Cheap, synthetic 'flakka' dethroning cocaine on Florida drug scene

[rob the knob]

Cheap, synthetic 'flakka' dethroning cocaine on Florida drug scene
Reuters By David Adams and Zachary Fagenson
June 10, 2015 3:27 PM

Alpha-PVP, a powerful stimulant nicknamed Flakka, seen in undated handout picture from Broward County Sheriff's Office in Florida .
View gallery
Alpha-PVP, a powerful stimulant nicknamed Flakka, is shown after being seized by Broward County police …

By David Adams and Zachary Fagenson

MIAMI (Reuters) - For decades, South Florida has battled drug traffickers who ship boatloads of cocaine from South America. Now the region is dealing with a new epidemic - cheap, synthetic drugs that arrive from China through the mail.

As authorities in the Sunshine State battle with the surge of Alpha-PVP, better known as "flakka" or "gravel," police departments have begun equipping officers with field detection kits, employing sniffer dogs at mail facilities and training patrol units to look for signs of delirium.

The drug's popularity, however, is only growing. In 2014, the first year it appeared in the state, authorities in Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, recorded 190 incidents involving flakka. By early May of this year, the number of incidents involving the drug had already raced past 275.

"Cocaine was king, until this year," said Detective William Schwartz, a veteran narcotics officer with the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

Unlike cocaine, flakka, is both cheap and accessible. The drug is widely advertised for sale online by Chinese companies and can be shipped in large quantities to U.S. addresses by established global delivery companies. Once it hits the streets, a single dose can sell for as little as $5.

Flakka, which was placed on the U.S. list of illegal controlled substances in 2014, is chemically designed to mimic cathinone, a natural stimulant found in the leaves of the khat plant, chewed traditionally in the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa.

It gets its nickname from the Spanish slang for a slender and attractive woman, and is similar to ecstasy or MDMA, and so-called "Molly." It is sold as small clear crystals that can be popped in the mouth or smoked.

View galleryAlpha-PVP, a powerful stimulant nicknamed Flakka, seen …
Alpha-PVP, a powerful stimulant nicknamed Flakka is shown after being seized by Broward County polic …
Users are said to feel a sense of super human strength and delirium.

While flakka has also shown up in parts of Ohio, Houston and Chicago, it has made the most substantial U.S. inroads in South Florida, which historically has had one of the country's highest rates of drug use.

Florida's long, contiguous coastline and numerous airports have made the state a leading U.S. entry point for cocaine, heroin and marijuana, mostly funneled from South America through the Caribbean.

"We are ground central," said Robert C. Hutchinson, deputy special agent for Homeland Security Investigations in Miami. "We want to nip it in the bud before it gets out of control."

NEW WORLD

Synthetic drug seizures - almost all of which is flakka - accounted for 34 percent of Broward's crime lab reports in the first three months of 2015, overtaking cocaine which dropped to 30 percent, Schwartz said.

View galleryAlpha-PVP, a powerful stimulant nicknamed Flakka, seen …
Alpha-PVP, a powerful stimulant nicknamed Flakka is shown after being seized by Broward County polic …
"That's the first time in my memory that a drug has ever surpassed cocaine," he added. "We are crossing the threshold into a new world."

One kilo, worth $50,000 on the street, can be bought from online companies in China for as little as $1,500, drug experts say.

Law enforcement agencies face big obstacles because flakka is not illegal in China. Manufacturers there typically classify the drug as a legitimate "research chemical," and offer discreet delivery by mail.

Gil Kerlikowske, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection said China had dramatically increased its criminal investigations into synthetic drugs but its huge ports and vast territory made it harder to tackle.

The Obama administration has raised the issue of flakka in talks with China, according to the U.S. State Department.

What has law enforcement and drug treatment professionals most concerned are flakka's long-term effects. First-time users can take three to four days to return to a normal state of mind, while for repeat users, it could be 14 to 16 days, according to drug treatment professionals.

