Delaware Drug Rehab

Top City in Delaware

The distribution and abuse of illegal drugs in Delaware pose a serious threat to public security and need for Delaware drug rehab centers. Low cost, high purity heroin is being distributed and abused at an alarming rate, particularly among teenagers and young adults, making it the state’s primary drug threat. Cocaine is readily available, frequently abused, and its distribution and abuse are associated with more violent crime than any other drug in the state. Marijuana is the most readily available and widely abused drug, but its distribution and abuse are not commonly associated with violent crime.

MDMA poses a growing threat as abuse levels increase throughout the state. Methamphetamine is available and abused but poses only a minimal threat when compared with that from other illicit drugs. Delaware drug rehab programs are needed now.

Heroin, primarily South American, poses the greatest drug threat to Delaware. High purity, low cost heroin is readily available in the state, and the reported rate of heroin addiction among teenagers and young adults is close to the abuse rate for alcohol, the primary substance abused in the state and the primary need for Delaware drug rehab. The number of new abusers, particularly teenagers and young adults, has increased dramatically. Delaware had the fifth highest rate of heroin-related addiction treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in the nation in 1999. The total annual number of heroin-related drug rehab admissions to publicly funded facilities was almost twice that of cocaine from 1999 through 2000. Wholesale distribution of heroin in Delaware is extremely rare. Local independent Caucasian dealers are the dominant heroin transporters and retail distributors. These dealers usually purchase multi-ounce and gram quantities of the drug from Dominican criminal groups and street gangs based in Philadelphia and transport the heroin to Delaware for distribution.

Cocaine is the second greatest drug threat to Delaware. Powdered cocaine and crack cocaine are readily available and commonly abused, and their distribution and abuse are more commonly associated with violent crime than any other drug in the state. Delaware had the fourth highest rate of cocaine-related addiction treatment admissions to publicly funded drug rehab facilities in the nation in 1999. The total annual number of cocaine-related drug rehab admissions has remained relatively stable, ranking second to heroin since 1996. The number of cocaine-related federal sentences in Delaware far surpassed the number for all other drug-related federal sentences combined every year from fiscal year 1998 through fiscal year 2000. Local independent African American and Caucasian dealers and Hispanic street gangs are the primary transporters of cocaine into and throughout Delaware. They purchase powdered cocaine, commonly in kilogram quantities, primarily from Dominican and Jamaican criminal groups in New York City and Philadelphia and, to a lesser extent, in Baltimore, Miami, and Washington, D.C., among other locations. Local independent Caucasian dealers are the primary wholesale and retail distributors of powdered cocaine in the state. Local independent African American dealers and Hispanic street gangs are the primary retail distributors of crack wholesale distribution is rare, except in certain sections of Wilmington.

Marijuana is the most readily available, widely abused, and least expensive illicit drug in Delaware and there is a need for marijuana addiction treatment as well. However, the drug poses a lower threat than heroin or cocaine in part because its distribution and abuse are not commonly associated with violent crime. Reported rates of marijuana abuse among high school students in Delaware are high and increasing. Jamaican criminal groups are the dominant transporters and wholesale and retail distributors of Mexico-produced marijuana and marijuana produced by Mexican criminal groups based in Arizona, California, and Texas. They commonly transport marijuana to Delaware using package delivery services and couriers. Local independent Caucasian and African American dealers and Hispanic street gangs distribute wholesale and retail quantities of marijuana in Delaware. Locally grown cannabis is increasingly available but remains less prevalent. MDMA, ecstasy, poses a growing threat to Delaware.

Ecstasy is increasingly available and abused by teenagers and young adults. The quantity of MDMA seized in Delaware increased dramatically from 1999 through 2000. Local independent Caucasian dealers, usually college age students, purchase MDMA tablets from criminal groups based in Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., and distribute the drug at raves, house parties, bars, and on college campuses. Methamphetamine is available and abused in Delaware; it is not yet a serious problem although it is a growing concern and addiction treatment is needed for methamphetamine as well.

Methamphetamine is not as commonly available and abused as heroin, cocaine, marijuana, or MDMA. Most methamphetamine available in Delaware is produced in Pennsylvania using primarily the phenyl-2-propanone (P2P) method. However, methamphetamine produced in western states using the hydriodic acid/red phosphorus method increasingly is available. Local independent Caucasian dealers and criminal groups and members of the Pagans outlaw motorcycle gang are the primary wholesale and retail distributors of methamphetamine in the state.

