Transportation

The extensive transportation infrastructure in Ohio, particularly the interstate highway system, is exploited by DTOs to transport drugs into and throughout the HIDTA region. North-south highways, such as Interstates 71, 75, and 77, and east-west highways, such as I-70 and I-80/90, are used by traffickers to transport illicit drugs from distribution centers along the Southwest Border and the East Coast. (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2. Ohio HIDTA region transportation infrastructure.

d-link

Mexican DTOs are transporting increasing amounts of cocaine, marijuana, and Mexican black tar and brown powder heroin to the Ohio HIDTA region. These DTOs have also begun to transport Mexican methamphetamine that they produce to the Columbus area. Until recently Mexican DTOs primarily used supply routes through cities such as Chicago and Detroit to transport illicit drugs to Ohio. Currently, Mexican DTOs are shipping illicit drugs directly from the Southwest Border more often than through Chicago and Detroit; the drugs are destined for local markets that include Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown. These Ohio cities now supply smaller markets in the Ohio HIDTA region, such as Barberton, Lancaster, and North Canton, and smaller markets located in Ohio but outside the HIDTA region, such as Delaware, Johnstown, London, and Newark. Mexican DTOs transport illicit drugs to the region in private and commercial vehicles equipped with sophisticated hidden compartments and, to a lesser extent, through package delivery services and couriers aboard commercial aircraft.

Dominican and Jamaican DTOs transport SA heroin and some cocaine to northeastern HIDTA markets, including Cleveland, Youngstown, and Summit County. These DTOs typically transport SA heroin and cocaine from New York City in private vehicles. Somalian groups transport wholesale quantities of khat into the Columbus area for local consumption, typically using package delivery services. In 2006 law enforcement officials in the Columbus area seized approximately 3,000 pounds of khat, all of which was discovered in parcels.

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