7
Synthetic Cannabinoids
18.1
13.9
* Information Not Available
(U) Table B9. 2015 NDTS Respondents Reporting High Availability, By Drug, by Region
(Percentage)
OCDETF Region
Powder
Cocaine
Crack
Cocaine
Methamphetamine Heroin
Marijuana
Controlled
Prescription Drugs
Synthetic
Cathinones
Synthetic
Cannabinoids
MDMA
Florida/Caribbean

38.1
48.7 31.4
14.3
85.4 43.1 3.6 8.8
18.0
Great Lakes

9.8
16.1 26.9
50.0
79.8 55.6 5.5 9.8 2.3
Mid-Atlantic

12.9 22.9 10.9 64.6
75.9 58.6
8.9 11.2 2.9
New England

18.2 16.2
9.9 10.0 4.4

13.3
21.3 12.0
40.3
55.7 42.6 1.2 5.5
13.1
Pacific

8.0 6.7 74.1 47.8
93.7 49.8
Southeast

16.3
25.5 53.0
21.2
75.7 59.2 2.9 9.4
11.6
Southwest

27.8 29.1 86.6 23.5
85.2 70.2 16.9 40.0 11.8
West Central

7.7 5.6 67.4 23.7
86.0 65.8
5.0 14.0 2.3

14.9 19.7 42.2 38.4
79.8 56.7
6.7 13.9 7.3
Nationwide
0.4 67.2
89.4 49.7
9.1 16.7 8.0
126
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
(U) Table B10. 2015 NDTS Respondents Reporting Marijuana Production, by Region
(Percentage)
OCDETF Region
Indoors
Outdoors
Hydroponic
Not Cultivated
Florida/Caribbean
66.4 43.5 50.7 7.1
Great Lakes
83.4 56.4 49.3 3.0
Mid-Atlantic
66.9 54.7 29.0 5.5
New England
79.3 76.9 55.2 2.0
37.6 25.3 8.1 45.9
Pacific
79.4 70.6 68.8 0.0
Southeast
59.8 70.5 30.2 9.1
Southwest
63.7 58.7 38.9 13.9
West Central
70.7 51.0 42.4 8.7
Nationwide
68.4 57.8 40.3 10.1
(U) Table B11. National Seizure System Drug Seizures, 2010 - 2014
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Pharmaceuticals (dosage units)
1,165,402.6 1,386,680.3
Heroin (kilograms)
2,763.3 3,732.5 4,390.5 4,502.2 5,013.8
Methamphetamine (kilograms)3
11,203.7 21,405.1 26,137.6 23,332.9 22,993.7
Cocaine (kilograms)
56,449.9 76,956.1 58,954.2 51,989.2 40,591.7
2,331,137.6 2,201,497.5 1,917,109.2 1,731,447.3 1,198,259.7
Marijuana (kilograms)
Synthetics (dosage units)
878,730.3 584,690.8 1,447,633.1
0.0
1,253.0 387,011.5 197,088.0
9,147.0
Synthetics (kilograms)4
226.5 4,038.2 54,088.1 24,171.5 12,718.5
MDMA, Ecstasy (dosage units)
3,067,635.9 2,282,573.8
MDMA, Ecstasy (kilograms)
1,485.9
PCP, Phencyclidine (kilograms)
168.5 88.2
PCP, Phencyclidine (milliliters)
1,012,387.7
534,299.4 501,739.6
592.4
669,779.6
168,916.6
428.1 923.1 1,307.1

91.4 47.3 225.2
924,418.6
0.0
665,363.7
Pharmaceuticals include: Darvocet, Darvon, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), hydrocodone (Vicodin),

lorazepam (Ativan), morphine, oxycodone (Percodan/Percocet,OxyContin/Lortab), oxycodone extended
release, oxytocin, diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax).
Heroin includes: Southeast Asian, Southwest Asian, Mexican Black Tar, Mexican Brown Powder, South
American, and type unknown.
Methamphetamine includes: methamphetamine crystal, methamphetamine ice, methamphetamine

powder.
Synthetics include: cannabinoids (Spice, K-2, Genie), phenethylamine, cathinones.
Note: The information reported to NSS by contributing agencies may not necessarily reflect total seizures
nationwide.
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Appendix C: Acronym Glossary

