States look for solutions as U.S. fentanyl deaths keep rising

On April 10, 2022April 10, 2022 By TxTrailblazerIn Drug Trafficking Crisis, drug trafficking fentanyl, drug overdoses, Biden's border crisis, immigration, borders, Mexico, cartels,, Nathan Manning, Ohio, Arizona, and West Virginia Among the States Seeking Solutions to Fentanyl Crisis, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionLeave a comment

NATIONAL

States look for solutions as U.S. fentanyl deaths keep rising

by: GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated Press

Posted: Apr 5, 2022 / 12:34 AM CDT

Updated: Apr 5, 2022 / 12:50 AM CDT

Source

https://www.borderreport.com/news/national/states-look-for-solutions-as-u-s-fentanyl-deaths-keep-rising/

As the addiction and overdose crisis that has gripped the U.S. for two decades turns even deadlier, state governments are scrambling for ways to stem the destruction wrought by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.

In statehouses across the country, lawmakers have been considering and adopting laws on two fronts: reducing the risk to users and increasing the penalties for dealing fentanyl or mixing it with other drugs. Meanwhile, Republican state attorneys general are calling for more federal action, while some GOP governors are deploying National Guard units with a mission that includes stopping the flow of fentanyl from Mexico.

“It’s a fine line to help people and try to get people clean, and at the same time incarcerate and get the drug dealers off the streets,” said Nathan Manning, a Republican state senator in Ohio who is sponsoring legislation to make it clear that materials used to test drugs for fentanyl are legal.

The urgency is heightened because of the deepening impact of the drugs. Last year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the nation had hit a grim milestone. For the first time, more than 100,000 Americans had diedof drug overdoses over a 12-month period. About two-thirds of the deaths were linked to fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, which can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, heroin or prescription opioids. Texas lawmakers failed to legalize fentanyl testing strips last year, but there’s still a push for access

The recent case of five West Point cadets who overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine during spring break in Florida put the dangers and pervasiveness of the fentanyl crisis back in the spotlight.

The chemical precursors to the drugs are being shipped largely from China to Mexico, where much of the illicit fentanyl supply is produced in labs before being smuggled into the U.S.

While users sometimes seek out fentanyl specifically, it and other synthetics with similar properties are often mixed with other drugs or formed into counterfeit pills so users often don’t know they’re taking it.

Advocates say test strips can help prevent accidental overdoses of drugs laced with fentanyl. The strips are given out at needle exchanges and sometimes at concerts or other events where drugs are expected to be sold or used.

Thomas Stuber, chief legislative officer at The LCADA Way, a drug treatment organization in Ohio that serves Lorain County and nearby areas, has been pushing for the test strip legislation. It also would ease access to naloxone, a drug that can be used to revive people when they’re having opioid overdoses.

“This is a harm-reduction approach that has received a lot of acceptance,” he said. “We cannot treat somebody if they’re dead.”

Since last year, at least a half-dozen states have enacted similar laws and at least a dozen others have considered them, according to research by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In West Virginia, the state hardest hit by opioids per capita, lawmakers passed a bill this month to legalize the testing strips. It now heads to the governor.

The measure was sponsored by Republican lawmakers. But state Delegate Mike Pushkin, a Democrat whose district includes central Charleston, has also been pushing for more access to fentanyl strips. He said the situation got worse last year when a state law tightened regulations on needle exchanges, causing some of them to close.

Pushkin, who also is in long-term addiction recovery, is pleased with the passage of the testing strip bill but upset with another measure passed this month that would increase the penalties for trafficking fentanyl. That bill also would create a new crime of adding fentanyl to another drug.

“Their initial reaction is, ‘We have to do something,’” he said. “It’s not just about doing something, it’s about doing the right thing that actually has results.”

But for many lawmakers, making sure that tough criminal penalties apply to fentanyl is a priority.

California Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen, a Republican, introduced a measure that would make penalties for dealing fentanyl just as harsh as those for selling cocaine or heroin. The Republican represents Orange County, where there were more than 600 reported fentanyl-related deaths last year.

“This is sending messages to those who aren’t afraid of selling these drugs that there’s a longer, bigger penalty than you might think,” said Nguyen, whose bill failed to advance from her chamber’s public safety committee in a 5-2 vote last week. She said after the bill failed that she was considering trying again.

She said committee members stressed compassion for drug users, something she said she agrees with.

“The less available these pills are out there, the better it is,” Nguyen said. “And that is going after the drug dealer.”DEA: We save lives in Middle America by stopping fentanyl at the border

The same day her measure failed to advance, a Democratic lawmaker in California announced a different bill to increase fentanyl-dealing penalties.

