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DEA
Offices & Telephone Nos.
Cincinnati513-684-3671
Cleveland216-522-3705
Columbus614-255-4200
Dayton973-291-1988
Toledo419-259-6490
Youngstown330-740-7000 |
State
Facts
Population: 11,373,541
Law Enforcement Officers: 26,219
State Prison Population: 64,500
Probation Population: 211,237
Violent Crime Rate
National Ranking: 29 |
2003
Federal Drug Seizures
Cocaine: 364 kgs.
Heroin: 2.2 kgs.
Methamphetamine: 1.9 kgs.
Marijuana: 1,422 kgs.
Ecstasy: 4,622 tablets
Methamphetamine Laboratories: 119 (DEA, state, and
local) |
Drug
Situation: The primary drug threat in Ohio is powder and crack
cocaine. The most violent crimes in the state are attributed to its distribution
and abuse. Also, the rising availability of high-purity, low cost heroin
is creating a large user population with a greater physical risk to users,
who are younger than ever before. In the northern Ohio region, South
American and Mexican black tar heroin are prevalent, while in the southern
Ohio region, Mexican black tar heroin is predominant. Marijuana remains
the most abused drug in the state. Ohio is a source area for marijuana
cultivation, as well as a distribution point for Mexican marijuana from
the southwest border. Club drugs and MDMA (ecstasy) are also growing
in popularity in urban areas. Meanwhile, methamphetamine manufacturing
and use are increasing, but has not reached the levels of other states
in the Midwest.
Cocaine:
Cocaine HCL and crack combined constitute the greatest drug threat in
Ohio. Cocaine is transported into Ohio from the southwest border,
including California and Texas, as well as from Miami, Florida and
New York City. Detroit, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois serve as transshipment
points and distribution centers for cocaine shipped from the southwest
border and transported throughout Ohio. Mexican and Dominican criminal
groups and to a lesser extent other ethnic criminal groups are the
principal transporters and wholesale distributors of multi-kilogram
quantities of powdered cocaine in Ohio. Gram quantities sell between
$100-$120, ounce quantities, $750-$1400, and kilograms $22,500 -
$32,000. The purity levels for cocaine HCL range from 32.54 to 72.75
percent. Purity levels for crack cocaine range from 19 to 63.7 percent.
The Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services data indicates
that the number of treatment admissions for cocaine abuse for 2003
was 9,879.
Heroin:
Heroin distribution and abuse are increasing in Ohio. Heroin signature
analysis indicates that South American and Mexican black tar are
prevalent in the northern Ohio region. In the southern Ohio region
Mexican black tar heroin is predominant. Dominican criminal groups
control the distribution of South American heroin, while Mexican
criminal groups control the distribution of Mexican black tar heroin.
At the retail-level, African-American, Dominican, and Mexican criminal
groups are involved in heroin distribution. Heroin is shipped into
Ohio from major distribution centers such as Chicago, Detroit, New
York and various cities along the southwest border. Heroin is also
transported on commercial airline flights into Ohio. Wholesalers
use major Ohio cities such as Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, and
Toledo as distribution centers for smaller cities in and outside
the state. Gram quantities sell between $140-$250 and ounce quantities
$2400-$7000. The purity levels range from 23.5 to 57 percent . The
Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services data indicates
the number of treatment admissions for heroin abuse increased overall
from 6,878 in 2002 to 7,416 in 2003.
![Methamphetamine Labs Seized: 1999=14, 2000=29, 2001=89, 2002=97, 2003=29](/peth04/20041017010300im_/http://www.dea.gov/pubs/states/ohio_meth2004.gif) Methamphetamine:
Methamphetamine manufacturing and use are increasing in
the state of Ohio. Local independent criminal
groups, outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMG’s) and, to a lesser extent,
Mexican criminal groups are primarily responsible for shipping methamphetamine
into and distributing it throughout Ohio. Methamphetamine is also shipped
into Ohio predominantly through mail and package delivery services. Methamphetamine
distribution has also increased at “Raves” and on college
campuses in Ohio. Purity levels range from 7.425 to 100 percent. Amphetamine/methamphetamine
abuse in Ohio is prevalent and comparative to rates of abuse in other
states in the region.
Club
Drugs: The use of Club Drugs such as Ecstasy (MDMA), GHB,
Ketamine, and LSD has steadily increased in Ohio. Club Drugs are growing
in popularity among young adults and juveniles, particularly in most
urban areas of the state where “Rave” parties are also increasing.
