8 Ball Of Crack Profit

With data on petty drug dealers, the economist Steven Levitt has taught us that there is an abundant supply of people willing to work in the drug.

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 2dQuarter 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

Various Weights of Cocaine

COCAINE WEIGHTS

1 gram = .03 ounces
3.5 grams = 1/8 of an ounce 'Eight Ball'
7 grams = Quarter ounce (two eight balls)
14 grams = Half ounce
21 grams = Third of an ounce
28.3 grams = Ounce 'an O'
62 grams = 2.18 ounces 'Sixty Two'
125 grams = 4.40 ounces 'Big Eight' (Eighth of a kilo)
250 grams = 8.81 ounces 'Quarter Kilogram'
500 grams = 17.63 ounces 'Half Kilo'
750 grams = 26.45 ounces 'Three quarters of a kilo'
1000 grams = 35.27 ounces 'One Kilo'

* * * A kilogram of cocaine is often referred to as being 2.2 pounds of cocaine. This is somewhat misleading. Although a kilo does weigh out to be about 2.2 pounds. This doesn't mean that it weighs two pounds and two ounces. A kilo actually weighs 2 pounds and about 3.27 ounces (35.27 ounces).

The standard package weight of cocaine is one kilogram and then is later broken into smaller weights for sale and consumption. Sometimes large seizures of cocaine take place, where a ton or several tons of cocaine are seized. This is especially common when a seizure takes place at sea by the military such as the Coast Guard. Cocaine will usually be packed into large sacks where many individual kilograms are inside. A metric ton of cocaine weighs 1,000 kilograms, a short ton contains 907 kilos and a long ton has 1016 kgs.

A 'Short Ton' is the equivalent of 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms).

Weights when selling Cocaine

Almost the entire world uses the International System of Units, commonly known as the'Metric System'. However, the USA (United States of America) does not use this system. Instead of Kilograms, people in the U.S.A. use pounds. Instead of grams, they use ounces. This leads to an interesting mixture of the metric system in terms of drug dealing.

Most lower level drug dealers and users do not know that a kilogram has 1,000 grams in it. In fact, many law enforcement officials don't know this either but most everybody has at least some familiarity with the term 'Kilo'.

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Typically, a lower level drug dealer in the United States will deal in ounce level quantities of cocaine. At this lower level, the amount purchased and sold will deal with the term 'ounce'. However, once a dealer starts dealing in more than about 8 ounces, the dealer will now converse in metric system language. Not all, but most will start purchasing quantities that are referred to their metric system weights. This level would equate to be about 250 grams (8.81 ounces). From this level on up, the terms quarter kilo, half kilo, whole kilo, etc; are commonly spoken.

Since a kilogram of cocaine is an exact 1,000 grams it actually makes more sense for a drug dealer to use the metric system. The math in order to determine profit margins are more easily understood when using the metric system. For example, if a person purchases one kilogram (1,000 grams) for $26,000 then the price per gram is $26. If this person turns around sells a quantity of cocaine at $40 per gram then the dealer is making $14 in profit per gram. If the dealer continues to sell in terms of price per gram, then after the entire kilogram is sold then this person would have a profit of $14,000. This is easy math when you really think about it. Multiply $14 (profit per gram) x 1,000 grams and this equals $14,000 total profit.

Now lets say that the person that purchased the cocaine for $40 per gram and got a total of only 30 grams. This person then resold at a price of $50 per gram. This person would be making a profit of $10 per gram on his/her sales. This person would net a net profit of 10 (profit in each gram) multiplied by 30 grams and thus would make a total profit of $300 after his 30 grams were all sold.

If you do this type of math in the non-metric system such as ounces then your ability to determine profit is going to be harder because you are actually going to have to convert ounces to grams or vice versa. If everything were done in the metric system then things would be much simpler.