State
Facts
Population: 4,468,976
Law
Enforcement Officers: 12,583
State Prison
Population: 18,139
Probation Population: 35,118
Violent Crime Rate National Ranking: 6 |
2001
Federal Drug Seizures
Cocaine: 605.0 kgs.
Heroin: 17.9 kgs.
Methamphetamine:
1.7 kgs.
Marijuana: 4, 110.5 kgs.
Clandestine Laboratories: 14 (DEA, state, and
local) |
Top 8 cities in LouisianaMonroe
Bossier City
Kenner
Lake Charles
Lafayette
Shreveport
Baton Rouge
New Orleans
Louisiana’s geographical
location makes it an important transshipment point for illegal drugs destined
for the southeast, northeast, and to a lesser extent, the midwest. Mexican and
Colombian drug trafficking organizations use Louisiana’s extensive
coastline, seaports, interstate highways and remote airstrips to transport
drugs into Louisiana and the United States. Louisiana’s increasing prison
population and high rates of violent crime both have roots in drug distribution
and abuse. Wholesale and retail distributors take advantage of the proximity of
Houston, a major drug distribution center, to make frequent trips to purchase
cocaine and marijuana. Highly organized criminal groups, normally African
American, Asian, and Caucasian, are involved in the wholesale distribution of
cocaine and marijuana. They use close ties to Mexican criminal groups in South
Texas to facilitate their operations. Street gangs dominate retail distribution
of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana in larger cities and towns, and are
increasingly moving into Louisiana’s rural communities where local,
independent dealers traditionally serviced drug markets. Most major cities in
Louisiana are experiencing an increase in street gang activity.
 Cocaine:
The distribution
and abuse of crack cocaine and the widespread availability of powdered cocaine
are the primary illegal drug threats in Louisiana. The harmful effects of
cocaine trafficking and abuse are seen in a growing number of treatment program
admissions, increasing prison populations, and high rates of violent crime.
Louisiana’s highways are a key transshipment route for cocaine as it is
transported from the Southwest Border area to lucrative markets in the
southeast and northeast United States. Many local distributors, including
street gangs, send couriers directly to Houston, a major cocaine distribution
center. While most powdered cocaine is converted into crack in Louisiana, law
enforcement authorities point to an increase in the amount of crack cocaine
transported into Louisiana from south Texas.
 Heroin:
The heroin
threat in Louisiana, while confined primarily to the New Orleans metropolitan
area, has reached high levels of abuse. Two distinct groups have emerged as
primary heroin users: inner-city drug abusers who use heroin to soften the
depressive effects of crack and individuals in their late teens to midtwenties
from predominantly upper middle class suburban areas. Dominican trafficking
organizations using New York Louisiana Drug Threat Assessment City as a
distribution center for high purity South American heroin are the primary
wholesale suppliers in New Orleans, although Mexican black tar and, to a lesser
extent, Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin are also available. Street gangs
operating out of inner-city housing projects located primarily in the
southwestern portion of New Orleans dominate retail distribution. Law
enforcement officials indicate that heroin distributors struggling to define
territories are in large part responsible for a sudden increase in violent
crime.
  Methamphetamine:
Methamphetamine production and
abuse have risen in northern and central Louisiana, an increase partially
influenced by neighboring Arkansas, where methamphetamine production and abuse
have reached epidemic levels.
 Marijuana:
Methamphetamine is growing in
popularity because of its lower cost and longer euphoric effect than crack
cocaine. Anhydrous ammonia, a necessary chemical used in the production of
methamphetamine, is widely available in Louisiana. While local independent
producers dominate methamphetamine production and distribution, Mexican
criminal groups and outlaw motorcycle gangs such as the Bandidos also are
involved.
Marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the state. Most
marijuana distributed in the state is transported from Houston and Dallas after
being smuggled across the Southwest Border. Cannabis is also grown using
conventional as well as sophisticated hydroponic methods.
 Club
Drugs:
The abuse of other dangerous drugs such as MDMA, GHB, LSD, and
ketamine has increased in Louisiana. Powerful painkillers such as OxyContin,
Dilaudid, and Vicodin are the most commonly diverted prescription
pharmaceuticals. Law enforcement in some parishes including St. Bernard reports
the abuse of OxyContin has reached alarming levels, resulting in a number of
overdose deaths.
