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National Drug Intelligence
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The Oregon HIDTA region encompasses the major drug markets of Portland, Salem, Roseburg, Medford, and Pendleton. The drug situations in Roseburg, Medford, and Pendleton are similar; therefore, these cities have been combined into one section of this report.
Portland's size, geographic location, and vast transportation infrastructure, as well as the significant amount of drugs moving to and through the city, make it a major market area in the Oregon HIDTA. Portland, the most populous city in the state (with almost 540,000 residents), is located along I-5, which leads north to Canada and south to California in the northwestern region of Oregon, along the Columbia River and the Washington-Oregon border. The city is located primarily in Multnomah County; however, the Portland metropolitan area extends into two other counties: Clackamas and Washington. Portland's highly developed transportation infrastructure enables legitimate and illegal goods to be transported to and from the HIDTA region by land, air, and sea and includes Interstates 5 and 84, US 26, the Portland International Airport, and the Port of Portland. In 2007 the Port of Portland handled 13.3 million tons of cargo and imported 57,400 containers from around the world. The port's high volume of traffic does not allow for inspection of all goods imported into the area, and drugs can easily be secreted with legitimate cargo.
Ice methamphetamine is the primary drug problem in Portland and the surrounding counties; however, the Portland Police Department reports that crack cocaine is the greatest drug threat in the inner city.4 Heroin (particularly Mexican black tar heroin) and marijuana are also widely available and abused in the city. Portland serves as a regional and national distribution center for illicit drugs, which are transported through and from Portland for distribution throughout Oregon as well as to other states, especially Washington, and north to Canada.
Powder methamphetamine production is decreasing in the HIDTA region as a result of strict precursor chemical laws that make it difficult to acquire pseudoephedrine and ephedrine. Independent operators are still producing limited quantities of powder methamphetamine for personal use and distribution within small, close-knit groups. While these producers remain a concern to law enforcement, the number of laboratory seizures in and around the city is decreasing, with only five laboratories seized in 2007. (See Figure 4.) In fact, during the first quarter of 2008, only one methamphetamine laboratory was discovered in Multnomah County.
Figure 4. Methamphetamine Laboratories Seized in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties, 2005-2007
Source: Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
Asian DTOs are increasing indoor cannabis cultivation in and around the Portland area. These DTOs, primarily Vietnamese, purchase houses in middle-income areas in or near Portland. The DTOs then establish indoor cannabis grow operations in the purchased houses. The cultivation operations typically operate on 90-day planting and harvest cycles and produce between 300 and 500 plants per cycle. In 2007 more cannabis plants were eradicated from indoor cannabis grow sites in Multnomah County (8,527 plants) than in any other Oregon county.5 (See Figure 5.)
Figure 5. Indoor Cannabis Plant Seizures in HIDTA Counties, 2007
Source: Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
Mexican DTOs are the primary transporters of illicit drugs to the Portland area. Powder cocaine, marijuana, ice methamphetamine, and heroin are transported to the area from Mexico and California along the I-5 corridor. In addition, Asian DTOs transport high-potency marijuana, also known as BC Bud, and MDMA from Canada to and through Portland using Canadian Highway 99 and then I-5. Portland has direct north-to-south access (to Canada and Mexico, respectively) via I-5 and west-to-east access via I-84. These organizations typically transport the drugs in private vehicles or tractor-trailers. Various illicit drugs are smuggled through the Portland International Airport, the Port of Portland, and numerous small ports and docks along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, but on a much smaller scale.
Drugs also transit the area for delivery in Washington and Canada. From October 2007 through March 2008, the Oregon State Police (OSP) made four major cocaine seizures totaling more than 72 kilograms from vehicles traveling north along I-5. On March 4, 2008, OSP seized 20 kilograms of cocaine during a traffic stop; the drug, concealed in a sport-utility vehicle (SUV) traveling north on I-5 south of Woodburn, was valued at $400,000.
Portland is the largest drug market in the state of Oregon. Mexican DTOs are the dominant drug smuggling organizations operating in the area and are drawn to the area because of its size, geographic location along I-5, and large Hispanic population. These DTOs distribute drugs at the wholesale level to many criminal groups and gangs in the region who, in turn, distribute the drugs at the midlevel and retail level.
