Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

Lake County High Intensity Drug 

Trafficking Area 

Lake County, Indiana 

Annual Report 

2005 

Page 1 of 22 
Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

I. Executive Summary 

The Lake County HIDTA was created in 1997; from 1997 to 2005 the overall Return-onInvestment (ROI – the value of assets and narcotics seized compared to the HIDTA 

budget) has been $7.73 in assets and street value of narcotics seized for every dollar 

budgeted to the HIDTA. If wholesale values are used, the ROI from 1997 through 2005 

is $2.65 seized for every dollar budgeted (see Appendix E). 

The past year was a year of successes for the Lake County HIDTA. The HIDTA and the 

region succeeded in law enforcement actions that attacked the drug problem and lowered 

crime rates. Additionally, the HIDTA reorganized the Intelligence Support Center and 

made great strides in moving the ISC forward to a fully capable center supporting all 

Federal, State and Local Agencies in the region. 

The three HIDTA Law Enforcement Initiatives co-sponsored by ATF, DEA and FBI 

expanded their operations in the county significantly: 

- Of 73 Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) identified, 31 were targeted, with 6 

being dismantled and 5 disrupted. 

- Of the 6 DTOs dismantled, none were international in scope, while 3 were multistate, and 3 were local. 

- The HIDTA had 2 CPOT cases (involving 3 CPOT targets) and 1 RPOT case, of 

which 2 were OCDETF.

- The HIDTA removed over 1.7 million dollars in narcotics and assets from the 

region. 

- The return on investment for Law Enforcement initiatives for narcotics and assets 

seized was $0.67 for every $1 spent in the HIDTA. 

- CPOT and RPOT–level gangs were disrupted and dismantled in the Region. 

The Intelligence Support Center (ISC) reached a full operational status, and has expanded 

its support throughout out the region: 

- All Initiatives as well as Federal and Local Agencies in the Region are utilizing 

the ISC deconfliction capabilities. 

- Deconfliction requests doubled from 2004, to over 1,800 requests in 2005. 

- The ISC established regional connectivity with the Chicago HIDTA Regional 

MACGLOCLEN hub and local connectivity with the two major database systems 

used in the County; the ISC provides the interface for a free exchange of 

information between all agencies. Connection to the Chicago HIDTA created 

direct links to Chicago I-Clear and SafeTNet, a deconfliction system currently 

linked to four other HIDTAs that were also linked to the National Virtual Pointer 

System. The ISC established an internal pointer-type database for historical 

tracking of information requests that will complement the SafeTNet system. 

- The goal of the ISC is to continue the process begun in 2005 of expanding the ISC 

connectivity and responsibilities. 

-

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

The Prosecution Initiative provided valuable support to the local authorities, facilitating 

133 prosecutions (115 State, 18 Federal). 

The Training Initiative continued an aggressive training program, providing valuable 

training and professional development for the local police agencies. 

- 341 students were trained in 53 sessions facilitated by the HIDTA Training 

Initiative in courses ranging from 2-week Analyst Training to computer use to 

Interrogation Techniques. 

II. Introduction 

The purpose of this report is to provide the annual report for the Lake County HIDTA. 

The lake County HIDTA was created in 1996, and the annual budget is currently 

$3,022,000. 

The mission of the National HIDTA Program is to disrupt the market for illegal drugs in 

the United States by assisting federal, state, and local law enforcement entities 

participating in the HIDTA program to dismantle and disrupt drug trafficking 

organizations, with particular emphasis on drug trafficking regions that have harmful 

effects on other parts of the United States. 

The mission of the Lake County HIDTA is to reduce drug availability and usage by 

creating intelligence-driven drug task forces (initiatives) aimed at eliminating or reducing 

domestic drug trafficking and its harmful effects through the enhancement and 

coordination of drug trafficking control efforts among federal, state and local law 

enforcement agencies. 

Initiatives: The Lake County HIDTA consists of the following initiatives; the 

Intelligence Support Center (ISC), the Gang Response Investigative Team(GRIT), the 

Lake County Combined Task Force(LCCTF), the Firearms Interdiction Regional 

Enforcement (FIRE), the Prosecution Initiative, and the Training Initiative. 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

The Lake County HIDTA is located in Crown Point, Indiana. Boundaries are indicated in 

red. 

