Cocaine
Prices 
Cocaine prices in 2000 remained low and stable, suggesting a steady supply to
the United States. Nationwide, wholesale cocaine prices ranged from $12,000 to
$35,000 per kilogram. In most major metropolitan areas, however, the price of
a kilogram of cocaine ranged from $13,000 to $25,000. Average purity for cocaine
at the gram, ounce, and kilogram levels remained stable at high levels. In 2000,
the average purity of a kilogram of cocaine was 75 percent. Typically, cocaine
HCl is converted into crack cocaine, or “rock,” within the United States
by the secondary wholesaler or retailer. Crack cocaine is often packaged in vials,
glassine bags, and film canisters. The size of a crack rock can vary, but generally
ranges from 1/10 to 1/2 gram. Rocks can sell for as low as $3 to as high as $50,
but prices generally range from $10 to $20.
Powdered and crack cocaine are increasingly available throughout
Illinois. The total amount of cocaine seized by law enforcement in the Chicago
area increased 68 percent from 1997 to 1998. The Federal-wide Drug Seizure System
(FDSS) indicates that the amount of cocaine seized in Illinois in FY1998 was
equal to that of the 3 previous years combined. In 1998, over 9,000 kilograms
of cocaine were seized in the Chicago area, and the amount of cocaine seized
by the Chicago Police Department nearly doubled in 1999. The Chicago Police
Department seized 757 kilograms of cocaine (street value $94 million) from a
van on the Northwest Side in February 2000. The largest drug seizure in Chicago
history took place in February 1999 when the Chicago Police Department confiscated
over 1,100 kilograms of cocaine (street value $143 million) in the suburb of
Crestwood.
Low prices and high purity levels also suggest that there is an
abundant supply of cocaine throughout the state. Cocaine prices statewide averaged
between $95 and $100 per gram for the past decade. Cocaine prices declined slightly
in Chicago in 1998 while purity remained stable at 60 to 70 percent over the
past decade in Chicago and statewide. See Table 3 for current prices in Chicago.
Table 3. Cocaine Prices, Chicago,
2000
| Amount |
Crack Cocaine |
Powdered Cocaine |
| Rock |
$10 |
|
| Gram |
|
$75-$100 |
| Ounce |
$500–$800 |
$900–$1,100 |
| Kilogram |
|
$18,000–$25,000 |
Source: DEA Chicago Field Division, Trends
in the Traffic 2d Quarter FY2000.
Cocaine prices in New Jersey vary depending on the location and amount of the
sale; however, low, stable prices indicate that there is an abundant supply
of cocaine in New Jersey. (See Table 4.) Price differences between northern
(all counties above and including Monmouth) and southern (all counties below
Monmouth County) New Jersey indicate two distinct drug markets in the state.
Powdered cocaine costs slightly more in southern New Jersey, while crack costs
more in northern New Jersey. DEA reported that cocaine prices decreased slightly
in 2000, and are similar to 1998 prices. However, according to the Middle Atlantic-Great
Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network (MAGLOCLEN) Regional Drug Price
and Purity Report, powdered cocaine prices increased slightly from August 1997
to September 1999.
Table 4. Cocaine
Prices (in Dollars), Northern and Southern New Jersey, 2000
Weight
Northern
New Jersey
Southern
New Jersey
Powdered Cocaine
Kilogram
| 22,000-30,000 |
27,000-30,000 |
Pound
| 7,000-20,000 |
9,000-15,000 |
Ounce
| 900-1,220 |
850-1,200 |
Eight Ball (1/8 ounce)
| 80-200 |
100-300 |
Gram
| 27-75 |
36-120 |
Bag
| 5-30 |
10-60 |
Crack Cocaine
Kilogram
| 18,000-35,000 |
18,000-30,000 |
Pound
| 10,000-20,000 |
10,000-15,000 |
Ounce
| 600-1,800 |
800-1,200 |
Eight Ball (1/8 ounce)
| 100-250 |
100-240 |
Gram
| 16-45 |
27-40 |
Bag
| 5-50 |
5-20 |
|
Cocaine addicts experience a decrease in D2 receptors
