NCJ Number
228267
Date Published
April 2009
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Based on recent law-enforcement reports, interviews with law-enforcement and public-health officials, and statistical data, this report presents an overview of the illicit drug situation in the South Florida (SF) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), highlighting significant trends and law enforcement concerns related to the trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs.
Abstract
The SF HIDTA encompasses Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach Counties. The region is a principal arrival zone and distribution center for powder cocaine and South American (SA) heroin. It is also a distribution center for marijuana and controlled prescription drugs (CPDs) intended for destinations throughout the Eastern United States. The most significant drug threats to the SF HIDTA region are the distribution and abuse of cocaine and CPDs and the cultivation of cannabis and subsequent distribution and abuse of marijuana. The laundering of illicit drug proceeds also poses a major threat to the region. Cocaine is usually readily available throughout the SF HIDTA region because of its proximity to reliable international supply sources; however, large cocaine seizures in drug transit areas in the Caribbean and near the Southwest Border resulted in cocaine shortages and higher wholesale cocaine prices in the SF HIDTA region in early 2009. CPD abusers are enticed in part by the ease with which they can obtain the drugs over the Internet and from retail-level distributors. Cannabis eradication data indicate increasing production of indoor-grown, typically high-potency, marijuana. Cuban drug trafficking organizations are increasing indoor cannabis cultivation and marijuana production in order to satisfy the high and rising demand for high-potency marijuana in the HIDTA region and other areas. The SF HIDRA region is a significant money-laundering area used by traffickers throughout the Eastern United States. Colombian drug-trafficking organizations launder multibillions of dollars in illicit drug proceeds through the Black Market Peso Exchange. 5 tables, 2 figures, 15 notes, and a list of sources for data and information presented in the report