Drug Trafficking - Methamphetamines

Methamphetamine ("meth," or "ice" in its crystal-line rather than powdered form) is the leading drug in the synthetic stimulants category (cocaine being the leading stimulant derived from a plant). According to SAMHSA, 1.3 million people had used methamphetamines in the past year in 2003. The drug was first synthesized in 1919 and has been a factor on the drug market since the 1960s. The effect of meth is similar to that of cocaine, but the onset of the drug is slower and its effects are longer lasting. Meth is widely manufactured in the United States in rural laboratories. Over the period 1995-2002 clandestine labs producing methamphetamines were discovered and seized in every state of the union other than Vermont, according to DEA seizure data.

Production

According to the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, an element of the U.S. Department of State, in the 1999 INCSR: "Methamphetamine's great advantage is its relative ease of manufacture from readily available chemicals. Like other synthetics, methamphetamine appeals to large and small criminal enterprises alike, as it frees them from dependence on vulnerable crops such as coca or opium poppy. Even a small organization can control the whole process, from manufacture to sale on the street. The drugs can be made almost anywhere and generate large profit margins."

Ingredients for making meth are lithium from batteries, acetone from paint thinner, and lye and ephedrine/

TABLE 6.13
Eradicated domestic cannabis plants, 2003
SOURCE: "Table 4.38. Number of Marijuana Plants Eradicated and Seized, Arrests Made, Weapons Seized, and Value of Assets Seized, under the Drug Enforcement Administration's Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program, by State, 2003," in Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t438.pdf (accessed February 15, 2005)

		Outdoor operations		Indoor operations
State	Total cultivated plants eradicated	Plots eradicated	Cultivated plants eradicateda	Grows seized	Cultivated plants eradicated	Bulk processed marijuana (in pounds)	Ditchweedb eradicated	Number of arrests	Number of weapons seized	Value of assets seized
Total	3,651,106	34,362	3,427,923	2,678	223,183	56,283	243,430,664	8,480	4,176	$25,062,874
Alabama	51,137	1,160	50,917	4	220	0	NA	90	NA	0
Alaska	7,350	4	74	111	7,276	44	NA	157	81	243,278
Arizona	19,574	5	19,339	114	235	5	8	127	31	112,549
Arkansas	72,565	254	71,630	14	935	7	NA	56	45	113,329
California	1,181,957	1,880	1,109,066	451	72,891	9,026	NA	812	869	2,378,403
Colorado	13,981	31	6,618	84	7,363	1	220,217	241	133	1,672,189
Connecticut	3,027	31	1,393	10	1,634	6	NA	16	10	43,100
Delaware	200	5	200	NA	NA	132	NA	4	26	3,806
Florida	37,744	393	21,442	227	16,302	2,100	NA	403	187	503,852
Georgia	46,985	675	46,762	6	223	220	NA	80	98	378,467
Hawaii	392,422	9,662	388,903	9	3,519	553	NA	969	25	36,669
Idaho	13,664	29	8,560	20	5,104	196	NA	71	22	239,210
Illinois	41,806	752	39,440	54	2,366	338	701,503	127	54	210,806
Indiana	31,192	1,715	23,816	166	7,376	636	219,124,925	1,021	96	925,894
Iowa	1,257	18	368	10	889	22	181,421	17	38	17,800
Kansas	14,471	42	13,338	29	1,133	389	619,049	45	23	78,486
Kentucky	527,775	8,264	519,986	56	7,789	6,552	NA	647	590	3,579,876
Louisiana	5,090	127	4,319	36	771	2	NA	80	3	6,750
Maine	16,258	208	14,052	30	2,206	114	NA	165	55	191,463
Maryland	3,445	170	3,409	7	36	14	NA	85	45	101,641
Massachusetts	1,937	61	1,802	3	135	0	NA	10	NA	0
Michigan	24,524	241	21,942	53	2,582	0	NA	140	131	555,512
Minnesota	2,967	8	357	29	2,610	305	3,095,172	37	68	363,760
Mississippi	2,984	53	2,812	11	172	3	NA	55	NA	46,800
Missouri	14,285	346	12,825	70	1,460	805	4,489,850	398	104	614,295
Montana	404	3	210	10	194	271	NA	25	46	1,300
Nebraska	2,632	3	2,056	16	576	83	362,313	26	19	17,429
Nevada	1,877	4	23	19	1,854	38	NA	18	91	64,364
New Hampshire	547	20	332	11	215	123	NA	27	4	1,000
New Jersey	1,260	43	726	19	534	96	NA	39	NA	40,250
New Mexico	1,507	7	1,068	5	439	9	NA	10	1	29,500
New York	99,423	384	95,385	97	4,038	4	387	281	49	1,491,747
North Carolina	34,283	848	32,793	23	1,490	185	NA	125	38	64,877
North Dakota	1,811	4	1,116	19	695	12	3,200,000	31	4	0
Ohio	44,597	1,429	41,183	43	3,414	107	NA	41	87	41,875
Oklahoma	4,297	184	3,008	12	1,289	52	9,995,153	73	96	230,050
Oregon	32,346	316	16,402	199	15,944	914	NA	231	333	2,957,171
Pennsylvania	5,622	318	3,833	49	1,789	46	NA	97	1	21,599
Rhode Island	76	2	16	2	60	28	NA	2	3	198,919
South Carolina	15,038	138	13,396	7	1,642	23	NA	66	59	37,983
South Dakota	340	NA	340	NA	NA	0	33,010	8	NA	74,905
Tennessee	679,105	2,506	678,635	9	470	26,411	NA	476	7	234,760
Texas	33,404	256	21,682	107	11,722	1,897	448,000	86	48	460,138
Utah	173	NA	NA	2	173	1	NA	2	NA	0
Vermont	3,427	191	2,351	25	1,076	606	NA	77	2	11,171
Virginia	11,419	290	8,981	33	2,438	3,396	0	203	35	45,040
Washington	65,675	228	42,118	196	23,557	308	NA	355	379	6,132,981
West Virginia	74,690	793	73,345	46	1,345	131	34,000	114	35	26,933
Wisconsin	8,523	261	5,554	121	2,969	70	925,656	209	105	460,947
Wyoming	33	NA	NA	4	33	2	NA	5	NA	0
Note: These data were collected by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in conjunction with the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program. This program is a joint federal and state effort in which the DEA contributes funding, training, equipment, investigative, and aircraft resources to the participating States in the effort to eradicate domestically cultivated marijuana.
a May include tended ditchweed; see footnote b.
b Ditchweed is a type of marijuana that grows wild.