According to the Portland Metro Gang Task Force, there are between 80 and 100 street gangs in the Portland area, with more than 3,000 members. Hispanic and African American street gangs are retail distributors of methamphetamine, heroin, powder cocaine, and crack cocaine in the city; they obtain these drugs from Mexican DTOs and criminal groups. These gangs include Hoovers and Rollin' 60s (composed primarily of African Americans), 18th Street, and Sureņo gangs (composed primarily of Hispanics). In contrast, Caucasian criminal groups distribute marijuana at the midlevel and retail level.
Asian DTOs cultivate and process cannabis and distribute the high-potency marijuana they produce locally as well as the marijuana they transport into the region. They also distribute MDMA that they transport into the region from Canada. Most drugs are distributed at open-air drug markets in the city, although some distribution is arranged by cell phone. Primary open-air markets in the city include the Transit Mall, Old Town, and various areas near the MAX Light Rail Line. Methamphetamine, heroin, powder cocaine, and marijuana are available at each of these locations; however, crack cocaine availability is generally limited to the Old Town area in the city of Portland. Many Mexican distributors prefer to sell heroin by appointment only and require purchasers to call them by cell phone to establish a meeting time and location.
Recently the availability of powder cocaine has increased in Portland. The drug is usually transported to the city from California through Salem. Some of this powder cocaine is converted into crack cocaine and distributed in the city. In February 2008 a Rollin' 60s gang associate was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for intent to distribute 5 grams of crack cocaine. According to the Portland Police Department, the Rollin 60s street gang is one of the most active gangs in Portland and distributes powder cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana.
A total of 126 drug-related deaths were reported in the counties that compose Portland in 2007. Multnomah County recorded most of these deaths (101), ranking it first in the state for the number of drug-related deaths, according to the Oregon Medical Examiner's Office. (See Figure 6.) In fact, Multnomah County led in total deaths for every drug type, including methamphetamine and cocaine, with more deaths related to heroin abuse (66) than to the abuse of any other drug.
Figure 6. Drug-Related Deaths in HIDTA Counties, 2007
Source: Oregon Medical Examiner's Office.
Drug-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities for heroin and amphetamine/methamphetamine declined from 2005 to 2007, while cocaine and marijuana/hashish admissions increased from 2006 to 2007. The reason for this fluctuation is unclear. However, public awareness campaigns regarding the adverse health effects of methamphetamine abuse along with lower purity levels and periods of reduced availability may have contributed to the declining admissions for methamphetamine. The number of treatment admissions for cocaine remains relatively low. (See Figure 7.)
Figure 7. Treatment Admissions for Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties, 2005-2007a
Source: Oregon Department of Human Services, Addictions and
Mental Health Division.
a. Most treatment admissions for "Amphetamine/methamphetamine" were for
methamphetamine, and most treatment admissions for "Marijuana/hashish" were for
marijuana.
Salem, located in Marion County, is the second-largest city in Oregon, with an estimated population of 152,239. Ice methamphetamine is the leading drug threat to the city. The drug is widely distributed and abused and contributes significantly to crime in the area, particularly property crime. Marijuana and Mexican black tar heroin are also available and abused in the city. Cocaine is much less available than methamphetamine; however, shipments of cocaine through Salem en route to Portland have increased recently. Limited quantities of MDMA, diverted pharmaceuticals, and other dangerous drugs (ODDs) such as GHB, LSD, and psilocybin mushrooms are occasionally available and abused in Salem; however, they do not figure significantly in its overall drug problem. Most of these drugs are transported into Salem on I-5.
According to the Oregon HIDTA, outdoor cannabis cultivation is increasing, especially on timber company lands, as indoor cannabis cultivation seizures decrease in the Salem area. Mexican DTOs are the primary cultivators of cannabis on timber company lands. According to HIDTA officials, 2,983 cannabis plants were eradicated from outdoor grows on timber company lands in 2007, compared with only 86 plants in 2006. The number of indoor plants eradicated in the Salem area decreased from 556 plants in 2006 to 268 plants in 2007. According to the Oregon HIDTA, the eradication decrease is possibly due to illegal cultivators growing cannabis under the OMMP, which tends to complicate law enforcement investigations of indoor grow sites. Most indoor cannabis eradication occurred within the city limits of Salem and in the surrounding suburbs.
No large-scale methamphetamine production was detected in the Salem area in 2007. In fact, no methamphetamine laboratories were seized in 2007 or during the first quarter of 2008. (See Figure 8.) Some small laboratories may be operating in the area, but their production capacity most likely is limited to less than 1 pound of methamphetamine per production cycle.
