Drugs in the United States: Texas

Cocaine: Texas is a distribution and transshipment area for cocaine that is transported (via passenger vehicles & tractor-trailers) to destinations throughout the United States. Illicit transporters favor the exploitation of the commercial trucking industry to move bulk (multi-hundred kilogram) quantities of cocaine. Smaller loads are routinely seized from privately owned vehicles or from couriers utilizing public transportation. In the major metropolitan areas and the small towns crack cocaine remains easily attainable.

Heroin: Mexican black tar and Mexican brown heroin continue to remain the primary heroin threats. As with cocaine and marijuana, Texas is a distribution and transshipment point for heroin going to other locations in the United States. There has also been an increase in the availability of Colombian and Southwest Asian heroin. The common methods of smuggling heroin are in private vehicles and couriers.

Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine is readily available throughout the state, and. enforcement activities in Texas related to methamphetamine continue to escalate. Mexican-manufactured methamphetamine is being transported into the region via passenger and commercial vehicles. Small toxic laboratories produce small quantities of extremely high-quality methamphetamine and are encountered in both rural and urban areas of Texas.

Club Drugs: Club drugs are available in all the major metropolitan areas. The most frequently abused of these club drugs are Ecstasy (MDMA), LSD, Ketamine, and GHB. Raves are a primary venue for MDMA distribution, as are clubs and gyms. Other dangerous drugs readily available include Rohypnol and PCP.

Marijuana: Marijuana remains readily available and is the most widely used illegal drug throughout the state of Texas. Transportation of marijuana from Mexico continues to occur in large quantities. At the Ports of Entry, ton quantity seizures of marijuana are made from commercial trucks entering the United States. Maritime smugglers exploit the coastline along the Gulf of Mexico. Increased enforcement activity has led to the seizure of several indoor grow operations.

Prescription Drugs: The most common methods of diversion of pharmaceutical controlled substances continue to be illegal and indiscriminate prescribing and “doctor shopping.” Oxycontin abuse is on the increase.

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. There are three DEA Divisions in Texas: Dallas, El Paso, and Houston. Combined, they have completed 32 Mobile Enforcement Team (MET) deployments throughout the state since the inception of the program, resulting in 1,261 arrests and the seizure of 286.6 pounds of cocaine, 29.3 pounds of crack cocaine, 9.3 pounds of heroin, 941 pounds of marijuana, 33.3 pounds of methamphetamine, and one clandestine methamphetamine laboratory. Also seized were 42 vehicles, 122 weapons, and over $1million in U.S. currency and property.