Its combination of waterways, deep water ports, railway and highway systems, and airports are used extensively by drug trafficking and smuggling organizations. The growing casino gaming industry in Louisiana and Mississippi is also particularly attractive to drug trafficking organizations as an alternative for money laundering activities. The drug of choice for consumers remains marijuana, although powder and crack cocaine cause the greatest impact on violent crime, the economy and society. Methamphetamine lab activity has dramatically increased in the last few years particularly in the northern portions of the three states. This trend is attributed directly to drug trafficking and use.
Training is another important component of our holistic approach.
The ever-changing drug trafficking environment requires continual training opportunities to provide area drug enforcement officers with the latest and most successful investigative techniques available. The yearly threat assessment is used to develop our strategy. The strategy is then implemented through the funding of specific initiatives that target aspects of the threat in a multi-agency collocated environment. The supervisor of the NCG is a DEA supervisor who oversees analysts who are responsible for the collection and distribution of strategic intelligence among initiatives. The group also coordinates the production of our annual threat assessment.