28 weapons seized, targets charged with involuntary
manslaughter and drug trafficking
JUNE 10 - (St. Louis) – DEA St. Louis and federal, state,
and local counterparts today announced 51 drug and weapons arrests aimed at the
most violent heroin traffickers and criminal organizations in the St. Louis
region. The 10-month effort was the first significant action of the St. Louis
Heroin Initiative, a collection of various agencies working closely to
coordinate and attack the heroin epidemic at multiple levels.
"Heroin has become an epidemic in the St. Louis metro
area and DEA is attacking the criminals who prey on the weak and addicted with
their violent drug trafficking," said DEA St. Louis Special Agent
in-Charge James P. Shroba. "When it comes to heroin traffickers in St.
Louis, there is rarely if ever such a thing as a non-violent drug offender.
Deadly weapons have become common with today's heroin trafficker, as we have
seen with these arrests and seizures, and the heroin-related violence in many
parts of the St. Louis metro area. As with other parts of the country, the
heroin epidemic must be addressed on multiple fronts. The role of DEA and our
partners is to continue to attack the most violent and significant drug
trafficking networks, street gangs, and individuals. With the success of this
ongoing initiative, we hope to add many more partners to this critical heroin
initiative to include not just law enforcement, but educators, treatment
providers, health departments and other local entities."
This 50-plus arrest operation culminated with warrants
executed yesterday and today throughout the region. Seizures included 28
weapons and over 34,000 dosage units of heroin. In addition to possession and
trafficking charges, targets were also charged with various weapons violations
and several were charged with involuntary manslaughter as a result of heroin
overdose deaths. Seized weapons included 12 gauge shotguns, 9mm glocks, and
Colt .40 guns.
According to the St. Charles County Medical Examiner, 30
individuals died in heroin-related overdoses last year in the county and 172
have died since 2005. Heroin overdose deaths are regularly reported throughout
the St. Louis region. >
Heroin use and availability are on the rise across the
country and causing more overdose deaths than at any time in the last
decade. Although fewer people presently
use heroin than other illicit drugs, the heroin user population is growing at a
faster rate than any other drug of abuse, almost doubling between 2007 and
2013-from 161,000 to 289,000-according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA). According to the Centers for Disease Control,
deaths involving heroin more than tripled between 2007 (2,402) and 2013
(8,260).
According to National Seizure System data, from 2010 through
2014, heroin seizures in the U.S. rose 81 percent, from 2,763 kilograms to
5,014 kilograms. During that same period, the average size of a heroin seizure
more than doubled, from 0.86 kilograms to 1.74 kilograms. The higher demand for
heroin is partly driven by an increase in controlled prescription drug (CPD)
abuse over the past decade.
Many prescription drug users became addicted to opioid
medications originally prescribed for a legitimate medical purpose. A recent SAMHSA study found that four out of
five recent new heroin users had previously abused prescription pain
relievers. The reasons an individual
shifts from one opiate to another vary, but today's heroin is higher in purity,
less expensive, and often easier to obtain than illegal prescription
drugs. Higher purity allows heroin to be
smoked or snorted, thereby avoiding the stigmas associated with injection.
Heroin users today tend to be younger, more affluent, and more ethnically and
geographically diverse than ever before, creating even more challenges for law
enforcement, treatment professionals, and educators.
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