DEA
Offices & Telephone Nos.
Rapid City605-343-4947
Sioux Falls605-330-4421
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State
Facts
Population: 756,600
Law Enforcement Officers: 1,912
State Prison Population: 4,100
Probation Population: 4,462
Violent Crime Rate
National Ranking: 46 |
2003
Federal Drug Seizures
Cocaine: 8.3 kgs.
Heroin: 0.0 kgs.
Methamphetamine: 2.4 kgs.
Marijuana: 303.0 kgs.
Ecstasy: 12 tablets
Methamphetamine Laboratories: 38 (DEA, state, and
local) |
Drug
Situation:The use of methamphetamine continues to affect the
rural areas, as well as the urban areas, throughout the state of South
Dakota. This increased use and demand for methamphetamine has continued
over the past year. Methamphetamine has come to the attention of the public
through an increasingly aware media, informed public officials from the
local to national level, and concerned citizens. Public efforts are underway
by law enforcement, politicians, social service agencies and the media
to further educate the public as to the dangers of methamphetamine use
and abuse. In addition, marijuana is readily available in all areas of
South Dakota. It continues as the most abused of the illegal controlled
substances. Also, the controversial issue of "hemp" remains
a high profile topic. Interstate 90, which runs east to west through South
Dakota, is increasingly being used for the transportation of drugs and
currency by trafficking organizations.
Cocaine:
Cocaine HCl is readily available throughout all parts of South Dakota.While
the availability of crack cocaine is increasing in eastern South Dakota,
abuse is still limited in western sections of the state. The cocaine is
obtained from Mexican sources in Sioux City, Iowa; Kansas City, Missouri;
and California. In addition some distributors in Rapid City, South Dakota
obtain cocaine from sources in the Denver area.
Heroin:
Heroin is typically available only in personal use quantities
in South Dakota.
![Methamphetamine Lab Seizures: 1999=2, 2000=7, 2001=18, 2002=34, 2003=38](/peth04/20041016185101im_/http://www.dea.gov/pubs/states/southdakota_meth2004.gif) Methamphetamine: The
availability of Mexican methamphetamine continues to increase throughout
South Dakota. Methamphetamine in eastern South Dakota is obtained
from sources in Sioux City, Iowa, or from sources in western states such
as Texas, Arizona, and California. Methamphetamine is distributed
locally
by either long-time Caucasian residents or Hispanic males who have recently
moved to South Dakota. Mexican methamphetamine in western South Dakota
is primarily shipped directly from cities such as Denver, Phoenix, San
Francisco, and San Diego using FedEx or UPS. Small toxic labs have
steadily
increased over the last few years. Local lab operators are obtaining
chemicals at local hardware stores, truck stops, and department stores.
Production
capabilities of these small labs are usually less than one ounce. The
stealing of anhydrous ammonia fertilizer from farm supply stores and
farmers
has also emerged as a serious problem in this agricultural state.
Predatory
Drugs: MDMA (Ecstasy) in eastern South Dakota is limited
but appears to be increasing. MDMA is more readily available in western
portions of South Dakota; however, the number of rave parties remains
stable. Law enforcement in South Dakota reports limited availability of
LSD.
Marijuana: Marijuana
is readily available throughout South Dakota. Multi-hundred pound quantities
are transported into the state from the southwest border of the United
States. Smaller quantities are also shipped via express mail services
or purchased from Hispanic males in the Sioux City area and driven back
to Sioux Falls. Higher purity marijuana is produced in indoor grow operations
in the Sioux Falls area, which typically contain less than 100 plants.
Larger indoor operations have been found in the Rapid City area in western
South Dakota, ranging from a few plants to several hundred. During the
past few years, members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe have attempted to plant
fields of “hemp” on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in
South Dakota. Intelligence reports indicate that high purity “BC
Bud” marijuana may now be available in South Dakota.
Other
Drugs: OxyContin
is a growing problem throughout South Dakota, and has been found at methamphetamine
laboratory sites. According to the South Dakota Department of Health,
hydrocodone products, codeine, and Darvocet-N are the most popular abused
pharmaceutical substances in the state. They are obtained by forged prescriptions
and by phony call-ins.
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 South Dakota since the inception of the program, in Yankton
Sioux.
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 South Dakota.
Special
Topics: Interstate 90 runs east to west through the state of South Dakota and
has become a more significant transportation route for drug trafficking
organizations. During FY2003, Operation Pipeline highway interdictions
in the state of South Dakota led to seizures including approximately
30 kilograms of cocaine, 700 pounds of marijuana, one-half pound of
methamphetamine, and over $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>> |