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Drug Situation: South Carolina is identified
more as a drug "consumer state" rather than a "source state." However, 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 (MDMA)), southern Texas/Mexico (marijuana, methamphetamine
and diverted/illicit drugs), and southern California (methamphetamine,
marijuana and cocaine). Investigations are becoming more complex and cross
numerous statewide and nationwide jurisdictions.
Additionally, Mexican-based traffickers have taken
advantage of the increase in Latino immigration to the state by hiding within
Hispanic enclaves. Statewide based on the last census Hispanics are the fastest
growing racial group in South Carolina. Aside from Hispanics recent
investigations have targeted Cuban, Haitian and Jamaican traffickers.
The history of investigations conducted by the
Charleston RO reveals that a significant portion of the cocaine and marijuana
distributed by coastal South Carolina distribution organizations originated
from Charleston port smuggling activities. It is a well-known fact that
traffickers utilize forty-foot and twenty-foot containers to transport
contraband secreted inside these containers with legitimate commercial
products. It is a conservative estimate that for every container loaded with
illegal drugs discovered at the Charleston port, at least nine other containers
with illegal drugs have slipped through without detection. The port of
Charleston is the second largest containerized seaport on the eastern seaboard
of the United States and handles over 1.5 million containers of the over 11
million containers that enter or pass through U.S. ports per year. Despite this
intimidating volume of containers, the USCS has only 10 inspectors to service
the inspection requirements in three Charleston port facilities and they must
rely on Confidential Source information and container profiling to maximize
their chances of success. These 10 Customs Inspectors are only able to actually
inspect less than 1 % of the containers destined to or passing through
Charleston. |
