Las Cruces, New Mexico Drug Rehab

Top 4 cities in New Mexico

Drug Addiction and Drug Addiction Treatment

Drug Situation: The largest drug threat in New Mexico is the transshipment of drugs and drug proceeds by Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (MDTOs) that have also established local polydrug distribution organizations capable of distributing multi-kilogram quantities locally and regionally. New Mexico shares approximately 150 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico. It encompasses over 50,000 square miles of land but is sparsely populated. Three interstate highways dissect the state: I-10 and I-40 provide east/west access along the southwest border from California to the East Coast. I-25 provides north/south access from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Colorado and Wyoming.

Cocaine: Cocaine is transported through New Mexico by MDTOs at an increasing rate. Multiple kilogram quantities are routinely seized from commercial trucks, public transportation and private vehicles. The most common seizures occur when couriers are interdicted on public transportation with two to three kilograms of cocaine carried on their body. Cocaine is also readily available for distribution throughout New Mexico in gram to ounce quantities for local consumption. Local law enforcement authorities consistently rank cocaine and crack cocaine distribution and use as their number one drug problem. Crack cocaine is readily available throughout New Mexico, but is most prevalent in urban areas. Crack is the drug of choice among a large number seeking drug rehab centers. The majority of the crack available comes from powder cocaine supplied by MDTOs to local crack distributors who then convert the powder cocaine into crack. Ethnic gangs are the primary distributors of crack cocaine in urban areas. Of special concern is the high level of violence associated with crack cocaine traffickers.

Heroin: Heroin availability has shown a steady increase over the past five years as evidenced by the increase in kilogram seizures and a steady decrease in price. The number of those addicted to heroin entering addiction treatment centers has steadily increased as well. The majority of the heroin seized is brown or black tar Mexican heroin. An area north of Santa Fe known as the Espanola Valley is consistently rated by the U.S. Department of Health and other statistical reporting agencies as having the highest per capita heroin overdose death rate in United States. Enforcement operations have, for a time, significantly disrupted the availability of street level quantities of heroin in the area and briefly reduced the number of overdoses and overdose deaths. However, in part because heroin use is socially and culturally accepted in the area, the heroin issue consistently reappears. Efforts to establish a demand reduction program in the region have not received much community support.

Methamphetamine: Meth is available in New Mexico in multiple kilogram quantities. The majority of meth seized originates in Mexico, but arrives in New Mexico from distributors in Los Angeles and Phoenix. Meth investigations are especially prevalent in the area known as the Four Corners Region where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet and along the eastern New Mexico/Texas border. Clandestine laboratories are a significant drug law enforcement issue in New Mexico where the vast majority of laboratories seized are using the red phosphorus/ephedrine method of production. Clan laboratories in the state produce small (often less than one ounce) quantities of the drug for personal use and limited distribution. However, the laboratories continue to be a serious drain on law enforcement manpower and resources at all levels. Methamphetamine addiction accounts for a sizeable percentage of those seeking drug addiction treatment.

Club Drugs: MDMA (Ecstasy), Ketamine, LSD, and GHB are available in New Mexico, primarily in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Rave parties are held routinely in the area, often in remote locations on US Forest Service lands. Attempts to infiltrate these parties have been moderately successful resulting in several arrests of low level dealers. Interdiction seizures account the bulk of club drugs and hallucinogens seized. The majority of these seizures originate in the LA and Phoenix areas and
are destined for the East.

Marijuana: Marijuana is the most prevalent drug in New Mexico. Marijuana interdiction seizures make-up approximately 25% of all cases. Seizures range from a few kilograms to ton quantities. The majority of all seizures are destined for distribution in eastern markets. The state’s vast National Forest land, makes the domestic cultivation of marijuana an enforcement issue. Domestic cannabis eradication programs have led to an increase of over 200% in marijuana seizures over the past three years.

Other Drugs: The diversion of prescription drugs continues to be a significant enforcement issue. Illegal or improper prescription practices are the primary source for illegally obtained prescription drugs, primarily in the oxycodone/hydrocodone families. Interdiction efforts also indicate that prescription drug smuggling from Mexico, where these drugs can be sold over the counter, contributes to the illegal distribution of prescription medications. Compounding this issue is the state’s severe shortage of qualified medical personnel which forces state authorities to grant prescriptive authority to practitioners not licensed in other states. New Mexico has recently become one of the few states to grant prescribing authority to psychologists who have no medical or pharmaceutical training.

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 five MET deployments in New Mexico since the inception of the program: Clayton, Albuquerque, Portales, Las Vegas, and Deming. These deployments resulted in 197 arrests and the seizure of 49.6 pounds of cocaine; 8.7 pounds of heroin; 187.7 pounds of marijuana, and .1 pounds of methamphetamine. Also seized were 41 firearms, 27 vehicles, and over $206,000 in U.S. currency and property.

Special Topics: Currency seizures indicate that New Mexico is used to return drug proceeds to Mexico and to the wholesale distributors in Arizona and California. Two areas of concern for money laundering activities in the state include:
1. Approximately 14 Native American owned and operated casinos that handle billions of dollars in     cash and almost completely unregulated by state and Federal authorities.
2. Las Cruces, less than 50 miles from the US/Mexico border, has over 200 banking facilities,     including many that operate from private residences and are not FDIC insured. Other U.S. cities     with similar demographics averaged only 5 to 10 banking facilities.

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