Lancaster County is working to battle back against drug-trafficking with enforcement, in addition to education.
The Lancaster County Drug Task Force recently gave a presentation to a group of area educators and school resource officers at the Lancaster-Lebanon IU13 building on New Holland Avenue. K9 Bear, a chocolate lab trained in detecting narcotics, joined the presentation.
Lancaster County lists this, among the chief takeaways:
1. 95% of heroin found in Lancaster County contains fentanyl Fentanyl is cheaper and is more potent than heroin, meaning dealers can make more with less – of a cheaper product.
2. Dealers can buy fentanyl on the dark web. And it costs a fraction of what heroin costs. A kilogram of fentanyl runs about $8,000 to $10,000 on the Dark Web (via China). Heroin can cost four times that.
3. Heroin is not foreign to students. It can be snorted, which increases the appeal for students/youth. In a recent DTF investigation, a 12-year-old was involved in a heroin transaction. In another instance, a 12-year-old was found with dozens of bags.
4. Marijuana oils, edibles and wax are trending. Popular with students (not just in Lancaster County), dealers obtain these products via mail from from states with legalized marijuana.
5. Meth prices have plummeted as supply booms. The street cost of meth has been cut in half in the past couple years. However, meth use is very rare among students.
However, Lancaster County stresses, the presentation was not officers due to an escalation of drug use among students.
It was simply provided to show educators and parents the latest trends.