>> NOW TO DRUGS IN DISGUISE. THE WAR ON DRUGS IS HITTING CLOSER TO HOME AND PARENTS
AND CAREGIVERS NEED TO HEAR
THIS WARNING FOR THE FIRST TIME
AGENTS WHO WORK TO KEEP DRUGS
OFF
THE STREETS AND AWAY FROM OUR
KIDS ARE LETTING US BEHIND
LOCKED DOORS TO
SHOW YOU JUST HOW BAD THE
PROBLEM HAS BECOME REVEALING
HOW DRUG DEALERS ARE UP TO NEW
TRICKS WHAT FEDERAL CRIME
FIGHTERS ARE DOING
ABOUT IT. NEWS 4 JAX REPORTER
ERIK AVANIER WAS RECENTLY GIVEN
EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO A VERY FEW
PLACES THAT ON PLACES THAT VERY
FEW PEOPLE GET A CHANCE TO GO
THERE WAS A VERY INTERESTING
EXPERIENCE NOW TO SHOW YOU THE
DRUGS
IN DISGUISE.
>>TARIK MINOR: I WAS ALLOWED
ACCESS INSIDE THE LAB OF THE
DRUG
ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION.
I HAVE TO SAY THAT FOR SECURITY
REASONS I CAN’T SAY WHERE THE
LAB IS LOCATED, BUT I CAN TELL
YOU ONCE INSIDE I SAW MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS WORTH OF COCAINE,
HEROIN METH AND FENTANYL WHILE
THESE BILLS AND BAGS OF
SEIZED NARCOTICS TRACE BACK TO
DRUG CARTELS AND THESE ARE THE
SAME DRUGS THAT DEALERS WANT TO
BRING INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
FUELING VIOLENCE, BUT WARNING
FAMILIES AND ENDING LIVES.
♪
>> INSIDE THIS D LABS WERE SEIZED NARCOTICS ARE STORED TESTED AND PROCESS
THE EVIDENCE. THE IEA
SCIENTISTS ARE UNCOVERING NEW
SMUGGLING TECHNIQUES DRUG
CARTELS ARE USING ASSOCIATE LAB
DIRECTOR AGNES WINOKUR SAYS THE
NEWEST RICK IS THE HIGH CRYSTAL
METH IN GALLONS OF PAINT WHAT
WE HAVE TO DO THEN IS TO
EXTRACT THE METHAMPHETAMINE
FROM ALL THESE DIFFERENT TYPES
OF CHEMICALS THAT THEY TRY TO
MAKE SUDDEN HOW DIFFICULT
IS THAT.
>> DEPENDING ON ME FOR EXAMPLE,
THIS WAS IN PAIN IT CAN BE A
LITTLE BIT MORE CHALLENGING
THAN
METHAMPHETAMINE OUTER.
>> WHAT CRYSTAL METH MIXED WITH
CHEMICALS AND PAINTS THE
COMBINATION CAN CAUSE THE
CONTAINER TO COLLAPSE OVER TIME
SO SCIENTISTS HAVE TO WORK
QUICKLY TO ANALYZE THE SAMPLES
BEFORE THEIR EVIDENCE THIS
RUINED ANOTHER TRICK,
SCIENTISTS THAT FOUND SMUGGLING
DRUGS AND CONCRETE EVEN
ALUMINUM METAL SOMEHOW THEY PAY
PLAY WITH THE CHEMICAL
PROPERTIES OF THE OF THE
ACTUAL DRUG.
>> AND THEN OF MATRIX OF TRYING
TO CONCEAL IT IN.
>> SO THAT IS
ABLE TO MIX TOGETHER SO THAT IF
YOU SEEM LIKE A PIECE OF
ALUMINUM YOU WOULDN’T KNOW THAT
THERE’S DRUGS IN THERE IT’S
IMPORTANT TO TEST THE DRUGS
THAT ANALYZED THE SAMPLES
THAT’S HOW THEY DISCOVERED POLY
DRUGS WHEN WE’RE ANALYZING IT.
>> IT
WOULDN’T BE. SURPRISING TO FIND
6,
7 DIFFERENT DRUGS.
>> THOSE TAKING THE DRUGS MAY
THINK THEY’RE GETTING ONE THING
BUT REALLY TAKING A POTENTIALLY
DEADLY MIX AND ONE HIT IN AND
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS LARGE BAG
OF COAL FOR TABLETS, SOMEONE
MIGHT THINK THEY’RE TAKING
ECSTASY. BUT SCIENTISTS FOUND
OUT IT’S ACTUALLY METH IN
DISGUISE THIS IS FENTANYL
DISGUISED AS HEART CANDY THAT
LOOKS LIKE BROKEN PIECES OF
WHAT SHERRY JOLLY RANCHER.
>> AND THEY REALLY DIDN’T LOOK
LIKE CANDY. OBVIOUSLY THEY’RE
TRYING TO BRING IN THE YOUNGER.
THE THE
YOUNGER POPULATION.
>> THE MARIA LOPEZ THE D E A
SENIOR FORENSIC CHEMISTS.
SHE USES THIS COMPUTERIZED
MACHINE TO DETERMINE
PURITY OF A SPECIFIC NARCOTIC
AND HOW MANY DRUGS HAVE BEEN
MIXED
WITH IT WHILE WE CAN’T SHOW THE
COMPUTER SCREEN EXAMINING THIS
PARTICULAR SAMPLE BECAUSE IT’S
PART OF AN OPEN CRIMINAL CASE
WE CAN’T CONFIRM BUT EVERY TIME
IT TAKES SPECIFIC DRUGS THE
DIGITAL METER ON THE SCREEN
WILL SPIKE.
