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U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center
Michigan HIDTA Drug Market Analysis 2010
June 2010
Wholesale cocaine, heroin, and commercial-grade marijuana distributors in the Michigan HIDTA are typically supplied by major Mexican DTOs that operate in locations along the Southwest Border and in large domestic distribution centers in the Midwest and eastern United States. Canada-based Asian DTOs supply most wholesale distributors of high-potency marijuana and MDMA in the region.
African American DTOs are the predominant wholesale distributors of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana in the region. They transport powder cocaine and marijuana from various drug markets in the United States, such as Chicago, New York City, and Atlanta, as well as directly from locations along the Southwest Border, where they have connections to Mexican sources of supply. They also purchase wholesale quantities of these drugs from Mexican traffickers in the HIDTA region. African American drug traffickers also smuggle some MDMA into the region from Canada.
Mexican DTOs, many of which have direct ties to sources of supply along the Southwest Border, also distribute wholesale quantities of powder cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Caucasian and Middle Eastern traffickers in the region distribute wholesale quantities of powder cocaine, marijuana, and MDMA. Asian DTOs are the principal suppliers of Canadian high-potency marijuana and MDMA to the region, often using Indo-Canadian truck drivers to transport the drugs across the border. Albanian traffickers also transport and distribute wholesale quantities of Canadian high-potency marijuana and MDMA in the region, but to a lesser extent than Asian DTOs.
Street gangs are the primary distributors of retail quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana in the Michigan HIDTA region. Street gang recruitment of middle school and high school students is common, and young recruits are used to perform various gang-related criminal activities, including drug sales, shootings, carjackings, and robberies. The level of activity of street gangs in the HIDTA region, including the nationally affiliated Gangster Disciples and many local gangs, remains stable.
Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) such as the Outlaws and Highwaymen distribute cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine at the retail level in some areas of the region. Law enforcement reports that the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) may be planning to resume activities in Michigan, where it has not had a significant presence since the 1970s. HAMC members were identified in 2008 and 2009 in Lansing, Kalamazoo, and Detroit; some of the members sighted in Detroit wore armbands stating "we're coming back." An increased HAMC presence in Michigan could lead to violent clashes with existing OMGs in the area.
UNCLASSIFIED
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