Florida has always been a major hub for international drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Its location, surrounding geography, large coastline, short distance to the West Indies and South America and multitude of ethnic groups has made it a haven for drug trafficking. Florida remains the major thoroughfare for cocaine and heroin shipment into the northeastern United States and Canada.
Despite the heighten security since 9/11, Miami International Airport still remains a prime area for smuggling in heroin and MDMA. Once inside Florida, almost every county has been infiltrated with local drug smugglers and traffickers. Smuggling in the State occurs via various types automobile, trucks, vans, boats, cargo freighters and by private and commercial aircraft. Additionally, transportation via the interstates is a major method of trans-state distribution. The Florida drug trade is under control of the Mexican and Columbian drug organizations. All drugs are widely abused in the State, but Methamphetamine is remains the most cherished.
Pharmaceutical Drugs
Current investigations indicate that diversion of hydrocodone products such as Vicodin, xanax, methadone, benzodiazepines and oxycodone products such as OxyContin continues to be a problem in Florida. The major method of obtaining these drugs is via the internet, illegal sale by physicians/pharmacists, doctor shopping, forged prescriptions, and employee theft. With a lucrative market, fake prescriptions have also infiltrated the market.
Money Laundering
Miami is a major center for financial institutions and ranks number one in the volume of commercial banks and foreign corporations that are chartered by the Federal Reserve to engage in international banking. Because of the major drug trafficking that occurs in the state, money laundering has been a major problem and legislation has passed laws to monitor and govern all financial transactions. The Florida government is well aware of financial transactions that occur and seizures are not uncommon. Most of the seizures of drug money have been from individuals who leave Florida for South America. The most common concealment methods were in luggage, clothing and body carrying.
Drug Laws
With the recent explosion in clandestine methamphetamine laboratories, Florida legislation established the Florida Statewide Methamphetamine Strategy. The law has helped create regional teams to provide guidance to law enforcement agencies to improve coordination of clean-up activities and response to clandestine lab sites. The strategy also establishes a statewide protocol for first responders and emphasis will be placed on education and training in clandestine laboratory certification and site safety.
DEA Mobile Enforcement Teams have been developed in response to the overwhelming problem of drug-related violent crime in towns and cities across the nation. Since the inception of the MET Program, 473 deployments have been completed nationwide, resulting in many arrests. In addition, DEA Regional Enforcement Teams have been designed to augment existing DEA division resources by targeting drug organizations operating in the United States where there is a lack of sufficient local drug law enforcement. This Program was conceived in 1999 in response to the threat posed by drug trafficking organizations that have established networks of cells to conduct drug trafficking operations in smaller, non-traditional trafficking locations in the United States.
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