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Drug Situation: The state of Georgia is both a final destination point for drug shipments and a smuggling corridor for drugs transported along the East Coast. Extensive interstate highway, rail, and bus transportation networks, as well as international, regional, and private air and marine ports of entry serve the state. Moreover, Georgia is strategically located on the I-95 corridor between New York City and Miami, the key wholesale-level drug distribution centers on the East Coast and major drug importation hubs. In addition, Interstate Highway 20 runs directly into Georgia from drug entry points along the southwest border and Gulf Coast. The city of Atlanta has become an important strategic point for drug trafficking organizations as it is the largest city in the South and is a nexus for all East/West and North/South travel. The Mexico-U.S. Southwest Border area continues to be the primary source and staging area for cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin introduced into the Atlanta Division.

There are 9.3 million legal residents in the state of Georgia, of which Hispanics account for over 5 percent of the population. The Hispanic population growth has been aided by an influx of undocumented immigrants, mostly from Mexico. Intelligence currently indicates that as the Mexican immigrant community has grown, so too has the presence of Mexican traffickers. With that growth, Mexican poly-drug organizations have been identified as the largest foreign threat in the state, predominantly trafficking in cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin.

Additionally, enforcement activities have aided in identifying smuggling routes, concealment methods, and money-laundering operations employed by other foreign Drug-Trafficking Organizations (DTOs), such as Southeast Asian, West African, South American, and Caribbean.

Poly-Drug: Mexican traffickers and Mexican DTOs continue to play an increasingly dominant role in the importation and distribution of illegal drugs within Atlanta Division Office. Mexican poly-drug organizations are the largest foreign threat in the state, predominantly trafficking in cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin. Mexican traffickers now supply kilogram quantities of cocaine HCl directly to local crack cocaine dealers.

Cocaine: Cocaine and crack cocaine continue to be among the most widely available drugs throughout Georgia. Bulk quantities of powder cocaine are usually transported into the state and then converted into crack by the local wholesaler or retailer. Primary source areas for cocaine are Texas and California. While traffickers utilize several transportation modes, prominent methods of smuggling are the use of private or rental vehicles and tractor-trailers with increasingly sophisticated hidden compartments, travel routes, and counter-surveillance techniques. Colombian cocaine traffickers use the ports of Wilmington, Charleston, and Savannah as cocaine importation points, and these areas remain major transshipment centers for cocaine destined for Atlanta, other East Coast drug markets, and Europe. During the past year, several organizations have been identified as responsible for bringing loads of 200 to 300 kilograms of cocaine to Atlanta for local consumption as well as transshipment to other parts of the region and East Coast cities. Georgia has witnessed a dramatic increase in cocaine seizures since 2003.

Heroin: Heroin availability remains stable throughout Atlanta Division Office. Seizures of street level amounts of heroin attest to the pervasiveness and the availability of the drug. Although heroin trafficking at times appears relatively low and stable throughout most of Georgia, there are regions where heroin abuse appears to be climbing. The sources of supply reportedly are located in Chicago, New York, and at the southwest border. The most recent domestic monitoring program report indicates that the predominant type of heroin in the Atlanta, GA area is South American. The purity of the South American heroin ranged from 51.8 percent to 65.4 percent. One exhibit was Southwest Asian heroin with a purity level of 40.5 percent. The Atlanta High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area report indicates more Hispanic involvement in heroin trafficking. Local law enforcement agencies in some outlying metro Atlanta counties indicate that heroin is becoming an increasing problem for their jurisdictions.

Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine continued a four-year trend as metro Atlanta’s fastest growing drug problem. This trend is particularly true in the Atlanta, Dalton, and Gainesville metropolitan areas. Since 2002, most of the significant methamphetamine seizures recorded in the state were from stash/distribution site raids or state/local interdiction stops. There has also been an increase in the availability of ICE in the Atlanta metropolitan area. However, methamphetamine clandestine laboratories located within the state have declined since legislation was enacted in 2005 to restrict the sale of over-the-counter products containing pseudoephedrine: It is one of the essential chemicals used in the production of methamphetamine.

Club Drugs: Atlanta is a transit city for ecstasy to other U.S. cities. MDMA, GHB and Ketamine (Special K) continue to be popular and remain readily available in and around populations of young people (gyms, college campuses and associated “hang outs”) throughout the state. LSD is usually encountered at school settings and is imported to Georgia from the West Coast via U.S. Postal Service packages or commercial express mail. The wholesale cost of ecstasy, depending on location and amount purchased, varies between $3 and $15 per pill and the retail price varies between $8 (Atlanta) and $40 (Savannah). Ecstasy is readily available in Atlanta’s nightclubs, “Rave” parties, and concerts that target the younger population.

Marijuana: Marijuana, the most commonly abused drug in Georgia, is readily available throughout the state. Mexico and the southwest border are the usual sources of marijuana imported and distributed in Georgia. The primary wholesale suppliers of marijuana are Mexican nationals. Local outdoor cannabis cultivation sites are increasing due to the normally ideal growing condition in the region. Because of DEA's eradication program and the recent drought, some dealers have resorted to hydroponic cultivation of marijuana.

Other Drugs: Diverted pharmaceutical controlled substances are widely available with Xanax® (alprazolam), Valium® (diazepam), Dilaudid® (hydromorphone), Demerol® (meperidine), and Percodan® (oxycodone) being the most sought after.

Pharmaceutical Diversion: Current investigations indicate that diversion of hydrocodone products (such as Vicodin®), OxyContin®, and pseudoephedrine continues to be a problem in Georgia. Primary methods of diversion being reported are illegal sale and distribution by health care professionals and workers, “doctor shopping” (going to a number of doctors to obtain prescriptions for a controlled pharmaceutical), and the Internet. Xanax® and Lorcet® were also identified as being among the most commonly abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in Georgia.

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, 473 deployments have been completed nationwide, resulting in 19,643 arrests. There have been 13 MET deployments in the State of Georgia since the inception of the program: Columbus, Bowden, Atlanta, Marietta, Macon, Glynn County, Dalton, Griffin, College Park, Savannah, Gainesville, Milledgeville, and Barrow County.

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 1 deployment in the U.S. Virgin Islands, resulting in 671 arrests. There has been one RET deployment in Dalton, Georgia, since the inception of the program.

Other Enforcement Operations: The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) established the Atlanta High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) in 1995. The Atlanta HIDTA’s mission is two fold; it targets both drugs and violence within DeKalb County, Fulton County, and the city of Atlanta. There are 13 agencies participating in the Atlanta HIDTA, five of which are federal agencies. There are three DEA special agents, one supervisory agent, two DEA analysts, and one supervisory analyst position allocated to the initiative.

More information about the Atlanta Division Office.

Sources

Factsheet last updated: 6/2007