pseudoephedrine available in pharmacies. Anhydrous ammonia used as fertilizer can be used to dry the drug and cuts the production cycle by ten hours. The process produces ten pounds of toxic waste for every pound of meth. Making meth creates a big stench, forcing producers into remote areas to avoid arousing the suspicion of those living downwind; explosions and fires are also very common.

TABLE 6.14
Eradicated domestic cannabis plants, by plant type, 1982-2002
[In thousands]
SOURCE: "Table 45. Eradicated Domestic Cannabis by Plant Type, 1982-2002 (Plants in Thousands)," in National Drug Control Strategy: Data Supplement, The White House, March 2004, http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/ndcs04/data_suppl_2004.pdf (accessed March 31, 2005)

	Cultivated plants outdoors*	Cultivated indoor plants
1982	2,590	—
1983	3,794	—
1984	3,803	—
1985	3,961	—
1986	4,673	—
1987	7,433	—
1988	5,344	—
1989	5,636	—
1990	7,329	—
1991	5,257	283
1992	7,490	349
1993	4,049	290
1994	4,032	220
1995	3,054	243
1996	2,843	217
1997	3,827	224
1998	2,283	233
1999	3,205	208
2000	2,598	217
2001	3,069	236
2002	3,129	213
Note: Data for eradication supported through DEA Office of Domestic Cannabis Eradication and Suppression Program.
—Data not available.
*May include tended ditchweed.

Ephedrine is the key ingredient for making methamphetamines. In 1989 the Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act gave the DEA authority to regulate bulk sales of ephedrine, but over-the-counter sales were not included. As a result, manufacturers simply bought ephedrine at drugstores and then used it to manufacture meth.

