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The Michigan HIDTA region encompasses nine counties--five in eastern Michigan (Genesee, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne) and four in western Michigan (Allegan, Kalamazoo, Kent, and Van Buren). (See Figure 1.) The population of the region is estimated at 5.8 million, with over 78 percent residing in the eastern counties of the HIDTA region. Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo are the primary drug markets in the region; they serve as distribution centers for many smaller drug markets within the HIDTA region as well as markets in neighboring states.
The Michigan HIDTA region is centrally located between major drug markets in Chicago and New York City and is connected by interstate highways and roads to other domestic drug markets as well as source areas along the Southwest Border and in Canada. Traffickers transport large quantities of cocaine and marijuana and, to a lesser extent, heroin and methamphetamine from the Southwest Border. They also transport high-potency marijuana and MDMA from Canada to the area. A shared international border renders Michigan particularly susceptible to drug smuggling from Canada. The Ambassador Bridge, the world's busiest commercial border crossing, and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel connect Detroit with Windsor, Ontario, Canada (see Figure 2). Over 38,000 vehicles cross the bridge and more than 27,000 vehicles transit the tunnel daily, providing numerous opportunities for the cross-border shipment of drugs and currency. Additionally, there are more than 2 million registered watercraft in Michigan and Ontario, some of which are used by traffickers to transport illicit drugs across the extensive maritime border. The Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is also used by couriers transporting drugs into and through the region.
Figure 2. International border between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario.
Detroit and Flint are the largest drug markets in the eastern counties of the HIDTA region. Detroit, in particular, serves as the primary distribution center for illicit drugs transported into and through the HIDTA region from various source locations. Flint is principally supplied with illicit drugs from Detroit, which is located approximately 70 miles south. Some Flint distributors have their own sources outside Michigan that supply them with wholesale quantities of illicit drugs. Cocaine and marijuana available throughout the eastern counties typically are transported from sources in Mexico and states along the Southwest Border, while heroin is transported from New York, Chicago, southern California, Florida, and sources along the Southwest Border. High-potency marijuana and MDMA are transported into and through the eastern counties from Canada, primarily through Detroit ports of entry (POEs). Cocaine and bulk currency acquired from the sale of these illicit drugs in the United States are transported through Detroit to Canada. Diverted pharmaceutical drugs are available and abused, particularly by college age individuals who also are distributors.
Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo are the primary drug markets in the western counties of the HIDTA region. They are located midway between Chicago and Detroit, the cities of origin for most of the available illicit drugs in these markets. Cocaine, heroin, and marijuana are commonly available in the western counties. Methamphetamine production in the HIDTA region occurs primarily in the western counties, where the number of operating laboratories has declined significantly since the December 2005 enactment of statewide pseudoephedrine sales restrictions. MDMA and diverted pharmaceutical drugs are available and abused in the area; various independent dealers, often college students, transport these drugs into the region for personal use and limited distribution.
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