Dr. Peter Ventre, a psychiatrist at Fort Lauderdale Hospital, said a girl in her early 20s recently suffered symptoms similar to a stroke or brain bleeding after using flakka.

"Now she can't talk, can't recognize anybody and can't walk on her own," he said.

Last month, police in Melbourne, southeast of Orlando, arrested a 17-year-old girl after finding her running down a street naked, covered in blood and screaming "I am god! I am Satan!," according to the police report.

"They're convinced they're being chased by wild animals or people who are trying to kill them," said James Hall, an epidemiologist at Nova Southeastern University.

He said some 27 people have died from flakka-related overdoses in the last eight months in Broward County alone.

"It's the most intense, rapidly emerging drug problem since the 1980s with the emergence of crack cocaine," Hall added.

(Reporting by David Adams and Zachary Fagenson, editing by Jill Serjeant and G Crosse)

[ZenOps]

"First-time users can take three to four days to return to a normal state of mind, while for repeat users, it could be 14 to 16 days"

Damn, not a good choice for weekenders I guess.

$5 or less, yeow - Good enough explaination for McDonalds low sales.

[Fly Fishin']

I heard this was the drug of choice for dealers in Holland to sell to drunk Americans. I think it has something to do with lower charges from police if charged.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by rob the knob

Dr. Peter Ventre, a psychiatrist at Fort Lauderdale Hospital, said a girl in her early 20s recently suffered symptoms similar to a stroke or brain bleeding after using flakka.

"Now she can't talk, can't recognize anybody and can't walk on her own," he said.

Last month, police in Melbourne, southeast of Orlando, arrested a 17-year-old girl after finding her running down a street naked, covered in blood and screaming "I am god! I am Satan!," according to the police report.

"They're convinced they're being chased by wild animals or people who are trying to kill them," said James Hall, an epidemiologist at Nova Southeastern University.


I find it difficult to believe anything Florida says about drugs after the "bath salt" zombie incident. They seem to be the most alarmist about drugs among the states.

[FixedGear]

none of these crazy designer drugs would be necessary if the US would end its pointless war on relatively safe and natural drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and opiates. Humans have been using these for all of recorded history, and things seem to be going ok IMO.

I'm living in the mountains in Colorado, and see literally ZERO negative effects of legalized marijuana. The only evidence of it is radio ads, and a couple of shops in town. I'm sure the Colorado legal and prision systems are seeing large positive effects, though.

Meanwhile, people in other states resort to the dangerous but legal synthetics. :facepalm:

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by FixedGear
relatively safe and natural drugs like ... cocaine...

:nut:

7tlwW2DKzlc

[FixedGear]

^just another reason it should be legalized - it could be produced in a much cleaner and safer manner if the industry was regulated.

[HiTempguy1]

Stitches must be feeling the pinch if his cocaine sales are down...

http://i.imgur.com/qzuXpyb.jpg

[Robin Goodfellow]

Originally posted by FixedGear
none of these crazy designer drugs would be necessary if the US would end its pointless war on relatively safe and natural drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and opiates. Humans have been using these for all of recorded history, and things seem to be going ok IMO.


Good point. But really, it was never about the drugs, it was about the state manufacturing an enemy to maintain control of the people.

Blacks have filled the role, as now do arabs.

[FixedGear]

^exactly, along with the war on drugs and privatization of prisons that has lead to massive industries that are dependent on having drugs be illegal.

meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry is given license to manufacture synthetic variants of everything... of course, all of these ultimately make it into the hands of addicts anyhow.

the war on drugs is a plague on society - it's time to legalize and regulate ALL drugs.

[OTown]

Originally posted by FixedGear
^exactly, along with the war on drugs and privatization of prisons that has lead to massive industries that are dependent on having drugs be illegal.

meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry is given license to manufacture synthetic variants of everything... of course, all of these ultimately make it into the hands of addicts anyhow.

the war on drugs is a plague on society - it's time to legalize and regulate ALL drugs.

Ha good luck with that. Talk about a fallacy.

