This year, Monmouth County has had over 110 drug overdose deaths by mid-September. The number has been rising, mostly due to heroin and the prescription drug fentanyl. Across the country, 2.4 million Americans are addicted to pain meds or heroin. Overdose deaths now exceed the number due to motor vehicle accidents.
A team of federal agents is lead by DEA and falls under the leadership of DEA NJ Division. The team consists of members from DEA, FBI, ATF, Monmouth County Prosecutors Office, Ocean County Prosecutors Office, Neptune Township PD, and NJ State Police.
They have received a Federal grant of $125,000 for investigative work including undercover operations, surveillance equipment and drug buys. Money will also be sent for overtime pay and undercover vehicles. More detailed information is not available, but it is expected that there will be some major crackdowns in this area.
The effort has been propelled by the recent designation of Monmouth County as a High Density Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA.) The White House Office of Drug Control Policy named this county because of the “big problem” identified here .
The local drug fighting team is part of the New York/New Jersey HIDTA Region that includes Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Mercer, Passaic and Union Counties.
Police and EMS units have been saving lives now that they are permitted to use the opiate blocker naloxone HCL (Narcan) in life threatening overdose situations. The drug is administered by a nasal spray.
* Sources: Asbury Park Press, October 17, 2016, and government sources.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger