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DEA Offices & Telephone Nos. Green Bay—920-492-4907 Madison —608-264-5111 Milwaukee—414-297-3395

Drug Situation: The drug threat in Wisconsin varies by area. Of concern in eastern and central Wisconsin are the availability, distribution, and abuse of powder and crack cocaine; the increasing availability of high-purity heroin; and the number of new users, particularly in the Milwaukee area. Marijuana remains the most readily available and most widely abused drug throughout Wisconsin. Methamphetamine production and use are expanding from the neighboring states of Iowa and Minnesota into northwestern and southwestern Wisconsin. Three types of organizations are responsible for most of the transportation and wholesale distribution of drugs in Wisconsin: Mexican drug trafficking organizations transport cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine; Nigerian criminal groups distribute Southeast Asian heroin; and Dominican criminal groups distribute cocaine and South American heroin. African-American and Hispanic street gangs, particularly organized street gangs such as the Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, and Latin Kings, dominate the street-level distribution of most drugs, particularly crack cocaine.

Cocaine: Both cocaine and crack are widely available in Wisconsin. Cocaine is transported into the state by Mexican drug trafficking organizations. These organizations transport large shipments of cocaine from the Southwest Border either through Chicago or to Milwaukee directly, concealed within shipments of legitimate goods in tractor-trailers. These Mexican organizations also are the primary wholesale distributors ofcocaine and supply African-American and Hispanic street gangs that control the retail distribution of crack throughout the state. DEA Milwaukee and the DEA Madison report that cocaine is readily available in multi-kilogram quantities. DEA Green Bay reports that cocaine is readily available in multi-ounce to kilogram quantities.

Heroin: The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office records show that heroin abuse has stabilized in Wisconsin over the past two years. Most heroin use is concentrated in the Milwaukee and Racine areas. Rising levels of purity, some measured as high as 95 percent give users the option of snorting the drug rather than injecting, an option that may appeal to younger users. DEA Milwaukee reports that Southeast Asian heroin, trafficked by Nigerian criminal groups, is the predominant type available. A recent DEA Milwaukee investigation resulted in the seizure of 2.3 kilograms of Southwest Asian heroin, the largest seizure of heroin in Wisconsin history. The seizure resulted in the arrest of multiple Nigerian defendants. The office further reports that Southwest Asian heroin has not been encountered in the Milwaukee area. South American heroin is distributed by Dominican traffickers. The availability of brown heroin remains low, and black tar heroin is rare in Milwaukee.

Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine production and abuse are expanding from Minnesota and Iowa into rural counties in western Wisconsin. To a lesser extent, some methamphetamine is imported into the state by Mexican sources from the Southwest Border. DEA Milwaukee has not observed a significant increase in distribution or use of methamphetamine. DEA Green Bay reports that there is limited availability of methamphetamine in its area, as most is produced locally by small clandestine laboratories. However, a recent seizure of 37 pounds of methamphetamine was made from out of state individuals, who were attempting to create a market in the Green Bay area. DEA Madison reports that methamphetamine is readily available in ounce quantities in northwestern Wisconsin, supplied by sources from Minneapolis.

Club Drugs: "Club drugs" and "designer drugs" are general terms for synthetic chemical drugs that have become popular with teenagers and young adults. These drugs include MDMA (Ecstasy), Ketamine, GHB, GBL, and LSD. According to a recent drug price survey in Wisconsin, most of the law enforcement agencies that responded indicated that club drugs were available in their jurisdictions, albeit at low levels. The DEA has reported encounters with Ketamine in Milwaukee and Madison, and with GHB in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Marijuana: Marijuana remains the most readily available and most widely used drug in Wisconsin. Milwaukee and Madison are both major destinations for Mexico-produced marijuana and transshipment points to other areas in the state. This is augmented by local cultivation. Sixty percent of prison inmates test positive for marijuana when entering correctional institutions. Wisconsin authorities further report that one-fourth of all marijuana users also use other drugs. DEA Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay report that marijuana is readily available in multi-kilogram quantities.

Other Drugs: The use of diverted controlled substances in Wisconsin continues to be a problem. The most commonly diverted controlled substances from the licit market are ritalin, vicodin, hydrocodone, and other hydrocodone products, oxycontin, and other oxycodone products, and the benzodiazepines.

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 four MET deployments in the State of Wisconsin since the inception of the program: Racine, Beloit, and two in Milwaukee.

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 Wisconsin.

Special Topics: The Chicago Field Division is committed to fostering cooperative efforts among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies within Wisconsin. There are 15 Task Force Officers, representing eight law enforcement agencies, assigned to the DEA in Wisconsin. In 1998, a special heroin task force was formed by the DEA to combat high-purity heroin that had recently appeared in the Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha areas. The task force is comprised of representatives from DEA, the Division of Narcotics Enforcement (DNE), the Milwaukee Police Department, and the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department, and is funded through a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) grant.

More information about the Chicago Division Office.

Sources

Factsheet last updated: 2/2004

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