There's a reason why drugs are illegal. There are proven physical, psychological, and societal effects that have been researched time and time again.

And its not like those 'industries' will just evaporate if its legalized. They will evolve and find a way around. Look at cigarettes, even though they are legal they are still widely distributed in the underground for cheeper prices and cater to teens.

[FixedGear]

^no one is debating the negative effects of drug use. The debate is about which poses the greater threat to society, the war on drugs or legalization. it's easy for you to have that opinion when you don't see hundreds of headless corpses being dumped in your city.

10% of the U.S. population has been arrested for a drug offense. The U.S. also has the highest incarceration rates in the world, most of which are due to drug offenses (http://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp). And the reason for this is to protect people from harming themselves? Gimme a fucking break.

[ekguy]

Originally posted by FixedGear
^just another reason it should be legalized - it could be produced in a much cleaner and safer manner if the industry was regulated.

this...there is always going to be drugs in the world...may as well be made properly and cleanly.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by ekguy


this...there is always going to be drugs in the world...may as well be made properly and cleanly.

And taxed.

[OTown]

Originally posted by FixedGear
^no one is debating the negative effects of drug use. The debate is about which poses the greater threat to society, the war on drugs or legalization. it's easy for you to have that opinion when you don't see hundreds of headless corpses being dumped in your city.

10% of the U.S. population has been arrested for a drug offense. The U.S. also has the highest incarceration rates in the world, most of which are due to drug offenses (http://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp). And the reason for this is to protect people from harming themselves? Gimme a fucking break.

No but i see the negative effects of drugs on a day in day out basis and I can tell you its not even close to being as 'pretty' as the internet make it seem.

Those 10% made a decision to go against the law and are well aware of it and thus have to be punished accordingly. They are mostly all adults, and made that concious decision and no one can be blamed for it then them. If you want to talk about incarceration we will start a long debate, lets just keep it to drugs.

Drug use and abuse is one of the most prevalent issues at the moment and they are directly correlated to crime and violence. Drug use and crime go hand in hand, across the board. Add to that overdoses, bad trips, excited delirium, effects on family, and short/long term medical side effects and you will have a HUGE issue if its ever legalized.

Its all fine and dandy to sit on the sidelines and think "they that's an awesome idea!!!" but if you saw it on the front lines you would be surprised how horrible drugs have become. If you cant see that then I don't know what to tell you, you live a naive/sheltered life.

[FixedGear]

Originally posted by FixedGear
no one is debating the negative effects of drug use.

[OTown]

Originally posted by FixedGear


Thats pretty much the biggest chunk of the debate so why ignore it?

Its like saying "lets legalize missile launchers for everyone but lets ignore the fact that there will be mass casualities because of it"

[FixedGear]

Originally posted by FixedGear
The debate is about which poses the greater threat to society, the war on drugs or legalization.

For some reason, you think the prison industry is unrelated to the war on drugs and you refuse to discuss it. Would you like me to start posting images of cartel border violence instead? I lived on the U.S.-Mexico border for 3 years, so don't tell me that I'm naive to the effects of drugs.

This isn't only about drug use, the implications are much, much bigger: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Drugs

[OTown]

Originally posted by FixedGear


For some reason, you think the prison industry is unrelated to the war on drugs and you refuse to discuss it. Would you like me to start posting images of cartel border violence instead? I lived on the U.S.-Mexico border for 3 years, so don't tell me that I'm naive to the effects of drugs.

This isn't only about drug use, the implications are much, much bigger: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Drugs

Ive touched on that point before. Those cartels will still survive through legalization. It might bring down exports a bit but the violence, human exploitation, and corruption will still go on. Cartels have existed for quite a while now, they have made their way through Latin American government (police, military) and have had a strangle hold on that region for decades. It will hurt their business, but the increased pressure on those gangs will only further engulf the region in violence and will force the cartels to do other business.