The passage of the Domestic Chemical Diversion Control Act of 1993 (PL 103-200) made it illegal to sell ephedrine over the counter as well, but pseudoephedrine, a substitute, was not included in the ban. Pseudoephedrine is found in more than one hundred over-the-counter drugs, including Sudafed and Actifed. Manufacturers have been able to use pseudoephedrine taken from these drugs to make methamphetamines, often for less than they could with ephedrine. By 2005 a number of states were considering legislation that would make it more difficult to purchase large quantities of over-the-counter medication containing pseudoephedrine. Big purchases of such medications have long caught the eye of law enforcement as evidence of a potential methamphetamine operation.

The Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act of 1996 (PL 104-237) made it illegal to knowingly possess certain chemicals (known as precursor chemicals) used in the preparation of methamphetamines, and doubled the possible penalty for manufacturing and/or distribution from ten to twenty years. The Methamphetamine Trafficking Penalty Enhancement Act of 1998 (PL 105-277), signed into law as part of the omnibus spending agreement for 1999, further increased penalties for trafficking in meth. Authorities are targeting companies that knowingly supply chemicals essential to methamphetamine producers, domestically and internationally. The importance of controlling precursor chemicals has been established in international treaties and laws.

Clandestine laboratories in the United States are usually operated as temporary facilities. Drug producers make a batch, tear down the lab, and either store it for later use or rebuild it at another site. This constant assembling and disassembling of laboratories is necessary to avoid detection by law enforcement authorities.

Seizures

Data for the seizure of clandestine labs from 1995 through 2003 is shown in Table 6.17. Seizures increased annually from 912 in 1995 to a peak of 9,180 in 2002, before sliding slightly back to 8,502 in 2003. In the peak year the leading state was California, with 1,130 labs seized, followed by Missouri, with 1,055 lab seizures. In 2003 Missouri led with 967 seizures, followed by California with 779. The map shown in Figure 6.7 illustrates seizures in 2004 and expands it to include not only labs but also dumpsites and abandoned equipment.

Seizures of product by the DEA are shown for 1986-2002 in Table 6.16. The largest number of doses of methamphetamines were seized in 1989, about 175 million. Some 118 million doses were seized in 2002. Whereas seizure trends for marijuana have been down, seizures of methamphetamines showed an upward trend in this time period.

Methamphetamine Prices

Prices of methamphetamine appeared to be stable or slightly down in the 1998-2001 period. (See Table 6.18.) Prices per pound were $3,500 to $30,000 in 1998, lower in 1999 ($2,000 to $21,000), and up again in 2000 and 2001 to $3,000 to $23,000.

Continuing activity by the DEA intended to locate and seize meth labs across the country clearly affects local pricing patterns. Prices vary quite substantially from year to year. The low price per ounce in Houston was $750 in 1999, dropped to $350 per ounce in 2000, and was then up again to $500 per ounce in 2001. Prices in Seattle for the same years varied much

TABLE 6.15
Eradicated domestic cannabis plants, by plant type and state, 2002
SOURCE: "Table 72. Eradicated Domestic Cannabis by Plant Type, by State, 2002 (Number of Plants)," in National Drug Control Strategy: Data Supplement, The White House, March 2004, http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/ndcs04/data_suppl_2004.pdf (accessed March 31, 2005)

