NCJ Number
104634
Date Published
1985
Length
146 pages
Annotation
Law enforcement officials from Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Maryland, and Florida as well as a representative from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) testified about recent increases in clandestine drug laboratories which produce such illegal drugs as amphetamine, methamphetamine, PCP, and the form of cocaine known as crack.
Abstract
The Director of the DEA's Dangerous Drug Section opened the hearings' first day with an overview of clandestine drug manufacturing in the United States, noting that 4.4 million people are using drugs produced in this manner. A panel of law enforcement officers talked about clandestine drug manufacture problems in their States, the dangers such drugs pose for users, and hazards faced by law enforcement personnel when seizing these laboratories. The District Attorney for Oklahoma County, Okla. described the types of criminals involved in clandestine drug manufacture, emphasizing that many were not drug users, but were in it strictly for the money. The relationship between clandestinely manufactured drugs and violent crime was explored. A second day of hearings focused on crack and cocaine processed to extreme purity in clandestine laboratories. An officer from the Maryland State Police testified about PCP manufacture and use, while the chief of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement talked about his State's growing cocaine processing industry. Newspaper articles and prepared statements are included.