Great Lakes Summaries
2009
After decreasing steadily for the last 5 years, methamphetamine production in the Great Lakes Region appears to be increasing. The number of reported methamphetamine laboratory seizures in
the Great Lakes Region declined approximately 48 percent from 2004 (1,668) through 2007 (792); however, by mid-October 2008, laboratory seizures in the region had reached 732—on pace to surpass
the 2007 total by year’s end (see Figure 4 in Appendix B). Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan accounted for most of the laboratories seized in the region. In fact, Michigan law enforcement officials report
that small-scale methamphetamine producers are finding alternative sources for chemical supplies and are increasingly using the “one-pot” method to produce methamphetamine (see text box on page
13). Local methamphetamine producers are also recruiting smurfs to counter precursor chemical control legislation by purchasing pseudoephedrine In small quantities at multiple locations. For example, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, officials report that methamphetamine producers are recruiting needy individuals, such as single mothers and
senior citizens, to visit several stores and purchase pseudoephedrine below threshold levels for use in methamphetamine production.
Mexican DTOs are increasingly using cities
within the Great Lakes Region as methamphetamine
distribution points for regional distribution.
Mexican DTOs are the primary suppliers
of methamphetamine in the Great lakes Region
and are increasingly transporting the drug into
the area from Mexico and Southwest Border states
using private and commercial vehicles and package
delivery services. Mexican DTO members initially
transport methamphetamine to major drug distribution centers in the region, such as Chicago,
Indianapolis, and Minneapolis-St. Paul, and then
distribute the drug from these cities to smaller markets, both in and outside the region. For example, a recent OCDETF investigation identified a Mexican DTO that had transported hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine from California to Minnesota for distribution in Minnesota, Illinois, and South Dakota.
Outlook
Domestic methamphetamine production will
most likely increase moderately in the near term.
The resurgence of small-scale methamphetamine
production, the relocation of some Mexican methamphetamine
producers from Mexico to California,
and the emergence of large-scale pseudoephedrine
smurfing operations throughout the country
create conditions conducive to a moderate increase
in domestic methamphetamine production, particularly
in western states but also in some eastern
states. For example, law enforcement reporting
indicates that much of the bulk pseudoephedrine
compiled through large-scale pseudoephedrine
smurfing operations in the Southwest Region is
destined for Atlanta, Georgia. A stable supply of
bulk ephedrine shipments to Atlanta could result
in a significant increase in methamphetamine production
in the Southeast Region.