As far as prison industry is concerned, yes there are vast amounts of persons in prison in the US but that also has direct correlations to education levels, environmental factors, drug use, and employment. Its not hard to see why so many people are in jail. Add to that organized crime/gangs and youve got a recipe for incarceration. You bring up this 10% of drug incarceration, but to be honest thats a very small price to pay for the benefits of limiting drugs to the whole of society.

I just don't understand this whole 'legalize it and the problems go away". Its simply not the case.

[FixedGear]

Maybe we should also make alcohol illegal then. Wait a sec....

[OTown]

Originally posted by FixedGear
Maybe we should also make alcohol illegal then. Wait a sec....

I'm glad you brought that up.

The difference with alcohol vs illicit drugs is that alcohol has been widely used and studied for centuries, and throughout that it has been deemed that alcohol is comparatively safe to drink (in a non-toxic/non-binge amounts) and the side effects through a LARGE section of the populace were deemed acceptable.

Yes, there are inherent issues with alcohol abuse... but alcohol use in moderation is actually believed to be good for human consumption (cardiovascular, etc), whereas most drugs have an inherently negative impact on body body and mind, especially hallucinogens and stimulants - even on a small level.

The reason why I am glad you brought alcohol up is due to the massive strain such a minor drug has single-handedly placed on our systems already. The amount of ambulances, police, security, hospital beds, etc that are being used up because of alcohol... is insane. Now add on vastly more potent drugs to the general public and the system would basically crumble under the pressure.


TLDR for this whole post:
- Legalization cannot be done on just a 'drop of the hat' like everyone makes it seem. Its just not that simple. It would require systemic and drastic changes to citizen's way of life, to taxation, to public services (including police, health care, psychology, etc)
- It would also include a massive amount of stakeholders, from local to regional to provincial to national to international, all of whom have different views on the topic. It could even start wars. I mean there are United Nations treaties on this type of stuff.
- It just cannot be 'legalized' without any of the above because a bunch of pot heads on the internet think its a good idea.

[Robin Goodfellow]

Originally posted by OTown


I'm glad you brought that up.

The difference with alcohol vs drugs is that alcohol has been widely used and studied for centuries, and throughout that it has been deemed that alcohol is comparatively safe to drink (in a non-toxic/non-binge amounts) and the side effects through a LARGE section of the populace were deemed acceptable.


The term "Drugs" itself is problematic, given the range of substances of different properties it refers to.

Truly, it is a term rooted in ideology, and assumes a great deal about the substances solely based upon their legal status.

The legal status of many of these substances is rooted in economics.

This is further underscored by the creation and availability of analogs of many so-called "drugs" through pharmaceutical companies.

Alcohol is a terrible intoxicant. It makes people do stupid things... it ruins the body, and fogs the mind.

I like my beer as much as the next guy, but let's not whitewash it.

[Unknown303]

Originally posted by FixedGear
Maybe we should also make alcohol illegal then. Wait a sec....

I think we may have watched the same documentary recently. The war on drugs definitely makes no sense since user rates haven't gone down. More drugs are still being imported. And they are just arresting and incarcerating more people.

Countries that embrace a more open and sympathetic approach to drug abuse have been having much better results that the lock them up approach the states has.

*posted from my phone so deal with any grammatical errors as you see fit

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by OTown
whereas most drugs have an inherently negative impact on body body and mind, especially hallucinogens and stimulants - even on a small level.


Stimulants, you mean like coffee?.

[OTown]

Originally posted by rx7_turbo2


Stimulants, you mean like coffee?.

Hah funny No I mean Speed, Meth, Cocaine, etc

[FixedGear]

Originally posted by Unknown303


I think we may have watched the same documentary recently. The war on drugs definitely makes no sense since user rates haven't gone down. More drugs are still being imported. And they are just arresting and incarcerating more people.

Countries that embrace a more open and sympathetic approach to drug abuse have been having much better results that the lock them up approach the states has.