Figure 8. Methamphetamine Laboratories Seized in Marion County, 2005-2007
Source: Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
Mexican DTOs control most drug transportation to and from Salem. These DTOs transport heroin, ice methamphetamine, marijuana, and powder cocaine to the city from source areas in Mexico and California along I-5. Salem is a transshipment and regional distribution point for heroin and ice methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is transported through Salem to other market areas throughout the Oregon HIDTA region, and owing to high demand for the drug, it typically is not warehoused but distributed as soon as it reaches the city. In the last few years, large quantities of heroin have been warehoused in the Salem area prior to being transported to and distributed in Portland; Eugene; and Seattle, Washington. Powder cocaine is transported through Salem destined for the Portland market. In January 2008 Oregon State Police officers arrested the driver of an SUV during a traffic stop. The driver had been traveling north to Portland, transporting 31 kilograms of cocaine in a false compartment of the vehicle. The cocaine was valued at $600,000.
Mexican DTOs and criminal groups are the primary distributors of illicit drugs in the city. These DTOs distribute large quantities of ice methamphetamine, Mexican black tar heroin, and marijuana at the wholesale level. Mexican DTOs also dominate the retail distribution of methamphetamine, heroin, and powder cocaine available in the Salem area. These DTOs and Caucasian independent dealers dominate the retail distribution of marijuana in the city, and Asian DTOs are the primary distributors of MDMA at all levels of distribution. Retail drug distribution occurs in a variety of locations, including private residences, bars, and parking lots. For example, on February 26, 2008, the Salem Police Department arrested five individuals after observing a drug deal in a North Salem parking lot in which a juvenile male delivered methamphetamine to two buyers. Law enforcement officers seized 23 grams of methamphetamine valued at $1,200 and a scale coated with methamphetamine residue. Further investigation at the juvenile's residence revealed 26 ounces of methamphetamine valued at $39,000, 4.5 ounces of cocaine valued at $6,600, and 1 ounce of heroin valued at $2,000.
Marion County ranked fourth in the state for the number of drug-related deaths (15) in 2007. Heroin accounted for the most deaths, followed by methamphetamine. Amphetamine/methamphetamine-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in Marion County exceeded admissions for any other drug; however, the number of such admissions declined from 1,726 in 2006 to 1,356 in 2007. Cocaine and heroin treatment admissions ranked lowest. Crack cocaine is not widely abused in the city, and respondents to the NDTS 2007 in Marion County reported low availability for powder and crack cocaine. Marijuana is the most widely abused drug, and treatment admissions for this drug have been steadily increasing recently. (See Figure 9.)
Figure 9. Treatment Admissions for Marion County, 2005-2007a
Source: Oregon Department of Human Services, Addictions and
Mental Health Division.
a.
Most treatment admissions for
"Amphetamine/methamphetamine" were for methamphetamine, and most treatment
admissions for "Marijuana/hashish" were for marijuana.
Roseburg has an estimated population of 20,991 and is located 70 miles south of Eugene and 180 miles south of Portland in Douglas County. Interstate 5, a primary drug trafficking route in the Oregon HIDTA region, traverses the county in a north-south direction. Medford is also located on this roadway south of Roseburg in Jackson County. Medford has an estimated population of 71,168 residents. Pendleton has an estimated population of 16,589 and is situated along I-84 in Umatilla County, another popular route used to smuggle drugs into and through the area. Drug trafficking and abuse trends in Roseburg, Medford, and Pendleton are similar; therefore, a discussion of these markets has been combined in this section. Ice methamphetamine poses the greatest drug threat to these areas. Mexican DTOs transport ice methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, and powder cocaine from Mexico through California to and through these areas. Asian DTOs transport high-potency Canadian marijuana to Pendleton.
According to the Oregon HIDTA, the outdoor cultivation of cannabis is increasing in the region around Roseburg, Medford, and Pendleton. Outdoor cannabis eradication in Douglas (Roseburg), Jackson (Medford), and Umatilla (Pendleton) Counties increased from 51,918 cannabis plants in 2006 to 102,286 plants in 2007. Jackson County accounted for over half of the eradication, with 54,482 plants seized. Cannabis grow sites in the Roseburg area are typically located on timber company lands, while cannabis grow sites in Jackson County are typically located on Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands. In contrast, eradication of cannabis plants from indoor grow sites declined from 670 plants in 2006 to 594 in 2007, possibly because illegal cultivators have been growing cannabis under the OMMP, which tends to complicate law enforcement investigations of indoor grow sites. Many of these cultivators grow cannabis in numbers that far exceed the legal state limit.6 For example, the indoor cultivation of cannabis under the OMMP is popular in Roseburg and Medford, with many growers exceeding the number of plants allowed.
