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Drug Situation: Methamphetamine is the major concern for law enforcement within the state of Nebraska. Nebraska continues to be a transshipment state for Mexican methamphetamine with Interstate 80 providing easy west to east access across the state. Nebraska has over 165 meat-packing/poultry plants and 55,000 farms statewide. The number of Hispanic workers, both legal and illegal, have nearly tripled in the last 10 years and Hispanic children currently represent the largest minority student population in the state. While most are honest and hard working, this rapid growth has allowed drug trafficking organizations with ties to Mexico to more easily blend into the community.

Cocaine: Cocaine is predominantly controlled by Hispanic trafficking organizations, many from Mexico. Cocaine is transported via car, parcel package and body carriers from Mexico via El Paso, Texas. Cocaine is available at both the wholesale and retail level. Crack cocaine is a serious problem in the large urban centers of Nebraska.

Heroin: Heroin is available in small amounts in the Omaha, Nebraska area. While not considered a drug of choice in Nebraska, some Hispanic trafficking organizations have heroin available for consumer use.

Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine is the greatest drug threat to the state, and is available in almost every town and community. Hispanic drug trafficking organizations are flooding most Hispanic communities with methamphetamine from the southwestern border region of the United States. Methamphetamine produced in clandestine labs is also readily available in many communities. With the vast amount of farms across the state and limited law enforcement resources, this area is prime for exploitation. The Omaha metropolitan area has seen an increase in the availability of crystal methamphetamine or “ice.”

Predatory Drugs: The popularity of predatory or club drugs continues to be a concern to law enforcement and to local communities. There is a perception among users that these drugs are "safe" to use. Preliminary investigations show organizations in Nebraska have been receiving multi-hundred to thousand dosage units of MDMA (ecstasy) from Florida and Arizona. Efforts are currently underway to link investigations of mid-level distributors and "rave" parties.

Marijuana: Marijuana is the most prevalent illicit drug in Nebraska. Domestic production of both outdoor and hydroponic indoor grows has been steady with many seizures netting upwards of 500 plants. Marijuana produced outside of Nebraska and transported into the state is controlled by Mexican drug trafficking organizations at the wholesale level. At the retail level, independent dealers, outlaw motorcycle gangs, street gangs, Native Americans, and Mexican groups share equally in the retail market.

Other Drugs: OxyContin® is widely available throughout Nebraska. Stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, anabolic steroids and illegally diverted pharmaceuticals are abused to a much lesser degree than the more traditional drugs in Nebraska.

Pharmaceutical Diversion: Diversion of OxyContin®, hydrocodone, and codeine-based cough syrups continues to be a problem in Nebraska. Methods of diversion include “doctor shopping” (going to a number of doctors to obtain prescriptions for a controlled pharmaceutical) and forged prescriptions. "Pharming" parties are becoming popular among junior high / high school students, where controlled pharmaceuticals are traded and abused.

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. Since the inception of the MET Program, 473 deployments have been completed nationwide, resulting in 19,643 arrests. Since the inception of the program, there has been one MET deployment in the State of Nebraska, in Lexington.

Special Topics: Interstate 80 crosses Nebraska from east to west and serves as a major smuggling route for drug trafficking organizations. During 2004, highway interdictions in Nebraska led to seizures including approximately 130 kilograms of cocaine, 430 pounds of marijuana, four pounds of crystal methamphetamine, and over $3.7 million dollars.

More information about the St. Louis Division Office.

Sources

Factsheet last updated: 6/2007