**U.S. Department of Justice**Drug Enforcement Administration**The Availability of Southwest Asian Heroin in the United States**May 1996
**Contents**
SummaryOverview of Recent    SeizuresSWA Heroin Trafficking    in the United States Domestic Heroin    Availability and Abuse IndicatorsConclusion
**Summary**

Recent seizures of suspected Southwest Asian (SWA) heroin in the United States havegiven rise to speculation that increasing amounts of SWA heroin now are availabledomestically. However, investigative intelligence and indicator programs suggest that itis too soon to determine if these seizures represent a concerted effort by SWA herointrafficking organizations to expand their operations and market share in the UnitedStates. 

**Overview of Recent Seizures**

Three significant seizures of SWA heroin have occurred in the United States in the past5 months, two of which resulted from an investigation of one SWA heroin traffickingorganization: -  
- First, on December 8, 1995, 68 kilograms of SWA heroin base (approximately 58% pure)    were seized in Lubbock, Texas. According to the defendant, the heroin was destined for the    New York-New Jersey area. 
- The other seizure related to this investigation occurred on December 11, 1995, when 24    kilograms of SWA heroin base (57.2% pure) were seized in New York City. 
- On March 20, 1996, approximately 55 kilograms of suspected SWA heroin were seized in    Spokane, Washington. The heroin was smuggled into New York City concealed in a shipment of    art handicrafts from Karachi, Pakistan. Signature analysis of this seizure is pending.    (Signature analysis is a chemical process to determine the geographic source area of    heroin.) 

These are the first major seizures of SWA heroin in the United States since August1994, when 14 kilograms were found buried in San Bernardino County, California. The68-kilogram seizure in Lubbock, Texas, is the largest U.S. seizure of SWA heroin and thesixth largest U.S. seizure from any source area. It should be noted, however, that theserecent domestic seizures resulted from investigations of major traffickers in SouthwestAsia. No significant seizures of SWA heroin have been made domestically as a result ofrandom or "cold" interdiction efforts. This indicates that there is not a readysupply of SWA heroin in the United States. 

**SWA Heroin Trafficking in the United States**

From 1980 through 1987, SWA heroin was the predominant form of heroin available in theUnited States, as evidenced by its prominence in DEA indicator data and the large numberof investigations that were conducted against SWA heroin traffickers. However, since thattime, heroin from Southeast Asia has dominated the domestic market. This shift occurredfor two primary reasons. First, drug law enforcement investigations successfullydismantled much of the smuggling and trafficking operations of SWA heroin organizations inthe United States. Second, heroin production in Southeast Asia had increased dramaticallyduring that time frame 

Nevertheless, large, well-organized SWA heroin trafficking groups and small,independent traffickers remain capable of supplying heroin to the U.S. market. Allavailable indicators, however, show that the largest organizations trafficking SWA heroincontinue to supply established distribution networks throughout Europe, the primary marketfor SWA heroin. The United States remains a secondary target for these traffickers. Mostof these organizations store heroin supplies in secure European locations and only sendshipments to the United States after a buyer is identified and has paid a partial payment.Generally, the balance due is payable upon delivery in the United States. 

Most SWA heroin trafficking groups in the United States are cohesive and difficult topenetrate because they are based on ethnic, familial, religious, and tribal relationships.The traffickers and wholesale distributors generally are cautious, rarely transactingbusiness with outsiders. SWA heroin trafficking and distribution generally are moreprevalent in cities with large populations from Afghanistan, Greece, Lebanon, Pakistan,and Turkey, such as Chicago, Detroit, and New York City. 
Worldwide Potential Net Opium Production, 1989-1995 1989199019911992199319941995Afghanistan5854155706406859501,250India--------668271Iran--------------Pakistan130165180175140160155Burma2,4302,2552,3502,2802,5752,0302,340China----------2516Laos38027526523018085180Thailand50403524421725Colombia------------65Lebanon453234--4----Guatemala121317--4----Mexico66624140496053Total Opium 3,6983,2573,4923,3893,7453,4094,157
**Domestic Heroin Availability and Abuse Indicators**

Two programs used by the Intelligence Division to monitor heroin availability in theUnited States are the Heroin Signature Program (HSP) and the Domestic Monitor Program(DMP). The HSP employs an in-depth chemical analysis to determine the source region forall heroin seizures made at U.S. ports of entry (e.g., international airports and bordercrossings) and a random sampling of seizures and purchases made domestically. In generalterms, the HSP provides a glimpse of heroin trafficking at the wholesale level. The DMP, on the other hand, is an intelligence program focusing specifically onretail-level heroin distribution in the United States. Through the DMP, retail-levelheroin purchases are made in 20 domestic metropolitan areas. These heroin samples areanalyzed for price, purity, adulterants, diluents, and source region. Although theseprograms have several inherent limitations, they can be used to help form a generalpicture of the domestic heroin situation and to identify emerging trends - for example,both programs were useful in tracking the emergence of South American heroin in the UnitedStates. 