During 2005, the HIDTA, specifically the Intelligence Support Center established links to 

the various law enforcement agencies and HIDTA’s throughout the country via the 

secure, law enforcement network, Riss.net. In 2005, the ISC responded to a number of 

requests originating outside of Lake County. These requests came from other counties 

and throughout the nation. 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

III. National HIDTA Goals 

The HIDTA National Program goals are to: 

1. Disrupt the market for illegal drugs by dismantling or disrupting drug trafficking 

and/or money laundering organizations; and 

2. Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of HIDTA initiatives. 

The first goal is important to this region as Lake County is both a transshipment zone for 

cocaine, heroin and marijuana to the Northeast US, as well as a growing consumer zone. 

Endemic with the drug trafficking in the region has been an increase in violence in the 

area, such that two cities in the county rank in the top ten in the nation in homicides per 

capita. The Gang Response Initiative works directly on those problems, focusing their 

efforts on the northern urban areas of the county, where national-level gangs such as the 

Latin Kings and Gangster Disciples operate and traffic narcotics. The Lake County 

Combined Task Force attacks the drug market throughout the county, conducting both 

drug investigations that range from local groups to CPOT targets and interdiction 

operations throughout the region. The FIRE initiative has effectively targeted violent 

offenders and illegal gun activities in Lake County as well. The net result of these 

activities has been a lowering in narcotics-related crimes and violence in the area. 

The second goal is to improve the efficiency of the initiatives. This is accomplished in 

the Lake County HIDTA through several mechanisms. The first is deconfliction and case 

support activities that are coordinated through the Intelligence Support Center. The 

second is through regular case coordination meetings that are held by all the Initiative 

Supervisors, Program Managers, and the HIDTA Director to focus efforts, avoid 

duplication of effort and maximize results. 

IV. Summary of Threat Assessment for Budget Year 2005 

A. For regional threat assessment, please refer to the NDIC Midwest Regional Threat 

Assessment. 

B. The specific Lake County threat situation is as follows: Lake County drug trafficking 

is affected by two factors. First, the proximity to Chicago and the transportation hub, 

since Lake County sits just to the southeast of Chicago with the northern third of the 

county effectively part of urban Chicago. Three interstates move east-to-west through 

northern Lake County, one interstate travels north-to-south through the county, and two 

interstates also move north-to-south just west of the county. Second are local 

demographics. With a long-term Mexican-American population and a forced migration 

from lower-income housing out of Chicago as projects were torn down, a population shift 

occurred to East Chicago and Gary (both in Lake County). These populations provide 

natural connections for Mexican trafficking organizations in the Chicago area, as well as 

the population shift moved the local addiction and trafficking problems from Chicago to 

Lake County. The primary trafficking organizations in Lake County are gangs operating 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

in the northern urban areas. The primary drug of abuse in the region is crack cocaine 

followed by marijuana. Additionally, heroin, powdered cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy 

are all present in significant amounts. In 2005, several methamphetamine labs were 

seized in Lake County. Large amounts of narcotics flow through the county on the 

interstate network; money laundering is present in the casino boats in the northern part of 

the county. 

V. HIDTA Strategy Summary 

To accomplish the Mission of the Lake County HIDTA and achieve the goals of the 

National Drug Control Strategy, the Executive Board will allocate and focus the HIDTA 

resources on initiatives that have a direct relationship to: 

Disrupting the market for illegal drugs by disrupting and/or dismantling the drug 

networks (organizations) that transport and distribute drugs and the illicit 

proceeds from their sale. 

Modifying individual behavior in order to discourage and reduce drug use and 

addiction. 

The enforcement components of the Lake County HIDTA will aggressively pursue drug 

and firearms trafficking gangs/organizations in order to disrupt and reduce the supply of 

illegal drugs and firearms and help meet the National Drug Control Strategy goals of: 

A 10% reduction in current use of illegal drugs by juveniles and adults within the 

next two years. 

A 25% reduction in current use of illegal drugs by juveniles and adults within the 

next five years. 

 In addition, the HIDTA will partner with the Indiana National Guard Drug 

Demand Reduction Program that administers a number of community programs to 

promote a drug-free lifestyle and environment for Indiana youth. These interactive 

activities by members of the Indiana Army National Guard include mentoring, drug 

education and leadership training to inner-city youth who all too often live in areas where 

drug trafficking, drug abuse and violence are omni-present. 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

VI. HIDTA Performance Measures 

(Note: Throughout this report, 2004 serves as baseline data.) 

Table 1: Percentage of DTO’s and MLO’s Disrupted or Dismantled in 2005. 

Table 2: Percentage of DTO’s Disrupted or Dismantled by Scope, 2005. 

Table 3: Percentage of Money Laundering Organizations Disrupted or 

Dismantled by Scope, 2005. 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

Table 4: Operational Scope of All DTO and MLO Cases Initiated, 2005. 

