For individuals charged with felony drug crimes, an effective drug treatment program and access to other important services can mean the difference between repeated contacts with the criminal justice system and the ability to lead a fulfilling, law-abiding life. Diversion and treatment options enhance public safety by reducing recidivism, while decreasing incarceration. SNP was a pioneer in developing alternative to …
Last week, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) announced overdose deaths reached a new record high for New York City in 2020. A stunning 2,062 people died of drug overdoses, or an average of six people per day, which is 27 percent more deaths than 2019. Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid crisis have …
More than 2,300 people died of drug overdoses in New York City during the 12 months ending in March of 2021, coinciding with the Covid-19 pandemic. The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) delivered deeply troubling news this week as it released new provisional data showing all but three states in the U.S. experienced an alarming rise in …
This week, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a Public Safety Alert to warn people nationwide about an alarming increase in deadly counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl and methamphetamine. The first such alert by DEA in six years, it comes at a time when overdose deaths are at record highs across the U.S. More than 93,000 people suffered …
On Saturday, we mark the 20th anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11. On that day, terrorists attacked the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and an airplane that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The number of lives lost after the planes slammed into the Twin Towers numbered 2,763, including more than 400 police officers, fire fighters and first responders. The …
New Risks for Users for Drug Users Laboratory-made substances are thoroughly saturating the drug supply in the U.S., posing new risks for users. The DEA reported intercepting an alarming amount of both methamphetamine and fentanyl in 2020. Seizures of methamphetamine, a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, skyrocketed by 214% over 2019. Meanwhile, DEA recovered 59% …
Since its creation in 2011, SNP’s Prescription Drug Investigation Unit (PDIU) has targeted large-scale pill mills, pharmaceutical drug trafficking rings and corrupt medical practitioners who sell prescriptions for highly addictive pills in exchange for cash. Our investigations have uncovered a wide array of criminal schemes that share a common goal: to turn a profit from illegally prescribed drugs. Significantly, the …
Drug Enforcement Administration agents and NYPD officers raided a methamphetamine conversion lab in a vacant Bronx apartment earlier this month, the…
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, more illicit fentanyl is flooding into the U.S. and the New York metropolitan area than ever before. Tragically, more people are dying from drug overdoses in New York City as a result. Every five hours, someone in the city fatally overdoses. The majority of these deaths are linked to fentanyl, a highly addictive …
The opioid crisis during the COVID pandemic has been getting worse both in the city and in the nation. Given our progress in reducing overdose deaths in recent years, this result is very disappointing. Researchers suggest that stressors associated with COVID-19, including trauma from economic instability, social isolation and grief, as well as limited access to treatment, have contributed to …
Drug Enforcement Administration agents and NYPD officers raided a methamphetamine conversion lab in a month, the…
The guilty verdict that led to the conviction of Derek Chauvin allows some light to shine through the dark cloud that has too often hovered over the criminal justice system. The verdict affirms the value of George Floyd’s life, but his senseless death demands an immediate response from those in criminal justice roles. We must do all we can to …