	Total	Outdoor		Indoor
State or jurisdiction	Cultivated plants eradicated	Plots eradicated	Cultivated plants eradicated*	Grows seized	Cultivated plants eradicated	Bulk processed marijuana
Total national	3,341,840	33,329	312,800	2,504	213,040	24,209
Alabama	60,444	1,146	60,294	8	150	558
Alaska	8,616	6	271	143	8,345	84
Arizona	3,837	19	3,345	19	492	237
Arkansas	32,537	184	31,940	21	597	61
California	1,267,771	2,104	1,208,672	477	59,099	6,314
Colorado	15,127	128	11,597	39	3,530	150
Connecticut	2,935	62	1,772	18	1,163	1
Delaware	108	1	3	5	105	36
Florida	37,854	369	19,506	181	18,348	1,467
Georgia	75,770	476	75,259	8	511	15
Hawaii	435,789	9,865	435,475	3	314	1,798
Idaho	1,449	21	570	27	879	201
Illinois	15,852	163	14,289	52	1,563	448
Indiana	15,551	946	7,957	158	7,594	877
Iowa	1,036	5	251	9	785	1,728
Kansas	4,879	69	3,772	15	1,107	961
Kentucky	378,036	7,803	373,117	41	4,919	672
Louisiana	5,299	126	4,403	38	896	1
Maine	7,169	133	4,815	33	2,354	336
Maryland	2,582	234	1,814	16	768	77
Massachusetts	2,371	85	1,888	3	483	0
Michigan	26,443	201	9,947	89	16,496	4
Minnesota	6,929	19	1,400	20	5,529	565
Mississippi	3,973	154	3,709	13	264	503
Missouri	12,612	210	10,919	50	1,693	142
Montana	513	2	98	15	415	7
Nebraska	4,302	6	3,225	22	1,077	41
Nevada	1,513	1	16	26	1,497	543
New Hampshire	1,055	45	876	8	179	4
New Jersey	2,302	48	957	18	1,345	8
New Mexico	2,568	9	2,086	6	482	10
New York	14,414	459	12,289	50	2,125	764
North Carolina	112,017	1,111	110,628	17	1,389	0
North Dakota	1,543	22	1,414	9	129	1
Ohio	41,090	1,873	39,975	24	1,115	26
Oklahoma	5,149	213	5,120	4	29	27
Oregon	45,458	391	32,453	194	13,005	841
Pennsylvania	7,308	359	6,508	79	800	10
Rhode Island	551	17	551	NA	NA	183
South Carolina	27,013	118	26,549	9	464	182
South Dakota	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	718
Tennessee	485,819	1,976	485,751	1	68	41
Texas	53,175	586	32,712	143	20,463	1,359
Utah	7,820	13	6,180	11	1,640	350
Vermont	2,302	103	2,009	11	293	382
Virginia	17,888	435	15,343	31	2,545	368
Washington	45,159	136	22,510	189	22,649	413
West Virginia	30,887	688	30,166	39	721	136
Wisconsin	6,993	189	4,399	107	2,594	558
Wyoming	32	NA	NA	5	32	0
—Data not available.
*May include tended ditchweed.

less at the low end of the range, $350 per ounce in 1999 and $325 per ounce in 2000 and 2001. DEA data for the second quarter of 2003, as reported by the ONDCP in 2004 (http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/price_purity/price_purity.pdf), put the average national price of methamphetamine at $4,410 per ounce, which converts to $155 dollars per gram.

TABLE 6.16
Drug seizures by DEA, 1986–2002
SOURCE: "DEA Drug Seizures," in Statistics, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/statistics.html (accessed February 17, 2005)

Calendar year	Cocaine kgs	Heroin kgs	Marijuana kgs	Methamphetamine dosage units	Hallucinogens dosage units
2002	61,594	705	195,644	118,049,279	11,532,704
2001	59,426	752	271,785	124,532,740	13,756,939
2000	58,627	546	331,964	129,622,961	29,306,453
1999	36,167	351	337,832	76,621,124	1,716,954
1998	34,448	371	262,176	62,907,212	1,075,257
1997	28,630	399	215,348	116,143,493	1,100,912
1996	44,765	320	190,453	74,648,735	1,719,096
1995	45,326	876	219,830	139,540,464	2,768,165
1994	75,051	491	157,182	139,500,284	1,366,817
1993	55,158	616	143,030	92,608,266	2,710,063
1992	69,323	722	201,507	48,498,483	1,305,177
1991	67,016	1,170	98,601	21,882,289	1,295,874
1990	57,031	532	127,694	46,358,120	2,826,966
1989	73,592	758	286,167	174,849,333	13,125,010
1988	60,826	730	347,306	108,919,418	16,706,442
1987	49,668	512	629,892	24,179,401	6,556,884
1986	30,333	371	599,166	32,602,774	4,146,224

TABLE 6.17
Methamphetamine laboratory seizures, by state, 1995–2003
SOURCE: "Table 73. Methamphetamine Lab Seizures, by State, 1995-2003," in National Drug Control Strategy: Data Supplement, The White House, March 2004, http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/ndcs04/data%5Fsuppl%5F2004.pdf (accessed March 31, 2005)