Note: This shows 2 CPOT cases, but one case links 2 CPOTS for a total of 3 ongoing 

CPOT-related investigations. 

Table 5: Drugs Removed from the Marketplace, 2005. 

Note: On Tables 5,6 & 8, the source for prices was: NDIC “National Illicit Drug Prices, December 2005.” 

 

 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

Table 6: Return on Investment (ROI) for Drugs Removed from the Marketplace by 

Law Enforcement Initiatives, by Year. 

Table 7: Return on Investment (ROI) for Assets Removed from the Marketplace by 

Law Enforcement Initiatives, by Year. 

Table 8: Total Return on Investment (ROI) for Drugs and Assets Removed from the 

Marketplace by Law Enforcement Initiatives, by Year. 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

Table 9: Prosecution Initiative Cost per Investigation, by Year. 

Table 10: Value of Clandestine Methamphetamine Labs Dismantled by Year, by 

Size. 

Note: This table is mandated by ONDCP for nationwide use. There were no clan labs to 

report in 2005. 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

able 11: Clandestine Laboratory Activities in 2005. 

Table 12: Training by Year and Type of Training. 

T

Note: This table is mandated by ONDCP for nationwide use. There were no clan labs to 

report in 2005. 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

Table 13: Percentage of HIDTA Initiatives Using Event and Case Deconfliction 

Services, by Year. 

Percentage of HIDTA Initiatives Using Event and Case Deconfliction

Services for Year at Lake County HIDTA 

# Initiatives 

Targeted to 

Use 

Total # Initiatives % Initiatives Year HIDTA Using Using Services Initiatives S ervices Se s rvice

2004 4 4 4 100%

2005 4 4 4 100%

Table 14: Percentage of Event and Case Deconflictions Submitted, by Year. 

Percentage of Event and Case Deconflictions Submitted for Year at Lake County HIDTA 

# 

Baseline # 

Year 

D s econfliction

Submitted 

Deconfliction # Event # Case/Subject Total % 

Submissions 

Targeted 

De ns conflictio

Submitted 

Deconflictions 

Submitted 

Dec ons onflicti

Submitted 

Deco tions nflic

Submitted 

2004 921 921 581 340 921 100% 

2005 921 950 1,459 364 1,823 192% 

Note: Inflation due to sub sions fro n-HI mis m no DTA entities, so we will not increase the 

goals in the future as these are uncontrollable by HIDTA. 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

Table 15: Percentage of Investigations Provided Analytical Support, by Year. 

Percentage of Cases Provided Analytical Support for Year at Lake 

County HIDTA 

Year 

Baseline # 

Investigations 

Receiving 

Analytical 

Support 

# 

Investigations 

Targeted for 

Analytical 

Support 

# 

Investigations 

Provided 

Analytical 

Support 

% Targeted 

Investigations 

Supported 

2004 609 609 609 100% 

2005 609 40 246 615% 

Note: A change in methodology on how case support is counted caused a large reduction 

in numbers. The 2007 goals will reflect that. 

Table 16: Percentage of HIDTA Initiative Investigations Referred to Other HIDTAs 

and Other Agencies, by Year. 

Percentage of HIDTA Initiative Cases Referred to Other HIDTA's and Other Agencies for Year 

at Lake County HIDTA 

Year 

Total HIDTA 

Initiative 

Investigations 

# Initiative 

Investigations 

Targeted for 

Referral 

# HIDTA 

Initiative 

Investigations 

Referred to 

Other HIDTAs 

# HIDTA Initiative 

Investigations Referred 

to Other Agencies 

Total 

Initiative 

Investigations 

Referred 

% Targeted 

Initiative 

Investigations 

Referred 

2004 362 0 0 2 2 0% 

2005 47 4 0 163 163 4075% 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

Table 17-A: Drug and non-drug seizures for 2005. 

