Crystal methamphetamine and heroin, both smuggled into Oregon by Mexican cartels, are widely available, increasingly used and continue to dominate as the most significant drug threats facing the state, according to a new report.

Mexican traffickers have expanded production and exploited new strategies for bringing methamphetamine into the United States,

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The federally funded organization helps manage resources to fight drug trafficking in 11 Oregon counties, two Idaho counties on the border and the Warm Springs Indian Reservation.

The organization’s latest analysis offers a grim prognosis: Illicit drug use is likely to rise, while enterprising cartels continue to meet demand.

Police officers statewide ranked methamphetamine as the “greatest drug threat” to their communities, with the majority noting that it’s a significant factor in violent crimes and property crimes.

“Methamphetamine-related crime, such as abused and neglected children, identity theft, and other serious person and property crimes, continues to occur at a palpable rate and is prevalent throughout the region,” the report states.

By far, meth made up the largest proportion of drug arrests in the state in 2016, with 15,308 arrests, trailed by 4,990 for heroin. The arrest rates for meth-related crimes more than doubled between 2009 and 2016; during that same period, the arrest rate for heroin nearly tripled.

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office says investigators seized 90 to 100 pounds of meth among other drugs from two homes in Portland and Gresham on Feb. 22, 2017, in connection with a drug investigation.

Meth also outpaces other drugs when it comes to deaths, with 202 in 2015, the latest date available. Fatalities linked to meth are at their highest since 2001, the report notes. Deaths from meth use aren’t typically overdoses; most are reactions to the drug, such as heart attacks and strokes.

Overall, illicit drug use contributed to 287 deaths in 2015, with 103 in Multnomah County alone. Most meth sold in Oregon is imported from Mexico, with a smaller portion coming from California and southwestern states.

The drug is increasingly smuggled into the country in powder form or suspended in liquid that is reconstituted into crystal meth at labs in California and a handful of other states, including Oregon.

Raw components are easier to transport and conceal, authorities say. In 2015, for example, Oregon State Police discovered 64 pounds of meth suspended in liquid and concealed in tequila bottles during a traffic stop outside of Sutherlin.

Heroin, too, is a growing threat in Oregon, with dramatic increases in use and access. The report says heroin use and availability have “reached a critical level,” a trend that experts say is driven by low price and purity.

Though heroin has long been a problem in Portland, the drug has spread to smaller cities and towns and rural Oregon as well. The demographics have shifted toward younger people, many who resort to heroin after becoming addicted to prescription painkillers.

On marijuana, the report’s findings echo familiar trends: Though arrests for marijuana-related offenses have dropped since voters legalized the drug, Oregon remains a top source for black market cannabis.

-- Noelle Crombie

503-276-7184; @noellecrombie