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National Drug Intelligence
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Most of the marijuana available in the South Florida HIDTA region is produced locally at indoor and, to a lesser extent, outdoor cannabis grow sites; marijuana available in the region is also produced in Jamaica and Mexico. Indoor cannabis cultivation is prevalent throughout Florida, including in the South Florida HIDTA region. According to DCE/SP data, approximately 74,698 cultivated cannabis plants were eradicated from 944 indoor grow sites and roughly 9,116 cultivated plants were eradicated from 263 outdoor plots in Florida during 2007; approximately 42 percent of the indoor plants eradicated in 2007 (31,679) were eradicated from the South Florida HIDTA region.6 Moreover, DCE/SP data reveal that the total number of eradicated indoor cannabis plants increased from 2005 through 2007 in the region. (See Table 1.) The Florida Department of Law Enforcement further reports that marijuana producers are increasingly moving cannabis cultivation operations indoors to avoid law enforcement detection and to increase the quality of the marijuana being produced. The controlled environment of indoor grow sites, combined with sophisticated growing techniques such as hydroponics, typically yields high-potency marijuana, which commands higher prices.7 For example, the wholesale price for commercial-grade marijuana in Miami ranged from $650 to $1,200 per pound in 2007, while the wholesale price for hydroponic marijuana ranged from $3,500 to $4,000 per pound, according to DEA Miami Division. Moreover, indoor cannabis operations can be conducted year-round, yielding four to six harvests per year, compared with the two harvests per year that are typical for outdoor cultivation. As a result, Florida House Bill 0173 was presented for signature to the governor on June 11, 2008, addressing the increasing use of residences for high-potency cannabis cultivation.8
Table 1. Indoor Cannabis Cultivation Sites Seized and Plants Eradicated in South Florida HIDTA Counties, 2005-2007
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIDTA County | Sites Seized | Plants Eradicated | Sites Seized | Plants Eradicated | Sites Seized | Plants Eradicated |
| Broward | 31 | 2,669 | 33 | 3,021 | 30 | 1,906 |
| Miami-Dade | 157 | 12,016 | 206 | 15,749 | 382 | 26,019 |
| Monroe | 5 | 501 | 0* | 0* | 2 | 27 |
| Palm Beach | 29 | 2,356 | 26 | 1,938 | 36 | 3,727 |
| Total HIDTA | 222 | 17,542 | 265 | 20,708 | 450 | 31,679 |
| Total Florida | 367 | 43,727 | 480 | 36,172 | 944 | 74,698 |
Source: Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program.
*Monroe County did not participate in the program in 2006.
Various DTOs and criminal groups operate indoor cannabis cultivation sites in the South Florida HIDTA region; however, law enforcement reporting reveals that a large percentage are controlled by Cuban growers. Law enforcement reporting further reveals that Cuban growers have expanded their indoor cannabis operations to other parts of Florida as well as areas of the southeast, such as Georgia and North Carolina. Moreover, intelligence derived from recent law enforcement investigations reveals that over the past several years, indoor cannabis cultivation by Cuban growers has advanced from small grow sites to large, highly profitable operations. Many indoor grow sites in the South Florida HIDTA region, including those operated by Cuban growers, are located in residential homes. Cuban growers often recruit illegal immigrants of various races and ethnicities to live in residential grow sites to cultivate cannabis and to provide the appearance of typical activity in the home. Law enforcement officials report that some Cuban growers force illegal immigrants to reside at grow houses and oversee their operations as payment for their illegal passage into the United States, which is generally provided by Cuban criminal organizations affiliated with the growers.
|
On May 1, 2008, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the
Southern District of Florida announced preliminary results of a
coordinated law enforcement effort aimed at dismantling suspected indoor
hydroponic cannabis grow houses throughout Florida. The operation,
coordinated by the South Florida HIDTA in conjunction with the Central
Florida and North Florida HIDTAs and supported by numerous law
enforcement agencies, conducted coordinated raids of high-potency
cannabis grow houses in 48 Florida counties. The primary goal of this
operation was to combat the rise in hydroponic cannabis grow operations
in Florida, particularly those that are operated as organized criminal
enterprises and have been linked to violent crimes, including home
invasions, armed robberies, kidnappings, arsons, and homicides. This
operation resulted in 135 arrests and the seizure of 9,249 cannabis
plants from more than 150 houses used to produce high-potency marijuana.
Participating officials in the South Florida HIDTA region made 74
arrests and seized over 3,400 cannabis plants from 74 grow houses. The
resulting cases will be prosecuted by local and federal authorities. |
Powder cocaine is converted into crack throughout the region. This trafficking activity is a serious concern to law enforcement officials, as it is frequently associated with high levels of abuse, property crime, and related violence. Retail-level crack cocaine distributors, generally members of local street gangs, convert powder cocaine to crack near intended markets; the crack is distributed on an as-needed basis, typically in ounce quantities.
6. Domestic
Cannabis Eradication/Suppression (DCE/SP) changed the methodology
for collecting data in 2007 by adding eradication totals from public land
agencies. Therefore, 2007 data from outdoor operations cannot be compared with
previous years' data.
7.
According
to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the THC
(delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) quantifications of marijuana samples submitted to
the University of Mississippi Potency Monitoring Project by federal, state, and
local law enforcement officials in 2006 (the latest year for which such data are
available) indicate that marijuana produced in Florida had an average THC
content of 7.73 percent; Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Division
submitted samples with the highest THC levels in the state that year (21.26%).
8.
Florida
House Bill 0173 prohibits the cultivation of cannabis for specified
purposes and prohibits owning, leasing, or possessing a place, structure, or
trailer, or other described place with the knowledge that it will be used to
manufacture, sell, or traffic in a controlled substance and provides that
possession of 25 or more cannabis plants is prima facie evidence of intent to
sell or distribute.
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