Cocaine

Cocaine, particularly crack, poses a significant drug threat to West Virginia. Cocaine is readily available, commonly abused, and frequently associated with violent crime in the state. There were more cocaine-related offenses in the state than offenses for any other illicit drug in 2002. Further, over 57 percent of drug-related federal sentences in West Virginia in FY2001 were cocaine-related. Caucasian and African American local independent dealers and loosely organized criminal groups as well as local street gangs such as West Side Posse are the principal transporters and wholesale- and retail-level distributors of cocaine in West Virginia. Powdered cocaine available in the state most frequently is transported via private vehicles from Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; and New York, New York. Much of the powdered cocaine transported into the state is converted into crack locally; however, some crack available in the state is transported via private vehicles primarily from Chicago, Illinois; Ohio; and Pennsylvania. African American local independent dealers and loosely organized criminal groups as well as local street gangs such as West Side Posse are the primary retail-level distributors of crack cocaine--wholesale-level distribution is rare. Powdered cocaine and crack are distributed from private residences, bars, and hotel rooms throughout the state. Crack also is distributed from open-air drug markets and low-income housing projects.

Abuse

Treatment data indicate that cocaine frequently is abused in West Virginia. The number of cocaine-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities fluctuated, but decreased slightly overall from 1,199 in 1998 to 1,008 in 2000, according to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. (See Table 2 in Overview section.) Sixty-eight percent of cocaine-related admissions in 2000 were for crack abuse.

Survey data indicate that the percentage of West Virginia's population that abuses cocaine is comparable to the percentage nationwide. According to combined data from the 1999 and the 2000 NHSDA, 1.3 percent of individuals aged 12 and older surveyed in West Virginia reported having abused cocaine at least once during the past year, compared to 1.6 percent nationwide. According to 1999 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data, the most recent data available, 10.5 percent of West Virginia high school students surveyed reported having abused cocaine at least once in their lifetime, compared to 9.5 percent nationwide. Further, 4.4 percent of West Virginia's high school students surveyed reported that they had abused cocaine in the 30 days prior to the survey, compared to 4.0 percent nationally.

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Availability

Cocaine is readily available in West Virginia. Of the 28 law enforcement respondents to the NDTS 2002 in West Virginia who rated the level of cocaine availability in their jurisdictions, 26 indicated that the availability of powdered cocaine was medium or high, and 23 respondents reported the availability of crack as medium or high. Powdered cocaine most frequently is available in gram and ounce quantities but occasionally is available in kilogram and multikilogram quantities. Crack cocaine primarily is available at the retail level in ounce and gram quantities as well as "rocks."

Low cocaine prices and high purity levels in West Virginia indicate that cocaine is readily available. Statewide cocaine prices for 2002 as reported by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Charleston Resident Office are listed in Table 3. According to DEA, in 2002 the purity of kilogram quantities of powdered cocaine ranged from 80 to 90 percent, ounce quantities from 50 to 80 percent, and gram quantities from 40 to 50 percent. The DEA Charleston Resident Office reports that bags of powdered cocaine sold at the retail level contained increasingly more cocaine by weight while the price remained stable in 2002. The purity of crack cocaine ranged from 40 to 90 percent during the same period.

Source: DEA Charleston Resident Office.

The amount of cocaine seized by federal law enforcement officials in West Virginia fluctuated from 1998 through 2002. According to Federal-wide Drug Seizure System (FDSS) data, federal law enforcement officials in West Virginia seized 1.4 kilograms of cocaine in 1998, 7.0 kilograms in 1999, 4.5 kilograms in 2000, 8.2 kilograms in 2001, and 1.3 kilograms in 2002, the most recent data available. (See Table 4.)

Source: Federal-wide Drug Seizure System.

There were more cocaine-related offenses for 2002 in West Virginia than offenses for any other illicit drug. The West Virginia Division of Criminal Justice Services reported that 51 percent (786 offenses) of the 1,538 drug-specific offenses reported for 2002 involved cocaine and that most (612) of the cocaine-related offenses involved crack.

