Drug overdoses killed more than 600,000 Americans in the past 10 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of these deaths were crimes enabled by people who knowingly supplied a deadly poison. Recognizing this reality, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and California Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced new efforts to support criminal investigations related to an alarming increase in fatal overdoses.
As policymakers at all levels explore how to sever these poison supply lines to our communities, it is essential to strengthen law enforcement investigative capabilities. Agencies have a unique opportunity to do just that through funding from a landmark nationwide pharmaceutical industry settlement.
When two teenagers in Texas tragically died from an opioid overdose, investigators identified and arrested the alleged dealer who supplied the deadly fentanyl-laced pills. Digital intelligence technology was critical in helping law enforcement track down the suspect and bringing justice and closure to the victim’s family.
Closer to home, here in California, a large county sheriff’s office was able to take down a regional drug operation from a single traffic stop. Law enforcement pulled over some local drug dealers and discovered 40,000 fentanyl pills. Data found on their cell phones led investigators to a much larger drug trafficking operation that’s now no longer in business.
At overdose crime scenes, digital devices often provide the most detailed, accurate and extensive information about the victim’s life and ultimately can lead investigators to the source of the drugs. For example, if the deceased bought fentanyl from a dealer, then texts, emails, phone calls, pictures and GPS coordinates can lead an investigator to who’s responsible. Knowing the dealer’s identity enables higher-level investigation into the drug trafficking supply chains that pump these deadly drugs into our communities.
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With state and local governments beginning to receive their share of the estimated $26 billion National Opioids Settlement fund, now is a prime opportunity for law enforcement agencies to acquire the tools needed to catch the dealers perpetuating this epidemic. The settlement payments, which commenced in 2022 and are scheduled to continue until 2038, provide the means and opportunity for communities to tackle the problem at its root.
After the Texas tragedy, the investigating agency used the Opioids Settlement Fund to create a narcotics task force. The money paid for an expansion of digital intelligence solutions, as well as other tools the investigators are now using now to battle the rising opioid crisis.
The Principles for the Use of Funds from the Opioid Litigation, which Johns Hopkins University developed and more than 60 organizations across the country endorsed, are designed to help localities invest in the most effective interventions — with a key focus on reducing the harm caused by opioid addiction.
In addition to comprehensive rehabilitation and health-related prevention programs, settlement funds can be used to improve the technological capabilities of investigative agencies. This element is crucial to strengthening local law enforcement’s ability to maintain and increase pressure on drug trafficking organizations during a time when agencies are experiencing critical hiring shortages as illicit drug trafficking continues to grow worldwide.
Empowering local and state investigators with cutting-edge digital forensics technology helps them deliver justice for the families of overdose victims and stand firmly between poison traffickers and their next victims. These efforts, when taken together, will boost the success of tracking down and prosecuting opioid traffickers and suppliers. In return, communities can rest knowing there will be fewer unthinkable phone calls about their loved ones.
Ron Brooks is retired assistant chief of the California Department of Justice and former president of the National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition. Erik Floden is vice president of government affairs and business development at digital intelligence and investigative analytics firm Cellebrite.