Methamphetamine – Culture Of Conspiracy
This is the second in a series of articles, to read part 1, Read More…
Risk Of Addiction
In the line of duty undercover officers are often required to use the same drugs they are attempting to stop. Unfortunately methamphetamine is a very addictive drug and can cause addiction in one use. Officers who were never tempted by any other drug suddenly fall prey to the addictive nature of methamphetamine.
While there are no official numbers on the rate of drug addiction among undercover law enforcement officers, the results are nearly always dangerous.
One agent was discovered and given a substance which caused him to have a massive stroke. This agent had been working undercover and had been trained by the DEA in diversion tactics which included how to simulate drug use. While this type of simulation is DEA policy often agents must actually use the drug in order to win the trust of the dealer or manufacturer in question. Methamphetamine is so addictive that even one use can cause dependence on the drug. In the dark murky world of methamphetamine it easily becomes out of control and law enforcement agents find themselves needing to take the drug in order to catch the criminals.
The situation grew worse and the cat and mouse game turned into open war, with members of the criminal conspiracy turning on each other and making deals with law enforcement in order to avoid lengthy jail sentences.
The End Of The Road
One incident between law enforcement and the “cartel” ended after a five hour standoff resulted in the arrest of one of the leaders. The standoff became public knowledge and was covered in all the regional papers. With growing fear among local residents the drug ring was disbanded overnight with hundreds of arrests and prosecutions dismantling the 20 year old network and bringing the local manufacture of meth to a grinding halt.
The months following the arrests a void developed, with no way to get the drug many users switched to a new and even more deadly drug “oxycontin”. Others quit drugs altogether and began the long road to recovery. The agent who suffered the stroke was one of them. Still a demand existed that could no longer be met by local manufacturing and slowly new sources were found.
In the course of 4 years the situation changed radically, instead of a few manufacturers and distributers of the drug, meth use exploded once again. This time however the source was methamphetamine shipped into the United States from Mexico. The Mexican drug cartels began to take hold and as the migrant population exploded and turned into permanent residents the drugs kept coming.
Entire neighborhoods became places where law enforcement would not dare to enter. Containment became the strategy. The overwhelming wave of cheap Mexican methamphetamine washed over the county with a ferocious roar. Officials gave up on diversion plans and undercover buys, they were simply too dangerous and did nothing to stem the tide.
As soon as one supplier was taken down another one would pop up in his place. The only requirements for buying meth on the street became money and the ability to speak Spanish.
This is the second in a series of articles by Narconon drug rehab center.
