Wisconsin Laws and Programs

Three types of drug trafficking operations control most of the drug transportation and wholesale distribution in Wisconsin. Mexican drug trafficking organizations transport cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine, Nigerian criminal groups distribute heroin from south Asia, and Dominican criminal groups distribute cocaine and South American heroin. Crack cocaine is distributed at the street level primarily by African American and Hispanic street gangs. Marijuana (some locally grown, particularly in southeastern Wisconsin) appears to be the most commonly used drug in Wisconsin, while in eastern and central Wisconsin the greatest law enforcement concerns are powder and crack cocaine and the increasing availability of high purity heroin, which can be snorted rather than injected. Methamphetamine production and use is generally not a large problem in [Page 850]Wisconsin but is expanding ...