State	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003*
Alabama	2	5	5	1	30	81	136	198	209
Alaska	0	2	1	6	22	20	11	30	19
Arizona	17	88	116	226	379	372	288	207	79
Arkansas	19	73	126	232	329	216	357	423	605
California	622	1,627	1,679	1,749	2,090	1,631	1,329	1,130	779
Colorado	14	16	25	51	104	130	173	325	181
Connecticut	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Delaware	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	2
District of Columbia	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Florida	3	0	1	6	22	15	28	111	128
Georgia	3	5	9	6	27	52	44	93	159
Hawaii	0	12	13	4	7	4	3	8	2
Idaho	3	3	3	35	132	89	85	69	42
Illinois	0	7	3	54	124	114	205	338	400
Indiana	0	1	3	5	152	218	304	392	506
Iowa	4	10	17	20	349	208	316	365	450
Kansas	15	47	34	74	209	382	423	329	282
Kentucky	1	3	1	19	67	87	126	215	322
Louisiana	1	1	1	5	8	15	15	60	61
Maine	0	0	0	1	0	2	2	0	0
Maryland	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	1	2
Massachusetts	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	1
Michigan	11	13	9	34	99	103	102	165	159
Minnesota	3	1	3	3	10	18	76	146	138
Mississippi	0	1	0	14	57	97	139	285	206
Missouri	38	246	293	395	432	647	827	1,055	967
Montana	1	1	2	2	26	20	49	55	45
Nebraska	1	1	1	10	17	39	108	87	51
Nevada	23	36	17	16	291	244	194	80	68
New Hampshire	0	0	0	1	0	1	2	1	1
New Jersey	1	1	1	0	2	0	1	3	0
New Mexico	4	7	16	29	47	48	74	109	148
New York	0	0	0	0	1	1	4	19	8
North Carolina	0	0	2	1	6	14	28	36	89
North Dakota	1	2	1	1	11	22	48	95	62
Ohio	0	1	6	6	14	27	68	61	70
Oklahoma	8	74	103	162	404	302	615	475	527
Oregon	14	60	98	240	221	238	460	397	247
Pennsylvania	2	13	6	5	1	8	7	19	40
Rhode Island	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1
South Carolina	0	0	0	3	6	4	6	22	24
South Dakota	1	1	3	0	2	7	16	21	20
Tennessee	2	2	21	55	135	225	378	438	550
Texas	10	13	19	43	176	350	468	401	220
Utah	30	62	86	105	240	203	144	109	42
Vermont	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Virginia	0	1	2	1	8	1	5	10	21
Washington	54	69	85	173	495	712	811	678	447
West Virginia	0	0	0	1	5	3	16	40	51
Wisconsin	2	3	0	1	5	11	24	24	48
Wyoming	1	1	0	13	18	10	27	54	23
Total	912	2,509	2,813	3,811	6,781	6,992	8,546	9,180	8,502
Note: Federal seizures only.
*2003 data as of January 15, 2004.

FIGURE 6.7
Methamphetamine laboratory incidents, 2004
SOURCE: "Total of All Methamphetamine Incidents," in Maps of Meth Clandestine Laboratory Incidents Including Labs, Dumpsites, Chem/Glass/Equipment, Calendar Year 2004, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, 2005, http://www.dea.gov/concern/map_lab_seizures.html (accessed February 17, 2005)

TABLE 6.18
Methamphetamine price ranges, 1998-2001
[National and metropolitan area ranges in dollars]
SOURCE: "Methamphetamine Powder," in Illegal Drug Price and Purity Report, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, April 2003

Quantity	Division	1998	1999	2000	2001
Pound	National	3,500-30,000	2,000-21,000	3,000-23,000	3,000-23,000
Ounce	National	450-2,500	350-3,000	300-2,500	300-2,200
	Houston	750-2,000	750-1,400	350-1,200	500-800
	Phoenix	500-800	500-800	300-600	300-600
	San Francisco	450-800	500-1,000	450-1,100	450-1,500
	Seattle	Not reported	350-900	325-650	325-550
	St. Louis	800-1,600	800-1,600	700-1,300	700-1,400
Grams	National	20-200	20-200	20-300	20-300
	Houston	100-125	70-100	85-100	85-100
	Phoenix	80-135	50-60	48-55	48-55
	San Francisco	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	80-100
	Seattle	Not reported	20-60	20-60 20-60
	St. Louis	37-100	Not reported	100-200	100-150