Delaware is one of the least populous states in the nation with only 784,000 residents but Delaware drug rehabilitation facilities are nonetheless sorely needed. Wilmington, with 72,848 residents, is Delaware’s largest city and is located in New Castle County, only 30 miles south of Philadelphia—a primary transportation hub and distribution center for many of the drugs distributed and abused in Delaware. In addition, the state is within easy driving distance of Baltimore, New York City, and Washington, D.C., all of which are drug distribution centers for Delaware. The population in Delaware is predominantly Caucasian, rendering it difficult for drug distributors of other races to blend in easily. Approximately 75 percent of the population is Caucasian, 19 percent is African American, and the rest is Asian or other races, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. Delaware has numerous highways that are used to transport both licit and illicit goods to and from the state. Interstate 95, the major north-south route on the East Coast, provides direct access to Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., among other cities. Transporters frequently ship goods into and through the state in private and commercial vehicles and on buses using U.S. Highways 13 and 113 and State Route according to Operation Pipeline and Convoy data, private vehicles are the primary means used to transport drugs to Delaware. Delaware drug rehab Population to be served (2000) 783,600 U.S. population ranking 45th Median household income (1997) $46,839 Unemployment rate (2001) 3.5% Land area 2,057 square miles Shoreline 381 miles Coastline 28 miles Capital Dover Other principal cities Georgetown, Milford, Newark, Wilmington Number of counties 3 Principal industries Chemicals, food processing, farming, fishing. Drugs are commonly abused in Delaware.

According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, an estimated 49,000 Delaware residents—about 7.8 percent of the population— reportedly abused illicit drugs in the past month in 1999. Of those who reported abusing drugs in the past month, approximately 57 percent were 25 years of age and under. According to the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), in 1999 Delaware ranked fourteenth nationally in the total number of drug-related addiction treatment admissions per 100,000. The state recorded the fourth highest rate of cocaine-related drug rehab admissions and fifth highest rate of heroin-related addiction treatment admissions per 100,000 residents in the nation in 1999.

According to the state Division of Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Mental Health, the number of alcohol and drug-related drug rehab admissions increased from 6,842 in 1995 to 7,789 in 2000, primarily because of an increase in the number of heroin and marijuana-related addiction treatment admissions. According to Federal-wide Drug Seizure System (FDSS) data, the amount of cocaine seized in FY2000 declined substantially from that seized in FY1998 when the highest amount was recorded. Marijuana seizures in FY2000 declined substantially from the peak year of FY1997. The amount of heroin seized between FY1995 and FY2000 was nominal clearly pointing out what should be commonly and easily known; drug rehab programs must be implemented in larger numbers to overcome this horrendous problem.

The financial impact of substance abuse on the government of Delaware is significant not counting Delaware drug rehab and Delaware addiction treatment programs. Delaware spent $500 per person in 1998 on substance abuse-related drug rehab and other services, third in the nation behind Washington, D.C., and Alaska, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. In 1998 the state spent over $367 million on substance abuse-related programs and services including justice, education, health, child-family assistance, mental health-developmental disabilities, and public safety and of course addiction treatment. This figure amounted to over 10 percent of the total expenditures for the state.

When adding the cost of lost productivity and nongovernmental expenses by private social services, estimates for total substance abuse-related costs are even higher and more profoundly highlight the desperate need for additional drug rehab facilities and access to them now.

Drug Abuse and Addiction Treatment Centers

Drug Situation: Due to its geographical proximity to Philadelphia, Newark, and New York, Delaware continues as the ideal transshipment location for drugs. Dominican distributors from Philadelphia and New York City are moving into Wilmington, Delaware, to distribute large quantities of heroin and cocaine. This movement to Wilmington is attributed to the perception of a lesser law enforcement presence in Wilmington compared to Philadelphia and New York.

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 have been two MET deployments in the State of Delaware since the inception of the program– both in Wilmington. These deployments resulted in 110 arrests and the seizure of 1 pound of cocaine, 3.3 pounds of crack cocaine, 1.1 pounds of heroin, and 44.5 pounds of marijuana. Also seized were 17 firearms, 4 vehicles, and over $8,500 in U.S. currency and property.

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