By Sylvia Longmire
Contributor, In Homeland Security
Heroin overdoses are nothing new in the U.S. Midwest and Northeast. If anything, law enforcement and public health agencies in those regions are becoming even more familiar with the black tar variety of heroin that has become so pervasive in certain parts of the country.
However, a recent cluster of more than 200 overdoses across four states in just one week has stunned community officials and residents. What is even more disturbing is the fact that no one knows for sure where this particular brand of heroin came from.
Number of Overdoses Soars
According to a USA Today report, in a two-day period, 29 people overdosed in Camden, N.J. on free samples of heroin marketed with a Batman stamp; 13 people overdosed Tuesday in Jennings County, about 60 miles north of Louisville, Ky.; and 12 people overdosed Wednesday in Montgomery County, about 100 miles east of Louisville, Ky. A similar cluster of overdoses occurred on August 15 in Huntington, W.Va., where 27 people overdosed within five hours.
Black Tar Heroin
While heroin has been used and abused in the U.S. for decades, historically it’s one of the more rarely used drugs on the street. Most of the heroin that comes into the country arrives from Afghanistan or the Middle East in white powder form.
However, Mexican cartels have taken advantage of this growing market by introducing the black tar version, which is easier to make and more pure than the white powder form. The main difference between the black tar and white powder versions is that black tar heroin can be heated and smoked rather than injected. This makes the drug more palatable to users trying to avoid the stigma of needles or visible “track marks” on their arms.
The increased use of black tar heroin has reached crisis proportions in many U.S. Midwest and Northeast communities, primarily because the people who are overdosing in higher numbers include Caucasian teenagers and young adults from middle- and upper-middle-class communities – not the stereotypical heroin users.
The ultimate cause of this crisis stems from the abuse of prescription opiates like OxyContin, and the epicenter leads to the state of Ohio. Mexican drug traffickers even developed a novel method of local distribution to increase sales and reduce the risk of arrest.
Carfentanil: Traffickers Lace Drugs With Elephant Sedative
It would be easy to assume the same traffickers are responsible for the recent rise in overdoses. However, the heroin involved in these incidents is laced with a chemical called carfentanil, an opiate painkiller used on large animals.
Law enforcement agencies have seen heroin laced with a related chemical called fentanyl, which is a supercharged opiate that gets users addicted more quickly and is also more likely to result in an overdose. However, the introduction of carfentanil into the heroin market in these communities has confused many.
Sam Quiñones, journalist and author of the book Dreamland that details the history and progression of opiate addiction in America, laid out the Mexican system being used to distribute black tar heroin in these regions. However, he made it very clear in a quick exchange via social media that Mexican traffickers like to keep their customers alive so they can buy more drugs. Selling black tar heroin laced with carfentanil did not fit the profile for the Mexican traffickers he had become so familiar with.
The USA Today report indicated that the DEA has been on alert for carfentanil since its appearance in U.S. and at the Canadian border, and that it’s almost definitely coming from overseas. The drug sometimes is manufactured in China, delivered to Mexico, shipped to Canada and then to the United States. DEA authorities have heard some reports of carfentanil shipments going directly to Canada and being intercepted by Mexican drug organizations. Now, the investigation continues into exactly which Mexican cartels are paying less attention to the longevity of U.S. drug users.