News from TRAC

Drug Prosecutions Surge in the Southwest

(19 Apr 2010) Federal prosecutors along the Southwest border with Mexico -- many already strained by the rise in their immigration caseloads -- are facing a new challenge: how to handle a sharp jump in drug cases. The extent of this problem can be seen in Justice Department data analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) showing that during the first four months of FY 2010 drug cases in this region had surged by almost a third (30 percent) from what they were just 16 months ago and were up by 7 percent over levels at the end of FY 2009.

This sharp regional increase is in stark contrast with the national pattern where drug prosecutions for the rest of the country have been steadily declining for a number of years, with the first four months of FY 2010 down by 17 percent since FY 2008 and down 12 percent from last year.

The drug enforcement surge in the southwest varied among the five federal districts, with Arizona showing the sharpest growth and the prosecution rate in California South (San Diego) actually declining.

For the latest data, go to

http://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/230/

In addition to the most recent figures on drug prosecutions, TRAC continues to provide additional free reports on a wide range of current enforcement trends. Go to

http://trac.syr.edu/tracreports/bulletins/

for information on prosecutions and convictions so far in FY 2010 in the areas of immigration, drugs, white collar crime, official corruption and more. You can also find free reports on the enforcement activities of selected government agencies such as the IRS, FBI, DHS and DEA.

Even more detailed criminal enforcement information for the period from FY 1986 through January 2010 is available to TRACFED subscribers via the Express, Going Deeper and Analyzer tools. Go to http://tracfed.syr.edu for more information. Customized reports for a specific agency, district, program, lead charge or judge are available via the TRAC Data Interpreter, either as part of a TRACFED subscription or on a per-report basis. Go to http://trac.syr.edu/interpreter to start.

TRAC is self-supporting and depends on foundation grants, individual contributions and subscription fees for the funding needed to obtain, analyze and publish the data we collect on the activities of the US Federal government. To help support TRAC's ongoing efforts, go to:

http://trac.syr.edu/sponsor/