The nation’s capital long has been plagued by a variety of drug problems, most notably the violence associated with crack cocaine distribution. Street “crews” operating in open-air markets or on neighborhood corners continue to thrive in Washington, DC. The city’s large international population provides insulation for ethnic drug trafficking groups from almost every major supply country in the world, and the suburbs surrounding the city provide a steady supply of customers.

Cocaine: Cocaine and crack are the most significant drug problems in Washington, DC. Despite several consecutive years of decline in violent, drug-related crime, the violence associated with the crack trade in the city remains high. Open-air markets situated along commuting corridors and within public housing projects provide dealers with a consistent stream of customers, either from the neighboring Virginia and Maryland suburbs or from within the neighborhoods they service.

Heroin: Although Washington, DC does not house anywhere near the number of addicts of its metropolitan neighbor of Baltimore, the city boasts a large number of long-term heroin abusers who frequent various open-air drug markets within the city. The city’s heroin suppliers set up heroin shops specifically catering to a specific user population: the markets located along commuter routes into the city peddle high-purity heroin to suburban abusers, while the shops situated near Methadone clinics and those co-existing with open-air markets tend to service long-term addicts with lower-purity heroin. In the District of Columbia, heroin is sold under various street/brand names and is packaged primarily in small, usually colored or marked, ziploc baggies. Most of the heroin encountered in Washington, DC, is of South American origin, but it is not unusual to discover heroin from other source areas as well, most recently Southwest Asian.

Washington DC methamphetamine arrests Methamphetamine: There is a very limited market for methamphetamine in the District of Columbia. What demand exists is centered on the city’s thriving “rave” and nightclub scene, or among the city’s gay population. Most of the methamphetamine available in Washington, DC, comes from sources of supply in California via overnight or regular mail delivery services.

Club Drugs: Washington, DC’s “rave” scene has thrived for many years. One nightclub, located in the southwest quadrant of the city, consistently receives top billing as the “Best Club in America” by a leading techno-music publication. Ecstasy (MDMA), Ketamine, GHB, crystal methamphetamine and various other hallucinogenic and stimulant drugs have been in demand and readily available in the District for almost a decade. MDMA abuse and distribution, in particular, is at high levels. PCP has a long history of higher-than-average levels of abuse in Washington, DC, but its introduction into the battery of drugs abused by young adult “ravers” both within the city and in the surrounding suburbs has contributed to renewed interest in the dangerous substance.

Marijuana: Marijuana is the most widely abused of all drugs in the District, crossing socio-economic, age and ethnic lines. It is readily available in qualities and quantities ranging from “nickel bags” of loose, commercial-grade product to hundred-pound quantities of high-grade marijuana. The use of marijuana in “blunts” has not diminished and is often observed taking place openly. Marijuana is often sold alongside cocaine, crack and heroin in open-air markets.

Other Drugs: Oxycontin and other Prescription Drug Diversion: The diversion of prescribed substances is an ongoing problem in the District of Columbia. Various controlled substances, usually prescription painkillers and methadone, are in high demand and readily available. Demand specifically for OxyContin has increased but not to the levels seen in surrounding locales.
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 has been one MET deployment in Washington, D.C. since the inception of the program, which resulted in 22 arrests and the seizure of $10,000 in crack cocaine and assets relating to the investigation.

Special Topics: The Washington/Baltimore HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) supports and assists in the funding of a multi-agency enforcement task force and an Intelligence group in Washington, DC. In addition, the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department has its own Major Narcotics Branch, and other drug and violent crime-related enforcement operations in place.