To
Contents
To Previous Page
To Next Page
To Publications Page
To Home Page
National Drug Intelligence
Center |
Mexican DTOs and criminal groups are the primary transporters and wholesale distributors of illicit drugs in the Oregon HIDTA region. Mexican DTOs are very organized and compartmented, and they are often tight-knit, family-based groups. Mexican DTOs are expanding their influence and control over the primary drug markets in the region (Portland, Salem, and the Roseburg/Medford/Pendleton areas). The expanded influence of Mexican DTOs is demonstrated through their increasing outdoor cannabis cultivation on public lands and their coordination of a growing amount of the ice methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana shipped from the Southwest Border and California to the Oregon HIDTA region. According to 2000 U.S. Census data, six of the eight HIDTA counties (Washington, Multnomah, Clackamas, Umatilla, Jackson, and Marion) experienced triple-digit growth in the Hispanic population from 1990 to 2000. The increasing growth of the Hispanic population has aided the expansion of Mexican DTOs as their members blend with growing Mexican and Central American communities. Small, rural law enforcement agencies, constrained by a lack of resources, are often unable to counter the expansion of Mexican DTOs in their areas.
|
Drug Trafficking Organizations, Criminal Groups, and Gangs Drug trafficking organizations are complex organizations with highly defined command-and-control structures that produce, transport, and/or distribute large quantities of one or more illicit drugs. Criminal groups operating in the United States are numerous and range from small to moderately sized, loosely knit groups that distribute one or more drugs at the retail level and midlevel. Gangs are defined by the National Alliance of Gang Investigators' Associations as groups or associations of three or more persons with a common identifying sign, symbol, or name, the members of which individually or collectively engage in criminal activity that creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. |
Since 2004, the presence of Asian DTOs in the HIDTA region has increased. They have expanded their criminal activities to include large indoor cannabis grow operations operated primarily by Vietnamese criminal groups. This expanded local indoor cannabis cultivation enables Asian DTOs to reduce the amount of Canadian-grown marijuana that they smuggle into the HIDTA, thus avoiding law enforcement at the U.S.-Canada border and reducing transportation costs. Asian DTOs are also the primary wholesale distributors of MDMA produced in Canada and smuggled to the HIDTA counties.
Caucasian independent dealers are involved primarily in the production, transportation, and distribution of marijuana. DTOs and criminal groups, such as the Gypsy Joker outlaw motor-cycle gang (OMG), and street gangs operate in the region. According to the Portland Metro Gang Task Force, an estimated 80 to 100 gangs with a total membership of over 3,000 operate in the city. These groups typically are involved in midlevel and retail-level drug distribution. (See Table 1.)
Table 1. Oregon HIDTA Retail Distributors by Drug
| Drug | Distributors | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Methamphetamine | Hispanic street gangs, Caucasian local independent dealers | All markets |
| Crack cocaine | African American street gangs, independent dealers | All markets |
| Marijuana | Hispanic street gangs, Asian criminal groups, African American street gangs, Caucasian local independent dealers | All markets |
| Heroin | Hispanic street gangs, local independent dealers, Caucasian local independent dealers | Portland, Salem |
| MDMA | Asian criminal groups, local independent dealers | All markets |
Retail drug distributors use cell phones to facilitate drug sales in the HIDTA region. Distributors also use pagers to negotiate transactions and prearrange meetings with customers. Traffickers prefer to conduct business conversations on phones with point-to-point capabilities, believing that these communications are difficult for law enforcement to intercept. They typically use cell phones for a limited time before switching to a new phone with a new number to further reduce the possibility of having calls monitored by law enforcement.
Illicit drug production is limited in the HIDTA region. Marijuana is the primary illicit drug produced. According to the Oregon HIDTA, the production of marijuana in the HIDTA region has increased since 2005. Large outdoor cannabis grow sites generally are located in remote, rural locations, often on public lands. These outdoor grow sites are usually controlled by Mexican DTOs and local independent criminal groups. Additionally, some Mexican DTOs plant cannabis on tribal lands, such as the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Umatilla County, sometimes working with Native Americans.
