NCJ Number
153725
Date Published
1994
Length
95 pages
Annotation
The 1993 report of the National Narcotics Intelligence Consumers Committee (NNICC), a comprehensive assessment of the worldwide illicit drug situation, is the product of a cooperative effort by Federal agencies with drug-related law enforcement, foreign and domestic policy, treatment, research, and intelligence responsibilities.
Abstract
The NNICC was established in 1978 to coordinate the collection, analysis, dissemination, and evaluation of strategic drug-related intelligence, both foreign and domestic. The committee found that cocaine was readily available in all major U.S. metropolitan areas in 1993. Generally, the price of cocaine remained relatively low and stable, while the purity of cocaine remained relatively high and stable. Cocaine use among high school seniors was relatively stable, except for past year use which increased somewhat from 1992 to 1993. Reporting from the Drug Abuse Warning Network showed that the estimated number of cocaine-related emergency room episodes nationwide decreased in the first half of 1993, compared to the second half of 1992, but remained at high levels. Metric-ton cocaine seizures occurred frequently during 1993, and worldwide coca leaf production was estimated at 271,700 metric tons. Potential cocaine production in Latin American source countries was estimated at between 770 and 805 metric tons, a drop from the revised 955 to 1,000 metric tons reported in 1992. Colombian criminal organizations, particularly the Cali Cartel, maintained primary control over cocaine trafficking to the United States during 1993 through primary importation points in Florida, Arizona, California, and Texas. Domestic cocaine seizures amounted to 111 metric tons, while total foreign cocaine seizures exceeded 155 metric tons. Heroin was readily available in all major U.S. metropolitan areas. About 1.4 metric tons of heroin were seized domestically, and over 23 metric tons were seized internationally. Illicit opium poppy cultivation and opium production in Southwest Asia, and heroin production in Pakistan, Lebanon, and Turkey, continued at high levels. Opium poppy cultivation in Mexico rose despite intensive eradication. Marijuana remained the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, and marijuana use increased among high school seniors. Mexico was the source of most foreign marijuana available in the United States. Efforts to control the supply of drugs in the United States are discussed, including the Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act of 1988. The supply of steroids, benzodiazepines, stimulants, and hallucinogens is reviewed, and consideration is also given to clandestine drug laboratories and money laundering. Tables and figures