The O.O. 2026 Mid-Year Street Drug Report
Source-grounded synthesis · evidence through July 12, 2026
Street-level illicit drug markets, and the limits of measuring them
Prices, seizure volumes, and why no dataset measures what is actually sold in any state.
Retrospective academic analysis. Prices reported here are observational and historical, drawn from aggregated law-enforcement and forensic-laboratory reporting or clearly labeled crowd-sourced data. They are not purchasing guidance and are not comparable across jurisdictions, periods, or market levels.
Abstract
This report synthesizes the most authoritative publicly available United States evidence on street-level illicit drug markets, current through July 12, 2026. It assembles three deliberately separated classes of evidence: seizure and interdiction quantities and forensic laboratory volumes; modeled demand-side consumption and expenditure; and retrospective, observational price observations. A central methodological finding organizes the analysis: no credible dataset measures the actual quantity of illicit drugs sold in any state. Seizures reflect enforcement activity and interdiction geography, forensic identifications reflect the composition of laboratory submissions, and prices reflect exchange value at particular places, times, and quantities. None of these is a measure of sales. The only defensible national market-size framework, the ONDCP/RAND What America’s Users Spend on Illegal Drugs series, ends in 2016 and is national only; consequently the state-level market-size field is reported as “n.a.” for every state. National forensic identifications in 2025 were dominated by methamphetamine and fentanyl, retail prices for synthetic drugs have fallen, stimulant purity is high, and fentanyl purity is low and variable. State evidence is real but radically heterogeneous across units, reporting periods, and market levels, and many state figures are single operations or multi-state regional aggregates. The report compiles a national observational price benchmark table, a fifty-state appendix in which every value is tied to a specific source, cross-checks and flags source conflicts, and derives policy and research implications. Throughout, values are reported in their native units and never normalized into false comparisons; contextual indicators such as overdose deaths are labeled and never used as proxies for the amount sold.
Keywords: illicit drug markets; drug prices; seizure data; forensic drug identification; fentanyl; methamphetamine; market-size measurement; harm reduction surveillance.
Key findings
Seizures are not sales. Seizure weights and forensic identifications are the most consistently available national data, but they measure enforcement and laboratory submission, not consumption (DEA LIMS guidance; ONDCP/RAND).
No current market-size estimate. The only defensible national market-size framework covers 2006–2016 and estimates roughly $150 billion in 2016 spending on cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine; no comparable state-level estimate exists (ONDCP/RAND WAUSID).
A synthetic-drug market. In 2025, methamphetamine (323,404 reports) and fentanyl (132,210 reports) dominated forensic identifications (NFLIS-Drug 2025; DEA 2025 NDTA).
Retail prices for synthetic drugs have fallen. Reported Seattle fentanyl pill prices fell to roughly $1 by 2024, from $4.80 in 2022 (Seattle City Auditor).
State data are radically incomparable. States report in incompatible units, periods, and market levels; no single metric is comparable across all fifty states, and the state market-size field is uniformly “n.a.” (DEA 2025 NDTA).
1. Introduction
The United States illicit drug market is large, fast-changing, and poorly measured. Unlike legal markets, it produces no invoices, no point-of-sale records, and no tax filings. Analysts must therefore triangulate from indirect indicators: quantities seized by law enforcement, substances identified in forensic laboratories, modeled demand-side consumption, and price observations gathered during investigations, debriefs, or, less reliably, crowd-sourced reports.
Each indicator answers a different question. Seizure weights measure enforcement activity and interdiction, not consumption. Forensic identifications through the National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) measure the composition of what law enforcement submits to laboratories, not the volume sold (NFLIS-Drug). Demand-side models estimate expenditure and consumption, but at the national level only and with a lag now approaching a decade (ONDCP/RAND). Prices measure exchange value at particular places, times, and quantities, but they are non-random and highly local (DEA LIMS guidance).
This report assembles the most authoritative currently available datasets for each of these indicators, defines a defensible drug taxonomy, and compiles a fifty-state appendix in which every reported value is tied to a specific source. Where a requested value cannot be verified from the underlying evidence, it is recorded as “n.a.” rather than estimated. The analysis is retrospective and academic. Prices are reproduced only as historical market indicators; no sellers, marketplaces, contacts, transaction techniques, or procurement instructions are provided.
2. Data sources and methodology
2.1Source families
Six families of evidence inform the analysis. They differ fundamentally in what they measure and at what geographic resolution, and they must not be conflated.
| Family | Flagship datasets | What it measures | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forensic identifications | NFLIS-Drug (DEA) | Substance identifications in cases submitted to laboratories | National + state |
| Laboratory exhibits | DEA LIMS (ex-STRIDE/STARLIMS) | Analyzed exhibits by drug type, weight, purity, and price bins | 50 states + DC |
| Seizure quantities | DEA NDTA; HIDTA metrics; state agencies; CBP | Weights or pills removed by enforcement | National, regional, state |
| Market size | ONDCP/RAND What America’s Users Spend | Expenditure, consumption, chronic users | National only (2006–2016) |
| Prices | DEA LIMS; HIDTA and state price tables; crowd-sourced | Exchange value per unit | Regional and city; occasionally state |
| Context (not sales) | CDC overdose data; medical-examiner reports; USSC | Deaths, prevalence, sentencing | National + state |
TableTable 1. Source families. Resolution notes reflect the underlying evidence base.
2.2Source hierarchy
Sources were prioritized in the following order, and lower-tier sources were used only where higher-tier data were unavailable:
Federal primary sources (DEA NDTA, NFLIS, LIMS; ONDCP/RAND; CBP analysis).
HIDTA performance metrics and regional threat assessments.
State police, state bureaus of narcotics, and state forensic laboratories.
Peer-reviewed literature.
Clearly labeled crowd-sourced data, treated as directional only.
2.3Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Inclusion. A value was included only if it appeared in a source in the underlying evidence base, in its native units, period, form, geography, and retail or wholesale classification.
Non-normalization. Values are never converted into a false common denominator. Unlike units, unlike periods, and unlike market levels are preserved and never combined.
Contextual indicators. Overdose, prevalence, admissions, and sentencing data appear only where labeled “context” and are never used as proxies for amounts sold.
Cross-checking. Where multiple sources report the same quantity, conflicts are flagged rather than silently resolved (Section 8).
Exclusion. Categories without comparable cross-jurisdiction price or quantity data (for example GHB, LSD, inhalants, and most novel psychoactive substances beyond identification counts) are excluded from the taxonomy.
3. Why seizures are not sales
This is the single most important methodological point in the report. The following seven mechanisms each break the link between the amount seized and the amount sold, and together they explain why market size cannot be inferred from seizures.
Mechanism 4 · why weight misleads
The kilogram illusion
A kilogram of fentanyl powder and a kilogram of cocaine are not comparable amounts of drug. Average purity varies enormously, so seizure weight is a poor proxy for the quantity of active substance — one of seven reasons a seizure total cannot be read as a sales total.
Source: DEA 2024 NDTA (fentanyl avg 19.2%, range 0.07–81.5%); DEA cocaine reporting (~84%); Pacific-Northwest methamphetamine (~97%).
Seizures reflect enforcement intensity, not demand. The ONDCP/RAND analysis uses seizure and enforcement data only as an input to price and purity estimation and warns that seizure data may not represent the retail market or final consumer transactions, noting that enforcement may differentially target distributors whose products are believed to be adulterated (ONDCP/RAND).
Reporting-year mismatch. States and agencies report on calendar years, federal fiscal years, or operation-specific windows. Kentucky reports on a federal fiscal year running October 1 to September 30 (Kentucky State Police), while Alaska reports calendar-year seizures (Alaska DPS 2024).
