NCJ Number
225028
Date Published
November 1998
Length
126 pages
Annotation
This annual report prepared by the National Narcotics Intelligence Consumers Committee (NNICC) is a comprehensive assessment of the worldwide illicit drug situation with respect to the cultivation, production, and distribution of illicit drugs; their impact on the United States; and drug law enforcement efforts and results.
Abstract
The report covers the cultivation, production, and distribution of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis, and other dangerous drugs (including illicitly manufactured and legitimate pharmaceutical stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, and narcotics), as well as the business of drug money laundering for 1997. The data is the result of a cooperative effort by Federal agencies with drug-related law enforcement, foreign and domestic policy, treatment, research, and intelligence responsibilities. Highlights of the report include: (1) potential cocaine production in 1997 was estimated at 650 metric tons compared to an estimated 760 metric tons in 1996; (2) the Colombia-based drug organizations continued to dominate wholesale cocaine distribution in the United States; (3) primary bulk cocaine distribution centers in the United States included southern California, southern Texas, New York City, and southern Florida; (4) virtually all of the heroin produced in Mexico was destined for distribution in the western United States; (5) in 1997, seizures of heroin in excess of 100 kilograms continued to occur in Southeast Asia and Europe; (6) the nationwide average purity for retail heroin from all sources in 1997 was 38.5 percent, much higher than reported a decade ago; (7) marijuana was the most widely abused and readily available illicit drug in the United States; (8) prices for marijuana increased dramatically over the last decade at the high end of the price range; (9) in 1997, United States-based drug traffickers shipped their profits out of the country using sophisticated techniques, such as cyber-banking; (10) LSD was available in retail quantities in almost every State, and availability increased in a number of States; and (11) money laundering methods included the use of swaps (international currency transactions).