Lake County HIDTA 

 LCCTF GRIT FIRE Total

 

Arrests: 

 Local Pros. 17 44 0 61 

 Fed. Pros. 24 38 43 105 

 Total: 41 82 43 166 

 

Narcotics:(g) 

 Cocaine 20,546.20 1,854.73 64.90 22,465.83 

 Crack 1,069.20 954.42 24.70 2,048.32 

 Marijuana 22,756.60 1,411.80 697.20 24,865.60 

 Heroin 830.30 92.10 0.00 922.40 

 Ephedrine 310.70 0.00 0.00 310.70 

 Vicodin 1.30 0.00 0.00 1.30 

 Demerol 0.30 0.00 0.00 0.30 

 Oxycotin 1.10 0.00 0.00 1.10 

 Meth 4,608.20 0.00 0.00 4,608.20 

 Total: 50,123.90 4,313.05 786.80 55,223.75 

 

 Ecstacy (D.U.) 4,975.00 0.00 0.00 4,975 

 Marijuana lollipops 61 61 

 

Weapons: 

 Hand guns 1 27 53 81 

 Rifles/shotguns 1 5 24 30 

 Machine guns 0 0 2 2 

 Total: 2 32 79 113 

 

 Ammo (rounds) 0 0 2,681 2,681 

 

Misc.: 

 Currency (USC) $619,058.00 $38,931.00 $5,759.00 $663,748.00 

 Vehicles 7 2 0 9 

Vehicle values $35,000 43,225 $0 $78,225 

Search warrants 17 14 6 37 

T-III investigations 6 0 0 6 

Pen Registers 19 22 41 

CS's Developed 15 26 41 

 

Cases Initiated 33 64 97 

OCDETF 3 3 6 

CPOT 3 3 

RPOT 3 3 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

Table 17-B: Drug and non-drug seizures for 2005 (Prosecutor’s Initiative). 

Prosecutor's Initiative

Charged: 

 State 115 

 Federal 3 

Indicted: 

 State 

 Federal 15 

 Total: 133 

VII. Conclusions 

The following conclusions are important to note for the operations of the Lake County 

HIDTA in 2006: 

- The Lake County HIDTA is a highly valued member of the Law Enforcement 

Community of Northwest Indiana 

o The HIDTA is tailored to the unique characteristics of Lake County, 

targeting not only the drug trafficking that occurs in and through Lake 

County, but also strongly attacking the gangs, weapons, and violence 

associated with drug trafficking. 

o The HIDTA provides resources to local law enforcement that serve as a 

force multiplier in the region, such as deconfliction, database access and 

audio/video forensics. 

o The HIDTA provides access to information and coordination capabilities 

that are unique to the region that otherwise would be unavailable or 

unaffordable to the departments in Lake County. 

o The ISC provided support to authorities outside of Lake County during 

2005. 

- 2005 was a successful year in that: 

o Three CPOT targets and 1 RPOT target were identified and investigated. 

o Four OCDETF cases were opened in 2005. 

o Narcotics with a value of 955 thousand dollars were seized. 

o Assets worth $759,000 were seized. 

- The Return on Investment analysis in the tables shows a total return of $0.67 in 

narcotics and assets seized for every $1 spent at the HIDTA. 

-

- The Intelligence Support Center has made great strides forward: DEA provided 

an Intelligence Supervisor to oversee the ISC; the automation and connectivity of 

the ISC has been greatly improved and linked to regional law enforcement and 

HIDTA systems such as I-CLEAR (which links the HIDTA to Illinois state and 

local law enforcement databases), the SafeTNet deconfliction system (linked to 

the Great Lakes’ HIDTAs) was linked to the El Paso Intelligence Center and the 

National Virtual Pointer System in 2005, IDACS, which is the Indiana State law 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

enforcement database system, and the myriad of other federal and local databases 

incumbent at HIDTA ISCs. 

VIII. Appendices 

Appendix A: Table of Organization for the Lake County HIDTA 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

The Lake County HIDTA consists of the following initiatives/components: 

FIRE – an Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms-led initiative that targets weapons in Lake 

County. FIRE has four Task Force officers from agencies in Lake County. 

GRIT – the Gang Response Investigative Team – an FBI-led initiative that targets gangs 

in the urban areas of Northwest Indiana, with eight task force officers from local agencies 

assigned full-time. 

LCCTF - Lake County Combined Task Force – a DEA-led initiative that targets drug 

trafficking in and through Northwest Indiana. It has officers from ten (10) municipalities 

in Lake County. 

Prosecutor - The Prosecutor’s Initiative that supports the initiatives and Lake County in 

drug and firearms prosecution. 

Training – Consists of one HIDTA employee, coordinating HIDTA- supported training in 

the region. 