 The HSP, the DMP, seizuredata, and abuse indicators all suggest that SWA heroin market share and purity in theUnited States remain low. According to the 1994 HSP, Southeast Asia was the prevalentsource area for heroin seized in the United States, accounting for 57 percent of the totalnet weight of heroin analyzed within the program. South American heroin accounted for 32percent, SWA heroin accounted for 6 percent, and Mexican heroin accounted for 5 percent.Preliminary figures for the HSP for 1995 indicate that - as a result of the two largeseizures effected in December - the proportion of SWA heroin rose to 16 percent, stillless than the proportion for both Southeast Asian and South American heroin. Therepresentation of SWA heroin in the HSP for 1996 likely will remain close to the 1995level due to the large seizure made in March 1996. 

Purchases of SWA heroin made through the DMP continue to be minimal. For example, ofthe 660 heroin exhibits purchased in 1995, only 4 were determined to be of Southwest Asianorigin with an average purity of 26.5 percent. (DMP figures for 1995 are preliminary.) Bycomparison, during the late 1980's, the number of SWA heroin exhibits in the DMP rangedfrom 30 to 36 per year, out of a total of between 230 and 325 purchases per year. Drug abuse and treatment officials report that the overwhelming majority of heroin userseither are injecting or, to a lesser extent, inhaling the drug. To date, only a very smallpercentage of users are smoking it. According to reporting from the Drug Abuse WarningNetwork (DAWN), smoking as a route of heroin administration occurred in only 2.1 percentof all heroin-related hospital emergency room episodes during 1994. 

 This fact poses a seriousquestion regarding the SWA heroin base seizures listed previously. Because heroin base isnot water-soluble (i.e., it cannot be injected nor inhaled like heroin hydrochloride (HCl)and can only be smoked), it is unclear what was to be done with these large shipments.Although heroin base can be converted for use by injection, it requires the user ordistributor to perform a crude and not widely known procedure that is rendered unnecessaryby the ready availability of heroin HCl at the retail level. It is not known if the heroinbase was to be converted to heroin HCl in clandestine laboratories within the UnitedStates. Between 1978 and 1985, 8 clandestine heroin processing laboratories were seized inthe United States by DEA. At most, only 2 of these laboratories simply were convertingheroin base to heroin HCl. There have been no heroin laboratory seizures since 1985. 

**Conclusion**

Although the recent seizures are significant, it is too soon to conclude that SWAheroin traffickers are attempting to expand their share of the heroin market in the UnitedStates. All investigative intelligence and indicator data show that the availability ofSWA heroin in the United States remains minimal. Some of these intelligence indicators aredescribed below. - To date, the investigations involving Southwest Asian traffickers have yielded heroin    provided on demand and have not generated intelligence that SWA heroin can be supplied in    bulk quantities on a regular basis. It is possible that the limited availability of SWA    heroin reported through drug law enforcement operations may be the result of the greater    focus on South American heroin and a general inability to penetrate clannish Southwest    Asian trafficking organizations in the United States. 
- The recent seizures consisted of relatively low-purity heroin base, a product that would    be difficult to market domestically. 
- The lowpurity of SWA heroin generally is not competitive with the high-purity heroin    from Southeast Asia and South America. 
- SWA heroin accounts for only 16 percent of the heroin analyzed by the HSP, despite the    large quantities seized recently. 
- The exhibits consisting of SWA heroin are a small fraction of the total purchases made    through the DMP. 

Nonetheless, domestic SWA heroin trafficking warrants increased attention for severalreasons. First, opium production in Southwest Asia has been increasing since 1990,implying that more heroin from that region will be available for smuggling to the UnitedStates, assuming stable heroin supplies and consumption rates in Europe. Second, decliningheroin prices in Europe and higher prices in the United States may prompt SWA herointraffickers to target the U.S. market. Third, the recent seizures prove that largequantities of heroin can be smuggled successfully into the United States. 

This report was prepared by the Domestic Unit of the StrategicIntelligence Section. For additional information, please contact the IntelligenceProduction Unit, Intelligence Division, DEA Headquarters, at (202) 307-8726.