Disir
Platinum Member
- Sep 30, 2011
- 28,003
- 9,608
- 910
An old drug is making new inroads in South Florida and it’s far more potent and dangerous than in the past.
Crystal meth — a chemical high popular in the early 2000s, particularly on the gay party scene — is staging a comeback. In the last couple of years, it has racked up more overdose victims, created a new wave of addicts and spurred bigger police probes into trafficking of the highly addictive drug.
And much of what’s being sold is no longer low-grade methamphetamine home-cooked in some ramshackle Florida trailer park.
Instead, the meth being seized in South Florida is high-grade crystal concocted in “super labs” south of the United States border, then smuggled in as part of Mexican cartels’ efforts to expand into East Coast markets, according to law enforcement authorities.
So far in 2017, Miami-Dade’s crime lab has identified 267 cases of crystal-meth seizures by local cops — more than triple the number of cases five years ago. The purity is consistently near 100 percent.
“With the much stronger meth, there is a higher rate of psychosis and overdoses,” said David Fawcett, a South Florida therapist who works with gay men, one of the groups most affected by the rise of the stimulant drug. “People are getting addicted sooner.”
Even before the drug waned, South Florida was never a huge market for meth. Cocaine remains the king of illegal highs in South Florida. And in recent years, opioids such as fentanyl and heroin have climbed the ranks to become a national scourge. Opioid overdoses have killed hundreds in South Florida alone over the last few years.
Sometimes called “crank,” “speed,” “ice” or “tina,” meth has thrived in the underworld markets of Western and Midwestern states. The acclaimed TV drama Breaking Bad chronicled the world of fictional meth dealers in New Mexico. Rural areas of central and northern Florida have also dealt with small-time meth production and addictions.
The country’s clandestine meth labs peaked over a decade ago and began waning as authorities cracked down on chemicals used to make the drug, including limiting sales of over-the-counter cold medications that contain pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient.
Crystal meth stages comeback in Miami — more potent and dangerous than ever
Good times, ahead, Miami. You can get it through the mail.
Crystal meth — a chemical high popular in the early 2000s, particularly on the gay party scene — is staging a comeback. In the last couple of years, it has racked up more overdose victims, created a new wave of addicts and spurred bigger police probes into trafficking of the highly addictive drug.
And much of what’s being sold is no longer low-grade methamphetamine home-cooked in some ramshackle Florida trailer park.
Instead, the meth being seized in South Florida is high-grade crystal concocted in “super labs” south of the United States border, then smuggled in as part of Mexican cartels’ efforts to expand into East Coast markets, according to law enforcement authorities.
So far in 2017, Miami-Dade’s crime lab has identified 267 cases of crystal-meth seizures by local cops — more than triple the number of cases five years ago. The purity is consistently near 100 percent.
“With the much stronger meth, there is a higher rate of psychosis and overdoses,” said David Fawcett, a South Florida therapist who works with gay men, one of the groups most affected by the rise of the stimulant drug. “People are getting addicted sooner.”
Even before the drug waned, South Florida was never a huge market for meth. Cocaine remains the king of illegal highs in South Florida. And in recent years, opioids such as fentanyl and heroin have climbed the ranks to become a national scourge. Opioid overdoses have killed hundreds in South Florida alone over the last few years.
Sometimes called “crank,” “speed,” “ice” or “tina,” meth has thrived in the underworld markets of Western and Midwestern states. The acclaimed TV drama Breaking Bad chronicled the world of fictional meth dealers in New Mexico. Rural areas of central and northern Florida have also dealt with small-time meth production and addictions.
The country’s clandestine meth labs peaked over a decade ago and began waning as authorities cracked down on chemicals used to make the drug, including limiting sales of over-the-counter cold medications that contain pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient.
Crystal meth stages comeback in Miami — more potent and dangerous than ever
Good times, ahead, Miami. You can get it through the mail.
