NCJ Number
139552
Date Published
1992
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The U.S. General Accounting Office gathered and analyzed data concerning changes in the street price and purity levels of heroin seized over the past 10 years. This report also comments on double-counting of drug seizures caused by multiple agency reporting and provides data specific to New York City heroin seizures.
Abstract
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) develops price and purity information on heroin by making undercover purchases of heroin in selected cities and analyzing the heroin for price, purity, adulterants, and geographic source area. A comparison of data over the past decade shows that the price of heroin has decreased slightly, while the purity level increased from 7.1 percent in 1982 to 27.6 percent in 1992. In New York, the price decreased, while the purity level rose from 3.8 percent to 48.4 percent during the same period. The Federal Drug Seizure System (FDSS) was designed to eliminate double-counting by different agencies; FDSS data shows that heroin seizures by Federal agencies increased 26 percent between 1989 and 1991, while seizures by New York City police fell dramatically during the same period. 10 tables, 1 figure, and 4 appendixes