Louisiana is the twenty-second largest state with a population of 4.5
million people. The state’s population has remained stable over the last
decade. More than two-thirds of the population is concentrated in eight
metropolitan areas—New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport/Bossier City,
Lafayette, Alexandria, Monroe, Lake Charles, and Houma/Thibodaux. Louisiana is
one of the most culturally, economically, and ecologically diverse states in
the nation. French is spoken in many parishes (Louisiana’s name for
counties), especially in the southwest portion of the
state.
Louisiana’s diverse economy includes a strong agricultural sector, large
petroleum and natural gas reserves, a thriving fishing industry, expanding
tourism, and a strategic location at the mouth of the Mississippi River,
gateway to America’s vast inland waterway system. The state’s
landscape varies dramatically from its famous remote, marshy bayous in the
south, to lush pine forests in the north. New Orleans International Airport
receives direct flights from San Salvador, El Salvador, and San Pedro Sula,
Honduras. Both San Salvador and San Pedro Sula serve as regional hubs,
connecting passengers from all over Central and South America, including known
drug source countries such as Columbia and Venezuela, to New Orleans.
Louisiana
Population (2000) 4,468,976 U.S. population ranking 22nd Median household
income (1997-1999 estimate) $33,218 Unemployment rate (2000) 6% Land area
47,752 square miles Coastline 397 miles Capital Baton Rouge Other principal
cities Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans,
Shreveport/Bossier City Number of parishes 64 Principal industries Oil, gas,
and petrochemical production; agriculture; commercial fishing; tourism. The
Port of New Orleans is a transportation hub and distribution center for licit
and illicit commodities. It is the second busiest container port on the Gulf
Coast and the fourth busiest port in the United States. Smuggling occurs not
only within containerized cargo, but also in shipments of bulk cargo such as
iron ore and produce. Much of the trade is with drug source and transit nations
in Latin America and the Caribbean. Drug traffickers use skilled welders in
poor nations such as Haiti to modify cargo vessels so drugs can be stored
within the structure of the ship. U.S. Customs Service (USCS) officials
indicate that smuggling by crew members aboard cargo ships is also a
significant problem. Louisiana, with 397 miles of Gulf Coastline, includes the
Mississippi delta, gateway to the vast Mississippi River system. The Port of
New Orleans is a popular embarkation point and destination on the Caribbean
cruise ship circuit providing an opportunity for American and foreign
passengers to smuggle drugs. Some crew members on cruise ships that service
ports in drug transit countries such as Jamaica and Mexico smuggle
multi-kilogram shipments of cocaine. The USCS reports that drug distribution
groups in the United States recruit couriers who work with drug traffickers and
crew members to bring drugs into the United States.
The Gulf of Mexico is home to
over 4,000 offshore natural gas drilling platforms that are sometimes used as
rendezvous or drop-off points for smugglers. The natural gas industry is the
impetus for between 5,000 and 9,000 helicopter flights a day shuttling
employees and equipment between platforms and the mainland, providing a degree
of anonymity to smugglers operating in the Gulf. Traffickers exploit the many
opportunities the Gulf of Mexico provides and continue to develop innovative
ways to smuggle drugs via the Gulf Coast. Although seizure data does not
confirm widespread air and maritime drug smuggling into Louisiana’s Gulf
Coast region, United States Coast Guard (USCG) and USCS intelligence officials,
as well as many local law enforcement agencies in communities along the Gulf
Coast, are confident it is occurring. The maritime and air drug smuggling
threat in the Gulf of Mexico is underscored by the fact that the Louisiana Gulf
Coast is closer to the port of Cartagena, Colombia, than it is to Boston,
Massachusetts.
Drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) use modern communication and
navigation devices for counter-surveillance and counterintelligence
capabilities. Cellular telephones and global positioning systems (GPS) have
revolutionized the way in which air and maritime smugglers conduct their
activities, enabling them to make precision rendezvous. In the past, smugglers
had to use high frequency (HF) and very high frequency (VHF) radios to
communicate with their offloading or receiving teams and to use other means
such as automobile headlights and fires to help pilots or captains pinpoint
ground parties, which made them vulnerable to detection. DTO members study law
enforcement operational patterns and routines such as USCG and USCS patrol
schedules. Louisiana’s portions of interstate highways 10, 20, and 55 are
important cogs in an elaborate interstate system being exploited by drug
distributors moving drugs north from the Southwest Border area while at the
same time sending the cash profits south. Houston and Dallas, both major drug
distribution hubs, lie just to the west of Louisiana on highways 10 and 20,
respectively. Law enforcement personnel in Louisiana point overwhelmingly to
Houston and Dallas as the main source of cocaine in their areas.
Louisiana’s proximity to Texas and the Southwest Border provides
distributors ready access via Louisiana’s highways to lucrative markets in
the southern and northeastern United States. To a lesser degree, Interstate 55,
which originates in New Orleans and passes through St. Louis before ending in
Chicago, allows distributors to move drugs to Midwestern markets. Interstate
highways 10 and 20 also connect Louisiana to major drug distribution hubs in
Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Miami, and Atlanta.
Louisiana’s popularity as a
tourist, convention, and party destination contributes to drug abuse and
distribution. Large numbers of recreation seekers travel to and from New
Orleans providing relative anonymity to drug distributors as well as providing
a lucrative market for drugs. According to Louisiana’s Department of
Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, in 2000 visitation to the state was at an
all-time high and is continuing to increase. In 2000 more than six million
people attended Mardi gras festivities, pumping a record $1.06 billion into the
local economy. Louisiana’s burgeoning casino gaming industry contributes
to drug abuse, distribution, and money laundering activities in the state. The
1999 Gambling Impact and Behavior Study reported that gambling behavior was
significantly associated with multiple drug and alcohol use. The study
indicated pathological gamblers were nine times more likely than non-gamblers
to have been alcohol or drug dependent in their lifetime. The casinos have
provided a significant number of full-time, entry-level jobs for people living
in poor, rural areas. Law enforcement officials in these areas indicate that
people have more discretionary income and that some are spending it on illegal
drugs. Currently 19 casinos are located throughout the state and Shreveport is
the third most visited gaming destination, behind Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
According to
law enforcement authorities, drug distributors are using buses that shuttle
customers from Dallas and Houston to casinos in Lake Charles, Shreveport, and
other cities as a means of transporting drugs. Drug distributors frequently use
casinos to launder money by purchasing large quantities of chips in small
batches, later exchanging them for cash and a receipt so they appear to be
winnings.
Street gangs play a prominent role in drug distribution in Louisiana:
4,800 documented individuals were affiliated with 155 gangs identified in 24
parishes throughout the state as of 1999. Of the 155 active gangs, 125 have
members known to sell drugs and the remaining 30 have members suspected of
involvement in drug sales. Street gangs primarily distribute marijuana and
crack, although heroin distribution by street gangs has increased dramatically
in New Orleans. Nationally affiliated street gangs are involved in drug
transportation and distribution throughout Louisiana. Both the Crips and Bloods
are active in Shreveport and have strong family ties to gang members in Los
Angeles through whom they purchase drugs, primarily powdered cocaine and
marijuana. These ties are so strong that in some Los Angeles neighborhoods,
Shreveport is referred to as “little Compton.” Louisiana is
experiencing the influx of two Midwestern gangs, the Gangster Disciples and the
Latin Kings. The Gangster Disciples is locating in the northern and central
parts of the state including Monroe, Shreveport/Bossier City, Alexandria,
Lafayette, and Baton Rouge. The Latin Kings, also with strong connections to
gang members on the East Coast, is locating primarily in the central and
southern half of the state, in Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, and New Orleans.
Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) distribute methamphetamine and, to a lesser
extent, cocaine and marijuana in Louisiana. They rely on Mexican DTOs as their
primary source of supply, although OMGs continue to operate methamphetamine
laboratories. They also facilitate their illegal drug activity by forming
criminal alliances with independent methamphetamine cookers, street gangs, and
organized crime groups.
The Bandidos, the nation’s
second largest OMG, is headquartered in Texas and is very active in Louisiana.
It has been engaged in a push to recruit new members during 2000, so its
numbers have undoubtedly increased. Also active in Louisiana are the Galloping
Goose, Road Barons, and the Sons of Silence. Law enforcement reports an
increase in Asian gang activity in Louisiana, especially in the southern part
of the state. Asian gangs have used the growing Asian population to cover their
illegal activities, the most profitable of which is drug distribution. Asian
gangs are also proficient money launderers and are known to operate cell
distinct hierarchy. These gangs are responsible for most drug-related and
violent crimes in the city. Louisiana has some of the highest violent crime
rates in the nation despite recent reductions in almost every category in every
major city. Between 1994 and 1999 the murder rate declined 63 percent in New
Orleans.
Despite the decrease, in 1999 Louisiana still had the highest murder
rate in the nation with a rate of 10.7 murders per 100,000 residents while New
Orleans had a rate of 34 per 100,000 residents. During the first 6 months of
2000, 120 murders were committed in New Orleans, compared with 80 in the same
period the year before. The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) estimates that
as many as 75 percent of homicides are drug-related and can be attributed to
street gangs involved in drug distribution. Many law enforcement personnel
attribute the increase in homicides to turf wars among heroin distributors.
Louisiana
has the highest incarceration rate in the nation, and many of the inmates are
incarcerated for drug-related offenses. According to data from the Louisiana
Department of Public Safety and Corrections, the total prison population as of
October 2000 was 35,998; a rate of 736 per 100,000. Over 30 percent of
prisoners are incarcerated for drug-related crimes, second only to those
imprisoned for violent crimes (38 percent); which often have a root cause in
drug abuse or distribution. Health care statistics and the number of deaths
attributed to drug abuse provide mixed signals as to the state of the drug
problem in Louisiana.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA), the number of Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN)
emergency department (ED) mentions in New Orleans decreased by 24 percent from
1995 to 1999. Medical examiners report the number of deaths attributed to drugs
increased 10 percent from 1997 to 1998. Information provided by the 11 parishes
participating in the Louisiana State Epidemiology Work Group (SEWG) shows that
statewide, cocaine and marijuana are the two illicit drugs most frequently
related to substance abuse treatment center admissions. SEWG also reports that
heroin abuse is rising in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish and that
methamphetamine abuse increased in northern parishes during the last 2 years.
Drugs and Drug Rehab Centers
Drug Situation: Despite the
potential threat posed by marine and air drug smuggling, the real threat
Louisiana faces is its Interstate Highway System. Overland transportation
utilizing private and commercial vehicles is the most commonly encountered
smuggling method in Louisiana. Colombian, Mexican and Caribbean traffickers
traveling to and from Miami, Houston, or the Southwest Border via I-10, I-12,
I-20 (East / West routes) and Interstate 55 (North / South route) are largely
responsible for the transportation and distribution of cocaine, crack,
methamphetamine and marijuana into Louisiana. Additionally, regional and local
DTOs ensure widespread availability throughout the state.
Other Drugs: The illegal diversion, distribution and
abuse of oxycodone products, particularly OxyContin, has become a significant
threat, especially in Louisiana’s southeast parishes. OxyContin is being
abused at a rate many law enforcement officials describe as epidemic. The
problem is due in part to physicians who write prescriptions for the drug
without performing proper screening and examinations. Louisiana pharmacies have
also seen an increase in the number of burglaries and robberies as abusers and
distributors seek to obtain this and other prescription drugs.
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 10
MET deployments in Louisiana since the inception of the program:
Donaldsonville; Concordia Parish; New Orleans; Hammond; Slidell; Shreveport;
Bogalusa; Houma and two deployments in Alexandria. These deployments resulted
in 210 arrests and the seizure of 1.8 pounds of cocaine; 8.3 pounds of crack
cocaine; 1 pound of marijuana; 1 ounce of methamphetamine and one clandestine
methamphetamine lab (Bogalusa). Also seized were 3 vehicles, 14 weapons and
over $43,000 in U.S. currency and property.
 Special
Topics:On
December 6, 2001, the ONDCP named the Gulf Coast HIDTA (High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area) the Outstanding HIDTA of the Nation for 2001.
Drug Addiction Treatment Necessary:Addiction to illegal drugs and to
prescription drugs is often difficult to overcome. More addiction treatment
centers are needed to address the ever-growing need. |