Police talk tough anti-drug messages

Significant Seizures:

MENDHAM —- Wicked. Red Bull. Homer Simpson. Smiley Faces. Hearts.

They’re not the latest cartoon characters but something much more sinister. They are the symbols, names and pictures on heroin packets and Ecstasy pills, police Sgt. Steven Crawford told parents at a teen drug awareness seminar on Wednesday, Sept. 22 at Mendham High School.

More than 200 parents attended the seminar, which took place before parents visited teachers on “Back To School” night. Mendham Township and Chester Borough police and the Mendham-Chester Drug Alliances sponsored the program.

Another seminar was offered on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at the Black River Middle School in Chester, and a third is planned in Mendham during the last week in October, Crawford said.

“Red Bull” and “Wicked,” are the names signifying the dealer on heroin packets. A picture of Homer Simpson, smiley faces and hearts can be found stamped on Ecstasy pills, Crawford said.

Ecstasy, like heroin, can be cut with other drugs and vary in potency, police said. Both drugs can cause serious neurological problems.

Crawford said drug busts in the township over the last 14 months have netted seizures of marijuana, heroin, Ecstasy, cocaine, inhalants, PCP, DXM, hallucinogenic mushrooms and other drugs.

Police said they are particularly concerned over the expansion of heroin use. He flashed pictures of “decks,” creased, three-inch by three-inch packets of waxed paper that are used to package heroin. .

“Heroin is highly addictive, highly available and very pure —upwards of 80 percent pure,” said Crawford. “It is linked to deaths and hospitalization. The end result can lead to death, as we have seen in Randolph Township, Bernardsville, Morristown, Far Hills, and Chester Township. Our goal is to control this abuse before a tragedy. “

Crawford said an estimated 90 percent of heroin users also smoke marijuana while coming down from heroin.

“Drugs are not discriminatory in nature, they attack everyone. They attack public as well as private schools, the rich and the poor,” said Crawford. “The purpose of this program is to inform parents of the types of drugs that we are seeing in the community and stress that drug use is rising in all communities.”

Crawford said it is a 44-minute drive from Mendham to drug dealers in Newark.

“Students can go on their lunch break and come back to school. This shows the accessibility and how close we are to it,” Crawford said.

In a slide series, Crawford flashed pictures of several drug busts. In one seizure, a 14-year-old on the west side of town was picked with a large amount of cocaine, said Crawford.

“We had a dealer from Somerset County that we arrested with a stash of drugs. He told us he came to Mendham because it was a rich community. He told us he’d be back,” said Crawford.

On Sunday, Sept. 4, Crawford said he stopped a vehicle occupied by three students from Mendham High School on Woodland Road in the Brookside section of Mendham Township for a traffic violation. The 17-year-old driver was subsequently charged with possession of heroin, illegal prescription drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Crawford said police also seized marijuana, eight Skoxion painkiller pills wrapped in aluminum foil and two packs of heroin wrapped in waxed paper.

The female passenger, 16, and the male driver allegedly were observed on videotape removing the drugs from their front pockets and hiding them under the vehicle, Crawford said.

“The driver tried to put the drugs under the bumper,” said Crawford. “The female passenger, in the front, tried to put it in the exhaust pipe while the police officer was talking to the teenager in the back seat. That student had only come along for a ride, and was not charged.”

Dogs searched the vehicle and allegedly found the drugs, Crawford said.

Crawford said marijuana remains a gateway drug that leads to other types of drug abuse.

He showed a photo of a large bale of marijuana that was confiscated.

“It’s hydro phonically grown, it’s very strong and it’s expensive,” Crawford said.

Officer Vincent Pagano said when police pull over vehicles for traffic arrests, they often also find digital scales that are commonly used to measure drugs.

Pagano said teens are finding unusual ways to get high. Perhaps the strangest story involved Warren County youths who were found to have licked the urine off of a frog’s anus to get high, Pagano said.

Police said parents tolerate no drug use among teens.

“Our goal is to inform you and make you aware of this trend in drug use. Drugs are attacking all communities. We want to prevent a tragedy,” said Crawford.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=...id=506868&rfi=6

[Failure By Designer Jeans]

“We had a dealer from Somerset County that we arrested with a stash of drugs.

thats where i live! i guess i have to start looking harder

[Arm]

Originally posted by drdªv€@Oct 1 2005, 07:22 AM
Crawford said drug busts in the township over the last 14 months have netted seizures of marijuana, heroin, Ecstasy, cocaine, inhalants, PCP, DXM, hallucinogenic mushrooms and other drugs.

How the hell do you bust people with a drug thats legal and not only legal but OTC too?

And I hate all this tough on crime bullshit it doesn't impress me. Being a toughguy in general doesnt impress me. Being compassionate and rational, now THATS impressive.

[Walkaway]

How the hell do you bust people with a drug thats legal and not only legal but OTC too?

It is not legal to sell DXM powder for use as a recreational drug.

[D3xDr0DaCl0wn]

isnt hydroponic one word?

[xeon]

Originally posted by gaze of sorrow@Oct 1 2005, 08:16 PM
isnt hydroponic one word?

yeah i saw that too.

Also:

“Heroin is highly addictive, highly available and very pure —upwards of 80 percent pure,”

heh, I wish I could find heroin that pure around here. It's all stepped on and shit in atlanta :/

[saweet]

lol, hydro phonics.

[ferk]

Pagano said teens are finding unusual ways to get high. Perhaps the strangest story involved Warren County youths who were found to have licked the urine off of a frog’s anus to get high, Pagano said.

...?

[Unnamed]

Originally posted by Arm@Oct 1 2005, 09:01 AM
And I hate all this tough on crime bullshit it doesn't impress me. Being a toughguy in general doesnt impress me. Being compassionate and rational, now THATS impressive.

Yep, thier policies have done nothing but help drug abuse, actually making it more exciting and convienent for kids as young as 10 to easily be able to get whatever they want whenever they want wherever they want(i've never seen a dealer card anyone)and what do they do? The same stupid shit they've been doing that has been obviously not working. Its funny i never read any horror stories of 12 year olds dieing of alcohol poisoning, I wonder why that is. I never see the police or "experts" on drug abuse say why its so easy for these kids to get the drugs in the first place, the black market that is totally uncontrollable, unregulated and sustained thanks to them and thier stupid fucking war on drugs.