Intelligence Support Center – Consists of a DEA Supervisor, DEA analyst, Indiana 

National Guard analysts, Lake County Sheriff’s officers, Gary Police Department officer, 

and HIDTA analysts. 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

Appendix B: Executive Board Membership of the Lake County HIDTA: 

Local 

 Hobart Police Department Chief Brian Snedecor 

East Chicago Police Department Chief Angelo Machuca 

Gary Police Department Chief Garnett Watson** 

Hammond Police Department Chief Brian Miller 

Lake County Sheriff’s Department Sheriff Rogelio Dominguez 

Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter 

State 

Indiana State Police Captain Robert Rich 

Federal 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms SAC Christopher P. Sadowski 

Drug Enforcement Administration ASAC Dennis Wichern* 

Federal Bureau of Investigation SAC Keith L. Lourdeau 

United States Marshal’s Service-NDI Marshal David Murtaugh 

United States Attorney’s Office-NDI USA Joseph Van Bokkelen 

Internal Revenue Service-CI SAC Scott Rebein 

United States Secret Service SAC Tim Viertel 

Ex-Officio 

Indiana National Guard Lt. Col. Joseph Luckett 

* 2005 HIDTA Executive Board Chairman 

** 2005 HIDTA Executive Board Vice Chairman

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

Appendix C: List of Participating Agencies 

Federal: 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms 

Drug Enforcement Administration 

Federal Bureau of Investigation 

Internal Revenue Service-CI 

United States Attorney’s Office-NDI 

United States Marshal’s Service-NDI 

United States Secret Service 

State: 

Indiana National Guard 

Indiana State Police 

Local: 

Dyer Police Department 

East Chicago Police Department 

Gary Police Department 

Griffith Police Department 

Hammond Police Department 

Hobart Police Department 

Lake County Sheriff’s Department 

Lake County Prosecutor 

Munster Police Department 

Schererville Police Department 

Whiting Police Department

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

Appendix D: List of Counties Participating in the HIDTA 

Lake County, Indiana 

The Lake County HIDTA is comprised of one county in the state of Indiana. Lake 

County is approximately 500 square miles and the second largest county in the state. It is 

situated in the northwestern corner of Indiana and has a population of 484,564. Lake 

County is ethnically and demographically diverse. It is comprised of 19 city and town 

jurisdictions with over 80 different ethnic cultures. It is heavily populated and 

industrialized to the north, which borders with Lake Michigan. The area contains major 

railroad lines, two airports and is home to several riverboat gambling casinos. The three 

largest cities in the northern region are Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago. Conversely, 

the south area is primarily rural farmland, which is rapidly being developed. The close 

proximity of Lake County to the Chicago metropolitan area and the major highway 

systems which intersect the county significantly impact and affect the drug trafficking in 

the region. Lake County serves as a major distribution point for drug shipments destined 

for the Great Lakes region. 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

Appendix E: Lake County HIDTA Historical Data, 1997-2005. 

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Lake County HIDTA – 2005 Annual Report 

IX. List of Tables and Charts 

Table 1 – Percentage of DTO’s and MLO’s Disrupted or Dismantled in 2005 

Table 2 – Percentage of DTO’s and MLO’s Disrupted or Dismantled by Scope, 2005 

Table 3 – Percentage of Money Laundering Organizations Disrupted or 

Dismantled by Scope, 2005 

Table 4 – Operational Scope of All DTO and MLO Cases Initiated, 2005 

Table 5 – Drugs Removed from the Marketplace, 2005 

Table 6 – Return on Investment (ROI) for Drugs Removed from the Marketplace by 

Law Enforcement Initiatives, by Year 

Table 7 – Return on Investment (ROI) for Assets Removed from the Marketplace 

by Law Enforcement Initiatives, by Year 

Table 8 – Total Return on Investment (ROI) for Drugs and Assets Removed from 

the Marketplace by Law Enforcement Initiatives, by Year 

Table 9 – Prosecution Outputs and Outcomes, by Year 

Table 10 – Value of Clandestine Methamphetamine Labs Dismantled in 2005 by 

Size 

Table 11 –Clandestine Laboratory Activities in 2005 

Table 12 –Training by Year and Type of Training 

Table 13 – Percentage of HIDTA Initiatives Using Event and Case Deconfliction 

Services, by Year 

Table 14 – Percentage of Event and Case Deconflictions Submitted, by Year 

Table 15 – Percentage of Investigations Provided Analytical Support, by Year 

Table 16 – Percentage of HIDTA Initiative Investigations Referred to Other 

HIDTAs and Other Agencies, by Year 

Table 17-A – Drug and non-drug seizures, 2005. 

Table 17-B - Drug and non-drug seizures, 2005 (Prosecutor’s Initiative) 

X. Endnotes 

National Drug Intelligence Center Midwest Regional Drug Threat Assessment 

National Drug Intelligence Center “National Illicit Drug Prices, December, 2005” 

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