Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  • Who We Are
    • About
    • Mission
    • History
    • Divisions
      • Atlanta
        • Atlanta Leadership
        • Atlanta Contacts
      • Caribbean
        • Caribbean Leadership
        • Caribbean Contacts
      • Chicago
        • Chicago Leadership
        • Chicago Contacts
      • Dallas
        • Dallas Leadership
        • Dallas Contacts
      • Detroit
        • Detroit Leadership
        • Detroit Contacts
      • El Paso
        • El Paso Contacts
      • Headquarters
      • Houston
        • Houston Leadership
        • Houston Contacts
      • Los Angeles
        • Los Angeles Leadership
        • Los Angeles Contacts
      • Louisville
        • Louisville Leadership
        • Louisville Contacts
      • Miami
        • Miami Leadership
        • Miami Contacts
      • New England
        • New England Leadership
        • New England Contacts
      • New Jersey
        • New Jersey Contacts
      • New Orleans
        • New Orleans Leadership
        • New Orleans Contacts
      • New York
        • New York Leadership
        • New York Contacts
      • Omaha
        • Omaha Leadership
        • Omaha Contacts
      • Philadelphia
        • Philadelphia Leadership
        • Philadelphia Contacts
      • Phoenix
        • Phoenix Leadership
        • Phoenix Contacts
      • Rocky Mountain
        • Rocky Mountain Leadership
        • Rocky Mountain Contacts
      • San Diego
        • San Diego Leadership
        • San Diego Contacts
      • San Francisco
        • San Francisco Contacts
      • Seattle
        • Seattle Contacts
      • St. Louis
        • St. Louis Leadership
        • St. Louis Contacts
      • Washington, DC
        • Washington Leadership
        • Washington Contacts
    • DEA Museum
    • Foreign Offices
      • Africa
      • Andean
      • Caribbean
      • Europe
      • Far East
      • Middle East
      • North and Central America
      • Southern Cone
    • Operational Divisions
      • Aviation Division
      • Diversion Control Division
    • Wall of Honor
    • Contact Us
      • Submit a Tip
      • Extortion Scam
      • Congressional and Public Affairs
      • Social Media Directory
  • What We Do
    • Law Enforcement
      • DEA Office of Training
        • Office of Training Programs
      • El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC)
        • Leadership
        • Mission
        • Services
        • Contacts
      • Forensic Sciences
        • Computer Forensics Program
        • Environmental Management
        • Laboratories
      • Intelligence
      • Operations
        • Administrative Law Judges
        • DEA Asset Forfeiture
        • Domestic Cannabis Suppression / Eradication Program
        • HIDTA
        • OCDETF
        • State and Local Task Forces
    • Education and Prevention
      • DEA’s Family Summit
      • Operation Engage
      • Community Outreach
      • Red Ribbon
        • Kiki and the History of Red Ribbon Week
        • Red Ribbon Toolkit - Resources For Your Community
      • Just Think Twice
      • Campus Drug Prevention
      • Get Smart About Drugs
      • Operation Prevention
    • Drug Information
      • Drug Policy
      • Drug Scheduling
      • The Controlled Substances Act
    • News
      • Alerts
      • Press Releases
      • Most Wanted Fugitives
        • All Fugitives
      • Stories
      • Events
      • Speeches
      • Testimony
    • Campaigns
      • One Pill Can Kill
        • Partner Toolbox
        • Social Media Campaign
      • DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
  • Careers
    • Special Agent
      • Special Agent FAQs
      • Special Agent Job Announcements
    • Diversion Investigator
      • Diversion Investigator Job Announcment
    • Intelligence Research Specialist
      • Intelligence Research Specialist Job Announcements
      • Intelligence Research Specialists FAQs
      • Schedule A Hiring Authority: Intelligence Research Specialist
    • Forensic Sciences Careers
    • Professional & Administrative Careers
    • Student & Entry Level Careers
    • How to Apply
      • Employment Requirements
      • Equal Opportunity Employer
      • How To Claim Veterans' Preference
      • Priority Consideration
      • Benefits
      • Veterans and People With Disabilities
  • Resources
    • Recovery Resources
    • Data and Statistics
      • Domestic Arrests
      • Staffing and Budget
    • FOIA
      • About FOIA
      • Contact DEA FOIA
      • Make a Request
      • What Happens After Making a Request
      • Requester Categories
      • Fees Charged
      • Fee Waiver
      • FOIA FAQ
      • FOIA Logs and Reports
      • FOIA Library
      • Additional FOIA Links
      • FOIA Exemptions
      • What Are Exclusions?
      • Privacy Act
      • Privacy Act Exemptions
      • Privacy Impact Assessment and Management Information Systems
    • Publications
    • Media Galleries
    • Victim Witness Assistance Program
      • Victim Witness Assistance Program Resources

