Xylazine, reported as an adulterant in an increasing number of illicit drug mixtures, has also been detected in a growing number of overdose deaths. It is commonly encountered in combination with fentanyl but has also been detected in mixtures containing cocaine, heroin, and a variety of other drugs. However, xylazine...

This report delves into the activities of these criminals and their methods. Drug trafficking operations benefit from a number of different actors, such as brokers, cooks, envoys, intermediaries, and money laundering service providers. Examples of the methods used by the criminals include the corruption of officials in the public and...

The 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) is a comprehensive assessment of the threat posed to the United States by the trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs, the diversion and abuse of licit drugs, and the laundering of proceeds generated through illicit drug sales. It also addresses the role domestic...

The increasing availability of illicit opioids is the most significant drug threat in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Field Division (PFD) monitors this threat closely, periodically reviewing multiple data indicators, in conjunction with investigative information, to continually assess the threat, then share analytical findings with stakeholders in federal, state, and municipal governments.

Illicit stimulants, specifically cocaine and methamphetamine, remain a pervasive drug threat in Pennsylvania. PFD offices, state/local law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders throughout Pennsylvania report persistent increases since 2017 in various indicators that demonstrate availability, such as the total quantity of illicit stimulants seized by law enforcement, identification of seized...

The PDIP strives to maintain situational awareness of the threat posed by prescription opioids in Pennsylvania, and to share these analyses with stakeholders in federal, state, and municipal governments. In 2013, the PDIP published a Pharmaceutical Threat Assessment for Pennsylvania that found prescription opioid availability and abuse at epidemic levels...

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Heroin Signature Program (HSP) analyzes hundreds of wholesale-level heroin samples each year to identify the geographic area—Mexico, South America (SA), Southwest Asia (SWA), or Southeast Asia (SEA)—where the samples were manufactured.

The HSP (Heroin Signature Program) is one essential component of the DEA’s Intelligence Program to identify trends in heroin trafficking and distribution in the United States. The objective of the program is to identify and quantify the chemical components of heroin seized at U.S. ports of entry (POE), all non-POE...

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division (PFD) Intelligence Program conducted an analysis of drug availability and abuse for the State of Delaware. This product highlights significant findings regarding various drug trends since last reported in 2017. The primary drug threats identified in Delaware are illicit opioids, cocaine, controlled...

Since 2009, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reporting from the Los Angeles Field Division (LAFD) has explored drug-related mortality in the LAFD area of responsibility (AOR), which includes the State of Nevada. In 2019, LAFD personnel reviewed post-mortem toxicology records from the period between 2015 and 2018. These records show that...