Summary
“Drug trafficking is the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, and sale of drugs (UNODC, 2016). Drug distribution networks exist to oversee operations to obtain, transport, deliver, and finally sell to individuals in communities all over the United States (Johnson, 2003). Globally, money exchanged through the illicit drug trade is around $500 billion per year (UNDCP, 1998). Despite great risk, individuals in the in illegal drug trade are drawn to the potentially lucrative enterprise. However, the economic cost to U.S. society for drug distribution including criminal activity, as well as users’ medical costs and lost productivity, was estimated at $76 billion per year (Parsons & Kamenca, 1992; UNDCP, 1998). In Illinois, the distribution of controlled substances is a significant problem. In 1995, the Office of the National Drug Control Policy established the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program in Chicago (Chicago HIDTA, n.d.). Chicago HIDTA’s mission is to enhance and coordinate drug control efforts among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in order to eliminate or reduce drug trafficking in critical regions in Illinois. In addition to establishing programs like HIDTA, drug task forces also were created to combat the distribution of controlled substances at the local level. Drug task forces arrest and prosecute drug offenders, identify and respond to emerging drug problems, and enhance interagency cooperation (Applied Research Services, Inc., 2014; Hollist et al., 2014). The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority has supported drug task forces with federal funding for more than 20 years. Enlisting the participation of the 19 drug task force directors, this study sought to understand the extent of the drug problem in the jurisdictions covered by each drug task force. To do so, Authority researchers analyzed data from a survey administered to the 19 Authority-funded drug task forces on types of drugs frequency, trends, use, and distribution.”--Page i.