Photo Courtesy of the Office of the Governor
Schumer called heroin in NY “an epidemic that needs more attention and action by the feds to foil.”
By Forum Staff
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer on Sunday called on the federal government to step in and commit to providing New York with one of four special Drug Enforcement Agency heroin combat groups being delivered to states suffering from opioid abuse.
Schumer said recent numbers prove that when it comes to NYC and Long Island, the steady uptick of heroin busts, overdoses, and heavy local drug enforcement costs demand more federal resources—as soon as possible.
“Recent increases in drug busts, overdoses and emergency calls across New York City and Long Island all tied to heroin tell the story of an epidemic that needs more attention and action by the feds to foil,” Schumer said. “New York’s rampant heroin epidemic proves we are in desperate need of one of the four special heroin enforcement teams being launched throughout the country. With more than a thousand deaths related to heroin overdoses in 2016 alone, it’s time for the DEA to bring its A-team to New York so that we can finally zero in on this epidemic and stop the scourge in its tracks. A new heroin enforcement team will help the NYPD, Long Island and other local police departments across the state beat back this dangerous tide.”
Schumer noted that he secured millions in federal funding for DEA in the Fiscal Year 2017 omnibus for the creation of the four specialized DEA groups specifically dedicated to counteracting heroin trafficking and eradicating its availability. Now, the senior senator from New York says the Empire State should receive one of those teams.
According to Schumer, the new DEA enforcement groups will be directed to states that report heroin as the highest drug threat. In making the case for New York, Schumer said that the state’s heroin overdose death rate increased by 30 percent in 2015. Between the years 2005-2014, NY documented a 115-percent increase in heroin treatment admissions in upstate New York and a 116-percent increase on Long Island. In all, approximately 1.4 million New Yorkers suffer from a substance abuse disorder. Schumer also said that the New York DEA Field Division has identified the five boroughs as a major distribution hub for heroin mills, via John F. Kennedy International Airport – an entry point to more easily access the greater Northeast region. Schumer said it makes sense to deliver one of these teams to New York State where local law enforcement agencies are on the frontlines. The recently-passed FY17 omnibus includes $12.5 million to the DEA for the creation of four new enforcement teams in divisions that report heroin as the highest drug threat. The funding will enable 42 agents for the new teams, including 32 special agents.
According to the DEA, the threat posed by heroin abuse and availability nationwide has steadily increased since 2007. In 2014, 10,574 Americans died from heroin-related overdoses, and between 2007 and 2014, the number of heroin-related deaths increased 341 percent. Schumer said that New York has fallen victim to these deadly statistics. Since 2006, New York’s heroin overdose death rate has equaled or exceeded the national rate. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributed 1,058 deaths to heroin in 2015, an increase of nearly 29 percent from the previous year. In 2013, an average of two New Yorkers a day died of heroin-related overdoses.
According to the City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, approximately four fatal opioid overdoses occurred each day in New York City last year.