United States Drug Enforcement Administration

  • Search
  • Full Menu

Main Menu

  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • Careers
  • Resources
  • Submit A Tip
  • Get Updates
  • Scam Alert
  • English
  • ES

Drug Enforcement Administration

Cheri Oz Special Agent in Charge
Phoenix
@DEAPhoenixDiv
November 05, 2015
Contact: Jodie Underwood
Phone Number: (571) 387-3289
For Immediate Release

DEA Releases 2015 Drug Threat Assessment: Heroin And Painkiller Abuse Continue To Spike

Mexican criminal groups remain most significant criminal threat to the United States

PHOENIX - DEA today announced results from the 2015 National Drug Threat (NDTA), which finds that drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of injury death in the United States, ahead of motor vehicle deaths and firearms.  In 2013, over 46,000 people in the United States died from drug overdose and more than half of those were caused by prescription painkillers and heroin.       

“DEA’s National Drug Threat Assessment provides a clear picture of the drug trafficking threats that we face not only in Arizona, but throughout the entire country,” said Doug Coleman, Special Agent in Charge of DEA in Arizona. “While the challenges we all face our great, DEA and our partners will continue to focus our efforts on attacking these large scale drug trafficking organizations that exploit our communities for their own profit, and create violence in our neighborhoods.  By attacking the problem through enforcement, treatment, and prevention, we can make a difference in our state and our country.”

Some of the report’s findings that impact Arizona include:

  •  Mexican Drug Trafficking (DTOs), like the Sinaloa Cartel, remain the greatest criminal drug threat to the United States.  Many of the groups, like the Sinaloa Cartel, use the Arizona/Mexico border as the entry point for their illicit cargo to enter the United States, and control virtually all drug trafficking across the Southwest Border.  They are continuously trying to expand their reach throughout the United Sates, and are forming relationships with national level and neighborhood street gangs to push retail distribution.
  • Drug overdose deaths have become the leading cause of injury deaths in the United States, surpassing the number of deaths by firearms and motor vehicles.  On average, 120 people per day die of a drug overdose in the United States. 
  • The heroin threat is serious and increasing.  Heroin is available in larger quantities, used by more people, and causing an increasing number of overdose deaths.  A major cause of this increasing heroin addiction is the rise in Opiate based prescription drugs.  As more and more Americans have become addicted to this category of prescription drug, a significant number of these addicts are transitioning to the use of heroin to meet their addictions.  Arizona seizures of heroin have increased by 246 % in the last five years.   Heroin production and distribution is largely controlled by the Mexican based DTOs. 
  • Methamphetamine continues to be readily available and is being smuggled into the United States in ever increasing quantities.  As the United States has restricted the availability of methamphetamine precursor chemicals over the last ten years, the Mexican based DTOs have become the leading manufacturer and supplier of methamphetamine into the United States. Super laboratories capable of making hundred pound quantities of methamphetamine have proliferated in Mexico, as the precursor controls in that country are not as strong as those in the United States.  In Arizona, methamphetamine seizures have increased by 294 % in the past five years.
The National Drug Threat Assessment is available in its entirety at .
2015%20NDTA%20Report.pdf
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Locator

  • Who We Are
    • About
    • Domestic Divisions
    • Foreign Offices
    • Contact Us
    • DEA Museum
  • What We Do
    • Drug Prevention
    • Law Enforcement
    • Diversion Control Division
    • News
  • Careers
    • Overview
    • Special Agent
    • Diversion Investigator
    • Intelligence Research Specialist
  • Resources
    • Drug Information
    • Employee Assistance Program
    • Equal Opportunity Employer
    • FOIA
    • Publications
    • Media Galleries
    • VWAP
  • Doing Business
    with the DEA
    • Overview
    • Current Vendors
    • Prospective Vendors
    • Security Clauses
    • Security Forms
    • Small Business Program
  • Policies
    • Accessibility, Plug-ins & Policy
    • Legal Policies & Disclaimers
    • No FEAR Act
    • Privacy Policy
    • U.S. Department of Justice EEO Policy
    • USA.gov
    • Whistleblower Protection
Home

United States Drug Enforcement Administration

DEA.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram

DEA Contact Center

(202) 307-1000 info@dea.gov
Contact the Webmaster