U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center
Los Angeles HIDTA Drug Market Analysis 2010
May 2010

Distribution

Mexican DTOs and criminal groups control the wholesale distribution of illicit drugs in the Los Angeles HIDTA region. They supply illicit drugs to distributors within the region and in most other significant drug markets throughout the country, including those in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Las Vegas, Memphis, Miami, New York City, Omaha, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Seattle, St. Louis, Tulsa, Yakima, and Washington, D.C. Mexican DTOs and criminal groups usually distribute their drug shipments quickly upon arrival in the Los Angeles HIDTA region; however, they may store drug shipments for up to a week in warehouses and other stash locations in and around the HIDTA region before repackaging the drugs for distribution. When their drug supplies cannot be immediately distributed, Mexican DTOs and criminal groups often store them in apartments, houses, and other secure locations in Mexico or in other areas outside the HIDTA region. Hispanic street gangs affiliated with Hispanic prison gangs are the primary retail distributors of powder and crack cocaine, Mexican black tar heroin, marijuana, ice methamphetamine, and PCP in the Los Angeles HIDTA region. African American and Caucasian criminal groups and independent dealers, prison gangs, OMGs, and various other criminal groups and independent dealers also distribute illicit drugs at the retail level in the region, albeit on a smaller scale.

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Drug-Related Crime

Street gang drug-related crime poses a major public safety concern to law enforcement in the Los Angeles HIDTA region. Nearly half of the 700 murders in Los Angeles in 2008 and 2009 were reportedly gang-involved. Most street or prison gang-related crimes are attributed to turf battles over drug distribution territories. For example, the La Eme prison gang controls much of the Hispanic prison population as well as Hispanic street gang activities in metropolitan areas in the Los Angeles HIDTA region and in all of southern California. La Eme members and those who work on their behalf collect fees or taxes from Hispanic street gangs for the right to distribute drugs in specific neighborhoods. Hispanic street gang members also distribute illicit drugs, pay taxes to La Eme, and enforce La Eme rules through the use of threats and violence.

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