During a search the vehicle, officers located 55 kilograms of methamphetamine, or 121 pounds of the drug, wrapped in plastic bags. It was a difficult story to report. 6 ways small businesses can boost holiday sales in 2020 amid the pandemic. according to the American Civil Liberties Union, What it's Like to Receive Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine, The Illegal Pandemic House Party Is Coming to a Rental on Your Block, After Pandemic Learning Loss, Not Everybody Thinks Lower Goals for Dallas Kids Are a Great Idea, Hot Property: A Japanese-Inspired Architectural Marvel Near Turtle Creek. Whole Foods, with the overdose death of a 29-year-old man, who died after taking a pill he believed was a prescription opioid. A caller to 911 reported that her father had been shot, police said. What was shocking wasn’t merely that the alleged members of the drug ring were seemingly ordinary dads and moms—including a Highland Park mother of 10 whose sons were stars on the Highland Park High School football team. The extent of that devastation offers more evidence that it is well beyond time to rethink how we treat pain and addiction in America, and how we approach the regulation and prosecution of controlled substances. There is a predominant attitude in this country that if you live in a white, upper class neighborhood drug laws don’t touch you. drugs, Mexico, Texas, trafficking (Image via U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.) Head here to read the story. DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Thirty members of an alleged methamphetamine distribution ring have been charged with drug crimes, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas … Marijuana is legal for recreational or medical use in 34 states, and yet, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, more than half of drug-related arrests in the United States are for marijuana. I pieced together the drug ring’s operations by combing through available court documents and conducting dozens of interviews with people who bought drugs from the ring, hung out on the sidelines at athletic events with some of the defendants, or had a deep working knowledge of the investigation. In a search of the vehicle, police found 55 kilograms, 120 … In all, the bundles contained some 3,150 pounds of the alleged drug, that is said to be worth about $632,000. Posted on January 31, 2020 Eight suspected gang members were arrested along with four others on drug related charges in a large scale takedown that took place in the Dallas Fort Worth Area. Customs officers intercepted a shipment of fresh broccoli on a Texas bridge that contained more than 3,000 pounds of weed. One victim was a casualty of the ongoing opioid epidemic—an epidemic, driven by legal drugs pushed by billion-dollar corporations, that is responsible for around 46,000 deaths a year in the United States. The shipment of broccoli, the tractor trailer and the suspected marijuana were all seized. “Our CBP officers’ vigilance and dedication stopped … Let’s be honest: When it comes to drug attitudes and policy in the U.S., there is a lot of hypocrisy, plenty of inequity, and even more apathy. ©2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Even in communities that feel immune from U.S. drug enforcement, the consequences can be deadly. Largest Database of Dallas County Mugshots. Narcotics officers stopped a local drug suspect about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday in a neighborhood in southwest Dallas. U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a shipment of fresh broccoli at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility in Pharr, Texas that contained more than 3,000 pounds of weed. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. In a story in the April edition of D Magazine, which goes online today, I try to unpack the inner workings of the drug ring that led to these deaths. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. PHARR, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Smugglers, on a bridge from Mexico into Texas, attempted to bring thousands of pounds of marijuana into the U.S. in a way that at the very least could be considered ‘green’. Depending on where you live, the color of your skin, and what socio-economic class you belong to, your relationship to controlled substances and your ideas about what kinds of laws should regulate drug use may vary widely. The Dallas Narcotics Unit made a drug bust that resulted in two arrests on Wednesday, Oct 9. Sign up for email alerts and be the first to know when news breaks. They were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, nearly 80 percent of people in federal prison and almost 60 percent of people in state prison for drug offenses are black or Latino. Enforcement of existing laws is wildly inconsistent. It turned out to be a counterfeit pill containing fentanyl. 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Another death can be connected to the ring: a former Highland Park High School student who was murdered over a bag of THC cartridges, the kind you can now pick up legally at a retail store in Colorado. Their research also shows that prosecutors are twice as likely to pursue a mandatory minimum sentence for African Americans as opposed to white people charged with the same offense. By viewing our video content, you are accepting the terms of our. But in the case of the Highland Park drug ring busted last October, there were deadly consequences. By Yantis Green, Jul 31, 2020 BROWNSVILLE, TX – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge intercepted alleged narcotics with a combined estimated street value of $259,420 in two separate enforcement actions. Dan Patrick Offers Up To $1M Reward For 'Voter Fraud Whistleblowers And Tipsters', 5-Year-Old In Critical Condition After Falling 25 Feet At Fort Worth Apartment Complex, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins Declares 'We Are At A Dangerous Point In The Fight Against COVID', Big Rig Crash And Explosion Leaves 1 Injured, Shuts Down Traffic On Interstate-35W, 24-Year-Old Charged With Murder Of Houston Police Sgt. We can see these two deaths through the lens of our country’s contradictory social and legal attitudes towards drugs. Investigators connected the ring, which operated out of a townhouse near the Lemmon Ave. Dan Patrick Offers Up To $1M Reward For 'Voter Fraud Whistleblowers And Tipsters', 5-Year-Old In Critical Condition After Falling 25 Feet At Fort Worth Apartment Complex, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins Declares 'We Are At A Dangerous Point In The Fight Against COVID', Big Rig Crash And Explosion Leaves 1 Injured, Shuts Down Traffic On Interstate-35W, 24-Year-Old Charged With Murder Of Houston Police Sgt.