Law enforcement has always been vigilant to stop drug trafficking throughout the country. In many cases, these perpetrators are caught with the contraband on the roadways and through shipments coming from international locations, moving the product to new areas for the marketing and distribution. While some of these busts are fairly routine and obvious to the police who make these traffic stops and survey shipments entering the United States, these days, traffickers are getting wiser about how to transport their illegal drugs and make it seem less suspicious.
One of the most recent attempts came when smugglers hid upwards of 500 lbs of methamphetamine in tiny wax figurines of beloved Disney characters. The wax has been a regular red flag for law enforcement, as it works to counteract the smell of the meth for trained dogs. Of course, this is also alarming on another level, beyond the attempt to bring over 2 million dollars’ worth of meth to Atlanta, GA (as it was believed to be headed there).
This is not the first attempt for smugglers and drug dealers to use child-enticing products to attempt to conceal or market the drugs that they push out onto the street. The unfortunate drawback to these circumstances is that children are more prone to be drawn to these products, mistaking them for toys or treats meant for them to consume. This has law enforcement all over the country on edge, and with a good cause.
As was earlier stated, this is by no means the first attempt for smugglers and dealers to move their product under the guise of children’s marketing. Meth lollipops were confiscated last year in Texas, with Star Wars themed wrappers. These brightly colored meth pops were believed to be targeted at a younger group of buyers, but police are not convinced that children were the goal in this case. This was merely an attempt to elude suspicion and discovery by the police, which was also unsuccessful.
For many parents, though, this brings back an all too familiar rumor that has been circulating through communities for over a decade now: dealers are trying to draw younger children into using meth. While there is not a lot of mounting evidence to suggest that this is the case, the more popular use of child theming with smuggling and distribution suggests that the end game is drawing in buyers from all age brackets that have money to buy.
The rumor got some footing back in 2007 with the word circulating that drug pushers had created a flavored version of meth geared to be more appetizing to a younger audience. At the time, this flavored variety even had a name: Strawberry Quick. At this time, and in instances where the conversation has arisen since, law enforcement agencies have assured the communities at large that these gimmicks, if they are even real, are nothing more than food coloring to differentiate product.
Fortunately, most people do not have to worry about drugs flooding the streets of their communities with the tireless efforts of law enforcement and respective agencies working around the clock to track suspicious packages and catch these drugs before they get where they are headed. Whether through international shipping or cross country vehicular trafficking, agencies are always working to catch the next smuggler.
