South Carolina , a place where the historical Civil War originally started, is now fighting another war. However this time, the war is not against autocracy or about the protectorate. The war is with the over empowering drugs, that are controlling the lives of citizens in the state. South Carolina is a major punter of cocaine and ecstasy . A state which used to be known as a minute consumer of illicit drugs has now become a source state for providing drugs to other parts of the United States . Numerous drug traffickers settled down in South Carolina in last two decades.
There are different ways of taking drugs for the purpose of intoxication. For every different drug there is an inimitable and a different way to consume it. For example alcohol can be added to drinks and consumed by method of different liquors while hash or weed is mixed with the smoke and inhaled to get intoxicated. Delray recovery center has been actively working for people in South Carolina , to provide help to the inhabitants who are passing through the intense disease of drugs. Delray Recovery center provides drug rehab treatments for almost every kind of drugs.
South Carolina was once considered a "consumer state" rather than a "source state" for illegal drugs. South Carolina was increasingly documented as a transshipment corridor for all manner of illicit drugs and drug currency. However, intelligence information reveals that the state is becoming a distribution point for drugs smuggled from the California, Florida , Georgia , New York , Texas , and Mexico. It is strategically located midway between Miami and New York City, where I-20, I-26, and I-77 intersect with I-95 and I-85. South Carolina 's location is ideal for transshipping illegal drugs throughout the Eastern seaboard. From Mexico and the Southwest Border States , traffickers travel daily on I-20 and I-85 to supply northeastern states with cocaine , marijuana , methamphetamine , and heroin . Cocaine hydrochloride (HCI), crack cocaine, and methamphetamine are the major illegal drug threats in South Carolina . There has been increasing evidence of organizational activity extending to major distribution hubs, such as New York City (cocaine and heroin), southern Florida (cocaine and Ecstasy), southern Texas/Mexico (cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine), and southern California (methamphetamine, marijuana, and cocaine). Investigations are becoming more complex and cross numerous statewide and nationwide jurisdictions. Cocaine HCl and crack cocaine abuse have long endured as South Carolina 's major drug threat; however, methamphetamine poses an increasing threat. Methamphetamine manufacturing and trafficking has shown a steady decrease over the past two year throughout South Carolina from 2005 to 2007.
Currently, Mexican Drug-Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) are the most common wholesale suppliers of marijuana, cocaine and, to a lesser extent, methamphetamine throughout the state of South Carolina . South Carolina has experienced a significant increase in drug-trafficking activity, possibly due to the influx of Mexican immigrants. Though most immigrants are not involved in drug trafficking, their presence allows traffickers from Mexico -as well as other Latin American countries-to hide within ethnic Hispanic communities.
Cocaine and crack cocaine continue to be among the most widely abused drugs throughout the state of South Carolina . Mexican DTOs dominate trafficking in South Carolina . Traffickers use an array of smuggling methods to include private vehicles, commercial tractor-trailers using I-85, I-26, I-95 and I-20. Traffickers also have been known to utilize containerized cargo at the Port of Charleston .
Heroin is readily available in multi-gram quantities throughout South Carolina and is routinely packaged in "bindles" for distribution. Intelligence reveals that South American, Southeast Asian, and Mexican heroin is found in the state. Smugglers use a variety of concealment methods including express mail and land transportation to bring heroin into the state. New York , New Jersey , and Mexico are the most common sources for heroin distribution in South Carolina . Mexican DTOs are the most common sources for heroin in the Columbia . Interstate 20 is the most frequently used route for heroin into this area. African-American DTOs with sources in New York and Baltimore control heroin trafficking in the Charleston metropolitan area. Heroin is transported to the Charleston area primarily by privately owned vehicles using I-95 and I-85. Although the heroin user population has historically been a limited and stable group generally located in the inner cities, recent information indicates an increasing pattern of heroin use by a younger population in "experimental" or "party" situations.
Methamphetamine is a constant threat in the state of South Carolina ; however, methamphetamine manufacture and abuse has shown a steady decrease over the past two years throughout South Carolina from 2005 to 2007. Mexico and local suppliers are the primary sources for methamphetamine in the state with Atlanta reported as a source city. Typically, the drug is transported from Mexico , California , and Atlanta by private vehicle using I-20 and I-95. During 2006, South Carolina passed legislation to curb indiscriminate access to over-the-counter cold and allergy medications containing pseudo ephedrine to clandestine laboratory operators and their associates, as a means to halt manufacture in their respective states.
Ecstasy (MDMA) is readily available in several cities in South Carolina , predominantly in the areas of Greenville and Columbia , and those cities along the Atlantic coast. During the past year, there has been a significant increase in Ecstasy distribution throughout the state with traffickers based out of Columbia distributing a significant portion of the Ecstasy sold. Recent data indicates that Atlanta , Georgia , has become a significant hub for MDMA distribution in South Carolina . Typically, users are between the ages of 16 and 25 in the middle-to-upper-middle-class economic bracket, and may be college students or young professionals. MDMA is found primarily at private parties, fitness facilities, clubs, school/college campuses, and associated "hang-outs." For several years, methamphetamine adulteration of MDMA has been observed. This adulterated MDMA, recently coined in the media as Meth X or Extreme Ecstasy, has been determined to be an exploitative, new market endeavor by Canadian Asian organized crime groups, not the result of imprecise production.
Marijuana, the most prevalent illegal drug of abuse in South Carolina , primarily comes from Mexico by way of I-20. I-26 and I-95 are popular routes for traffickers targeting Charleston , Florence and Myrtle Beach areas. African-American DTOs with sources in Atlanta and Miami are also suppliers of marijuana in the Charleston metropolitan area. Both Mexican and domestic varieties are readily available; BC Bud marijuana is also available but to a lesser extent. Use and abuse continues to be extensive, in part, because of the large number of college students throughout the state. Traffickers use vehicles, tractor-trailers, commercial air, buses, trains, and commercial express parcel services to import marijuana from Mexico through California . A smaller percentage of marijuana is locally grown. Members of the South Carolina National Guard and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) routinely eradicate small patches of outdoor marijuana. The Domestic Cannabis Eradication and Suppression Program (DCE/SP) reports seizures and arrest statistics.
There have been increasing incidents of LSD distribution and abuse, as well as incidents of Rohypnol and Ketamine appearing in nightclubs in those communities along the Atlantic coast and upstate.
Current investigations indicate that diversion of OxyContin®, hydrocodone products (such as Vicodin®), and pseudoephedrine continues to be a problem in South Carolina . Primary methods of diversion being reported are illegal sale and distribution by health care professionals and workers, and "doctor shopping" (going to a number of doctors to obtain prescriptions for a controlled pharmaceutical). Methadone, benzodiazepines, MS Contin®, and fentanyl were also identified as being among the most commonly abused and diverted pharmaceuticals in South Carolina . According to investigations by the Columbia DO Diversion Group, OxyContin, Methadone, Fentanyl and Hydrocodone pose the greatest concerns. These Schedule II and III drugs are usually taken in combination with benzodiazepines and Soma, a non-controlled drug that is highly abused.
State Facts
Population: 4,255,083
State Prison Population: 23,428
Probation Population: 38,856
Violent Crime Rate
National Ranking: 1 2007 Federal Drug Seizures
Cocaine: 477.0 kgs.
Heroin: 0.0 kgs.
Methamphetamine: 0.7 kgs.
Marijuana: 10.1 kgs.
Hashish: 0.0 kgs.
MDMA: 0.0 kgs./158 du
Meth Lab Incidents: 24 (DEA, state, and local)
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