2011 Heroin Domestic Monitor Program - Drug Intelligence Report
Current Trends in Drug Abuse
United States Drug Use Trends and Statistics
Heroin Price and Purity Data Reports
Overview
Originally Published: 06/09/2013
Post Date: 06/09/2013
by U.S. Department of Justice | Drug Enforcement Administration
Attachment Files
PDF | Full Report | 2011 Heroin Domestic Monitor Program - Drug Intelligence Report
Summary/Abstract
This report presents data and conclusions from the Heroin Domestic Monitor Program (HDMP) conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for calendar year (CY) 2011. The HDMP provides data on the price, purity, and geographic source of heroin sold at the retail level in 27 U.S. cities. The data contained in this report are based on actual undercover heroin purchases made by the DEA and its law enforcement partners on the streets of these cities.
Content
Report originally published: March 13, 2013
This report presents data and conclusions from the Heroin Domestic Monitor Program (HDMP) conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for calendar year (CY) 2011. The HDMP provides data on the price, purity, and geographic source of heroin sold at the retail level in 27 U.S. cities. The data contained in this report are based on actual undercover heroin purchases made by the DEA and its law enforcement partners on the streets of these cities.
HDMP data for 2011 confirm that South America continues to be the primary source of heroin found east of the Mississippi River, while Mexican black tar and brown powder heroin clearly dominate the drug market west of the Mississippi. In 2011, Southwest Asian heroin continued to account for only a small portion of HDMP exhibits with its availability limited primarily to east coast markets such as Baltimore, Maryland; Newark, New Jersey; New York, New York; Richmond, Virginia; and Washington, D.C. In 2011, and for the sixth consecutive year, no Southeast Asian heroin samples were purchased through the HDMP.
Since its inception in 1979, DEA’s Heroin Domestic Monitor Program has proven to be a valuable indicator for detecting trends and changes in retail-level heroin trafficking. The HDMP remains an important assessment and analytical tool for drug policymakers, law enforcement authorities, and drug abuse researchers throughout the nation.
The Heroin Domestic Monitor Program (HDMP) provides data analysis on the price, purity, and geographic source of heroin sold at the retail (street) level in 27 US cities. In 2011, a total of 642 qualified samples were purchased. Of those samples, 323 were classified as South American (SA) heroin, 296 were classified as Mexican (MEX) heroin, and 23 were classified as Southwest Asian (SWA) heroin. In 2011, for the sixth consecutive year, no Southeast Asian (SEA) heroin samples were purchased through the HDMP.
South America remained the primary source of heroin found east of the Mississippi River. According to 2011 HDMP data, SA heroin samples exhibited the highest average purity within the program at 31.1 percent, an increase of 5.2 percentage pointsi from 2010. HDMP data further indicated that the average price per milligram pure for SA heroin dropped in 2011 to $1.18, a noteworthy decrease from the 2010 price of $1.75 per milligram pure.
Heroin produced in Mexico continued to dominate drug markets west of the Mississippi River. HDMP data indicated that the average purity of MEX heroin increased slightly in 2011 to 16.8 percent, up 2.1 percentage points from 2010. In 2011, the average price per milligram pure of MEX heroin decreased to $1.35 from its 2010 price of $2.00 per milligram pure.
SWA heroin continued to account for only a small portion of HDMP exhibits (23 of 642 exhibits). In 2011, SWA heroin had the lowest recorded average purity within the HDMP at 12.3 percent, while maintaining the highest average price per milligram pure at $1.66. In 2010, SWA heroin averaged 20.9 percent pure with an average price of $1.21 per milligram pure. SWA heroin exhibits were purchased in Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; New York, New York; Newark, New Jersey; Richmond, Virginia; St. Louis, Missouri; and Washington, DC.
Exhibits classified as “Unknown” (UNK) were purchased in all but four of the HDMP cities. Heroin exhibits are classified as UNK when their signature profiles are inconsistent with the signature profiles of authenticii heroin samples collected from the four geographic source regions: Mexico, South America, Southeast Asia, and Southwest Asia.
HDMP data from 2005 compared against 2011 data reflected a 42 percent increase in heroin exhibits whose signature was classified as UNK by the DEA Special Testing and Research Laboratory (SFL1). In 2005, 139 HDMP exhibits were classified as UNK, while in 2011 that number increased to 197. (See Appendix A. Note: Appendices B and C reflects data from 2010 and 2009, respectively.) In 2011, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, New York, San Juan, St. Louis, and Washington, DC, all experienced notable increases in heroin exhibits whose source of origin was UNK.
Introduction
The HDMP, a retail-level heroin purchase program, collects data on the price, purity, and geographic origin of street-level heroin available in major metropolitan areas of the US. Each quarter, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Intelligence Division provides funding for the purchase of retail (street-level) heroin samples in 27 metropolitan areas. Each purchase is submitted for in-depth chemical analysis at the DEA Special Testing and Research Laboratory (SFL1).
The goal of the HDMP is to provide federal and other drug policymakers and drug abuse researchers with information about the domestic heroin problem at the street level. HDMP data analyses reveal changes in heroin price and purity, adulterants and diluents, use patterns, marketing practices, and drug availability. Through Heroin Signature Analysis, SFL1 also determines the geographic origin of each qualified heroin sample submitted to the program.1
The HDMP was initiated in the DEA New York Division in 1979. Even today particular attention is paid to the HDMP results for New York City because it remains the nation’s largest heroin user market and a major distribution hub for a large portion of the white powder heroin available in northeastern US drug markets.
Between 1979 and 1991, the number of DEA offices that participated in the HDMP fluctuated between 6 and 12. In 1991, the DEA expanded the HDMP to include one city in every domestic division. Between 1995 and 1999, Baltimore, Maryland; Orlando, Florida; and El Paso, Texas; joined as program participants. Both San Antonio, Texas, and Richmond, Virginia, were added as participants in early 2003. In 2006, the program was expanded further to include Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Portland, Oregon. In January 2010, the El Paso Division transferred the program to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and in September 2011, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota left the HDMP.
Since its inception in 1979, the HDMP has proven a valuable indicator for detecting trends in retail-level heroin trafficking. For example, from the early to mid-1990s, information from the HDMP revealed a significant increase in the amount of SA heroin available at the retail level, particularly in the key metropolitan heroin markets of the northeastern US. Program data during the mid-2000s highlighted the growth of drug markets containing multiple heroin types. Cities such as Baltimore, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Washington, DC, continued to exhibit diversification in their retail heroin markets with more than one type of heroin available.
As previously noted, the HDMP is conducted in 27 metropolitan areas, as opposed to nationwide sampling. Consequently, attempts to calculate a national average for price and purity cannot be extrapolated solely from program results because the sampling reflects local user preferences and market availability. The dynamics of the local heroin market are unique to each metropolitan area: 2011 HDMP data accurately reflect long-term local trends as well as changes in purity and price per milligram pure in the participating cities.