The percentage of federal drug-related sentences in West Virginia that involved cocaine was higher than the national percentage. According to USSC data, 57.2 percent of drug-related federal sentences in West Virginia in FY2001 were powdered or crack cocaine-related, compared with 42.5 percent nationally. (See Table 1 in Overview section.) Further, 45.7 percent of the drug-related federal sentences in West Virginia were crack cocaine-related, compared with 20.4 percent nationwide.

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Violence

Cocaine, particularly crack, frequently is associated with violent crime in West Virginia. Crack abusers often commit violent crimes to support their habits, and crack distributors commonly commit violent crimes to protect or expand their turf. The Huntington Police Department reports that crack cocaine abusers in its jurisdiction frequently commit armed robberies and burglaries.

The exchange of guns for drugs, particularly crack, and the illegal purchase of firearms by out-of-state drug distributors and gang members present additional threats to the state. Federal, state, and local law enforcement officials indicate that the availability of handguns in West Virginia is attracting an increasing number of drug distributors and gang members who travel from New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C., to West Virginia to exchange crack for guns.

Production

Coca is not cultivated nor is cocaine produced in West Virginia. However, local independent dealers, criminal groups, and gangs covert much of the powdered cocaine in the state into crack cocaine locally, often in the area where the crack is sold, to avoid lengthier federal sentences associated with the transportation or possession of crack. Under federal law, a person convicted of transporting or possessing 5 grams of crack cocaine faces a mandatory sentence of 5 years in prison, equivalent to the penalty for transporting or possessing 500 grams of powdered cocaine.

Transportation

Caucasian and African American local independent dealers and loosely organized criminal groups as well as local street gangs such as West Side Posse are the principal transporters of powdered and crack cocaine into West Virginia. Most of the powdered cocaine available in West Virginia is transported via private vehicles from Charlotte, Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, and New York City, among other areas. Crack cocaine occasionally is transported into the state via the same method primarily from Chicago, Illinois; Ohio; and Pennsylvania. Package delivery services, vessels on inland waterways, and couriers aboard buses and trains also are used to transport cocaine into West Virginia from the aforementioned areas, albeit to a lesser extent.

Out-of-state African American, Jamaican, and Mexican criminal groups, among others, as well as street gangs such as Bloods also transport powdered and crack cocaine into West Virginia. These groups and gangs transport cocaine into the state from Columbus, Detroit, New York City, and other areas, primarily via private vehicles equipped with hidden compartments. These groups and gangs also occasionally transport cocaine into the state by couriers aboard buses and trains.

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Distribution

Caucasian and African American local independent dealers and loosely organized criminal groups as well as local street gangs such as West Side Posse are the principal wholesale- and retail-level distributors of powdered cocaine in West Virginia. These dealers, groups, and gangs distribute the drug from private residences, bars, and hotel rooms throughout the state. African American local independent dealers and loosely organized criminal groups as well as local street gangs such as West Side Posse are the primary retail-level distributors of crack cocaine--wholesale-level distribution is rare. These dealers, groups, and gangs usually distribute the drug from the same venues as powdered cocaine, as well as from open-air drug markets and low-income housing projects. Powdered cocaine sold at the retail level typically is packaged in small zip-top plastic bags. Crack is sold loose as rocks, as well as packaged in small plastic bags or clear plastic vials.

Out-of-state African American and Jamaican criminal groups, among others, as well as street gangs such as Bloods also distribute powdered and crack cocaine in West Virginia, although to a lesser extent. According to state and local law enforcement officials, out-of-state distributors frequently provide money or crack cocaine to local residents, particularly women, in exchange for the use of their residences and vehicles. When the distributors believe their activities are attracting law enforcement attention, they move to another residence or leave the state. Some drug distributors from cities such as Detroit and Columbus establish a base of operations across the West Virginia state line in cities such as Gallipolis and South Pointe, Ohio, or Ashland, Kentucky, then travel between their base of operations and West Virginia to sell cocaine, primarily crack. 

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