Unit incompatibility. Fentanyl alone is reported as grams, kilograms, pounds, pills or dosage units, and “bags.” Alaska switched from dosage units to grams between 2023 and 2024, cautioning that a dosage unit is a pill or tablet and not someone’s actual dose (Alaska DPS 2024).
Purity variation. A kilogram of roughly 19% fentanyl powder and a kilogram of roughly 84% cocaine are not comparable amounts of drug. DEA reports fentanyl powder purity averaging 19.2% (range 0.07%–81.5%) and cocaine averaging 84% (DEA 2024 NDTA).
Dosage-form variation. Powder, pressed counterfeit pills, and pre-packaged bags carry different weights and prices; a single pill averaged 2.4 mg of fentanyl in 2022 (range 0.03–9 mg) (DEA 2024 NDTA).
Geography and level of trade. Wholesale and retail prices differ by an order of magnitude, and interdiction states along trafficking corridors accumulate large transit seizures that do not represent in-state consumption. Arizona and California accounted for roughly 96% of border-wide fentanyl seizures since 2020 (American Immigration Council).
Price and seizure volume do not correlate. An analysis plotting crowd-sourced street prices against border seizure volume found no meaningful correlation between the two (Opioid Data Lab).
Consequence. Overdose deaths, treatment admissions, prevalence, and arrest counts appear in this report only as labeled contextual indicators and never as proxies for the amount sold. The conceptual diagram in Figure 2 summarizes the argument.
4. Drug taxonomy
Categories are included only where comparable evidence exists across multiple sources, ordered roughly by current market prominence.
| Category | Definition and notes | Evidence strength |
|---|---|---|
| Methamphetamine (crystal, “ice”) | Predominantly Mexican P2P crystal; leading NFLIS drug in 2025 | Very strong |
| Illicitly manufactured fentanyl (powder) | Illicit synthetic-opioid powder, average roughly 19% purity | Very strong |
| IMF counterfeit pills (“M30”, etc.) | Pressed tablets mimicking oxycodone; average 2.4 mg fentanyl | Very strong |
| Cocaine and crack | Powder hydrochloride and cocaine base; roughly 84% purity | Very strong |
| Cannabis and marijuana | Illicit-market herb and concentrates; THC roughly 16–30% | Strong (legal-market overlap complicates) |
| Heroin | Declining; largely displaced by or mixed with fentanyl | Moderate (declining sample sizes) |
| MDMA | Ecstasy or “molly”; tablets and powder | Moderate |
| Diverted prescription opioids | Oxycodone and hydrocodone; diversion and counterfeits | Moderate |
| Benzodiazepines | Alprazolam and others, including designer and counterfeit | Moderate |
| Prescription and illicit stimulants | Amphetamine and counterfeit tablets, often methamphetamine | Moderate |
| Xylazine and adulterants | Top fentanyl adulterant; medetomidine and BTMPS emerging | Strong |
| Ketamine | Rising NFLIS identifications | Moderate |
| PCP | Regionally concentrated (for example mid-Atlantic) | Weak, regional |
| Synthetic cannabinoids | K2 or Spice; MDMB-4en-PINACA leading in 2025 | Moderate |
| Emerging (nitazenes, carfentanil) | Low prevalence, high potency | Weak, sparse |
TableTable 2. Drug taxonomy and evidence strength. Source: taxonomy of the underlying evidence base, drawing on NFLIS-Drug 2025 and DEA National Drug Threat Assessment reporting.
5. National findings by substance
Forensic identifications · 2025
A synthetic-drug market, by the numbers
NFLIS-Drug reports count substances identified in laboratory submissions — a measure of what enforcement sends to the lab, not what is sold. Methamphetamine and fentanyl now dominate the national profile.
Source: NFLIS-Drug 2025 (DEA). Counts are national substance-report totals; percentages are of the relevant substance category as reported.
5.1Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is the most-identified illicit drug nationally, with 323,404 NFLIS reports in 2025, representing 28.72% of all substance-category identifications (NFLIS-Drug 2025). DEA-analyzed seizures rose to roughly 30.2 metric tons net weight, 22% of all analyzed drug net weight, in calendar year 2024 (DEA CY2024 Cocaine Report). Purity is very high, roughly 97% in the Pacific Northwest, with 99.4% of samples made by the P2P method (WA drug trends 2025; DEA 2024 NDTA). Regional retail prices cluster at $14–$125 per gram, with a Midwest average near $45 per gram (Midwest HIDTA 2025). The most recent national demand-side estimate placed methamphetamine consumption at 171 pure metric tons and roughly $27 billion in expenditure in 2016 (ONDCP/RAND).
5.2Fentanyl: powder and counterfeit pills
Seattle / Northwest HIDTA · retail
The counterfeit pill fell to about a dollar
Source: Seattle City Auditor (2022–2024). Reported per-pill retail prices; ~$1 by 2024.
DEA pill sampling
Pills carrying a potentially lethal dose
Source: DEA 2024 NDTA (2023); Opioid Data Lab (2024). Consistent with declining, more variable pill potency.
Fentanyl is the leading synthetic-opioid threat, with 132,210 NFLIS reports in 2025, or 11.74% of narcotic-analgesic identifications (NFLIS-Drug 2025). DEA seized more than 79 million fentanyl pills and 13,176 kg (29,048 lbs) of powder in 2023 (DEA 2024 NDTA press release); calendar year 2025 DEA totals were 47 million pills and 9,938 lbs of powder (DEA Year of Impact). Border seizures peaked at 27,023 lbs in fiscal year 2023 and have declined since (American Immigration Council). Reported retail prices span roughly $1–$30 per pill and roughly $50–$214 per gram depending on region (Midwest HIDTA 2025; Seattle City Auditor). Peer-reviewed analysis found the purity-adjusted price of illicit fentanyl powder fell more than 50% between 2016 and 2021, roughly 17% per year (Addiction (PMC9543283)). A single pill averaged 2.4 mg of fentanyl in 2022 (DEA 2024 NDTA).
5.3Cocaine and crack
Cocaine is the second-most-identified drug, with 195,317 NFLIS reports in 2025 (NFLIS-Drug 2025). DEA regional laboratories analyzed roughly 97.5 metric tons of cocaine, 71% of all analyzed net weight, in calendar year 2024, with California and Texas representing roughly 59% of seizure weight (DEA CY2024 Cocaine Report). Retail prices cluster at $25–$180 per gram, with a Midwest average near $94 per gram and a Northwest average near $79 per gram (Midwest HIDTA 2025; WA drug trends 2025). The 2016 demand-side estimate was 145 pure metric tons and roughly $24 billion (ONDCP/RAND).
5.4Cannabis
Cannabis is third in NFLIS identifications, with 143,689 reports in 2025 (NFLIS-Drug 2025). DEA reports illicit-market marijuana prices largely stable for years and illicit THC potency averaging roughly 16% in 2022, reaching 25–30% for the most potent product (DEA 2024 NDTA; DEA 2025 NDTA). The 2016 demand-side estimate was roughly $52 billion, comparable to the cocaine and methamphetamine markets combined (ONDCP/RAND). Legalization blurs the illicit and licit boundary, making illicit-cannabis quantities and prices especially unreliable.
5.5Heroin
Heroin has collapsed as fentanyl displaced it, with 27,286 NFLIS reports in 2025, and DEA heroin seizures fell roughly 70% between 2019 and 2023 (NFLIS-Drug 2025; DEA 2024 NDTA). The 2016 demand-side estimate was 47 pure metric tons and roughly $43 billion (ONDCP/RAND).
5.6Xylazine and emerging adulterants
Xylazine is the top fentanyl adulterant, with 18,138 NFLIS reports in 2025, or 1.61% of the tranquilizer and depressant category, with medetomidine (8,980 reports) and BTMPS (8,138) emerging (NFLIS-Drug 2025). Thirty percent of DEA-seized fentanyl powder contained xylazine in 2023, up from 25% in 2022 (DEA 2024 NDTA press release).
5.7MDMA, ketamine, benzodiazepines, diverted opioids, PCP, and synthetic cannabinoids
The 2025 NFLIS counts were: MDMA 7,161; ketamine 6,567; alprazolam 12,373; oxycodone 12,792; hydrocodone 4,875; clonazepam 4,155; delta-8-THC 5,665; and the leading synthetic cannabinoid MDMB-4en-PINACA 4,726 (NFLIS-Drug 2025). As labeled context, DEA estimated that 14.4 million Americans misused prescription drugs in 2023 (DEA 2025 NDTA). PCP evidence is regionally concentrated: Central Maryland reporting lists a retail price of $160–$200 per ounce for liquid PCP in 2025 (Central Maryland pricing). MDMA retail is reported at $1–$3 per dosage unit in Alabama (Alabama GC HIDTA). Synthetic cannabinoids remain moderate-evidence, tracked primarily through identification counts.
ONDCP / RAND · the last defensible estimate
$150 billion — and a decade stale
The only rigorous national market-size framework, What America’s Users Spend on Illegal Drugs, ends in 2016 and its underlying arrestee survey ended in 2013. No comparable estimate exists for any single state; the fentanyl era is essentially unmeasured at the level of consumption and expenditure.
Source: ONDCP/RAND (2019), 2016 expenditure on cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine. Values are the most recent defensible national figures, now roughly a decade old.
6. Geographic patterns
of border-wide fentanyl seizures since 2020 occurred in Arizona & California
Transit geography along trafficking corridors — not in-state consumption.
of national cocaine seizure weight (CY2024) came from California & Texas
Interdiction states accumulate large transit seizures that overstate local markets.
Southwest border interdiction states dominate transit seizures. Arizona and California account for roughly 96% of border-wide fentanyl seizures since 2020, and California and Texas for roughly 59% of cocaine seizure weight, reflecting trafficking geography, not in-state consumption (American Immigration Council; DEA CY2024 Cocaine Report).
The Pacific Northwest and Mountain West are fentanyl-pill markets. Seattle reported sub-$1 pill prices by 2024 (Seattle City Auditor), and the DEA Rocky Mountain division reported 8.7 million fentanyl pills across Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming in 2025 (DEA RMFD 2026).
The Northeast and mid-Atlantic remain powder-fentanyl and “bag” markets. Central Maryland and Pennsylvania reporting reflect this pattern (Central Maryland pricing).
Hawaii is a premium crystal-methamphetamine island market. Elevated historical prices are documented in a baseline DOJ source, discussed with a historical label in Appendix A (DOJ NDIC prices).
The rural Midwest and South are crystal-methamphetamine markets. Regional reporting documents very low per-gram prices (Midwest HIDTA 2025).
6.1Data completeness across the states
Figure 1 · across the fifty states
Every state has enforcement data. None has a market-size estimate.
seizure quantity
aggregate only
price table
secondary price
market-size estimate
FigureFigure 1. Data completeness across the fifty states, by evidence type. Categories are not mutually exclusive. Zero states have a defensible state-level market-size estimate. Method: tabulation of Appendix A entries against the completeness summary of the evidence base.
7. National observational price benchmark table
Prices below are observed and reported market indicators drawn from aggregated law-enforcement sources or clearly labeled crowd-sourced data. They are historical and non-random, not purchasing guidance, and not comparable across jurisdictions, periods, or market levels. Unlike units are not normalized. All nineteen rows from the underlying benchmark file are retained, in native units, and grouped into retail and wholesale blocks. DEA guidance cautions explicitly that laboratory exhibit prices do not imply a street price and that deriving price trends from such data will prove inaccurate (DEA LIMS guidance).
7.1Retail-level observations
| Substance | Form | Unit | Reported range / value | Geography | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fentanyl | powder | per gram | $54-$214 (avg $119) | Midwest HIDTA (IA/IL/KS/MO/NE/ND/SD) | 2024 | Midwest HIDTA 2025 |
| Fentanyl | powder | per ounce | $1,000-$3,000 (avg $1,706) | Midwest HIDTA | 2024 | Midwest HIDTA 2025 |
| Fentanyl | counterfeit pill | per pill | $1-$30 (avg $8) | Midwest HIDTA | 2024 | Midwest HIDTA 2025 |
| Fentanyl | pill | per pill | ~$1 (2024); $2.44 (2023); $4.80 (2022) | Seattle/NW HIDTA (WA) | 2022-2024 | Seattle City Auditor |
| Methamphetamine (crystal) | crystal | per gram | $14-$125 (avg $45) | Midwest HIDTA | 2024 | Midwest HIDTA 2025 |
| Cocaine | powder | per gram | $25-$180 (avg $94) | Midwest HIDTA | 2024 | Midwest HIDTA 2025 |
| Cocaine | powder | per gram | ~$79 (avg) | NW HIDTA (WA) | 2025 | WA drug trends 2025 |
| Marijuana (illicit) | herb | per ounce | $100-$350 | Central Maryland | 2025 | Central Maryland pricing |
| PCP | liquid | per ounce | $160-$200 | Central Maryland | 2025 | Central Maryland pricing |
| MDMA | tablet/DU | per dosage unit | $1-$3 | Alabama (GC HIDTA) | 2025 | Alabama GC HIDTA |
| Fentanyl (crowd-sourced) | powder | per gram | $60-$80 (2024) vs $100-$140 (~2019) | North Carolina (crowd-sourced) | 2024 | Opioid Data Lab (crowd-sourced) |
TableTable 3a. Retail-level observational price benchmarks (11 rows). The Midwest ounce row is labeled retail/mid in the source. The North Carolina row is crowd-sourced and lower reliability.
7.2Wholesale-level observations
| Substance | Form | Unit | Reported range / value | Geography | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fentanyl | powder | per kilogram | $28,000-$35,000 | GA/NC/SC (AC HIDTA) | 2024 | AC HIDTA 2026 |
| Methamphetamine | crystal | per pound | $1,000-$4,000 (avg $2,454) | Midwest HIDTA | 2024 | Midwest HIDTA 2025 |
| Methamphetamine | crystal | per kilogram | $2,500-$5,500 (avg $3,729) | Midwest HIDTA | 2024 | Midwest HIDTA 2025 |
| Methamphetamine | crystal | per kilogram | ~$2,400 (1 kg bag) | Houston TX (DEA) | 2025 | KHOU / DEA Houston |
| Cocaine | powder | per kilogram | $9,500-$35,000 (avg $21,180) | Midwest HIDTA | 2024 | Midwest HIDTA 2025 |
| Heroin | brown | per kilogram | $17,500-$36,000 | GA/NC/SC (AC HIDTA) | 2024 | AC HIDTA 2026 |
| Marijuana (illicit high-grade) | herb | per pound | $800-$2,000 | Central Maryland | 2025 | Central Maryland pricing |
| Fentanyl (IMF, purity-adjusted) | powder | per pure gram | fell >50% 2016-2021 (~17%/yr) | national (Northeast-weighted) | 2016-2021 | Addiction (PMC9543283) |
TableTable 3b. Wholesale-level observational price benchmarks (8 rows). The purity-adjusted fentanyl row describes a trend over 2016–2021, not a single price.
Crowd-sourced caveat. The Opioid Data Lab figures derive from 253 self-reported price reports across 40 states through December 2024 and are labeled by the source as crowd-sourced; they should be treated as directional, lower-reliability indicators (Opioid Data Lab).
Retail rows retained: 11; wholesale rows retained: 8; total: 19 of 19.
7.3Conceptual diagram
Figure 2 · the central argument
Why seizure volume is not sales
Seven mechanisms break the link between the amount seized and the amount sold
FigureFigure 2. Why seizure volume is not equivalent to sales. The three evidence classes are kept distinct and never equated. Method: the seven-mechanism argument of Section 3, drawing on ONDCP/RAND and the Opioid Data Lab.
8. Cross-checks and source conflicts
HIDTA national fentanyl, 2023. The National HIDTA Performance Metrics report lists fentanyl at 8,965 kg and 116,813,823 dosage units for 2023 (National HIDTA Metrics 2024), while an ONDCP announcement cites more than 9,000 kg of fentanyl powder and more than 117 million pills for 2023 (ONDCP 2024 announcement). These are broadly consistent within rounding.
Two versions of the 2024 National HIDTA Performance Metrics differ. A July 2025 posting lists cocaine 167,263 kg, heroin 1,403 kg, marijuana 1,550,062 kg, and total value $17.6 billion (HIDTA Metrics, July 2025); an April 2025 posting lists cocaine 166,772 kg, heroin 1,901 kg, marijuana 477,187 kg, and total value $17.8 billion (HIDTA Metrics, April 2025). Conflict flagged: the marijuana and heroin figures differ substantially, likely reflecting revised or finalized data. Both are cited rather than choosing silently.
National 2024 fentanyl seizure totals vary by agency. One regional assessment, citing DEA, states 3,629 kg of fentanyl powder and nearly 60 million pills nationally in 2024 (Oregon-Idaho HIDTA 2026); another, also citing DEA, states more than 55.5 million pills and nearly 8,000 lbs of powder for 2024 (Maine DMI); DEA’s own calendar year 2025 total is 47 million pills and 9,938 lbs (DEA Year of Impact). These reflect different agencies, periods, and definitions and are not directly comparable.
Arkansas fentanyl seizures, 2024. The 2024 primary state-police release reports 6.9 lbs of fentanyl (Arkansas SP 2024), while a later 2025 comparison release states “up from 69 lbs in 2024” (Arkansas SP 2025). Conflict flagged: the later figure appears inconsistent with the primary release, likely a typographical or rounding discrepancy. The earlier primary release value of 6.9 lbs is treated as the preferred value for 2024.
Fentanyl pill lethality share. Seven in ten pills contained a lethal dose in 2023 per DEA reporting (DEA 2024 NDTA); this fell to five in ten in 2024 (Opioid Data Lab). Consistent with a declining-purity trend.
9. Limitations
No current national market-size estimate. The authoritative demand-side series ends in 2016 and its underlying arrestee survey ended in 2013, leaving the fentanyl era essentially unmeasured at the expenditure and consumption level (ONDCP/RAND).
No credible state-level market-size estimates. None exist in the public record; that appendix field is uniformly “n.a.”
State seizure data are not comparable. Units, periods, market levels, and agency scope differ, and many state figures are single operations or multi-state regional aggregates.
NFLIS state tables lag. Public state tables cover 2007–2022, while 2025 figures are national only (NFLIS-Drug).
Prices are non-random and local. DEA warns explicitly against deriving price trends from laboratory data (DEA LIMS guidance), and academic work shows too few retail observations in most cities to build reliable indices (National Academies).
Cannabis legalization blurs the illicit and licit boundary, making illicit-cannabis quantities and prices especially unreliable.
Crowd-sourced prices are directional only and are labeled as such throughout (Opioid Data Lab).
10. Policy and research implications
Rebuild demand-side measurement. The loss of the arrestee survey and the decade-long lag in the market-size series leave the country without a current estimate; reconstituting an arrestee-based or drug-checking-based demand system would materially improve policy (ONDCP/RAND).
Standardize seizure reporting units across states and HIDTAs, reporting mass, purity-adjusted mass, and dosage units simultaneously to enable cross-jurisdiction comparison.
Expand transparent price and purity surveillance, including community drug-checking programs already detecting BTMPS, xylazine, and nitazenes, as a leading indicator superior to seizures (CT drug trends 2025; WA drug trends 2025).
Treat adulterant tracking as core given the rapid rotation from xylazine to medetomidine to BTMPS (NFLIS-Drug 2025).
Decouple enforcement metrics from market-size claims in public communication, consistent with the evidence in Section 3.
11. Conclusion
The United States illicit retail drug market in 2025 and 2026 is a high-purity, low-price synthetic-drug market dominated by methamphetamine and fentanyl, with cocaine resurgent and heroin nearly extinct. Forensic identifications and seizures are abundant but measure enforcement and laboratory submission, not sales; the only defensible market-size framework is demand-side and is now a decade stale. State-level evidence is real but radically incomparable across units, periods, and market levels. Any rigorous academic treatment must therefore report values in their native form, label contextual indicators as such, and resist the temptation to convert seizures into sales or to normalize unlike prices into false comparisons.
Appendix A. Fifty-state evidence table
Every value below carries a source. “n.a.” denotes not verifiable from the underlying evidence. The market-size column is “n.a.” for every state because no defensible state-level consumption or expenditure estimate exists. Regional figures are labeled “regional, not state-specific.” Operation-specific figures are labeled. Low-quality secondary and crowd-sourced figures are flagged, and prices that are merely derived from an operation’s stated value are reported as n.a. or clearly qualified. States are listed alphabetically; the District of Columbia is not a state and is excluded.
