DEA Briefs & Background, Drugs and Drug Abuse, State Factsheets, Iowa

United States map showing the location of Iowa

DEA Offices & Telephone Nos.
Cedar Rapids—319-393-6075
Des Moines—515-284-4700
Sioux City—712-255-9128

  State Facts
  Population: 2,966,334
  State Prison Population: 8,525
  Probation Population: 22,832
  Violent Crime Rate
National Ranking: 37

  2006 Federal Drug Seizures
  Cocaine: 45.2 kgs.
  Heroin: 0.1 kgs.
  Methamphetamine: 10.7 kgs.
  Marijuana: 293.0 kgs.
  Hashish: 0.0 kgs.
  MDMA: 0.0 kgs./5 du
  Meth Lab Incidents: 318 (DEA, state, and local)

Sources

Drug Situation: Methamphetamine, both that which is produced in Mexico or the southwest United States and locally produced, remains the principal drug of concern in the state of Iowa. Cocaine, particularly crack cocaine, is a significant problem in the urban areas of the state. Iowa also serves as a transshipment point for drugs being transported to the eastern United States via Interstate 80. Interstates 29 and 35 also provide a critical north-south transportation avenue for drug traffickers. Northwestern Iowa is reporting a significant increase in the availability of crack cocaine in their area. The cocaine is believed to come from sources of supply who transport the cocaine through the Kansas City area on the way to Iowa.

Cocaine: Cocaine is readily available throughout Iowa. Cocaine availability in the Des Moines area remains stable after past increases. T here has been a significant increase in the availability of crack cocaine in the Sioux City area of northwestern Iowa. Transportation of cocaine is primarily via mail services, personal vehicles, and buses from sources on the west coast and the southwest border. Suppliers from Chicago, Illinois, also supply cocaine to eastern Iowa. Mexican polydrug traffickers bring some of the cocaine into the state with shipments of marijuana and methamphetamine. Much of the cocaine is converted into crack cocaine for sale at the retail level. Street gangs control distribution in many of the urban areas of Iowa. An increase in violence accompanies this gang presence. In eastern Iowa, distribution is controlled primarily by Chicago-based street gangs, such as the Latin Kings ,Gangster Disciples, and Vice Lords, who have set up operations in the area. The availability of crack in Des Moines continues to be stable. Gang affiliates from Los Angeles, California; Detroit, Michigan; and Chicago, Illinois control the crack market in Des Moines.

Heroin: Mexican heroin is sporadically available in retail-level quantities throughout the urban areas of Iowa. Most of the heroin seizures are of the black-tar type, but intelligence from Des Moines and Cedar Rapids also indicates the presence of white and Mexican brown powder heroin. Both black-tar and white heroin are found here. There is a growing heroin problem in Eastern Iowa as evidenced by heroin overdoses.

Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine is the principal drug of concern in all parts of Iowa. All racial and ethnic groups abuse the drug. Hispanic trafficking organizations import large quantities of methamphetamine into Iowa, primarily via motor vehicles and mail delivery services. The large Mexican communities in Iowa provide an infrastructure to import and distribute the methamphetamine. Despite some abatement through State regulations placed on precursor chemicals, local small toxic laboratories continue to be a significant problem throughout Iowa. Most of the laboratories use the Birch method and produce only ounce quantities at a time. Law enforcement agencies throughout the state expend a large number of man-hours to combat the problem. Law enforcement reports that high purity crystal methamphetamine, or ice, is available in Northwest Iowa. The distribution organizations are selling the drug in the local market for $14,000-$16,000 per pound.

Predatory Drugs: The state of Iowa continues to see the abuse of “club drugs”such as MDMA and GHB. MDMA (ecstasy) continues to be encountered at rave parties in eastern, south central and central Iowa. There is also intelligence indicating the trafficking of MDMA by Asian trafficking organizations in the state. Most of the MDMA in eastern Iowa is said to come from sources in California, New York, Spain, and the Netherlands. The organizations are believed to transport the MDMA via package services.

Marijuana: Marijuana is readily available throughout eastern and northwestern Iowa, usually in combination with cocaine and/or methamphetamine. Cedar Rapids continues to report that marijuana in Eastern Iowa primarily originates with sources in Arizona. The availability of marijuana in central and south central Iowa is generally limited to ounce and pound quantities. Wholesale marijuana in northwest Iowa is primarily distributed by the large Hispanic community in South Sioux City, Nebraska. The majority of the marijuana is imported from the southwest border by motor vehicles, and mail delivery services. Domestically produced marijuana is also available in Iowa. Small indoor and outdoor grow operations have been found in eastern and central Iowa. "Ditchweed" marijuana is a continuing problem. The ditchweed is used as filler for higher purity imported marijuana.

Drug-Violation Arrests: 2002=396, 2003=352, 2004=353, 2005=288, 2006=279

Other Drugs: Law enforcement in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines report an increasing problem with PCP. Cedar Rapids continues to report a price of $2,300-$2,500 per ounce of phencyclidine (PCP) in eastern Iowa. Cedar Rapids and Des Moines continue to report the availability of LSD in the state of Iowa.

The most popular pharmaceutical substances abused in eastern and central Iowa are Vicodin^®, Lortab^®, propoxyphene, alprazolam, hydrocodone, Ultram^®, diazepam, Hycodan^®, Demerol^®, Dilaudid^®, and Percodan^®. Much of the diversion is through fraudulent prescriptions, doctor shopping, pharmacy break-ins, and hospital thefts. OxyContin^® is also noted to be a pharmaceutical drug of abuse in Iowa. Treatment professionals in Iowa continue to report the widespread addiction to OxyContin. Officials from the Iowa Board of Pharmacy Examiners report that hydrocodone products continue to be the most prevalent pharmaceutical drugs of abuse in Iowa. Iowa treatment professionals report that their new clients are primarily addicted to OxyContin, Percocet, and hydrocodone products. Law enforcement in eastern Iowa report that the most commonly diverted pharmaceutical drugs include Vicodin ES, Lortab, Hycondan, Demerol, Dilaudid, Percodan, Nubaine, and Prozac.

Pharmaceutical Diversion: Current investigations indicate that diversion of hydrocodone products such as Vicodin® continues to be a problem in Iowa. 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), forged prescriptions, employee theft, and the Internet. OxyContin®, benzodiazepines, and codeine were also identified as being among the most commonly abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in Iowa.

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. Since the inception of the program, there has been one MET deployment in the State of Iowa, in Ft. Dodge.

Special Topics: Interstates 80 and 35 cross Iowa, providing a ready smuggling route for many drug trafficking organizations. During 2004, highway interdictions in Iowa led to seizures including approximately 130 kilograms of cocaine, 1,700 pounds of marijuana, 114 marijuana plants, 16 pounds of methamphetamine HCl, five pounds of crystal methamphetamine, and over $700,000.