AAPCC
American Association of Poison Control Centers
AB
Aryan Brotherhood (gang)
ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
AML
Anti-money laundering
AMW
Alleged Mexican White
AOR
Area of responsibility
ATF
US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
AUC
United Self-Defense Groups
BA
Barrio Azteca (gang)
BACRIM
Bandas Criminales
BGD
Black Gangster Disciples (gang)
BGF
Black Guerilla Family (gang)
BHO
Butane Honey Oil
BIA
US Bureau of Indian Affairs
BLO
Beltran-Leyva Organization
BMPE
Black Market Peso Exchange
BSA
Bank Secrecy Act
BZP N-benzylpiperazine
CAMP
Campaign Against Marijuana Planting
CBD Cannabidiol
CBP
US Customs and Border Protection
CCDB
Consolidated Counterdrug Database
CDC
Centers for Disease Control
CDFW
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
CDG
Gulf Cartel (Cartel de Golfo)
CJNG
Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacin
CO
Country Office
CONUS
Continental United States
CPD
Controlled Prescription Drugs
CPOT
Consolidated Priority Organization Target
CSA
Controlled Substances Act
CSP
Cocaine Signature Program
CTR
Currency Transaction Report
CY
Calendar Year
DCE/SP
Domestic Cannabis Eradication and Suppression Program
DEA
US Drug Enforcement Administration
DEC-TAC
California Drug Endangered Children Training and Advocacy Center
DPHSS
Department of Health and Social Services (Guam)
E-FORCSE
Electronic-Florida Online Reporting of Controlled Substances Evaluation
Eme
California Mexican Mafia (gang)
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Emi
Texas Mexican Mafia (gang)
EPIC
El Paso Intelligence Center
FARC-EP
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia Peoples Army
FBI
US Federal Bureau of Investigation
FD
Field Division
FDA
US Food and Drug Administration
FinCEN
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
FY
Fiscal Year
HCP
Hydrocodone Combination Products
HDMP
Heroin Domestic Monitor Program
HHS
US Health and Human Services
HIDTA
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
HSP
Heroin Signature Program
IA
Indian Affairs
ICE
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
JFK
John F. Kennedy (International Airport)
LCT
Los Cabelleros Templarios
LFM
La Familia Michoacna
LLC
Limited Liability Company
LSD
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide
MDMA
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (frequently referred to as Ecstasy)
ME
Medical Examiner
MMP
Mo Ming Pi (gang)
MPP
Methamphetamine Profiling Program
MS-13
Mara Salvatrucha
MSB
Money Service Business
MTF
Monitoring the Future Survey
NDTA
National Drug Threat Assessment
NDTS
National Drug Threat Survey
NF
Nuestra Familia (gang)
NFLIS
National Forensic Laboratory Information System
NGIC
National Gang Intelligence Center
NSDUH
National Survey on Drug Use and Health
NSS
National Seizure System
OCDETF
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force
OMG
Outlaw Motorcycle Gang
ONDCP
Office of National Drug Control Policy
OSII
US Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information (ATF)
PCP Phencyclidine
PD
Police Department
PDMP
Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
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PEACE
Prevention Education and Community Empowerment (Guam)
PGR
Procuradura General de la Republica (Mexico Attorney Generals Office)
PMP
Potency Monitoring Program
POE
Port of Entry
PR
Puerto Rico
RO
Resident Office
ROIC
Regional Operations Intelligence Center (New Jersey)
SEA
Southeast Asia
SEMAR
Secretara de Marina-Armada de Mxico (Mexican Marines)
SFL1
DEA Special Testing and Research Laboratory
SFO
San Francisco International Airport
SWA
Southwest Asian (heroin)
TB
Tango Blast (gang)
TBML
Trade-Based Money Laundering
TCO
Transnational Criminal Organization
TEDS
Treatment Episode Data Set
TFMPP Trifluoromethylpiperazine
THC Tetrahydrocannabinol
TMM
Texas Mexican Mafia (gang)
TS
Texas Syndicate (gang)
TTF
Tunnel Task Force
UAS
Unmanned Aerial System
USBP
US Border Patrol
USC
US Currency
USCG
US Coast Guard
USPIS
US Postal Inspection Service
USPS
US Postal Service
USVI
US Virgin Islands
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Appendix D: Scope
and
Methodology
The 2015 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) is a comprehensive assessment of the threat posed
to the United States by the trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs. The report provides a strategic analysis
of the domestic drug situation during 2014, based upon the most recent law enforcement, intelligence,
and public health data available for the period. It also considers data and information beyond 2014,
when appropriate, to provide the most accurate assessment possible to policymakers, law enforcement
authorities, and intelligence officials.
The 2015 NDTA factors in information provided by 1,105 state and local law enforcement agencies through
the 2015 National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS). (See Maps A1 A13 in Appendix A and Tables B1, B5 B10
in Appendix B.) At a 95 percent confidence level, the 2015 NDTS results are within 2.75 percentage points
of the estimates reported. NDTS data used in this report do not imply that there is only one drug threat
per state or region or that only one drug is available per state or region. A percentage given for a state or
region represents the proportion of state and local law enforcement agencies in that state or region that
identified a particular drug as their greatest threat or as available at low, moderate, or high levels.
This report addresses emerging developments related to the trafficking and use of primary illicit
substances of abuse, the nonmedical use of CPDs, and the laundering of proceeds generated through
illicit drug sales. It also addresses the role that TCOs and organized gangs play in domestic drug
trafficking. In the preparation of this report, DEA intelligence analysts considered quantitative data from
various sources (seizures, investigations, arrests, drug purity or potency, and drug prices; law enforcement
surveys; laboratory analyses; and interagency production and cultivation estimates) and qualitative
information (subjective views of individual agencies on drug availability, information on the involvement
of organized criminal groups, information on smuggling and transportation trends, and indicators of
changes in smuggling and transportation methods).
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UNCLASSIFIED//LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE
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Drug Enforcement Administration

