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Drug Situation: Mexican drug trafficking organizations dominate the illicit drug market in Oregon. The state serves as a transshipment point for controlled substances smuggled from Mexico to Washington and Canada. Marijuana and MDMA (street name Ecstasy) from Canada also transit Oregon en route to other U.S. locations. While methamphetamine is a significant drug threat in Oregon, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and club drugs are of concern. Drug trafficking organizations in Oregon also engage in money laundering, using a variety of methods to legitimize and reposition illicit proceeds.

Cocaine: Cocaine is available throughout Oregon. While the powder form is most prevalent, crack cocaine is found in some urban areas. Mexican traffickers dominate wholesale distribution, transporting the drug from Mexico, California, and other southwestern states. Retail quantities are primarily sold by Mexican drug trafficking organizations, street gangs, prison gangs, and local independent dealers.

Heroin: The most common form of heroin encountered in Oregon is Mexican black tar heroin. Mexican drug trafficking organizations primarily control the transportation and distribution of Mexican black tar and brown powdered heroin into and throughout Oregon with Mexican street gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs involved to a lesser extent. Black tar heroin is produced in Mexico and transported from the Southwest Border states directly to Oregon.

Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine abuse, trafficking, and manufacturing occur in Oregon. Methamphetamine is one of the most widely abused controlled substances in the state and availability is high. In the past, powder methamphetamine was most common; however, seizures show a switch to the more addictive and potent form of meth referred to as “ice” or “crystal.”

Oregon legislators enacted a number of laws aimed at directly reducing methamphetamine availability and local production. In July 2006, products containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, precursor chemicals used in methamphetamine manufacturing, became Schedule III controlled substances, available only by prescription. In recent years, legislation restricted sales of pseudoephedrine by limiting sales to licensed pharmacies. In addition, pharmacies are required to maintain a log of purchase transactions and keep products behind a pharmacy counter. Reported clandestine laboratory seizures have been declining, and the local drug market has been increasingly supplied with methamphetamine from other southwestern states and Mexico. Mexican drug trafficking organizations dominate the methamphetamine supply in the Pacific Northwest.

Club Drugs: MDMA (4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate), Ketamine, and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) are available in varying quantities and are generally abused at social venues in more populated areas and on college campuses. Club drugs enter Oregon from a variety of sources: MDMA from Canada, Ketamine from Mexico, and GHB and LSD from California. Laboratory seizures indicate some local GHB and LSD production. GHB is also obtained from Internet sources. PCP and Psilocybin mushrooms are generally available on and around cities with a college student population.

Marijuana: Marijuana, the most abused illegal drug in Oregon, is readily available. Its abuse, cultivation, and trafficking are a significant threat. Medical marijuana initiatives within the state have created additional challenges as local producers use these laws to conceal their illegal activity. A signature drive for an initiative that would have made marijuana the lowest law enforcement priority for Portland city police and prosecutors failed to obtain the necessary signatures to put the initiative on the November ballot. Caucasian drug trafficking organizations dominate the transportation and distribution of marijuana.

Canada and Mexico are source countries for marijuana; however, large quantities are also locally produced. Cultivations range from simple dirt grows to complex hydroponics operations, controlled by Caucasian independent producers as well as Mexican drug trafficking organizations. Large indoor and outdoor growing operations have been discovered on private, state, and forest lands, with plants numbering in the thousands. In the last several years, large outdoor grows operated by Mexican drug trafficking organizations have become more prevalent. These groups are actively cultivating cannabis in remote areas, growing thousands of plants yearly. High potency marijuana from Oregon is distributed locally and to other parts of the United States.

Pharmaceutical Diversion: In the United States, prescription drugs are the second most abused drug by youth. The primary methods of diversion of legitimate pharmaceuticals continues to be illegal dispensing and prescribing by physicians, illegal distribution by pharmacists, prescription forgery, doctor shopping, and drug thefts from pharmacies, nursing homes, and hospitals. Pharmacy burglaries are prevalent throughout the state and Diversion Investigators are also encountering pharmaceuticals that have been purchased via the Internet without a doctor's prescription. The abuse and trafficking of oxycodone (OxyContin®, Percocet, Percodan), hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab), and anabolic steroids continues to be a concern, while Methadone use has increased dramatically in Oregon.

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. The Seattle MET has assisted law enforcement agencies in the following Oregon cities and counties: Woodburn, Madras, Klamath Falls, Keiser, Washington, and Portland.

More information about the Seattle Division Office.

Sources

Factsheet last updated: 6/2007