Heroin

National Drug Intelligence Center
New Hampshire Drug Threat Assessment Update
May 2003

Treatment statistics and medical examiner data reflect the magnitude of the heroin threat to New Hampshire. According to the New Hampshire Department of Substance Abuse (NHDSA), the number of heroin-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in the state increased 83 percent from 426 in 1997 to 780 in 2001. (See Table 1.) NHDSA data indicate that 342 of the 780 individuals treated for heroin abuse in 2001 were 25 to 34 years of age. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner reported that heroin/morphine was a factor in 14 of the 31 drug deaths reported in the state in FY2001.

Table 1. Drug-Related Treatment Admissions to Publicly Funded Facilities, New Hampshire, 1997-2001
	Heroin	Powdered Cocaine	Crack Cocaine	Marijuana	LSD	Oxy- codone	Metham- phetamine
1997	426	321	280	1,026	25	27	28
1998	527	287	257	1,139	22	12	16
1999	571	285	228	1,017	34	19	25
2000	507	259	159	1,026	23	38	16
2001	780	294	160	1,006	22	82	11
Percent Change (1997-2001)	+83%	-8%	-43%	-2%	-12%	+204%	-61%

Source: New Hampshire Department of Substance Abuse.

Seventeen of the 22 law enforcement respondents to the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) National Drug Threat Survey 2002 in New Hampshire reported that the availability of heroin is high or medium in their jurisdictions. (See NDTS text box.) Retail quantities of heroin, primarily South American heroin, are most readily available in the Plymouth area, the Seacoast region, and the western part of the state, and are increasingly available in rural areas of New Hampshire. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Manchester Resident Office reported that heroin sold for $7 to $20 per bag at the retail level in the first quarter of FY2003.

NDIC National Drug Threat Survey

The National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) 2002 was administered by NDIC to a representative sample of state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States to assess the availability, abuse, and overall threat posed by all major drugs. NDIC received 2,906 survey responses from law enforcement agencies, an overall response rate of 80 percent. Survey respondents were asked to rank the greatest drug threats in their areas and to indicate the level of availability for each major drug type. They also were asked to provide information on specific groups involved in the transportation and distribution of illicit drugs. Responding agencies also provided narrative assessments of various aspects of the overall drug situation and the threat posed by specific drugs in their areas. Survey responses are used by NDIC to substantiate and augment drug threat information obtained from other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

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Federal-wide Drug Seizure System (FDSS) data indicate that federal law enforcement officers in New Hampshire did not report any heroin seizures to FDSS in 2002. (See text box.) The New Hampshire Drug Task Force seized 0.8 kilograms of heroin in 2002. U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) data indicate that none of the drug-related federal sentences in New Hampshire in FY2001 resulted from heroin offenses. (See Table 2.)

Limitations of Seizure and Sentencing Data

Seizure and federal sentencing data most likely do not render an accurate portrayal of illicit drug availability in New Hampshire. Federal drug seizures in the state often fall below minimum FDSS reporting thresholds: 100 grams of heroin, 500 grams of cocaine, 25 kilograms of marijuana, and 250 grams of methamphetamine. In addition, there is no central repository to record drug seizures made by local law enforcement officials. Further, most drug violations in the state primarily involve retail-level quantities and, therefore, often do not rise to a level that warrants federal investigation or prosecution.

Table 2. Percentage of Drug-Related Federal Sentences by Drug Type, New Hampshire and United States, FY2001
	All Drugs*	Heroin	Cocaine	Marijuana	Metham- phetamine
New Hampshire	46.7	0.0	73.0	17.5	7.9
United States	41.2	7.2	42.5	32.8	14.2

Source: U.S. Sentencing Commission.
*Represents the percentage of federal sentences that are drug-related.

Caucasian local independent dealers and abusers are the principal transporters and retail distributors of heroin in New Hampshire--wholesale-level heroin distribution is extremely limited. These individuals typically travel to Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts, via private vehicles to purchase ounce quantities of heroin, primarily from Dominican criminal groups, then transport it back to the state for distribution. Heroin also is transported from New York City to New Hampshire by local independent dealers and abusers via private vehicles and, to a lesser extent, via commercial vehicles and couriers aboard commercial aircraft.

Wholesale-level heroin distribution is extremely limited in New Hampshire. However, state and local law enforcement officials indicate that Dominican criminal groups from Massachusetts occasionally travel to New Hampshire to sell wholesale quantities of heroin to local distributors. Caucasian local independent dealers and abusers are the principal retail distributors of heroin in New Hampshire. Heroin typically is packaged in small glassine bags and is distributed from private residences, vehicles, and public areas such as parking lots.

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