The National Conference of State Legislatures found 12 states with fentanyl-specific drug trafficking or possession laws as of last year. Similar measures have been introduced or considered since the start of 2021 in at least 19 states, the Associated Press found in an analysis of bills compiled by LegiScan. That does not include measures to add more synthetic opioids to controlled substance lists to mirror federal law; those have been adopted in many states, with bipartisan support.

Fentanyl has been in the spotlight in Colorado since February, when five people were found dead in a suburban Denver apartment from overdoses of fentanyl mixed with cocaine.

Under state law, possession with intent to distribute less than 14 grams of fentanyl is an offense normally punishable by two to four years in prison. But fentanyl is so potent that 14 grams can represent up to 700 lethal doses, under a calculation used by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

“It’s making it impossible to hold the dealer accountable for the deadliness of the drugs they’re peddling,” Colorado House Speaker Alec Garnett, a Democrat, said in an interview.In El Paso, fentanyl, an OD, and unknown reasons for Downtown jail deaths

He and a bipartisan group of lawmakers last week unveiled a bill also backed by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis that would increase penalties for dealers with smaller amounts of fentanyl and in cases where the drug leads to a death. The legislation also would increase the accessibility of naloxone and test strips while steering people who possess fentanyl into education and treatment programs.

Maritza Perez, director of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that advocates for harm-reduction measures, is skeptical of the legislation that would increase criminal penalties.

“We have the largest incarceration rate in the entire world and we’re also setting records in terms of overdose deaths,” she said.

Democratic governors are focusing primarily on harm reduction methods. Among them is Illinois Gov. Jay Pritzker, who released a broad overdose action plan last month.

Several Republican governors and attorneys general have responded to the rising death toll with administrative enforcement efforts and by pushing for more federal intervention.

Last year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey called for states to help secure the border with Mexico. Along with trying to keep people from entering the U.S., stopping the flow of fentanyl was cited as a reason. Several other Republican governors have sent contingents of state troopers or National Guard units.

The Texas Military Department said that from March 2021 through earlier this month, its troops near the border confiscated more than 1,200 pounds (540 kilograms) of fentanyl. By comparison, federal authorities reported confiscating about 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms) in 2021 — still a fraction of what entered the country.Gov. Greg Abbott brags about his border initiative. The evidence doesn’t back him up.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice filed about 2,700 cases involving crimes related to the distribution of fentanyl and similar synthetic drugs, up nearly tenfold from 2017. Even so, Republican state officials are critical of federal efforts to stop fentanyl from entering the country.

In January, 16 GOP state attorneys general sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on him to exert more pressure on China and Mexico to stop the flow of fentanyl. Those are steps that Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of National Drug Control Policy, said are already being taken.

In March, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey called on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland for more enforcement on fentanyl trafficking and harsher penalties.

“Fentanyl is killing Americans of all walks of life in unprecedented numbers,” Morrisey said in a statement emailed to the AP, “and the federal government must respond with full force, across the board, using every tool available to stem the tide of death.”

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Repeat sex offender sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempting to coerce minors to engage in online sexual conduct

On October 27, 2021October 27, 2021 By TxTrailblazerIn FBI, FBI Indictment, FBI:FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task ForceLeave a comment

Department of JusticeU.S. Attorney’s OfficeSouthern District of Ohio

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFriday, October 22, 2021

Repeat sex offender sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempting to coerce minors to engage in online sexual conduct

DAYTON, Ohio – Sean T. Porter, 56, of Moraine, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 240 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for attempting to solicit nude photos from teenage girls while registered as a sex offender.

According to court documents, from October 2020 through January 2021, Porter created seven accounts with the profile names “Sean” and “Mike” on a dating app. In that time, Porter communicated with approximately 52 individuals who identified themselves as minors as young as 11 years old and sent pornographic images of himself to at least 26 suspected minors. He also solicited sexual content from the minors. One of the minors Porter communicated with was an FBI undercover officer who was using two personas of minor females.

Porter made a number of requests for the undercover officer to send nude images. Porter also sent images of himself in an exposed state. On Valentine’s Day 2021, Porter sent a video of himself engaging in sexual conduct to the agent purporting to be a teenager.

Porter committed these acts while on federal supervision after serving 10 years in federal prison for his last offense.

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Laura I. Clemmens and Assistant United States Attorney Rob Painter are representing the United States in this case.

