A drug that has recently burst onto the scene at an alarming rate is MDMA. Also known as ecstasy, E, X, and Adam this drug creates a feeling of euphoria and is described by users as making them "feel good." This drug is usually associated with rave parties, which are all night dance parties usually held in a warehouse or other large buildings. In the early 90's the drug began to become popular in Europe and over the past five years it has come to America with a blazing force. During the late 60's a drug very similar to MDMA was being sold on the streets, MDA, ecstasies first form was a drug that created an easily controlled feeling of euphoria. MDMA is made in a laboratory by altering the existing synthetic drug MDA. Ecstasy is a powder often taken in the form of a pill or capsule, it may also be snorted. Most

Mexican heroin has been in the U.S. for decades. It is produced, smuggled, and distributed by multi-drug trafficking groups, many of which have been around for more than 20 years. To cut down on losses from seizures these groups will often only smuggle heroin when there is an order for it, and they often keep the amount to a kilo or under. Nevertheless these criminal organizations were able to smuggle a significant amount of heroin into the United States. When large amounts are smuggled into the U.S. it is normally in privately owned vehicles that cross the U.S. Mexico boarder, predominantly into Texas, but as a seizure of 46 kilos in Arizona in October of 2000 shows Texas is not the only point of entry. Once inside the country the traffickers rely upon well entrenched polydrug smuggling and distribution networks that can efficiently deliver the product to metropolitan areas all over the west.

Heroin is readily available in many U.S. cities and is currently coming to America in steady large supplies, as is evidence by the extremely high level of average street level purity. Heroin comes from four main sources: South America (Columbia), Southeast Asia (principally Burma), Mexico, Southwest Asia / Middle East (principally Afghanistan). Each one of these four areas has dominated the heroin trade in America at some point over the last 30 years. Over the past decade the U.S. has felt a dramatic shift in the heroin market from Southeast Asian control of the market to South American control, this shift took place mainly on the East Coast. In the West the market has and continues to be dominated by Mexican heroin. The South Americans were able to take over the eastern heroin market by delivering large amounts of high quality heroin and then undercut the price of their competition. The Colombians normally send a single trafficker who flies on a commercial flight, and will usaually carry 500 grams to 1 kilogram in a single trip. They are also using maritime methods to bring more of the drug into the country, normally pact with an even larger amount of cocaine. This can prove to be extremely dangerous for the smuggler, as evidence by the May 16 2001 seizure of 54 kilograms of SA heroin in New York, that is approximately $5,400,000 worth of heroin. Within the U.S. ethnic Dominican criminal groups play a large roll in the retail level of the heroin's distribution.

MDMA is produced in Europe, mainly Belgium and the Netherlands. The drug is also produced on a smaller scale in the US, Canada and Mexico. On average it costs about $.25-$.50 to produce and MDMA pill. Which leaves an incredible profit margin because most consumers will pay $20 for 1 p

Some common words found in the essay are:
South Americans, Mid West, America Illegal, Southwest Asian, America Wholesale, Southeast Asian, Mexico Exploiting, Cali Mafia, Due Mexico's, West Coast, southwest asian, heroin market, distance themselves, west african, cali mafia, drug recently, form drug, southeast asian, coming country, eastern heroin,
Approximate Word count = 1804
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)