| State | Latest period | Categories & seizure / volume metric (native units) | Observational price evidence | Market size | Data-quality / comparability note & sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2025 | Categories: meth, cocaine (powder/crack), fentanyl, heroin, marijuana, MDMA, spice Meth 309.14 kg; cocaine 371.347 kg (EPIC); marijuana 347.68 kg; fentanyl 33.952 kg + 1,369 DU |
Meth $25-$95/g; cocaine powder $67.50-$90/g; fentanyl $50-$300/g, pill $10-$16; heroin $125-$150/g; marijuana $10-$20/g; MDMA $1-$3/DU (2025) |
n.a. | State DTA per-city price tables; seizures mix traffic-stop + EPIC; retail/wholesale mixed. |
| Alaska | CY2024 | Categories: meth, fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, psilocybin, MDMA Meth 148,316.16 g; fentanyl 93,853.94 g; cocaine 30,818.64 g; heroin 14,875.95 g; total 572,536.90 g |
n.a. | n.a. | SDEU calendar-year totals in grams (switched from DU in 2024); 78.3% in Anchorage; clean state source. |
| Arizona | 2020-2025 | Categories: fentanyl (powder/pills), meth, cocaine, heroin AZ+CA = ~96% of border-wide fentanyl seizures since 2020; AZ ~61% since FY2024; NFLIS 2022 fentanyl 17,653 (3rd) |
n.a. | n.a. | Dominated by border transit/interdiction seizures; reflects trafficking geography, not consumption. |
| Arkansas | CY2024 & CY2025 | Categories: marijuana, meth, cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, THC, psilocybin 2024: marijuana >15,000 lbs; meth 509 lbs; cocaine 254 lbs; fentanyl 6.9 lbs. 2025: meth 1,154 lbs; cocaine 750 lbs; fentanyl 127 lbs; heroin 4.6 lbs |
n.a. | n.a. | State-police interstate-interdiction (highway transit) totals; note 2024 fentanyl conflict (6.9 vs 69 lbs) – see cross-check. |
| California | CY2024 (cocaine); 2020-2025 (fentanyl transit) | Categories: cocaine, fentanyl (counterfeit tablets), meth, heroin CA+TX = ~59% of national cocaine seizure weight (CY2024, ~97.5 MT); CA ~36% of border fentanyl since 2020; NFLIS 2022 fentanyl 13,154 (5th) |
Meth ~$20/g (~$700/lb); fentanyl pill as low as $0.30 in 50,000+ pill lots (LA HIDTA list, 2023, secondary) Downgraded evidence quality: Price list is secondary reporting of a law-enforcement-sensitive list; moderate reliability. |
n.a. | Huge transit seizures; CA IMF largely counterfeit tablets; price list secondary reporting of LE-sensitive list. |
| Colorado | CY2025 (2024 in parens) | Categories: fentanyl (pills), meth, cocaine Fentanyl pills 6,700,000 (2024: 3,800,000); meth 2,202 lbs (1,523); cocaine 140 kg (168); 2023 fentanyl 425.60 kg |
n.a. | n.a. | DEA field-division totals (DEA cases only); pill counts + weight both reported. |
| Connecticut | 2024-2025 | Categories: fentanyl, cocaine/crack, counterfeit pills, meth, xylazine Sept 2025 East Haven pill mill: several hundred thousand counterfeit pills (hundreds of lbs); forensic lab quarter: fentanyl 184 units, cocaine 99, meth 40 |
n.a. | n.a. | Forensic-lab unit counts (not weights); xylazine in 25.9-36.5% of LE seizures; fake pills distinctive. |
| Delaware | 2024-2025 | Categories: fentanyl (powder/bags), xylazine, crack, cocaine, heroin, meth NCCPD 2024 case: 9,263 bags fentanyl, 132.68 g xylazine, 605 g crack; DE conspiracy: >10.5 kg fentanyl, >200 g pure meth, >3.5 kg cocaine, ~3 kg heroin Operation-specific data. |
n.a. | n.a. | No statewide annual total verified; individual cases; ‘bags’ non-standard unit. |
| Florida | 2024-2025 (operations; CFHIDTA quarterly) | Categories: fentanyl (powder/pills), meth (95-98% purity), cocaine, marijuana, MDMA CFHIDTA Q2 2025: fentanyl 20.5 kg + 130,395 pills; meth ~18.3 kg (Q1 ~130 kg); Op Nottingham Nov 2025: 14.6 lbs fentanyl, 58 lbs meth Operation-specific data. |
n.a. | n.a. | FDLE Annual Drug Report is medical-examiner (deaths) – contextual only; quantities are HIDTA/operation-specific. |
| Georgia | 2024-2026 (GBI ops; AC HIDTA regional) | Categories: fentanyl, meth, cocaine, heroin, marijuana GBI Dec 2025 metro-Atlanta: ~8.2 kg fentanyl, >10,000 pills; Op Silent Hand: >70 lbs meth, 4 lbs fentanyl; AC HIDTA (GA/NC/SC) 2024: cocaine 955.5 kg, meth >4,917 kg Operation-specific data. |
GBI street values (2024): fentanyl ~$150/g; meth ~$62.50/g; marijuana ~$5,000/lb; meth kg $2,000-$2,500 (AC HIDTA) |
n.a. | State seizures operation-specific; AC HIDTA figures are 3-state regional aggregates, not GA-only. |
| Hawaii | baseline (NDIC ICE prices) | Categories: methamphetamine (crystal ‘ice’) dominant n.a. |
Historical baseline (not current): ICE (Honolulu): $20,000-$45,000/lb; $2,500-$3,500/oz; $200-$300/g; $300-$600 per 1/8 oz Historical, not current-year prices. |
n.a. | ICE prices from older DOJ/NDIC baseline (not 2025); premium island market; current-year quantity data not verified. |
| Idaho | 2023 (Oregon-Idaho HIDTA task-force counties) | Categories: meth, fentanyl (powder/pills), cocaine, marijuana 2023 (Ada, Bannock, Canyon, Kootenai Cos): meth 143 kg; fentanyl powder 3.4 kg + 221,502 pills; cocaine 3.4 kg; marijuana ~98 kg |
Fentanyl wholesale pill prices lowest in Boise area (declining), qualitative |
n.a. | HIDTA task-force counties only (not statewide); 2023 latest verified with per-substance detail. |
| Illinois | 2024 (Midwest HIDTA regional) | Categories: fentanyl, meth, cocaine, marijuana Midwest HIDTA 7-state regional (2024): fentanyl 624 kg + 424,772 g pills; meth 3,496 kg; cocaine 804 kg (NOT IL-specific) Regional, not state-specific. |
Midwest HIDTA regional (2024): fentanyl $54-$214/g; meth $14-$125/g; cocaine $25-$180/g |
n.a. | Only regional (7-state) figures verified; no IL-only statewide total confirmed. |
| Indiana | 2023 (Indiana HIDTA PMP) | Categories: fentanyl, meth, cocaine IN HIDTA 2023: meth ~656 kg (>6.5M DU); fentanyl ~35 kg (>23.5M DU) |
Fentanyl retail ~$100/g (bulk ~$57/g); wholesale ~$28,000/kg; meth retail ~$50/g, wholesale ~$2,000/lb |
n.a. | HIDTA-initiative PMP totals (not statewide); good price detail; 2023 latest verified. |
| Iowa | 2024 (Midwest HIDTA regional) | Categories: fentanyl, meth, cocaine Part of Midwest HIDTA 7-state regional totals; no IA-only total verified Regional, not state-specific. |
Midwest HIDTA regional (see Illinois) |
n.a. | Regional aggregate only; Midwest HIDTA Iowa Overdose Report notes ~4.2M lethal fentanyl doses over two years (context). |
| Kansas | 2024 (Midwest HIDTA regional) | Categories: fentanyl, meth, cocaine Part of Midwest HIDTA 7-state regional totals; no KS-only total verified Regional, not state-specific. |
Midwest HIDTA regional (see Illinois) |
n.a. | Regional aggregate only; Kansas City metro documented hub. |
| Kentucky | FFY2023 + 2024 operation | Categories: fentanyl (pills+powder), meth, cocaine, heroin FFY2023: 265,170 fentanyl pills + 208.3 lbs fentanyl; 822 lbs meth; >310 lbs cocaine; Op Summer Heat 2024: 554 g fentanyl, 4,862 g meth Operation-specific data. |
