U.S. Department of Justice

National Drug Intelligence Center

Product No. 2007-R0912-001

March 2007

The Availability of Southwest 

Asian Heroin in the United States:

A Market Analysis
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U.S. Department of Justice

National Drug Intelligence Center

Assessment Product No. 2007-R0912-001

1

The Availability of Southwest Asian Heroin in the 

United States: A Market Analysis

7 March 2007

Strategic Finding

The availability of Southwest Asian heroin 

has and will continue to make moderate inroads 

in U.S. heroin markets; however, it is unlikely in 

the near term that Southwest Asian heroin will 

challenge or surpass South American heroin as 

the primary type of white powder heroin available in U.S. markets.

Overview

South American heroin has been the most 

readily available white powder heroin in the 

United States for at least the past decade. Prior 

to the introduction of South American heroin in 

the mid-1990s, heroin from Southeast Asia was 

the dominant type of white powder heroin 

available. Heroin from Southwest Asia has not 

dominated the market in the United States since 

the early 1980s. Nonetheless, Southwest Asian 

heroin remains available in some U.S. heroin 

markets, primarily large metropolitan areas 

including Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Atlanta, 

and New York City, and in recent years, availability appears to have increased slightly. 

Discussion

Southwest Asia, more specifically Afghanistan, is and will remain, at least for the near term, 

the world’s largest producer of illicit opium. The 

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 

(UNODC) estimates that 6,100 metric tons of 

opium were harvested in Afghanistan in 2006, 

accounting for roughly 92 percent of global cultivation. Heroin produced from Afghan opium is 

consumed by large heroin addict populations 

throughout Eurasia, southeastern Asia, and 

increasingly sub-Saharan and West Africa. Law 

enforcement reporting indicates that only limited 

quantities of Southwest Asian heroin reach white 

powder heroin markets in the United States and 

that the likelihood of Southwest Asian heroin 

gaining anything more than a proportionately 

small share of the U.S. market is limited. 

Two Drug Enforcement Administration 

(DEA) programs, the Heroin Signature Program 

(HSP) and the Heroin Domestic Monitor Program (HDMP), provide indicators of the geographic origins of heroin available at wholesale 

and retail levels in the United States. In both 

programs, heroin samples are subject to indepth chemical analysis to determine, among 

other things, the geographic source areas of the 

heroin. Under the HSP, the DEA Special Testing and Research Laboratory analyzes heroin 

samples primarily from port of entry (POE) seizures, as well as a random sample of other seizures and purchases submitted to DEA 

laboratories, to determine source areas. The 

HSP examines the wholesale level of the trade. 

The HDMP is a heroin purchase program 

designed to identify the purity, price, and 

source of origin of retail-level heroin available 

in 28 major U.S. metropolitan markets. It 

should be noted that while both programs provide indicators, results do not correlate with 

actual market share.
2

The Availability of Southwest Asian Heroin in the United States: A Market Analysis

A review of HSP results through 2004, the 

latest year for which such data are available, 

indicates that Southwest Asian heroin currently 

accounts for only a small proportion of the heroin analyzed under the auspices of the program. 

Until 1992, a significant portion of the heroin 

analyzed under the HSP was determined to be 

of Southwest Asian origin. In fact, from 1980 

to 1985 a greater proportion of heroin analyzed 

was determined to be of Southwest Asian origin than any other type. From 1986 through 

1992, the proportion of Southwest Asian heroin 

was surpassed by other types of heroin, namely 

Mexican heroin, Southeast Asian heroin, or 

both types. Nonetheless, the proportion of 

Southwest Asian heroin ranged from 17 percent 

to 36 percent of the heroin seized under the program. In 1993, when a signature was identified 

for South American heroin, the proportion of 

Southwest Asian heroin identified under the 

HSP dropped considerably to just 9 percent. 

Since that time, aside from 1996 when 20 percent of the heroin identified under the program 

was of Southwest Asian origin, the percentage 

of Southwest Asian heroin has not exceeded 16 

percent. (See Figure 1.) 

A review of HDMP data from 2000 to 2005, 

the latest year for which such data are available, 

indicates that the number of Southwest Asian 

heroin samples under the auspices of the 

HDMP is relatively low. From 2000 through 

2005, the number of qualified samples determined to be Southwest Asian heroin accounted 

for less than 5 percent of the qualified samples 

analyzed in each of those years. In comparison, 

a preponderance of the samples analyzed was 

determined to be South American heroin, followed by Mexican heroin. Less than 2 percent 

of qualified samples in each of those years were 

determined to be Southeast Asian heroin. (See 

Table 1 on page 3.) 

HDMP results from 2000 through 2005 are 

consistent with law enforcement reporting, 

indicating that Southwest Asian heroin is available in a limited number of markets throughout 

the country and that availability in those markets has remained relatively consistent in recent 

 Figure 1. Heroin Signature Program Data, 1993–2004, Geographic Source Area Distribution by Percentage.

Source: Drug Enforcement Administration.

*Actual percentage for Southeast Asia for 2003 was less than 1.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Year

Percentage

Southwest Asia Southeast Asia

South America Mexico
3

Product No. 2007-R0912-001 National Drug Intelligence Center

 Figure 2. Estimates of Heroin Production by Geographic Source Area in Metric Tons, 1993–2005.