Some Mexican DTOs operating in Washington County are planting a faster-growing cannabis seed that matures more quickly, enabling growers to plant and harvest crops in 90 days. (By comparison, it takes 5 to 6 months for ordinary marijuana plants to grow outdoors.) The Oregon HIDTA reports that the switch to faster-growing seeds is an attempt by cultivators to gain additional harvests each year and thus increase their profits. The number of outdoor cannabis plants eradicated in the HIDTA region increased 272 percent, from 29,291 plants in 2005 to 109,160 plants in 2007.
The number of cannabis plants eradicated from indoor grow sites has also increased in the region. According to the Oregon HIDTA, indoor cannabis eradication increased 142 percent from 2005 to 2007. (See Figure 2.) Since 2004, Asian DTOs and criminal groups that typically operated smaller indoor grow sites have increasingly been establishing large-scale indoor cannabis cultivation operations that produce high-potency marijuana. Because of this increase in grow site capacity, law enforcement is making increasingly large seizures of Vietnamese indoor grows in the Portland area. Indoor cannabis cultivators typically establish grow sites in multiple residences, often using hydroponic technology. Indoor growers prefer this controlled environment because they believe they can avoid law enforcement detection while achieving higher profits through a year-round cultivation season, which allows a new crop of higher-potency marijuana to be planted and harvested every 90 days. These operations sometimes bypass electric meters to eliminate high energy-use readings, large electric bills, and subsequent possible law enforcement scrutiny. Caucasian criminal groups and independent dealers typically operate smaller indoor grows than those operated by Vietnamese groups.
Figure 2. Cannabis Plants Seized From HIDTA Counties, 2005-2007
Source: Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
Indoor cannabis grow sites pose considerable safety and health concerns for law enforcement officers, first responders, and unwitting citizens. According to law enforcement officials, buildings used for indoor grow sites are 40 times more likely to catch fire than buildings not used as grow sites. This is due to the highly flammable chemicals, fertilizers, high-intensity lighting, electrical equipment, and reconfigured electrical systems often present in structures used as grow sites. High levels of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide may also be present at indoor grow sites as a result of damaged exhaust systems. Moreover, the prolonged high humidity at indoor grow sites can ruin the buildings that contain them because of the growth of toxic molds. Cleanup of indoor grow operations can often be cost-prohibitive for small law enforcement departments. The cleanup requires specialized equipment including basic air monitoring equipment, respirators, protective coveralls with attached hoods, and ultraviolet protection with the use of sunglasses, rubber gloves, and disposable boot covers.
Some illegal cannabis cultivators use the Oregon Medical Marijuana Plan as a pretext for conducting indoor grow operations in which high-potency marijuana is produced as a remedy for specific medical conditions. Some of these individuals, who are able to obtain a medical marijuana registry identification card, are operating beyond the limits established by OMMP. According to law enforcement officials, the OMMP allows individuals with specific medical conditions to possess up to six mature cannabis plants and 24 ounces of usable marijuana.3 In October 2007 Oregon State Police seized approximately 40 pounds of marijuana after a traffic stop on I-5 near Aurora in Marion County. The driver, an OMMP registered cardholder had greatly exceeded the marijuana possession limits allowed under the OMMP. The driver claimed that he had "medical marijuana" in his vehicle and was transporting it from a registered grow site to his residence.
Powder methamphetamine is produced within the HIDTA region. However, law enforcement initiatives and state legislation requiring a doctor's prescription for all over-the-counter (OTC) medications containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine have reduced the amount of powder methamphetamine produced locally and have contributed to the decreased number of laboratory seizures. (See Figure 3.)
Figure 3. Methamphetamine Laboratories Seized in HIDTA Counties, 2005-2007
Source: Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
Crack cocaine conversion is a significant concern, especially in the urban areas of the Oregon HIDTA, where the drug is associated with high levels of abuse, violence, and property crime. Retail-level crack cocaine distributors, primarily African Americans, convert powder cocaine to crack for distribution. Typically the conversion occurs in neighborhoods where the drug is sold.
3. For the purpose of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Plan (OMMP), mature cannabis plants are defined as "12 inches or more wide, or 12 inches or more tall, or flowering." Immature plants are defined as "less than 12 inches wide, or less than 12 inches tall, or not flowering." Usable marijuana is defined as "dried leaves or buds" and does not include the root ball, stems, or branches.
To Top To Contents To Previous Page To Next Page
To Publications Page To Home Page
End of page.