n.a. | n.a. | Federal-fiscal-year counterdrug-program-supported seizures (not all state seizures); mixed units. |
| Louisiana | 2024 (operations) | Categories: fentanyl (w/ para-fluorofentanyl), heroin, meth, cocaine Baton Rouge Aug 2024 single seizure: ~181 lbs (84 kg) fentanyl (largest state bust) Operation-specific data. |
n.a. Downgraded evidence quality: Local-media single record seizure; no observed price; not a statewide total. |
n.a. | No statewide annual total verified; single record seizure; LSP publishes operation-level releases only. |
| Maine | 2024 (MDEA tracks grams+DU; NE HIDTA regional) | Categories: fentanyl dominant; heroin near-extinct; cocaine, meth n.a. (MDEA tracks grams + DU via Maine Drug Data Hub; specific 2024 statewide totals not extracted) Regional, not state-specific. |
n.a. | n.a. | Covered by NE HIDTA regional totals (2024: >$55M drugs removed across ME/NH/VT/MA/CT/RI); state-specific quantities not verified. |
| Maryland | 2024 (W/B HIDTA regional) + 2025 prices | Categories: fentanyl, cocaine/crack, meth, heroin, marijuana, PCP W/B HIDTA (MD/VA/WV/DC) 2024: cocaine/crack 584 kg; meth 270 kg; fentanyl 91 kg (632,454 DU); heroin 7 kg; marijuana 2,572 kg |
Central MD (May 2025): fentanyl $60-$80/g, $20,000-$25,000/kg; cocaine $17,000-$40,000/kg; meth $6,000-$6,600/lb; marijuana $100-$350/oz; PCP $160-$200/oz |
n.a. | Seizures are 4-jurisdiction regional aggregates, not MD-only; prices Central-MD-specific with good unit detail. |
| Massachusetts | 2024 (operations; NE HIDTA regional) | Categories: fentanyl, cocaine, meth, oxycodone MSP multi-state DTO Apr 2024: 7,065 g fentanyl, 916 g cocaine, 43 g meth Regional, not state-specific. Operation-specific data. |
n.a. | n.a. | Operation-specific; covered by NE HIDTA regional totals; no MA-only annual total verified. |
| Michigan | CY2024 (EPIC via MSP) | Categories: meth (crystal/pill), heroin/fentanyl Crystal meth 439 kg (2024, up from 250 kg 2023); meth pills >7 kg; clan-lab powder meth only 10 g |
n.a. | n.a. | EPIC-reported meth seizures (statewide); fentanyl quantities not separately extracted; 2024 MI HIDTA DTA not yet released. |
| Minnesota | 2024 (North Central HIDTA regional) | Categories: fentanyl (pills/powder), meth, cocaine North Central HIDTA (MN/ND/SD) 2024: 2.2M fentanyl pills; >125 kg fentanyl powder; >1,700 kg meth; 473 kg cocaine; Dakota County MN ~300,000 M30 pills Regional, not state-specific. |
n.a. | n.a. | Regional (3-state) aggregate; Dakota County figure is MN-specific. |
| Mississippi | 2022-2025 (MBN DTA; cases) | Categories: fentanyl (primary), meth, cocaine, THC MBN THC 2022: 3 lbs + 13,911 DU; clan meth labs near-nonexistent; Jan 2024 single residence: 87 lbs meth, 45 lbs fentanyl, 35 lbs cocaine Operation-specific data. |
n.a. | n.a. | No statewide annual seizure total verified; qualitative threat assessment + case seizures. |
| Missouri | 2024 (Midwest HIDTA regional; county task force) | Categories: meth, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, MDMA Midwest HIDTA 7-state totals; Jackson County DTF 2024: meth 255,614 g; cocaine 7,331 g; heroin 6,115 g; fentanyl 8,650 g; M-30 pills 58,198 |
Midwest HIDTA regional (see Illinois) |
n.a. | County task-force totals available (not statewide); otherwise regional aggregate. |
| Montana | CY2025 (2024 in parens) | Categories: fentanyl (pills), meth, cocaine Fentanyl pills 24,000 (2024: 72,600); meth 168 lbs (123); cocaine 3 kg (8); 2023 fentanyl 17.87 kg |
n.a. | n.a. | DEA field-division totals only. |
| Nebraska | 2024 (Midwest HIDTA regional) | Categories: fentanyl, meth, cocaine Part of Midwest HIDTA 7-state totals; no NE-only total verified Regional, not state-specific. |
Midwest HIDTA regional (see Illinois) |
n.a. | Regional aggregate only; DEA LIMS aggregates ND/NE/SD/WY for privacy. |
| Nevada | 2024-2026 (operations) | Categories: meth, fentanyl (pills), cocaine, marijuana (grows) Feb 2024 LV: >90,000 fentanyl pills + ~13 lbs meth; Mar 2026 LV: >100 lbs meth; ~885 g fentanyl (~$176,000) in one 2025 case Operation-specific data. |
n.a. (implied operation street value only) Downgraded evidence quality: YouTube and local-media operation reports; price is operation-derived, not a directly observed market price. |
n.a. | Operation-specific; no Nevada HIDTA statewide annual table verified. |
| New Hampshire | 2024-2025 (operations; NE HIDTA regional) | Categories: fentanyl, meth, cocaine Granite Shield Nov 2024: 571 g fentanyl, 167 g meth, 62 g cocaine; DTO 2023-2024: ~2.5 kg fentanyl seized (+indicated 20 kg trafficked) Regional, not state-specific. Operation-specific data. |
n.a. | n.a. | Operation-specific; covered by NE HIDTA regional totals; NE HIDTA first fentanyl seizure 2015 = 27 kg (baseline). |
| New Jersey | 2025 (operation) | Categories: fentanyl, cocaine, meth, marijuana Apr 2025 NJ ‘table houses’: 31 kg fentanyl (street value >$5M); NFLIS 2022 fentanyl 19,066 (2nd nationally) Operation-specific data. |
n.a. | n.a. | Operation-specific; NJ 2nd in NFLIS fentanyl 2022. |
| New Mexico | 2024-2025 (statewide operations) | Categories: fentanyl (pills), meth 90-day statewide op: 130 kg narcotics incl. 54 kg fentanyl; Region 6: 38,803 fentanyl pills, 1,274 g fentanyl powder, 56,225 g meth; Isleta Nov 2025: ~37,300 pills Operation-specific data. |
n.a. (implied operation street value only) Downgraded evidence quality: YouTube operation report; price is an operation street-value basis, not a directly observed market price. |
n.a. | Operation-specific; NM SW-border bulk-cash 2023: 59 seizures, $1,634,861 (context). |
| New York | 2025-2026 (operations) | Categories: fentanyl (powder/pills), cocaine, meth OCTF Oct 2025 (Central NY): >23 lbs fentanyl (>$625,000), ~4 lbs cocaine, >12 lbs meth; Queens Jan 2026: >4 kg (10 lbs) fentanyl, >2 kg meth Operation-specific data. |
n.a. | n.a. | Operation-specific; NY IMF largely powder (per PMC literature); no statewide annual total verified. |
| North Carolina | 2024 (AC HIDTA regional; crowd-sourced prices) | Categories: meth, cocaine, fentanyl, heroin AC HIDTA (GA/NC/SC) 2024: cocaine 955.5 kg; meth >4,917 kg; fentanyl 107 kg + 239,751 DU Regional, not state-specific. |
Fentanyl 1 g $60-$80 (2024) vs $100-$140 (~2019); bags $5/bundles $40 [CROWD-SOURCED]; meth kg $8,000-$8,500 in NC/SC Crowd-sourced price series; lower reliability. |
n.a. | Seizures are 3-state AC HIDTA regional aggregates; NC price series is CROWD-SOURCED (label); NC FBI reporting 83%. |
| North Dakota | 2024 (North Central + Midwest HIDTA regional) | Categories: fentanyl, meth, cocaine Part of North Central HIDTA (MN/ND/SD) totals and Midwest HIDTA 7-state totals; no ND-only total verified Regional, not state-specific. |
