Drugs in the United States: North Carolina

State Facts Population: 8,049,313 Law Enforcement Officers: 19,046 State Prison Population: 31,581 Probation Population: 105,095 Violent Crime Rate National Ranking: 17

2001 Federal Drug Seizures Cocaine: 164.5 kgs. Heroin: 0 kgs. Methamphetamine: 18.0 kgs. Marijuana: 3,826.8 kgs. Clandestine Laboratories: 33 (DEA, state, and local)

The Charlotte District Office’s areas of responsibility include Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh and Wilmington. A cooperative effort between DEA, local police departments, state agencies, and other federal law enforcement agencies has increased the impact of drug law enforcement on narcotics traffickers. The Western Federal Judicial District of North Carolina ranks number one in prosecutions in the Southeast OCDETF Region.

Cocaine: Cocaine HCl is readily available in North Carolina. The preferred method of trafficking cocaine into North Carolina is by couriers who exploit the interstate highway network. The violence and crime associated with crack cocaine ensure that crack continues to be North Carolina’s most serious drug-related problem. Crack cocaine in North Carolina is readily available in both the larger cities and the rural towns.

Heroin: The heroin market in North Carolina is not very prevalent except for small pockets of users and distributors reported in the larger cities to include Durham, Greenville, High Point and Rocky Mount. Most heroin is purchased in New York, Philadelphia or Baltimore and transported back to North Carolina for distribution.

Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine use in North Carolina is increasing in popularity. Methamphetamine arrests have been on the rise in the Raleigh area. In addition to local clandestine laboratories, methamphetamine is imported into North Carolina from the Southwest Border, specifically California and Arizona, and distributed to local traffickers. Intelligence from state and local law enforcement sources report there are many undiscovered clandestine laboratories in the Greensboro area and traffickers are actively seeking chemists.

Club Drugs: The Club Drugs that are most popular in North Carolina are MDMA, GHB and LSD. The use of Dangerous Drugs has increased in popularity across the state and is especially popular with college and high-school aged people. With more than 50 four-year colleges and universities in North Carolina, there is a large potential market for club drugs.

Marijuana: There is currently no marijuana legalization issues involving the state of North Carolina. Marijuana from both Mexican and local sources continues to be abundantly available in North Carolina. The majority of marijuana available in North Carolina is smuggled across the U.S. border from Mexico and transported to its destination within the state. Mexican traffickers supply many of the local marijuana distributors in North Carolina. In addition to Mexican marijuana there are many North Carolinians who grow marijuana for personal use and for distribution.

Other Drugs: OxyContin: Law enforcement agencies across the state have reported an increase of Oxycontin abuse. Crimes are committed to obtain large quantities of OxyContin for illegal distribution. State or local law enforcement has been the first to respond to many of the prescription fraud cases.

DEA Mobile Enforcement Teams: This cooperative program with state and local law enforcement counterparts was conceived in 1995 in response to the overwhelming problem of drug-related violent crime in towns and cities across the nation. There have been 359 deployments completed resulting in over 14,456 arrests of violent drug criminals as of April 1, 2002.

Other Enforcement Operations: The OCDETF programs in the Eastern, Middle, and Western Federal Judicial Districts of North Carolina are very strong. The Western District ranks number one in prosecutions in the Southeast OCDETF Region.

Special Topics: Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (MDTO) are a significant threat to North Carolina. This is in direct correlation to the increase in the Hispanic population, specifically Mexican citizens, immigrating to North Carolina. North Carolina led the country in Hispanic growth in the last decade, up 394 percent since the 1990 census.

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