NCJ Number
204355
Date Published
April 2002
Length
33 pages
Annotation
This document presents that status and outlook of the drug threat to the State of New Mexico.
Abstract
New Mexico is a major conduit for the flow of illicit drugs into the United States from Mexico. The quantity of illicit drugs transported through New Mexico far outweighs consumption within the State. Mexican drug trafficking organizations and Mexican criminal groups control the transportation and wholesale distribution of illicit drug into and throughout New Mexico. Criminal groups, prison and street gangs, and local independent dealers distribute drugs at the retail level. Expanded commercial trade between Mexico and the United States has led to congestion at ports of entry along the Southwest Border. This congestion offers Mexican traffickers opportunities to smuggle illicit drugs via commercial and private vehicles through overburdened ports into the United States. Traffickers often employ couriers to smuggle drugs into the State. Cocaine poses the most significant drug threat to New Mexico. The availability and abuse of methamphetamine is an increasing drug threat. Mexican drug trafficking organizations and criminal groups are the primary transporters and wholesale distributors of Mexico-produced methamphetamine. Heroin is commonly abused, as evidenced by the number of heroin-related deaths and treatment admissions. New Mexico leads the Nation in per capita heroin-related deaths. Mexican black tar heroin is the most readily available type. Marijuana is the most readily available and most commonly abused drug. Most of the marijuana available is produced in Mexico; however, cannabis is cultivated in the State by local independent growers. The threat posed by other dangerous drugs is minimal. Increases in the availability and use of club drugs have been noted by law enforcement officials, but the user population remains very limited. MDMA-related distribution and abuse are being monitored closely, as they are posing a growing threat in States that border New Mexico. LSD and psilocybin are the primary hallucinogenic and psychedelic drugs abused in the State. Pharmaceutical drugs including oxycodone and hydrocodone products are diverted and abused in some areas of the State.