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U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center
Northern California HIDTA Drug Market Analysis 2010
June 2010
The Northern California HIDTA region has strategic drug trafficking and marketing significance for Mexican DTOs as a national-level production, transportation, and distribution center for illicit drugs, primarily methamphetamine and marijuana. The dominance that Mexican DTOs exert over wholesale ice methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin distribution in the region is unlikely to be challenged by other DTOs in the near term. Asian DTOs and criminal groups are expected to expand their influence and operations in the region, particularly the smuggling and nationwide distribution of high-potency marijuana and MDMA.
The trafficking and abuse of ice methamphetamine will not diminish in the near term and will remain the most significant drug threat. Demand for the drug is high, and Mexican DTOs and criminal groups in the area have controlled production and smuggling operations in the area for many years. Point-of-sale restrictions placed on pseudoephedrine will make it more difficult for traffickers to obtain sufficient quantities of pseudoephedrine for local production of high-potency d-methamphetamine. Although it is too soon to predict the reaction of abusers in the region to the increased availability of less potent d,l-methamphetamine, those preferring more potent d-methamphetamine may increase smurfing operations and local production or seek alternative stimulants such as cocaine.
The availability of high-potency marijuana in the region is increasing and will likely continue to do so over the next year. Indoor cannabis cultivators, including many illegal cultivators who claim protection under the state's medical marijuana law, will continue to expand their operations by increasing the number and size of indoor grow sites. Mexican DTOs will remain the primary cultivators of cannabis at outdoor locations, increasing their use of public lands in remote areas of the region for outdoor cultivation.
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