Operation Ohio Knows: Ohio task force announces 161 arrests, 10 missing children recovered in human trafficking operation

On October 6, 2021October 6, 2021 By TxTrailblazerIn Human Trafficking, Human Trafficking Arrests, Human-Traffickers, Operation Ohio Knows, PoliticsLeave a comment

Operation Ohio Knows: Ohio task force announces 161 arrests, 10 missing children recovered in human trafficking operation

Operation Ohio Knows: Attorney General Dave Yost announces arrests human trafficking operation

State officials have revealed details of a statewide human trafficking operation that resulted in the arrest of 161 people seeking to buy sex (including three who wanted sex from minors) along with the recovery of 10 missing children.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost offered details of the operation alongside multiple law enforcement agencies during a Monday press conference. He said those arrested include a city council member, a firefighter, a teacher, a professor, a home improvement contractor and a pilot.

“He [pilot] not only was purchasing sex, but he haggled and got the price down to $15,” Yost said.

Yost added that human trafficking is happening all across Ohio.

“Poor neighborhoods. Rich neighborhoods. Educated. Uneducated. Black. White. It doesn’t matter. It happens everywhere,” he said. “That’s why this fight is so important. I will not rest until no one in Ohio buys or sells human beings.”

Mandie Knight, a survivor of the sex trade, also spoke at the briefing. She is now a wife and mother who is studying forensic criminology, and lauded the role law enforcement played in her recovery.

“When I was being trafficked, I knew that law enforcement was somewhere I could turn to when I needed a safe way out, and that’s what happened,” Knight, now resource manager for Freedom a la Cart, said. “Had I not been arrested, had I not gone to jail, and had I not suffered some consequences for the decisions I was making, I wouldn’t be here today and I wouldn’t be as successful in life.”

The press conference also revealed that 50 people were arrested for offering to sell sex. We streamed the press conferenc

Largest human trafficking sting in Ohio history nets 161, including city councilman

On October 6, 2021October 6, 2021 By TxTrailblazerIn City Councilman, Human Trafficking Arrests, Operation Ohio Knows, PoliticsLeave a comment

Largest human trafficking sting in Ohio history nets 161, including city councilman

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A firefighter, college professor and a Cleveland-area city councilman were among 161 people arrested in a sex sting operation last week, described as the state’s largest focused on human trafficking.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, law enforcement officials from multiple counties, social service providers and former human trafficking victims met in the Ohio Statehouse on Monday to talk about the initiative.

Dubbed “Operation Ohio Knows,“ the weeklong sting was intended to create a deterrent for those who seek sex for pay or profit, Yost said.

“We want to send a message to everybody in the country: Don’t buy sex in Ohio,” he said.

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‘Operation Ohio Knows’

Law enforcement fanned out across the state, communicating with hundreds of men seeking sex. For every arrest made, officers contacted up to eight “johns” whose actions didn’t meet the elements of any crime, said Chief Deputy Rick Minerd of the Franklin County sheriff’s office.

Three of the perpetrators were willing to pay to have sex with people they thought were minors. Ten minors reported missing were recovered during a simultaneous operation carried out by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Fifty-one women, would-be victims, were provided assistance by social service advocates. It was unclear how many of the women were charged.

Most of those arrested were charged with engaging in prostitution, a first-degree misdemeanor. Other charges related to drugs and firearms.

A change in state law passed in the spring requires those convicted to undergo human trafficking education.

“We cannot arrest our way out of human trafficking,” Yost said, noting that arrests are nevertheless important as a deterrence. “If there are no buyers, there will be no trafficking.”

He wants people to know that it’s not a victimless crime.

“When you are the buyer, you have no idea who you’re dealing with,” he said. “The pimp, the trafficker, doesn’t show up and sit in the corner watching you. The survivor doesn’t tell you, ‘I don’t want to do this, but if I don’t, I’m going to be beat’ or ‘He’s going to withhold my drugs.’

“Because we don’t know, anybody in Ohio who purchases sex is assuming the risk that they’re complicit in trafficking.”

Human trafficking survivor Mandie Knight spoke via Zoom about her former lifestyle and her gratitude at being arrested.

“Had I not been arrested, had I not gone to jail and had I not suffered some consequences for the decisions I was making, I wouldn’t be here today, and I wouldn’t be as successful in life,” said Knight, a wife, mother and student in forensic criminology.

Arrested city councilman: ‘An enormous mistake’

Mark Jessie, a councilman running for reelection Nov. 2 in Elyria, Ohio, a city roughly 30 miles outside Cleveland, was picked up in the sting.

“I’m taking this very seriously and realize it’s an enormous mistake,” he told The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Monday. Jessie said he sought sex from someone he thought was selling it on a website.

When officers arrested him, he said, “there was an immediate feeling of wanting to throw up and an immediate feeling of facing the consequences with my family and friends.”

Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree cautioned her colleagues not to rest on sting operations alone.

“This is the beginning and not the end, and I think we have so much work to do across the state,” she said.

Follow reporter Dean Narciso on Twitter: @deannarciso

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