Source: Crime and Narcotics Center.

*An estimate was not available for South America in 1993, 1994, and 2005.

Table 1. Table 1. Cities With Heroin Domestic Monitor Program Purchases 

of Southwest Asian Heroin, 2000–2005

City 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Atlanta 414715

Baltimore 162121

Chicago 574812

Detroit 634483

Miami 1- - - - -

Newark 1- - - - -

New Orleans - 1 1- 3 1

New York 3- 1 1 1 5

Richmond - - - 1 1-

St. Louis - - - 7- 4

Washington, D.C. 5 11 6 4 2 2

Total Southwest Asian heroin 26 29 22 33 19 23

Total qualified samples 672 766 614 822 790 704

Source: Drug Enforcement Administration.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Year

Metric Tons

Southwest Asia Southeast Asia

South America* Mexico
4

The Availability of Southwest Asian Heroin in the United States: A Market Analysis

years. Limited quantities of Southwest Asian 

heroin are available in various cities, including 

Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, and New 

York City. South American and, occasionally, 

Southeast Asian white powder heroin is also 

available in each of those markets. Consequently, it is difficult to determine specific ratios 

of each type of white powder heroin, i.e., South 

American, Southwest Asian, or Southeast 

Asian, because in many cases law enforcement 

personnel cannot or do not attempt to distinguish between the different types. Further complicating the issue is the fact that white powder 

heroin is generically and collectively referred to 

as China white. The generic use of the term 

“China white” has inadvertently contributed to a 

misperception that the term refers to heroin produced in Asia when, in fact, it refers only to the 

fact that the heroin is in white powder form and 

could have been produced in Southeast Asia, 

Southwest Asia, or South America. Thus, recent 

anecdotal law enforcement reporting that has 

suggested increased occurrences of China white 

heroin should be viewed cautiously, since signature analysis is the only definitive method to 

determine the source area of heroin. That said, 

the possibility exists that the availability of 

Southwest Asian heroin is more pervasive than 

is suggested by the indicator programs, although 

there is little doubt that South American heroin 

dominates the white powder heroin market in 

the United States.

Law enforcement and intelligence reporting 

indicates that primarily West African and 

Pakistani but also East European, Middle Eastern, and Russian criminal groups transport 

limited quantities of Southwest Asian heroin to 

the United States, typically using couriers on 

commercial aircraft or via cargo and express 

mail services. Couriers transport Southwest 

Asian heroin through major international airports in the United States, including those in 

New York, Newark, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, and Los Angeles. Most Southwest Asian 

heroin transported through Houston and Los 

Angeles is quite likely destined for markets in 

the eastern United States, including Chicago 

and New York. 

Southwest Asian heroin is available at the 

wholesale level in Chicago, Detroit, and New 

York. Pakistanis and West Africans are the primary wholesale distributors of Southwest Asian 

heroin in New York, which is a source of supply 

for Southwest Asian heroin distributed at retail 

level in cities in the eastern United States. Nigerian criminal groups in Chicago use couriers to 

transport Southwest Asian heroin to Chicago 

via Europe and Africa and are the primary 

wholesale distributors of Southwest Asian heroin in the area. Chicago serves as a source of 

supply for Southwest Asian heroin distributed 

at the retail level in a limited number of cities in 

the Midwest, including St. Louis. Southwest 

Asian heroin is distributed at the retail level in 

the Detroit and Atlanta metropolitan areas. 

Beyond these niche markets, the availability of 

Southwest Asian heroin appears to be limited.

Outlook

Analysis of law enforcement and intelligence 

reporting—including the HSP and HDMP,

the two primary heroin indicator programs—

indicates that despite significant increased 

opium production in Afghanistan, the availability of Southwest Asian heroin in the United 

States will remain at stable, low levels in the 

near term. White heroin produced in South 

America appears sufficient to supply the 

demand for white powder heroin in the United 

States. Colombian and Dominican traffickers, 

and increasingly Mexican traffickers, are the 

primary wholesale distributors of white powder 

heroin and maintain well-established transportation and distribution networks to ensure a consistent flow of South American heroin to U.S. 

markets. Conversely, transportation and distribution networks necessary to significantly 

increase the availability of Southwest Asian heroin in the United States appear limited at best. A 

significant interruption in the availability of high 
5

Product No. 2007-R0912-001 National Drug Intelligence Center

purity South American heroin could present the 

opportunity for increased availability of Southwest Asian heroin in the United States. However, it is unlikely that unless the interruption is 

both significant and sustained, the availability of 

Southwest Asian heroin will expand beyond its 

current niche markets.
The Availability of Southwest Asian Heroin in the United States: A Market Analysis

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030707

Cover photo: DEA

Sources

Numerous state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States provided 

valuable input to this report through their participation in interviews with NDIC field program 

specialists.

Central Intelligence Agency

Crime and Narcotics Center

Executive Office of the President

Office of National Drug Control Policy

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

U.S. Department of Justice

Criminal Division

Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force

Drug Enforcement Administration

Federal Bureau of Investigation

U.S. Department of State

International Narcotics Control Strategy Report