Pubdate: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 Source: Asbury Park Press (NJ) Copyright: 2002 Asbury Park Press Contact: http://www.app.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/26 Author: Ledyard King, Gannett News Service N.J. IS CHANNEL FOR DRUGS WASHINGTON -- New Jersey has become a garden spot for the international drug trade. Marijuana is trucked in from Mexico and Canada. Cocaine and heroin, largely from Colombia, arrive in cargo containers at seaports. Ecstasy pills are smuggled from Europe by passengers landing at airports. The common thread, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, is that most drugs are distributed through ethnically oriented channels: local Dominican and Colombian organizations supplying Puerto Rican, black and white street gangs who then sell directly to users from Camden to Newark. "You've got an ethnic melting pot, which has lasted hundreds of years, and you've got easy access to important transportation routes," said Newark-based DEA agent Mark Moger, explaining why drugs are prevalent in New Jersey. "It's logical that it's easier to get heroin here than in Pittsburgh." Heroin, in particular, has become a significant problem in the Garden State, Moger said. Sold in $10 packets and locally marketed under such chilling brand names as "Drop Dead," "Overdose" and "Bin Laden," the heroin peddled to users in Newark, Paterson, Camden and other cities is strong, he said. "Right now it's cheap and there's a lot of it, unfortunately," Moger said. "It's a major, major problem." Among the other drugs finding their way into Garden State neighborhoods: Marijuana continues to be the most popular. Federal authorities seized more than 4,800 pounds of pot in 2001, compared with 2,841 pounds of cocaine and 371 pounds of heroin, according to DEA figures. Crack, a form of cocaine that's cheap and potent, is not as prevalent nationwide as it was even a decade ago, law enforcement officials said. But crack and heroin continue to be widely used in urban areas such as Elizabeth, Camden, Newark and Trenton, according to the DEA. Lab-produced club drugs, mainly Ecstasy, are making a comeback. The stimulant, which comes in tablet form, has again become popular in South Jersey. Such drugs are generally sold at nightclubs or raves, according to the DEA. Methamphetamine is also on the street. Most of the white, odorless powder that's smoked, snorted or injected is manufactured in California and Mexico and sent to the East Coast. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth