Cocaine: The El Paso/Juarez corridor serves as a transshipment point for cocaine to various locations in the U.S. Seized loads range from 50-800 pounds. Cocaine is the drug of choice among users in New Mexico and the availability is high. The El Paso/Juarez corridor is the route primarily used to transport cocaine to Albuquerque and is distributed to other parts of the State from there. 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:There is ample availability of "crack" cocaine in El Paso, where its use is considered low to moderate. In Midland, Texas, crack cocaine use and distribution is at a level that is considered dangerous to the quality of life. The crack cocaine abuse is a primary concern to both local and federal law enforcement agencies in the Midland/Odessa area. Crack cocaine is readily available throughout New Mexico, but is most prevalent in urban areas. 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. It poses the greatest threat to school children. Street level distributors can be found in all social and economic layers of the community. Of special concern is the high level of violence associated with crack cocaine traffickers.

Heroin: Mexican black tar and brown heroin are routinely seized at the POEs in El Paso County. Black tar heroin has long been available in this region from sources in the Mexican States of Durango and Chihuahua. Heroin is most commonly smuggled in secret compartments in private vehicles and concealed on persons. In Albuquerque, Mexican black tar heroin is most readily available and widely abused. The heroin is usually carried across the border by couriers; however, lately a developing trend has been seen where heroin distributors will cross the border with their supply. Northern New Mexico has a high availability of Mexican black tar heroin and is a major problem for local law enforcement agencies. 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. 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.

Methamphetamine:Methamphetamine poses a multi-pronged threat in this region. It is available in multiple kilogram quantities. The majority of methamphetamine seized originates in Mexico, but arrives in New Mexico from distributors in Los Angeles, CA and Phoenix, AZ. Methamphetamine investigations are especially prevalent in the area known as the Four Corners Region where the States of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet to form a common border and along the eastern New Mexico/Texas border. Popular in the area are the small, clandestine laboratories, set up, especially in New Mexico, in remote, rural locations. In Southern New Mexico, closer to Las Cruces and El Paso, the current preferred process is the "Birch method", that uses chemicals, such as anhydrous ammonia, to process the methamphetamine. Use of the "Birch method" is believed to be an attempt by small laboratory operators to acquire non-controlled chemicals for production, in order to subvert law enforcement scrutiny.

Club Drugs and Hallucinogens: 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.

Prescription 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.

Marijuana:Marijuana is the most frequently controlled substance that is seized in the West Texas/New Mexico area and are generally destined for distribution in eastern markets. Marijuana loads seized from private vehicles and semi-tractor-trailers range from 500 to 8,000 pounds. Multi-pound and multi-ton marijuana seizures occur at all transportation terminals, USBP (Bureau of Customs and Border Protection) checkpoints, and local courier service locations. Marijuana smuggled from Mexico is available from a multitude of sources in both New Mexico and West Texas and is the most prevalent drug in New Mexico. New Mexico'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 Dangerous Drugs: Several drugs in this category are more available, due, in part, to El Paso's close proximity to Juarez, Mexico, where purchases can be made over the counter from unscrupulous pharmacists. Ecstasy, Rohypnol, and other pharmaceuticals are being used at Rave parties in El Paso County. The use of these types of drugs has not skyrocketed, as in other metropolitan areas in the U.S. These same drugs are available in New Mexico.