A new report sheds light on Ohio’s illicit drug landscape, which claims the lives of thousands of Ohioans annually, and fentanyl is responsible for about three-quarters of the deaths.
Analysts with the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, which released its first Strategic Report this month, believe that over the next five years, Ohio will likely face a “complex, volatile, and unpredictable drug landscape.” Officials believe the combination of “potent drugs” will likely cause most drug poisoning deaths in the Buckeye State.
Compounding the issue, authorities expect drug traffickers to use encryption and cryptocurrency to hide incriminating evidence about their illicit activities.
“Maintaining pressure on drug traffickers is crucial. They adapt as laws change, and we must continue to adapt our strategies in order to bring them to justice,” ONIC Executive Director Cynthia Peterman said in a release. “The ONIC is committed to working with our local, state, and federal partners to operationalize our strategies and enhance the safety and security of all Ohio residents.”
According to the ONIC, an average of 4,625 Ohioans die every year from unintentional drug poisoning, totaling 27,752 between 2017 and 2022. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is cheap to manufacture, was involved in more than three-quarters, 77% or 21,375 total, of all drug poisoning deaths over that period.
Officials said fentanyl was often used in combination with other drugs, known as polydrug mixtures. Polydrug mixtures and counterfeit prescription pills with illicit drugs contributed to poisoning deaths, likely “because of fentanyl and combinations of drugs found in the pills.”
“From 2017 through 2022, Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) such as the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) trafficked the vast majority of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin to Ohio-based drug sellers,” the report found. “Mexican TCOs produce ton quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine per year in so-called ‘super labs,’ with chemicals acquired from pharmaceutical companies in countries such as China and India.”
The ONIC operates intelligence units and digital forensic labs in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo. The agency, housed within the Ohio Department of Public Safety, collaborates with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to identify and intercept dangerous drugs before they reach the streets.
Ohio authorities credited the partnerships for bringing about a 14% decrease in unintentional overdose deaths between 2021 and 2023.
“The current drug landscape features an interconnected network of chemical suppliers, drug traffickers, and money launderers who capitalize on the global trade system and leverage technology to efficiently deliver drugs to customers across Ohio,” according to the report’s executive summary.
“Drug traffickers in Ohio commonly engage in a multitude of other crimes such as firearm trafficking, violent crime, and money laundering,” the report continued. “Individuals who appear to be more at risk to develop a substance use disorder and experience drug poisoning include those who have experienced a previous non-fatal drug poisoning, those experiencing poverty and trauma, and those previously involved with the criminal justice system.”
Separately, the Ohio Senate has passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 1, urging Congress to designate fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction. It is pending before the state House.
“As the opioid crisis has swept over our nation, fentanyl has remained at the forefront,” state Sen. Terry Johnson, R-McDermott, said in prepared sponsor testimony. “It is 50 times more potent than heroin, 100 times more potent than morphine, and is frequently laced into other counterfeit or illicit substances.
“While there are some legitimate uses for fentanyl as a severe pain medication or anesthetic, its popularity in the illicit drug market has exploded due to its potency, cheapness to manufacture, overall profitability, ease of smuggling, and for the exponential damage that it does to citizens of nations other than the People’s Republic of China,” Johnson added. “...While tragic, this crisis is no accident. Drug cartels, money laundering enterprises, and enemies of the United States such as the Chinese Communist Party profit directly from the distribution of fentanyl.”
