DEA
Offices & Telephone Nos.
North Platte308-532-3183
Omaha402-965-3600 |
State
Facts
Population: 1,713,235
Law Enforcement Officers: 3,694
State Prison Population: 6,600
Probation Population: 20,847
Violent Crime Rate
National Ranking: 32 |
2003
Federal Drug Seizures
Cocaine: 88.1 kgs.
Heroin: 3.9 kgs.
Methamphetamine: 30.3 kgs.
Marijuana: 739.0 kgs.
Ecstasy: 0 tablets
Methamphetamine Laboratories: 245 (DEA, state,
and local) |
Drug
Situation: Methamphetamine is the major concern for law enforcement
within the state of Nebraska. Nebraska continues to be a transshipment
state
for Mexican methamphetamine with Interstate 80 providing easy west to
east access across the state. Nebraska has over 165 meat-packing/poultry
plants and 55,000 farms statewide. The number of Hispanic workers, both
legal and illegal, have nearly tripled in the last 10 years, and Hispanic
children currently represent the largest minority student population
in
the state. While most are honest and hard working, this rapid growth
has allowed drug trafficking organizations with ties to Mexico to more
easily
blend into the community.
Cocaine: Cocaine
is predominantly controlled by Hispanic trafficking organizations,
many from Mexico. Cocaine is transported via car, parcel package and
body
carriers from Mexico via El Paso, Texas. Cocaine is available at both
the wholesale and retail level. Crack cocaine is a serious problem
in
the large urban centers of Nebraska.
Heroin:
Heroin is available in small amounts in the Omaha, Nebraska area. While
not considered a drug of choice in Nebraska, some Hispanic trafficking
organizations are poly-drug and have heroin available for consumer use.
![Methamphetamine Lab Seizures: 1999=17, 2000=40, 2001=222, 2002=361, 2003=245](/peth04/20041016150702im_/http://www.dea.gov/pubs/states/nebraska_meth2004.gif) Methamphetamine:
Methamphetamine is the greatest drug threat to the state, and is
available in almost every town and community. Hispanic drug trafficking
organizations are flooding most Hispanic communities with methamphetamine
from the southwestern border region of the United States. Methamphetamine
produced in clandestine labs is also readily available in many communities.
With the vast amount of farms across the state and limited law enforcement
resources, this area is prime for exploitation. The Omaha Metropolitan
area has seen an increase in the availability of crystal methamphetamine
or “ice.”
![DEA logo](/peth04/20041016150702im_/http://www.dea.gov/pubs/states/dea_circlelogo.jpg) Predatory
Drugs: The popularity of predatory or club drugs continues
to be a concern to law enforcement and to local communities. There is
a perception among users that these drugs are
"safe" to use. Preliminary investigations show organizations
in Nebraska have been receiving multi-hundred to thousand dosage units
of MDMA (Ecstasy) from Florida and Arizona. Efforts are currently underway
to link investigations of mid-level distributors and "Rave"
parties.
Marijuana:
Marijuana is the most prevalent illicit drug in Nebraska. Domestic production
of both outdoor and hydroponic indoor grows have been steady with many
seizures netting upwards of 500 plants. Marijuana produced outside of
Nebraska and transported into the state is controlled by Mexican drug
trafficking organizations at the wholesale level. At the retail level,
independent dealers, outlaw motorcycle gangs, street gangs, Native Americans,
and Mexican groups share equally in the retail market.
Other
Drugs: OxyContin
is widely available throughout Nebraska. Stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens,
anabolic steroids and illegally diverted pharmaceuticals are abused to
a much lesser degree than the more traditional drugs in Nebraska.
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
has been one MET deployment in the State of Nebraska since the inception
of the program, in Lexington.
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 has been one RET deployment in the State of Nebraska since
the inception of the program, in Omaha.
Special
Topics: Interstate 80 crosses Nebraska from east to west and
serves as a major smuggling route for drug trafficking organizations.
During FY2003, Operation Pipeline highway interdictions in the state
of Nebraska led to seizures including approximately 42.5 kilograms of
cocaine, 1.5 kilograms of heroin, 450 pounds of marijuana, 24 pounds
of methamphetamine and $850,000 U.S. currency.
More information
about the St. Louis Division Office.
Sources
Factsheet
last updated: 2/2004
Click
here for last year's 2003 factsheet>> |