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U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center
Rocky Mountain HIDTA Drug Market Analysis 2010
June 2010
Mexican DTOs operating in the region supply multikilogram quantities of ice methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin that they obtain from source areas in Mexico and California. Mexican DTOs and criminal groups control wholesale distribution and are involved in most midlevel distribution of methamphetamine, powder cocaine, and Mexican black tar heroin, brown powder heroin, and commercial-grade marijuana in the region. Distributors, primarily African American and Caucasians in remote areas of the region, often travel to Denver or Salt Lake City to obtain drugs from Mexican DTOs for distribution in their communities.
Asian DTOs and criminal groups are the primary wholesale suppliers of high-potency marijuana and MDMA in the Rocky Mountain HIDTA region. These traffickers supply the drugs principally to Asian retail distributors, mostly Asian street gangs such as Asian Pride or Viet Pride. They also supply Caucasian retail-level distributors in metropolitan areas of the HIDTA region, particularly in Denver and Salt Lake City.
Various ethnic street gangs and criminal groups distribute illicit drugs at the retail level in the Rocky Mountain HIDTA region. Hispanic street gangs such as Sureņos 13 distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and heroin that they obtain from Mexican traffickers. Moreover, law enforcement officials report that Honduran street gangs in Denver and the surrounding area are increasing their involvement in retail drug distribution. Honduran gang members are aggressively moving into retail sales of ice methamphetamine, powder cocaine, and heroin in some remote areas such as Eagle County (100 miles west of Denver). African American criminal groups and street gangs are the primary converters and retail distributors of crack cocaine. They also distribute retail quantities of powder cocaine, heroin, and phencyclidine (PCP) in metropolitan areas of the HIDTA region. Members of OMGs, particularly Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, Outlaws, Bandidos, and Sons of Silence, distribute ice methamphetamine and high-potency marijuana in some areas of the region at the midlevel and retail level. Independent Caucasian dealers distribute high-potency marijuana and CPDs throughout the region.
Law enforcement reporting indicates that methamphetamine, particularly ice methamphetamine, is the drug that most contributes to violent crime in the Rocky Mountain HIDTA region. According to the NDTS 2010, 81 of the 96 state and local law enforcement respondents in the Rocky Mountain HIDTA region identify methamphetamine as the drug most associated with violent crime, and 75 respondents report the same for property crime. Law enforcement officials report that armed methamphetamine distributors are a common occurrence, and the risk of violence between law enforcement and drug traffickers increases when methamphetamine is involved.
Marijuana-related violence is escalating in the HIDTA region, primarily in Colorado, where there is an increasing number of violent crimes associated with cultivation sites and medical marijuana dispensaries. The rising prevalence of outdoor grow sites on public lands has resulted in armed confrontations between hikers, hunters, and campers as they inadvertently encounter caretakers at grow sites. In Colorado, the Northern Colorado HIDTA Drug Task Force reports an increase in the number of robberies involving customers and patients at or near marijuana dispensaries during 2009. For example, in December 2009, a man armed with a handgun tried to rob a Denver marijuana dispensary. The suspect was charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted aggravated robbery, second-degree assault, and possession of a weapon by a previous offender.
CPD-related crime is becoming a significant concern for law enforcement officials in the Rocky Mountain HIDTA region. Abusers in the region, primarily Caucasians ranging from 16 to 40 years of age, often obtain these drugs through forged prescriptions, copied or scanned prescriptions, doctor-shopping, unscrupulous physicians, theft from family and friends, or robberies of retail pharmacies and hospitals. For example, the Westminster Fire Station in Colorado reports that narcotics have been stolen from their ambulances as well as from ambulances in neighboring jurisdictions.
UNCLASSIFIED
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