Drug Threat Overview

Most illicit drugs transported into the W/B HIDTA region are abused locally. While distribution and abuse of heroin (primarily South American (SA) heroin) is the principal drug threat to the city of Baltimore, crack cocaine poses the greatest threat to the rest of the region. A multitude of factors associated with heroin and crack cocaine, particularly violent crime associated with the trafficking of cocaine (primarily crack), severely tax law enforcement resources in the HIDTA region. Equally taxing to public health resources in the HIDTA region are the social and health consequences of cocaine and heroin abuse, which is multigenerational in some areas. For example, in Baltimore both parents and children are enrolling in heroin abuse treatment programs. Furthermore, the abuse of heroin, particularly by injection, leads to multiple health risks, including the transmission of infectious diseases such as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and hepatitis.

Other illicit drugs are also trafficked and abused to varying degrees throughout the HIDTA region. Methamphetamine abuse in the region is limited and sporadic; anecdotal reporting suggests that abuse is prevalent in the homosexual male community in Washington, D.C., but is spreading to rural and suburban areas adjacent to the HIDTA region, specifically western Maryland, southwestern Virginia, and the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia--locations where Mexican methamphetamine is now available. Marijuana is the most widely available and abused drug in the region. Most of the marijuana available is Mexican commercial-grade; however, high-potency Canadian marijuana is becoming increasingly available in parts of the region, such as Fairfax County, Virginia; Montgomery County, Maryland; and Baltimore. High profits and low risk associated with the distribution of marijuana are fueling an expansion of marijuana trafficking operations in the Baltimore area, and law enforcement agencies report that cocaine dealers are now distributing marijuana. The distribution and abuse of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as ecstasy) are decreasing as a result of an increased demand and preference for marijuana. Diverted pharmaceuticals, particularly prescription narcotics such as OxyContin (oxycodone), are increasingly abused by young, affluent suburbanites who acquire the drugs from friends and family and through doctor-shopping. Reporting from treatment providers indicates that diverted prescription narcotics initially provide an alternative to heroin for abusers who view heroin use as too risky. Once addicted, however, many of these individuals "graduate" to heroin abuse because of wider availability and lower prices. The abuse of PCP (phencyclidine), rare in most areas of the country, is emerging in some suburban areas in the HIDTA region but is most prevalent in Washington, D.C., where abusers add the drug to marijuana cigarettes for a more intense effect. Similarly, khat, rarely found in other areas of the country, is available in the W/B HIDTA region, which is home to relatively large East African and Yemeni immigrant communities--members of which commonly abuse khat.

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Drug Trafficking Organizations

Colombian DTOs, the primary wholesale distributors of cocaine and South American heroin, may be relinquishing some control of the importation and distribution of those drugs in the W/B HIDTA region by ceding transportation and lower-level distribution to Dominican DTOs and, increasingly, Mexican DTOs in an effort to insulate themselves from law enforcement. Colombian DTOs may be contracting with Mexican and Dominican DTOs to transport large quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana to the region. Mexican DTOs and criminal groups transport and distribute most of marijuana available in the region. They also supply significant quantities of cocaine; an increasing number are transporting large quantities of methamphetamine into Virginia, particularly the Shenandoah Valley region adjacent to the HIDTA region.

Other DTOs and criminal groups also distribute illicit drugs at the wholesale level in the HIDTA region. Jamaican criminal groups supply commercial-grade marijuana, while Vietnamese criminal groups have emerged as the principal suppliers of high-potency marijuana and MDMA. Middle Eastern, Pakistani, and West African DTOs distribute Southwest Asian (SWA) heroin, primarily in Baltimore.

Gang activity has reportedly increased in some areas of the region; this apparent increase may be due to better gang identification as well as targeted initiatives by law enforcement agencies. Mara Salvatrucha (MS 13) is the largest and fastest-growing gang in the W/B HIDTA region; reports of involvement by the gang in drug distribution continue to surface. MS 13 has a presence in Washington, D.C.; the Broadway area of Baltimore, Montgomery County, and Prince George's County, Maryland; and Fairfax County, Virginia. Bloods and Crips sets also are emerging threats in Maryland. Montgomery County police report that most gang-related incidents during the past year were connected to MS 13 and Bloods or Crips.

Neighborhood-based African American and Hispanic street gangs, or local "crews," are the principal retail distributors of crack cocaine, heroin, and almost all other drugs in the W/B HIDTA region. Hispanic gangs are particularly problematic in northern Virginia, including 18th Street, 1-5 Amigos, and Southside Locos. Bloods sets such as L Gang and Eastside Blood Gang (EBG) operate in East Baltimore, while the Purple City street gang operates in both East and West Baltimore. These gangs have been implicated in assault, drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, and racketeering activities in the area. Fulton Hill Hustlers had been a significant crack cocaine distribution gang in the Richmond area; however, many of the leaders have been incarcerated. There are no ties between this gang and the Washington, D.C., or Baltimore areas.

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