For several years, law enforcement has combated narcotics trafficking throughout Southeast Missouri, and they have seen the primary substances change. Now, more dangerous drugs have raised the stakes for officers identifying them in the field.
“Fentanyl is extremely dangerous,” an officer with the SEMO Drug Task Force explained. “If you come into contact with it, it can absorb into your skin. If it’s airborne, you can breathe it in and it can cause damage. It’s nothing to mess with.”
The officer, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons, explained the task force has come into contact with various mixtures of drugs in recent years — a common combination being heroin with fentanyl. A helpful tool is a machine that identifies the substances without needless exposure. The Thermo Scientific TruNarc drug analyzer can be transported and used in the field at search warrants, vehicle stops, and other investigations. Officers can use positive results to request formal charges on a suspect instead of waiting several months to receive results from a crime lab. The task force has had the machine for almost one year.
“Our preferred method would be to secure the drugs and take them to a safe location where we can reduce the exposure even more,” he explained. “Ideally, we wouldn’t use it in the field unless it was absolutely necessary.”
__An evolving problem__
The hazard of coming into direct contact with fentanyl has forced officers to be even more cautious.
“Here in Southeast Missouri, we’re seeing an influx of counterfeit prescription pills, and most of them have fentanyl in them,” he noted. “Some of the counterfeit pills have meth in them, but fentanyl is what we’re seeing the most.
“We have also seen an increase with ‘molly’ or ‘ecstasy’ tablets containing 3%-5% fentanyl. So, just about every drug nowadays, to include marijuana from street dealers, are containing fentanyl.”
Officers are also finding xylazine added to fentanyl and other drugs. Xylazine is a horse tranquilizer and is not approved for human use. It is a muscle relaxer and analgesic, but is not an opiate.
“What that means is that if someone overdoses on heroin or fentanyl that is mixed with xylazine, and we administer Narcan, the Narcan will counteract the opiates in their system but the individual will still be under the effects of the xylazine,” the officer remarked. “It makes things even more dangerous in that kind of a situation.”
The officer noted substance abuse will not away anytime soon, and emphasized caution if a loved one starts showing signs of new or deepening addiction.
“You will notice some tell-tale signs,” he said. “Their personal hygiene will start to lapse, they’ll get more irritable, they’ll become more lethargic. Many of them will also start to exhibit riskier behavior and start committing small crimes in order to get money to support their habit.”
Likewise, a person encountering any substance believed to contain fentanyl should immediately contact law enforcement.
“Don’t come into contact with it if you don’t need to,” he said. “It’s too dangerous to mess with. Just contact the authorities and let us deal with it.”
In addition to fentanyl and xylazine, law enforcement has started finding new mixtures with carfentanil, a synthetic opioid several times stronger than fentanyl.
“I believe that a dose as small as a microgram of carfentanil can kill someone,” the officer explained. “It’s extremely dangerous, and I hate the fact that we’re starting to see more of it in the drugs that we test. It’s scary.”
__Community-wide solution__
More than anything, he wants to see people struggling with addiction receive the help they need.
“I do honestly believe it’s an illness,” he stated. “Society seems to look down on these people because of their addiction; but everyone needs to remember that each addict is someone’s son or daughter. They’re mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. They’re people like you and me and they’re dealing with issues that probably go well beyond just the addiction.
“I wish there were more programs and more help for those individuals here in Poplar Bluff. We need more resources here on multiple levels: education, vocation training, transportation. If we don’t have all the necessary resources, how can we really expect things to get better?”
The officer said he anticipates an increase in drug trafficking by the time the I-57 project is complete.
“Undoubtedly, we get a lot of bad stuff coming through the current highway system,” he remarked. “But having the interstate as a link between so many large urban areas, I expect we’re going to see more of what we already have. It’s a community issue, and I hope things can change enough to where the community can help those who suffer with addiction more than they already are.”