One pound of cocaine is equal to 16 ounces of cocaine. 1 ounce is equal to 28.34 grams. A popular unit of cocaine that is sold on the black market is the “8 ball,” or “Eighth”. This term represents the amount of cocaine sold for the unit, which is 1/8th of an ounce. In terms of grams, an 8 ball of cocaine has 3.5 grams of cocaine. A quantity of cocaine or crystal that weighs an eighth of an ounce, hence an 'eight ball', which is equivalent to 3.5 grams. Today, that price has settled at the $100-dollar mark for 1 gram of crack. Prices tend to be lower in the southern hemisphere, mostly driven by low incomes, poor enforcement and high availability of the substance. In countries like Venezuela and Panama, for example, crack prices per gram can drop as low as $1. Recall, 50 grams of crack is just under 2 ounces (56 grams would be 2 ounces). However, 5000 grams of powder cocaine is approximately 179 ounces. If cut for resale, that 5000 grams of powder cocaine could easily become 10,000 grams; or about 360 ounces. That is major supplier weight.
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 | $500ï'$800 | $900ï'$1,100 |
| Kilogram | $18,000ï'$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
How Many Grams In A Eighth Of Crackers
Weight Northern New Jersey Southern New Jersey
Powdered Cocaine
How Many Eighths Make An Ounce
Kilogram Pound Ounce Eight Ball (1/8 ounce) Gram Bag
Crack Cocaine
Kilogram Pound Ounce Eight Ball (1/8 ounce) Gram Bag
| 22,000-30,000 | 27,000-30,000 |
| 7,000-20,000 | 9,000-15,000 |
| 900-1,220 | 850-1,200 |
| 80-200 | 100-300 |
| 27-75 | 36-120 |
| 5-30 | 10-60 |
| 18,000-35,000 | 18,000-30,000 |
| 10,000-20,000 | 10,000-15,000 |
| 600-1,800 | 800-1,200 |
| 100-250 | 100-240 |
| 16-45 | 27-40 |
| 5-50 | 5-20 |