>> MOST OF THE CASES FOR POKING
IT IN THE 70’S AND 80’S I WOULD
SAY FOR MATH WE HAVE LIKE
99% PURITY. >> THE D E A SAYS METH WITH A PURITY LEVEL THAT HIGH COMES
FROM DRUG CARTEL SUPER LABS IN
MEXICO WHEN LOPEZ
UNWRAPPED THIS BRICK COCAINE
SHE NOTICED THAT HAD AN
IMPRESSION OF THE WORD DIESEL
IT’S HER JOB TO ALERT THE
RESEARCH DEPARTMENT BECAUSE
DIESEL IS A BRAND OF COCAINE
PRODUCED BY A SPECIFIC CARTEL
IT WAS PART OF A D E A SEIZURE
THAT INCLUDED MORE THAN 600
KILOS OF COCAINE WITH A STREET
VALUE OF MORE THAN 20 MILLION
DOLLARS WAS GOOD BECAUSE OF
THAT WE SEE MICHAEL KING THIS
IS WHERE THEIR JOB CAN BECOME
MORE DANGEROUS BECAUSE COCAINE
AND THE DEADLY FENTANYL CAN
LOOK IDENTICAL ESPECIALLY WHEN
IT’S
A POWDER.
>> THIS SMALL BAG OF WHITE
POWDERY SUBSTANCE CAME IN
BELIEVED TO BE
OKAY, HOWEVER, IT HASN’T BEEN
ANALYZED YET WHICH MEANS IN
REALITY THIS COULD POTENTIALLY
BE
PURE FENTANYL.
>> I THINK IS IT THE HAVE THE
WHOLE
♪
WHOLE ♪ >> GREEK LIKE A DEAL FROM
COCAINE AND HE’S JUST PURE FUN.
>> EVEN A SMALL AMOUNT OF FENTANYL CAN BE DEADLY. SO SCIENTISTS WEAR PROTECTIVE GEAR
AND TAKE SAMPLES IN THIS
ENCLOSED GLASS AREA WHERE THERE
IS NO AIR CIRCULATION TO BLOW
FENTANYL PARTICLES AROUND AND
IN CASE, SOMEONE IS
ACCIDENTALLY EXPOSED THERE IS A
SUPPLY OF NALOXONE INJECTION
AVAILABLE TO RAPIDLY REVERSED A
FENTANYL OVERDOSE AND JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT COULDN’T GET ANY SCARIER SCIENTISTS HAVE
RECENTLY RECEIVED DRUGS MADE UP
OF UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE THIS SO
NEW THEY CAN’T BE IDENTIFIED IN
A FIELD TEST DURING A DRUG
BUST. WE JUST DON’T KNOW WHAT
THEY ARE.
>> BECAUSE HE’S THE SYNTHETIC
TYPE OF SAMPLES ARE CONSTANTLY
BEING TWEAKED AS SOON AS WE
IDENTIFY THEM AS SOON AS WE
SHOW THEM WITH THE COMMUNITY.
YOU KNOW AS SOON AS LAW
ENFORCEMENT STARTS TAKING THEM
OFF THE STREETS. NOW THEY HAVE
A
NEW ONE.
>> FOR THE PEOPLE WORKING IN
THIS LAP FIGURING OUT WHAT’S
ACTUALLY IN THE DRUGS SEIZED BY
AGENTS IS
ALWAYS PERSONAL.
>> AND THAT INFORMATION IS SO
CRITICAL TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS
AFFECTING OUR COMMUNITIES
WAS CAUSING. YOU KNOW OUR
NEIGHBORS OR RELATIVES TO BE
INFLICTED BY THESE VERY
DANGEROUS DRUGS. SO IT TAKES
HEART IT TAKES HARD YOU HAVE TO
CARE.
>> NOW ONCE THOSE DRUGS YOU SAW AN ALLY SCIENTISTS WRITE UP A REPORT ABOUT THEIR FINDINGS AND
THEN THOSE DRUGS
ARE INCINERATED ALSO I WANT TO
POINT OUT THAT SCIENTISTS AT
THE LAPSE THAT A FAIRLY NEW
DESIGNER STIMULANT CALLED YOU
THE LOAN IS POPPING UP ON THE
STREETS IN FLORIDA. IT’S A
STIMULANT WHICH CAN CREATE A
SENSE OF EUPHORIA BUT YOU NICE
AND TART IF A PERSON TAKES TOO
MUCH
OF IT. IT COULD CAUSE SOME
MAJOR DAMAGE THERE IF YOU’VE
BEEN COVERING THESE KIND OF
DRUG BUSTS INDIA EFFORTS FOR
YEARS WHAT SURPRISED YOU MOST
ABOUT YOUR VISIT TO THE LAB I
WOULD SAY THE MOST SURPRISING
THING I SAW WAS THE FACT THAT I
LOOKED AT THE BACK THAT I
THOUGHT WAS CANDY.
>>TARIK MINOR: WAS ACTUALLY THE
DEADLY FENTANYL AND IF MYSELF
AS AN ADULT CAN LOOK AT THAT
AND SEE THAT AND THINK THAT
IT’S CANDY YOU CAN
ONLY IMAGINE WHAT A CHILD WOULD