Roseburg, Medford, and Pendleton have experienced a decline in powder methamphetamine production over the last few years as a result of precursor chemical laws limiting the availability of essential chemicals used in the production of methamphetamine. Few laboratories were seized in 2007, and during the first quarter of 2008, no methamphetamine laboratories were seized in these areas. (See Figure 10.)
Figure 10. Methamphetamine Laboratories Seized in Douglas, Jackson, and Umatilla Counties, 2005-2007
Source: Oregon High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
Drugs are transported to Roseburg and Medford on I-5 from Mexico through California and to Pendleton on I-84. Vietnamese DTOs transport high-potency Canadian marijuana and MDMA into these areas. Drug distributors in Pendleton, who have Canadian sources of supply, obtain their drugs from transporters en route to Boise, Idaho, on I-84 or from midlevel distributors in the Tri-Cities area (Richland, Pasco, and Kennewick) of Washington.
Drug transporters use private and commercial vehicles to move drugs, which they typically conceal in hidden compartments, baggage, and trash bags. For example, in November 2007 two men were arrested by the Oregon State Police during a traffic stop on I-84 in the Pendleton area. During the stop the occupants consented to a search. With the assistance of a drug-detection canine, troopers found approximately 19 pounds of marijuana in a suitcase and clothing bag in the cab of the pickup. The marijuana was valued at approximately $30,000. During an earlier traffic stop, in October 2007, the Oregon State Police discovered 14 pounds of marijuana in a black garbage bag in the back of an SUV.
Mexican DTOs based in the Oregon HIDTA region control most drug distribution at the wholesale level in Roseburg, Medford, and Pendleton. Mexican criminal groups distribute ice methamphetamine, marijuana, powder cocaine, and heroin at the retail level from a variety of public areas such as bars, open-air markets, parking lots, and restaurants. In May 2008 the Jackson County HIDTA Task Force arrested two Mexican illegal aliens in Roseburg after they were found to be in possession of 6 ounces of methamphetamine. These individuals were believed to be suppliers of midlevel amounts of methamphetamine in Jackson County. Caucasian criminal groups also distribute retail-level quantities of ice methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin.
The number of drug-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in Roseburg, Medford, and Pendleton is relatively low compared with the number of admissions in Portland and Salem. The counties in which these cities are located reported a total of 23 drug-related deaths in 2007, with Jackson County reporting the majority of these deaths (10). Amphetamine/methamphetamine and marijuana/hashish are the primary drugs of abuse reported in treatment admissions for Douglas, Jackson, and Umatilla Counties. Despite the high numbers, treatment admissions for amphetamine/methamphetamine abuse are declining overall, except in Umatilla County, where admissions increased from 628 in 2006 to 661 in 2007. Nevertheless, admissions in Umatilla County are lower than the 724 admissions that took place in 2005. In these counties the overall number of admissions for amphetamine/methamphetamine and marijuana/hashish far surpasses the number of admissions for cocaine and heroin. (See Figure 11.)
Figure 11. Treatment Admissions for Douglas, Jackson, and Umatilla Counties, 2005-2007a
Source: Oregon Department of Human Services, Addictions and
Mental Health Division.
a.
Most treatment admissions for
"Amphetamine/methamphetamine" were for methamphetamine, and most treatment
admissions for "Marijuana/hashish" were for marijuana.
Diverted pharmaceuticals are abused in Roseburg and Medford. Law enforcement reporting from Roseburg indicates that the threat posed by prescription drugs, such as OxyContin (oxycodone), Vicodin (hydrocodone), and methadone, has increased significantly. Abusers in Roseburg steal prescription drugs from neighbors' mailboxes, and adolescent abusers steal prescription drugs from family members and then congregate with their peers at "pill parties"7 to exchange the drugs.
4. In
response to the National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) 2007, the Portland
Police Department reported that crack cocaine was the greatest drug threat in
its jurisdiction.
5. According
to law enforcement officials, Asian drug trafficking organizations
(DTOs) pay transporters approximately $500 per pound to smuggle marijuana across
the U.S.-Canada border.
6. OMMP
allows individuals with specific medical conditions to possess up to
six mature cannabis plants and 24 ounces of usable marijuana.
7.
Pill
parties are informal gatherings at which adolescents exchange pills and
experiment with the medications.
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