Midwest HIDTA regional (see Illinois) |
n.a. | Regional aggregate only; DEA LIMS aggregates ND with NE/SD/WY for privacy. |
| Ohio | 2019-2024 (OOCIC cumulative + operations) | Categories: fentanyl, cocaine, meth, marijuana, prescription pills OOCIC since 2019 (cumulative): 1,154 lbs fentanyl; 1,994 lbs cocaine; 288,000+ Rx pills; Aug 2024 single stop: 300 lbs meth, 17.6 lbs cocaine Operation-specific data. Cumulative since 2019, not annual. |
n.a. | n.a. | OOCIC figures cumulative since 2019 (not annual); NFLIS 2022 fentanyl 27,213 (#1 nationally). |
| Oklahoma | 2023-2024 (OBN/OHP) | Categories: meth (primary), fentanyl, cocaine OHP prior year: >13,000 lbs narcotics incl. >1,300 lbs meth + 60 lbs fentanyl; OBN: >51M mg fentanyl; 2023 meth +12.57% |
n.a. Downgraded evidence quality: Narconon secondary blog and local-media citations; non-standard milligram fentanyl metric. |
n.a. | Mixed OHP roadway totals + OBN mg-based fentanyl metric (non-standard unit). |
| Oregon | 2024 (Oregon-Idaho HIDTA regional) | Categories: fentanyl (powder/pills), meth, cocaine, heroin OR+ID 2024: >3,275,000 fentanyl pills + 181 kg fentanyl powder; seizure instances: meth 42%, fentanyl 41%, cocaine 13%, heroin 4% Regional, not state-specific. |
Wholesale fentanyl pill prices lowest in Portland area (declining), qualitative |
n.a. | Regional (OR+ID) aggregate; percentages are seizure-instance shares, not weights. |
| Pennsylvania | 2025 (PA OAG) | Categories: fentanyl (+xylazine), cocaine, meth Through Sept 2025: >100,000 g (220 lbs) fentanyl + >76,000 pills; ~50M fentanyl doses statewide 2025; OAG fentanyl street value >$58M Operation-specific data. |
Fentanyl ~$200/oz; ~$10 per 2 mg dose (Philadelphia) |
n.a. | OAG-office seizures (not all PA); ‘doses’ derived unit; NFLIS 2022 fentanyl 16,794 (4th). |
| Rhode Island | 2024-2025 (RISP/DEA/RIAG) | Categories: fentanyl (pills), cocaine Oct 2025: 141,000 fentanyl pills (RISP+DEA); 16 kilos fentanyl trafficking conviction Regional, not state-specific. Operation-specific data. |
n.a. | n.a. | Operation-specific; covered by NE HIDTA regional totals. |
| South Carolina | 2024 (AC HIDTA regional) + prices | Categories: meth, cocaine, fentanyl, heroin AC HIDTA (GA/NC/SC) 2024: cocaine 955.5 kg (944 kg + ~11 kg crack); meth >4,917 kg; fentanyl 107 kg + 239,751 DU; heroin 58.93 kg |
2024 AC HIDTA: meth $35-$75/g, $2,500-$8,000/kg; fentanyl ~$100/g, pill $1.50-$3.50, $28,000-$35,000/kg; heroin $17,500-$36,000/kg; cocaine $14,000-$18,000/kg |
n.a. | 3-state regional aggregates; SC FBI reporting 100%; best per-unit price detail of AC region. |
| South Dakota | 2024 (North Central + Midwest HIDTA regional) | Categories: fentanyl, meth, cocaine Part of North Central HIDTA (MN/ND/SD) totals and Midwest HIDTA 7-state totals; no SD-only total verified Regional, not state-specific. |
Midwest HIDTA regional (see Illinois) |
n.a. | Regional aggregate only; DEA LIMS aggregates SD with ND/NE/WY for privacy. |
| Tennessee | FY2023-2024 (TBI DID) | Categories: meth, fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana, heroin, Rx, MDMA TBI FY23-24 top 5: marijuana 4,971 lbs; meth 647 kg; fentanyl 337 kg; cocaine 75 kg; Rx 31 kg; detail: 318,027 g meth; 35,665 g fentanyl; 61,860 g powder cocaine |
n.a. | n.a. | Strong state-agency (TBI) fiscal-year totals in mixed units (kg+lbs+DU); among most complete state datasets. |
| Texas | FY2025 (CBP South TX); since 2021 (DPS OLS) | Categories: meth, cocaine, marijuana, heroin, fentanyl CBP South TX FY2025: meth 54,994 lbs; cocaine 12,397 lbs; marijuana 3,453 lbs; heroin ~236 lbs; fentanyl ~196 lbs; DPS OLS since Mar 2021: >793M lethal doses fentanyl |
Crystal meth wholesale ~$2,400/kg (Houston, DEA) Downgraded evidence quality: Border/transit seizures and a derived “lethal doses” unit; reflects trafficking geography, not consumption. |
n.a. | Dominated by border/transit seizures – trafficking geography not consumption; ‘lethal doses’ derived unit; CA+TX ~59% of national cocaine weight. |
| Utah | CY2025 (2024 in parens) | Categories: fentanyl (pills), meth, cocaine Fentanyl pills 2,000,000 (2024: 1,000,000); meth 637 lbs (928); cocaine 79 kg (10); 2023 fentanyl 119.30 kg |
n.a. | n.a. | DEA field-division totals only. |
| Vermont | CY2024 (VDTF + Burlington PD) | Categories: fentanyl, cocaine (crack/powder), heroin (~fentanyl), meth VDTF 2024: 3 kg fentanyl; 7.7 kg cocaine; Burlington PD 2024: crack 1,610.7 g; powder cocaine 1,160.9 g; heroin/fentanyl 1,232.4 g; meth 37.2 g |
n.a. | n.a. | State task force + city figures; cocaine seizures outweigh fentanyl in Burlington (market shift). |
| Virginia | CY2024 (DFS lab + Operation FREE) | Categories: meth, cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, xylazine, marijuana Op FREE (45 days, 2024): >550 lbs illicit fentanyl (nearly 5,000 lbs suspected); >19,000 lbs narcotics total; DFS 2024 top-3: meth (24%), cocaine, fentanyl Operation-specific data. |
n.a. | n.a. | DFS is lab-submission counts (not weights); Op FREE is 45-day operation total; also within W/B HIDTA region. |
| Washington | 2024-2025 (NW HIDTA) | Categories: fentanyl (pills/powder), meth, cocaine, heroin NW HIDTA (WA/OR) 2024: 7,711 kg total; fentanyl 512 kg + 3,353,217 pills + 177 kg powder; meth 1,251 kg; heroin 51 kg; cocaine 281 kg |
Fentanyl <$1/tablet (Seattle 2024; $4.80 in 2022); meth $5.88/g (2023, from $8.48 in 2022); cocaine ~$79/g (2025) |
n.a. | NW HIDTA totals span WA+OR; meth purity ~97% Pacific NW; strong Seattle price time-series. |
| West Virginia | 2024 (W/B HIDTA regional) | Categories: fentanyl, cocaine, meth, heroin Within W/B HIDTA (MD/VA/WV/DC) 2024 regional totals; no WV-only total verified; WV = 12% of W/B HIDTA region Regional, not state-specific. |
n.a. | n.a. | Only as part of 4-jurisdiction W/B HIDTA aggregate. |
| Wisconsin | 2023-2024 (WI DOJ crime lab; DEA WI) | Categories: fentanyl (primary), meth, cocaine, heroin Meth seizure weight 3,500 g (2022) -> 8,790 g (2023) -> >21,000 g (2024, skewed by one large seizure); WSCL 2023: meth 1,610 samples; fentanyl/analog 989 samples |
n.a. | n.a. | Crime-lab sample counts + partial weight series; fentanyl leading threat per DEA WI report. |
| Wyoming | CY2025 (2024 in parens) | Categories: fentanyl (pills), meth, cocaine Fentanyl pills 5,000 (2024: 1,375); meth 40 lbs (53); cocaine 7 kg (18); 2023 fentanyl 4.58 kg |
n.a. | n.a. | DEA field-division totals only; smallest RMFD volumes; DEA LIMS aggregates WY with ND/NE/SD. |
TableTable A1. Fifty-state evidence table. Market-size estimates are uniformly not available. Source citations are embedded per cell.
