National Drug Threat Assessment

The illicit trafficking and abuse of drugs
present a challenging, dynamic threat to
the United States. Overall demand is rising,
largely supplied by illicit drugs smuggled to
U.S. markets by major transnational criminal
organizations (TCOs).a Changing conditions
continue to alter patterns in drug production,
trafficking, and abuse. Traffickers are
responding to government counterdrug efforts
by modifying their interrelationships,
altering drug production levels, and adjusting
their trafficking routes and methods. Major
Mexican-based TCOs continue to solidify
their dominance over the wholesale illicit drug
trade as they control the movement of most of
the foreign-produced drug supply across . . .