As students across Nebraska prepare for a return to school, the Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Division encourages families to make time for conversations about the dangers of drug use and consequences of experimentation.
Methamphetamine and fake pill seizures remain high in Nebraska and the DEA wants to raise awareness to the drug marketing being used to target youth.
“We’ve seen methamphetamine pressed into pills shaped like marshmallows from cereal and fake pills laced with fentanyl made to look like Xanax, Adderall, Oxy and other legitimate pharmaceuticals,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Justin C. King said. “In addition, drug cartels are trying to entice a younger audience through the use of social media and the dark web. Make no mistake, these organizations know exactly what they’re doing as they try to recruit their next life-long customer.”
Drug dealers are also using smart phones as a one-stop shop to market, sell, buy, and deliver fake prescription pills and other dangerous drugs. DEA testing shows that four out of every 10 pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose.
DEA also reports there is a whole language in the drug culture that makes use of emoji’s in a different way. They recommend you keep tabs on your child’s social media activity and what emoji’s they are using. For example, a snowman or a snowflake can mean cocaine and a palm tree or clover could mean marijuana. They also use emoji’s to identify orders and delivery information. A list can be found by clicking here.
More information can also be found at www.dea.gov/OnePill.