*posted from my phone so deal with any grammatical errors as you see fit

I haven't seen any documentaries on the issue lately, but would like to see it - can you share the title? Thanks! :thumbsup:

[FixedGear]

Originally posted by OTown


Hah funny No I mean Speed, Meth, Cocaine, etc

"Drugs" are already legal - it's called Big Pharma. Many heroin addicts started on legal drugs like OxyContin, and then switched to the black market product because it's cheaper. What I'm hoping for is an elimination of the black market and all of the societal ills that come along with that.

[Unknown303]

Originally posted by FixedGear


I haven't seen any documentaries on the issue lately, but would like to see it - can you share the title? Thanks! :thumbsup:

Breaking the Taboo. I watched it on Netflix.

[FixedGear]

^cool, thanks - will check it out. :thumbsup:

[xnvy]

Originally posted by FixedGear


"Drugs" are already legal - it's called Big Pharma. Lmao. Because cocaine totally has the medicinal properties of Prozac, Lipitor, and Zithromax.

The comparison to Oxy is kind of fair but even then they are making abuse-resistant forms of the drug. However, labeling all of Big Pharma as a reason to legalize drugs is laughable.

[theken]

The issue I have is, why would legalization cause more addicts? I would like a brief explanation. Cigarettes and alcohol are legal, and there are millions that do not smoke or drink, legalizing marijuana is not going to have people that chose not to smoke it start, just like those people don't smoke cigarettes. If heroin was legal I would still choose not to partake in heroin. Drugs are just as easy to get legal or not, the people that don't do them I strongly believe is not a legal issue, it is a moral issue. Most people have smoked weed (probably) illegal or not. The war on drugs is a joke, a way to control aspects of your life that they shouldn't be able to control. Hallucinogens, (I read) have been proven safer than weed (lsd, mushrooms) not addictive, and no ill effects. How is a mushroom illegal?

[Unknown303]

Originally posted by xnvy
Lmao. Because cocaine totally has the medicinal properties of Prozac, Lipitor, and Zithromax.

The comparison to Oxy is kind of fair but even then they are making abuse-resistant forms of the drug. However, labeling all of Big Pharma as a reason to legalize drugs is laughable.

You should watch Resistance if you really want a reason to hate Big Pharma.

Yes I've been watching a lot of documentaries lately..


Originally posted by theken
The issue I have is, why would legalization cause more addicts? I would like a brief explanation. Cigarettes and alcohol are legal, and there are millions that do not smoke or drink, legalizing marijuana is not going to have people that chose not to smoke it start, just like those people don't smoke cigarettes. If heroin was legal I would still choose not to partake in heroin. Drugs are just as easy to get legal or not, the people that don't do them I strongly believe is not a legal issue, it is a moral issue. Most people have smoked weed (probably) illegal or not. The war on drugs is a joke, a way to control aspects of your life that they shouldn't be able to control. Hallucinogens, (I read) have been proven safer than weed (lsd, mushrooms) not addictive, and no ill effects. How is a mushroom illegal?

Places that have legalized drugs never have seen major increases. Even Holland saw only minor increases.

Portugal decriminalized all drug offenses and has seen major declines.
LINK (http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html)

And here's a link to a shit tonne of studies surrounding drug use.
LINK (http://norml.org/aboutmarijuana/item/marijuana-decriminalization-its-impact-on-use-2)

# of people incarcerated in US Prisons
http://i.imgur.com/ZUfXAGR.png

And the offenses
http://i.imgur.com/Jm69Hn7.png

[FixedGear]

Originally posted by theken
The issue I have is, why would legalization cause more addicts? I would like a brief explanation. Cigarettes and alcohol are legal, and there are millions that do not smoke or drink, legalizing marijuana is not going to have people that chose not to smoke it start, just like those people don't smoke cigarettes. If heroin was legal I would still choose not to partake in heroin. Drugs are just as easy to get legal or not, the people that don't do them I strongly believe is not a legal issue, it is a moral issue. Most people have smoked weed (probably) illegal or not. The war on drugs is a joke, a way to control aspects of your life that they shouldn't be able to control. Hallucinogens, (I read) have been proven safer than weed (lsd, mushrooms) not addictive, and no ill effects. How is a mushroom illegal?