Appendix B. Source and data dictionary
| Dataset | Publisher | Reporting year | Resolution | Metric, strengths, and limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) | DEA | 2025 (also 2024) | National | Narrative + national seizures/purity. Strengths: Authoritative federal synthesis; purity data. Limitations: Few explicit prices; national only. Link |
| NFLIS-Drug | DEA | 2025 (national); 2007-2022 (state) | National + state | Forensic substance identifications. Strengths: Large, consistent, substance-level. Limitations: Measures lab submissions not sales; state tables lag. Link |
| DEA LIMS (ex-STRIDE/STARLIMS) | DEA | 2010-2022 | 50 states + DC | Exhibit drug type, weight/purity/price bins. Strengths: State resolution; long series. Limitations: Binned; price != street price; ND/NE/SD/WY aggregated. Link |
| What America’s Users Spend on Illegal Drugs | ONDCP / RAND | 2006-2016 | National | Expenditure, consumption, chronic users. Strengths: Only defensible market-size estimate. Limitations: Ends 2016; ADAM ended 2013; national only. Link |
| National HIDTA Performance Metrics | HIDTA Directors / ONDCP | 2022-2024 | HIDTA program-wide | Seizure weights + DU. Strengths: Multi-agency; annual. Limitations: Program-scope not all seizures; two 2024 versions conflict. Link |
| Midwest HIDTA Threat Assessment | Midwest HIDTA | 2025 (2024 data) | IA/IL/KS/MO/NE/ND/SD | Seizures + price tables. Strengths: Best public price tables. Limitations: Regional aggregate not state-specific. Link |
| Appalachia Carolina HIDTA Threat Assessment | AC HIDTA | 2026 (2024 data) | GA/NC/SC | Seizures + price tables. Strengths: Per-unit price detail. Limitations: 3-state regional aggregate. Link |
| State police / bureau of narcotics reports | State agencies | 2024-2025 | State | Seizure weights/pills. Strengths: State-level; official. Limitations: Incompatible units/periods; often operation-specific. Link |
| State forensic-lab reports | State labs (VA DFS, WI DOJ, CT) | 2023-2024 | State | Lab submission counts. Strengths: Substance composition. Limitations: Counts != quantities sold. Link |
| CBP seizure data | CBP (+ American Immigration Council) | FY2023-FY2025 | Border/national | Seizure weights. Strengths: Interdiction trend. Limitations: Transit not consumption; border-concentrated. Link |
| Peer-reviewed price/purity analyses | Academic (Addiction; Nat’l Academies) | 2001-2022 | National/city | Purity-adjusted price. Strengths: Rigorous methods. Limitations: Sparse retail obs; historical. Link |
| Opioid Data Lab | Academic (crowd-sourced) | through Dec 2024 | 40 states | Crowd-sourced street price. Strengths: Real-time signal. Limitations: Crowd-sourced; low reliability. Link |
| USSC Sourcebook (context) | U.S. Sentencing Commission | FY2024 | National | Federal drug sentencings. Strengths: Federal caseload composition. Limitations: Sentencing != market size. Link |
TableTable B1. Source and data dictionary. All entries from the underlying dictionary are included.
References
References are formatted in APA style with clickable URLs. Access date for all sources is July 12, 2026. Retrieval dates are given for continuously updated online databases.
Addiction Center of Excellence, South Carolina. (2026). Appalachia Carolina HIDTA 2026 threat assessment (2024 data) [PDF]. https://addictioncenterofexcellence.sc.gov/sites/daodas/files/users/user266/HIDTA%202026%20Threat%20Assessment%20-%20Final.pdf
Alabama Department of Public Health. (2025). Gulf Coast HIDTA drug threat assessment 2027 [PDF]. https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/pharmacy/assets/drugthreatassessment_2027.pdf
Alaska Department of Public Safety. (2024). 2024 annual drug report [PDF]. https://dps.alaska.gov/getmedia/b8e3a715-fbf7-4b2a-9629-7252246bf184/2024-Annual-Drug-Report.pdf
American Immigration Council. (2025). Fentanyl smuggling fact sheet. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/fentanyl-smuggling/
Arkansas State Police. (2024). ASP seized over 15,000 pounds of illegal marijuana and $3.3 million in cash in 2024 [Press release]. https://dps.arkansas.gov/news/asp-seized-over-15000-pounds-illegal-marijuana-3-3-million-cash-in-2024/
Arkansas State Police. (2025). ASP leads Gulf Coast region in highway drug seizures [Press release]. https://dps.arkansas.gov/news/asp-leads-gulf-coast-region-in-highway-drug-seizures/
Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. (2025). Connecticut drug trends (OSAC), January 14, 2025 [PDF]. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/dmhas/publications/osac/ct-drug-trends-osac-jan-14-2025.pdf
Drug Enforcement Administration, Rocky Mountain Field Division. (2026, January 14). DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division seizes record fentanyl pills [Press release]. https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2026/01/14/dea-rocky-mountain-field-division-seizes-record-fentanyl-pills-and
Drug Enforcement Administration. (2024, January). Street report, January 2024 [PDF]. https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2024-01/Street%20Report%20-%20Jan%202024%20-%20FINAL.pdf
Drug Enforcement Administration. (2024, May 9). DEA releases 2024 national drug threat assessment [Press release]. https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2024/05/09/dea-releases-2024-national-drug-threat-assessment
Drug Enforcement Administration. (2024). 2024 national drug threat assessment [PDF]. https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/508_5.23.2024%20NDTA-updated.pdf
Drug Enforcement Administration. (2025, May 15). DEA releases 2025 national drug threat assessment [Press release]. https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2025/05/15/dea-releases-2025-national-drug-threat-assessment
Drug Enforcement Administration. (2025). 2025 national drug threat assessment. https://www.dea.gov/documents/2025/2025-05/2025-05-13/national-drug-threat-assessment
Drug Enforcement Administration. (2025). CY2024 annual cocaine report (PRB-2025-42) [PDF]. https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2025-09/CY2024%20Annual%20Cocaine%20Report%20PRB-2025-42%20Final.pdf
Drug Enforcement Administration. (2026, February 3). A year of impact: DEA recognizes its success combatting drug cartels [Press release]. https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2026/02/03/year-impact-dea-recognizes-its-success-combatting-drug-cartels-and-saving
Drug Enforcement Administration. (n.d.). DEA Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) data. Retrieved July 12, 2026. https://www.dea.gov/dea-laboratory-information-management-system-lims-data
Federal Drug and Law Enforcement (Florida). (2024). FDLE 2024 annual drug report (medical examiner) [PDF]. http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/getContentAsset/e40836c6-de78-4b77-9dd5-ec3e6ad5ed2d/73aabf56-e6e5-4330-95a3-5f2a270a1d2b/2024-Annual-Drug-Report-FINAL.pdf?language=en
HIDTA Directors Association. (2025, April). National HIDTA performance metrics 2024 (April posting) [PDF]. https://hidtadirectors.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/National-HIDTA-Performance-Metrics-2024.pdf
HIDTA Directors Association. (2025, July). National HIDTA performance metrics 2024 (July posting) [PDF]. https://hidtadirectors.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/National-HIDTA-Performance-Metrics-2024.pdf
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