drugs Archives - Tennessee Star

Over $14 Million Worth of Drugs, Firearms and a Man Wanted for Murder Detained by Border Officials in February

February 23, 2021February 22, 2021 Admin

Around $14.3 million worth of narcotics and several weapons have been seized since the start of February at an Arizona port where officials also arrested a man wanted for murder, Customs and Border Protection announced Tuesday.

Officials seized 440 pounds of methamphetamine, 385,000 tablets of fentanyl, 84 pounds of heroin and almost 13 pounds of cocaine in around 25 instances since Feb. 1, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). A 28-year-old man wanted for murder in Las Vegas was arrested while in possession of an AR-15 assault rifle, a handgun and over 300 rounds of ammunition.

Drug Companies Could Get Millions in Tax Refunds for Opioid Settlement Costs

February 15, 2021February 14, 2021 Admin

Pharmaceutical companies are planning to deduct restitution payments from opioid lawsuit settlements from their tax filings and will get back around $1 billion each, The Washington Post reported Friday.

Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health paid around $26 billion for their role in the opioid crisis and plan to receive tax benefits from the settlement, The Post reported. The settlement requires the companies to each pay between $5 and $8 billion to communities for the cost of the health crisis.

Border Patrol Seized 470,000 Pounds of Drugs in 2020 Using New Screening Tech

February 8, 2021February 7, 2021 Admin

Customs and Border Protection seized nearly half a million pounds of illegal narcotics at the border in 2020 using new screening technology, agency officials announced Thursday.

Over half of the narcotics found last year, or around 470,000 pounds, were discovered through so-called non-intrusive inspection technology, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The agency seized a total of 808,522 pounds of illegal narcotics in 2020.

133 Illegal Immigrants and Nearly $48 Million Worth of Drugs Seized at Texas Border in 5 Days, CBP Reports Show

September 3, 2020September 2, 2020 Admin

Customs and Border Protection arrested 133 illegal immigrants and seized roughly 7,630 pounds of narcotics were seized at the border between Texas and Mexico over five days, according to the agency.

Authorities intervened in drug smuggling, human smuggling and trafficking and illegal crossing attempts, and recovered around $47,863,472 worth of narcotics, according to 15 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports between Aug. 25 and Aug. 28.

Commentary: Lowering the Cost of Prescription Medicines for Seniors Is Not Impossible

September 1, 2020August 31, 2020 Admin

Earlier this year James Payne, a 73-year-old retired attorney in Utah, was so fed up with the high cost of a blood thinner medication he takes, he researched prices in Canada, where he found it was cheaper.

“Under Medicare, I am now paying $225 for a three-month supply,” Payne explained. “That’s $25 more than I was paying last year. Under my employer’s insurance I was only paying $20.” Payne says he is not sure why the costs are so much higher and continue to climb under Medicare, but he thinks there must be ways to make life-saving medications more affordable.

Border Agents Arrest Two Illegal Immigrants Traveling with $16,000 Cash, Guns and Ammo

August 23, 2020August 22, 2020 Admin

A makeshift wooden vessel carrying two men from the Dominican Republic was spotted and intercepted three miles off the coast of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents Thursday morning.

The men were traveling in a “yola” type vessel with a “significant amount of weapons and ammo,” a CBP spokesman told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Two men were arrested and the vessel was seized.

Opioid Overdoses Rise in State During Coronavirus Pandemic

July 30, 2020July 29, 2020 Admin

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is reporting significant increases in opioid overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MDHHS reported emergency medical services (EMS) in the state responded to a 33 percent increase in opioid overdoses from April to May of this year. The department adds that opioid overdoses increased by 26 percent from the prior year during the period between April and June.

Ohio Grants Police Drug Task Forces More Than $2M to Combat Trafficking

February 4, 2020February 3, 2020 Jason M. Reynolds

The State of Ohio on Monday awarded 27 law enforcement task forces more than $2 million in grants to disrupt the drug trade and promote awareness, prevention and recovery. Gov. Mike DeWine held a presentation at the Ohio Statehouse for the announcement of the RecoveryOhio Law Enforcement Fund, according…

St. Paul Experiences Overdose Spike over Last Few Weeks

January 13, 2020January 12, 2020 Admin

St. Paul saw 34 suspected overdoses from December 27 through January 3. Two overdoses were fatal, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

Dayton Shooter Had Drugs in His System When He Murdered 9 People, Coroner Says

August 17, 2019August 16, 2019 Admin

The man who shot and killed nine people in Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 4 had cocaine, alcohol and anti-anxiety medication in his system when he opened fire on a crowded street, according to the Montgomery County coroner.

Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis Set to Sign Cost-Reducing Drug Importation Bill

April 30, 2019April 30, 2019 Admin

by Evie Fordham Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appears set to sign a bill creating a program to import prescription drugs from Canada after the Republican-backed legislation passed the state Senate. The bill passed the GOP-controlled Florida House 93-22 on April 11, reported The Associated Press. The Washington Examiner characterized the legislation…

Ohio Attorney General Pushes to Reform Drug Pricing By Focusing on Middlemen

April 26, 2019April 25, 2019 Andrew Shirley

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost blasted the middlemen responsible for negotiating drug prices on behalf of the state Monday, calling for immediate legislative action. The move comes a month after the state formally launched a lawsuit against the pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) responsible for the negotiations. Currently, Ohio cannot directly…

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown Joins Bipartisan Group Introducing Bill Sanctioning China for Opioid Trafficking

April 7, 2019April 6, 2019 Andrew Shirley

Democratic Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown joined a bipartisan group of six Senators Thursday to introduce a bill that would sanction any country involved in the trafficking of illegal opioids into the United States. According to the U.S Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2018 National Drug Assessment, synthetic opioids,…

Report: One in Three Children Enter Foster Care Due to Parental Drug Abuse, Ohio Rate Jumped 29 Percent

March 2, 2019March 1, 2019 Andrew Shirley

A report released Tuesday by the nonprofit Child Trends revealed that for the sixth consecutive year, 2017 saw a significant rise in the number of children entering foster care due to parental drug abuse or drug seeking behavior. According to the report, 131 out of every 100,000 children in America ends up…

Study: After a Generation Lost to the Opioid Epidemic, Ohio is Among the Few Hardest Hit to See Signs of Recovery

February 25, 2019February 25, 2019 Andrew Shirley

According to a study released Friday, Ohio is among the 8 states with the highest overall rates of opioid-related deaths in the 18-year span from 1998-2016. However the study also suggests that among those states hardest hit, Ohio is seeing a drop in opioid-related deaths in 2018. Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland,…

President Trump Tells Reporters the Government Will Stay Shut Down Unless Wall is Built

December 26, 2018December 25, 2018 Admin

by Henry Rodgers President Donald Trump said the federal government will remain shut down unless there is an agreement on some type of border wall or fence. “I can’t tell you when the government is going to reopen … [Not until] we have a wall, a fence, whatever they’d…

Ohio Sheriff Under Investigation for Stealing Drug Arrest Money

December 20, 2018December 20, 2018 Andrew Shirley

A Pike County Sheriff has been accused of stealing thousands of dollars, seized in various drug arrests throughout the county, and using the funds to fuel his “compulsive” gambling problem. The investigation, currently underway, stems from an anonymous complaint filed against Sheriff Charles Reader on November 9. The complaint (copied…

Record-High 70,000 Americans Died of Drug Overdoses in 2017

November 30, 2018November 30, 2018 Admin

by Evie Fordham A record 70,000 Americans died of drug overdoses according to 2017 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Thursday, prompting experts to point to the proliferation of the potent substance fentanyl. The CDC’s 2017 data shows that 70,237 Americans died of drug overdoses. That represents…

Gov. Haslam Signs Legislation to Restrict Opioid Access, Punish Trafficking, Provide Treatment Help

July 3, 2018July 3, 2018 Jason M. Reynolds

The state of Tennessee is adding restrictions to opioid prescriptions and measures to track and punish unlawful distribution of the powerful pain medications. Gov. Bill Haslam signed two bills and issued an executive order last Friday to support TN Together, the latest effort to fight the opioid crisis, WBIR reported,…

Border Patrol Seizes Heroin at New Mexico Checkpoint

June 24, 2018July 18, 2018 Admin

The U.S. Border Patrol says its agents have seized more than $1 million in heroin at an immigration checkpoint in New Mexico. The agency says authorities conducting an inspection at the checkpoint on New Mexico Highway 70 found the drugs Thursday in a black Honda that was being transported across…

Bill Hennessy Commentary: Missouri’s Governor Greitens Signs Executive Order Protecting Patients’ Prescription Privacy

August 8, 2017August 8, 2017 Admin

By: Bill Hennessy In case you haven’t heard, Governor Greitens signed an executive order on July 17. The EO made Missouri the 50th state to establish some sort of prescription drug tracking. Most states track everything about prescriptions. And hyperactive federal judges have already opened those state databases…