MDMA is the club drug of choice and represents the greatest future threat
to Ohio’s youth. Most MDMA available in Ohio is produced outside
the United States, typically in laboratories in the Netherlands and Belgium
and transported through express mail services and by couriers on commercial
airlines through distribution centers such as Miami, New York City, Philadelphia,
and Washington, D.C. MDMA also reaches Ohio from Canada via New York
and is transported via the interstate highways and public modes of transportation.
Most traffickers of MDMA are loose-knit independent entrepreneurs. Retail
dealers typically are suburban teenagers, usually high school or college
students. The pills are sold at an average of $25 per pill.
Marijuana: Marijuana
continues to be the most widely abused and readily available illicit
drug throughout the state of Ohio. The available supply of marijuana
ranges from pound to multi-hundred pound quantities. Ohio is a source
area for marijuana. The rural areas of Ohio provide an adequate environment
for the outdoor cultivation of cannabis, most of which occurs in the
southern part of the state. In northern Ohio, the use of hydroponics
and other sophisticated indoor growing techniques that produce sinsemilla
with a high THC content continues to increase. Mexican marijuana is
also frequently encountered in the state of Ohio. The marijuana is
shipped from the southwest border states. Large quantities are shipped
into Ohio mainly overland, and smaller quantities through package delivery
services and the mail. Mexican criminal groups are the dominant wholesale
suppliers of marijuana in Ohio. They supply multi-hundred kilogram
quantities of marijuana to most districts throughout the state. Local
independent and Jamaican criminal groups also are responsible for shipping
and distributing wholesale amounts of marijuana into Ohio in multi-kilogram
quantities. Ounce quantities of marijuana sell between $100-$250, pound
quantities $800-$4000, and kilogram quantities $1800-$3000. The Ohio
Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services data indicates that
the number of treatment admissions for marijuana abuse increased from
17,896 in 2002 to 17,952 in 2003.
Other
Drugs: The diversion and abuse of OxyContin represent a significant
drug threat in Ohio. OxyContin, a powerful pain reliever whose effects
are the same as other opiate derivatives, is obtained legally through
prescriptions as well as illegally on the street. Formerly seen as a
drug of abuse primarily among the Caucasian population, law enforcement
officials in Ohio report increasing abuse among African Americans. According
to the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, youth
abusers of OxyContin have begun abusing heroin since they can no longer
obtain or afford OxyContin. Continued incidents of overdoses and drug-related
deaths were reported throughout the state during 2003. Also, a direct
connection between abuse of this drug and drug-related robberies has
been established.
DEA
Mobile Enforcement Teams: This cooperative program with state
and local law enforcement counterparts was conceived in 1995 in response
to the overwhelming problem of drug-related violent crime in towns and
cities across the nation. There have been 409 deployments completed resulting
in 16,763 arrests of violent drug criminals as of February 2004. There
have been six MET deployments in the State of Ohio since the inception
of the program: Toledo, East Cleveland, Jefferson County, Lincoln Heights,
Warren, and Youngstown.
DEA
Regional Enforcement Teams:
This program was designed to augment existing DEA division resources
by targeting drug organizations operating in the United States where
there is a lack of sufficient local drug law enforcement. This Program
was conceived in 1999 in response to the threat posed by drug trafficking
organizations that have established networks of cells to conduct drug
trafficking operations in smaller, non-traditional trafficking locations
in the United States. Nationwide, there have been 22 deployments completed
resulting in 608 arrests of drug trafficking criminals as of February
2004. There have been no RET deployments in the State of Ohio.
Special
Topics: HIDTA: During June 1999, ONDCP designated areas within
northern Ohio as the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (Ohio
HIDTA). The HIDTA region was expanded during 2004 to include central
and southern Ohio counties. The Ohio HIDTA is comprised of the Ohio counties,
Cuyahoga, Lucas, Mahoning, Stark, Summit, Fairfield, Franklin, Greene,
Hamilton, and Montgomery. Currently the following agencies are assigned
responsibilities in the Ohio HIDTA program: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration,
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of
Customs Enforcement, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,
U.S. Marshalls Service, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigations,
and other local Police Departments and law enforcement agencies.
More information
about the Detroit Division Office.
Sources
Factsheet
last updated: 2/2004
Click
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