NCJ Number
210795
Date Published
February 2005
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This report estimates the extent and nature of the production and transportation of marijuana and methamphetamine on Federal lands.
Abstract
The production and transportation of marijuana and methamphetamine on Federal lands poses an overall threat to society and a specific threat to the safety of law enforcement, private individuals, and the environment. The threat is significant, with several hundred cannabis plants and hundreds of methamphetamine laboratories seized and destroyed each year from National Forest System lands managed by the United States Government. California and Kentucky have experienced the largest seizures of cannabis from Federal lands. Primary producers in these areas are Mexican drug trafficking organizations and Caucasian independent dealers. Marijuana is also often smuggled through Federal lands across the Southwest Border and along the Northern Border by a range of criminal groups and independent dealers. The West Region and the Pacific Region (map provided) have experienced the largest seizures of methamphetamine laboratories, where Caucasian independent dealers and Mexican drug trafficking organizations dominate the trade. The Southwest Border is a frequent transportation area for methamphetamine but seizures on Federal lands along the Northern Border are rare. The problem of cannabis and methamphetamine production on Federal lands is predicted to increase, particularly in the Midwest and Southeast Regions. Figures, sources