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Drug Situation Information Provided by United States Drug Enforcment Agency.

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 2004 Federal Drug Seizures
Cocaine: 257.1 kgs.
Heroin: 8.6 kgs.
Methamphetamine: 7.4 kgs.
Marijuana: 439.1 kgs.
Ecstasy: 6,158 tablets
Methamphetamine Laboratories: 286 (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: 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. 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. Since the inception of the MET Program, a total of 436 deployments have been completed nationwide, resulting in 18,318 arrests. 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. As of January 31, 2005, there have been 27 deployments nationwide, and one deployment in the U.S. Virgin Islands, resulting in 671 arrests. 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.