Drugs in the United States: Wyoming

State Facts Population: 493,782 Law Enforcement Officers: 1,199 State Prison Population: 1,740 Probation Population: 3,841 Violent Crime Rate National Ranking: 44

2001 Federal Drug Seizures Cocaine: 8.1 kgs. Heroin: 0 kgs. Methamphetamine: 13.2 kgs. Marijuana: 0 kgs. Clandestine Laboratories: 29 (DEA, state, and local)

Methamphetamine remains popular as an illicit drug of abuse in Wyoming. The demand for methamphetamine in Wyoming has increased in the past year, while prices have remained stable. For fiscal year 2001 methamphetamine constituted more than 50 percent of all DEA drug arrests in Wyoming. Club drug use has also escalated throughout the state. More traditional drugs, such as cocaine and marijuana are available to users, but continue to be less popular than methamphetamine. Heroin is not popular in Wyoming.

Cocaine: Wyoming cocaine prices have remained stable, but demand for the drug has declined. A gram of cocaine sells for approximately $100. Ounce quantities of cocaine are available in and around Cheyenne and Laramie. Crack can be found in the state but not in significant quantities. Mexican organizations tend to dominate cocaine distribution.

Heroin: Heroin does not present a significant law enforcement problem in Wyoming. Wyoming law enforcement reported only two heroin arrests for calendar year 2001. Intelligence indicates that the available heroin comes from sources in Denver, Colorado and/or Ogden, Utah. Prices have remained unchanged since 1997; gram quantities sell for $125 to $250.

Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine remains the largest drug threat throughout Wyoming. Methamphetamine arrests exceed arrests for all other drugs. Clandestine Methamphetamine laboratory seizures also increased during the last two fiscal years. Methamphetamine abuse continues to be of great concern to Wyoming law enforcement. One of the by-products of this increased use is an increase in violent crimes, domestic violence and child abuse. Many previously identified methamphetamine users are known to engage in crimes such as burglary, larceny, and fraud to support their habit. Southwestern Wyoming is an active transit area for the distribution of methamphetamine throughout the state. This is particularly evident in the communities of Rock Springs and Green River. Methamphetamine arrives in Wyoming primarily from California, but also from the Southwest United States and Mexico. Mexican illegal aliens are heavily involved in the transportation and local trafficking of methamphetamine in Wyoming. Law enforcement reports that their involvement has sharply increased over the last three years.

Club Drugs: Club drugs such as GHB and Ecstasy began to appear in Wyoming during fiscal year 2000, and the number of club-drug related arrests have increased since then. In March 2000 several drums of various sizes containing the GHB precursor GBL were seized by the Cheyenne Police Department and the Southeast Enforcement Team. The substance was discovered by a warehouse landlord after the drums were abandoned by the tenant. Ecstasy is beginning to appear as a drug of abuse, particularly in Laramie and Cheyenne. Ecstasy is typically purchased in tablet form, although powder is also available in very limited quantities. Tablets of Ecstasy can be purchased for $25 to $28 each. Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigations effected six ecstasy-related arrests during CY-01. LSD and Hallucinogens: Although they compose a small market element, LSD and psilocybin mushrooms continue to be popular “recreational drugs” on college campuses. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigations effected 15 arrests involving hallucinogens in calendar year 2001. DEA made no arrests and conducted no investigations involving LSD in fiscal year 2001. LSD, the most prevalent of the hallucinogens, sells for $2 to $5 per dosage unit.

Marijuana: Marijuana is easily grown in the remote areas of the state. Information obtained through the various intelligence sources throughout Wyoming report that growers are abandoning the large outdoor cultivation sites for smaller indoor grows that are easier to maintain and conceal from law enforcement. In fiscal year 2001, 110 plants from indoor grows and 85 bulk pounds of marijuana were seized. The majority of seized bulk marijuana is of Mexican origin, but there is a noticable increase of seized marijuana originating in British Columbia, Canada.

Other Drugs: The diversion of prescription controlled substances is a growing problem. The most commonly abused licit drugs are depressants, such as Valium (diazepam) and semi-synthetic narcotic painkillers, namely; Vicodin (hydrocodone), Dilaudid (hydromorphone), and Percocet and Percodan (oxycodones). Dilaudid is the preferred substitute for heroin.

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 348 deployments completed resulting in 14,794 arrests of violent drug criminals as of June 2002. There has been one MET deployment in the State of Wyoming since the inception of the program, to Cody, Wyoming, which resulted in 17 arrests and the seizure of 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine, 6.5 pounds of marijuana, and one weapon.

Special Topics: The State of Wyoming participates in the Rocky Mountain HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area), which is based in Denver, Colorado. HIDTA member agencies are entitled to any support offered by the Rocky Mountain HIDTA.

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