This product was prepared by the DEA Strategic Intelligence Section.

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2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary

Mexican Transnational Criminal Organizations.......................................................................1

Colombian Transnational Criminal Organizations..................................................................4

Dominican Trafficking Organizations...........................................................................................5

Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations.............................................................................6

Controlled Prescription Drugs......................................................................................13

Synthetic Designer Drugs..............................................................................................79

2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary

(U) Chart 1. Number of Drug Induced Deaths Compared to the Number

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary

Letter from the Acting Administrator

2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary

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2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary

Source: National Drug Threat Survey

2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary

2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary

2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary

2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary

Transnational Criminal Organizations

Mexican TCOs pose the greatest criminal drug

Chicago, Illinois: Mexican TCOs pose the

2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Mexican TCOs

Cartel appears to be the most active supplier. The

(U) Map 2. United States: Areas of Influence of major Mexican

2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary

Transnational Criminal Organizations

of supply for drugs in the United States. Los Cuinis,

transported in tractor trailers. Once across the

2015 National Drug

Mexican Traffickers Moving Into

enforcement in Dallas, San Francisco, eastern

Colombian Transnational Criminal Organizations

cocaine throughout the rest of New York State,

have been reported instances of commingled

serve as wholesale sources of supply for cocaine

Dominican Trafficking Organizations

sources in New York, and South American

Dominican trafficking organizations are primarily

New Jersey: Dominican traffickers handle

The FARC is a US Department of State Designated Foreign

board commercial flights into Newark Liberty

Dominican traffickers engage in the diversion of

Asian Trafficking Organizations

grow operations in residential homes. Law

of MDMA trafficked by Asian TCOs. These

Washington, DC: Canada-based Asian TCOs

Asian TCOs are involved in a variety of illicit and

(U) Photo 1. Two kilogram package of MDMA seized.

In March 2014, DEAs New Orleans Tactical

exploit US markets while blending in with existing

Asian TCOs tend to prioritize financial gain over