Great point. Marijuana is legal where I live, but I don't use it. :dunno: (I used to in the past, though.). Also, alcohol is legal but I don't drink much.

[HiTempguy1]

Unknown303, you really need to step away from the netflix documentaries. Just because its on netflix, doesn't mean it is good or proper information :nut:

And of course, your bias is showing. May I suggest you lay off the drugs :rofl:

[Unknown303]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1
Unknown303, you really need to step away from the netflix documentaries. Just because its on netflix, doesn't mean it is good or proper information :nut:

And of course, your bias is showing. May I suggest you lay off the drugs :rofl:

I don't do drugs. And when I find a viewpoint I look for information from the other perspectives.

[codetrap]

.

[rob the knob]

Grandma beaten in flakka-fueled rage dies
5:55 p.m. Sunday, June 14, 2015 | Filed in: Nation
COMMENTS 0



Grady withheld rape evidence
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An elderly grandmother who was beaten bloody three months ago by a man police say was in a drug-fueled rage has died — and investigators are awaiting the outcome of an autopsy to determine whether that beating caused her death.

Riviera Beach Police spokeswoman Rose Anne Brown said Louise Clinton, 83, died Saturday morning.

No doubt Clinton was in terrible shape after the attack in her home. She had broken bones, cuts that needed stitching to close, a head injury and more, according to police reports. But Clinton was eventually released from the hospital, and it’s not certain that it was those injuries that led to another hospital stay or her death, Brown said.

Palm Beach County’s newest drug flakka being called “one of the worst drugs ever” photo
Palm Beach County’s newest drug flakka being called “one of the worst drugs ever”
Family answering Clinton’s home phone said they were not ready to talk about it.

As it stands, Derren Morrison, the man police say beat Clinton, sits in the Palm Beach County Jail facing charges of attempted first degree murder.

Morrison’s been there since his arrest March 9 — the morning after Riviera Beach police say he got high on the latest scourge in the synthetic drug scene: flakka. They contend in arrest reports that Morrison, 26, told them he downed “sweet liquor” and smoked flakka, making him both paranoid and aggressive.

Morrison’s stepsister saw him behaving oddly at his mother’s house on Avenue J before the attack. According to an account published in The Palm Beach Post the next day, she said Morrison’s brother was talking to Morrison about clothing when Morrison said: “That’s messed up, bro. I ain’t gonna let nobody kill me.”

Then he curled up into a fetal position on the floor, The Post reported. Investigators said Morrison left the house to calm down, dodged a vehicle on the street and kept running.

Clinton, who hadn’t yet reached her 83rd birthday that night, lived on Avenue J. Police said Morrison knocked on her door and attacked her when she opened it.

When police arrived they found a tossed living room and a lot of blood. Authorities found Morrison collapsed on the street.

Flakka, a chemical stimulant that is often mixed or cut into other drugs, is the latest in a parade of synthetic drugs to gain popularity in South Florida, following in the path of bath salts and Ecstasy. In other regions it’s known as “gravel” or “$5 insanity” because it’s so cheap.

But users can pay a heavy price.

Along with a euphoric buzz, users report extreme paranoia often believing people are chasing or trying to kill them. The drug can also send body temperatures soaring, leading to episodes in which the user strips clothing and is filled with adrenaline-like strength. At its worst, without prompt medical attention, people can die from the drug’s effects.

Flakka has been tied to several incidents of bizarre and sometimes violent behavior, authorities report. In January, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies and SWAT spent hours talking a naked and screaming man from a Lake Worth rooftop.

Last month, authorities say a man under the influence of flakka impaled himself on a spike while attempting to scale a fence around the Fort Lauderdale police station.

According to published reports, another man in Broward wound up in the hospital after running naked through the streets, trying to escape people he believed stole his clothes and were trying to kill him.

[E46..sTyLez]

Waka's rap name finally makes a tiny bit of sense