Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 1-29-16 Edition

Local
Community Education Meeting
‘Molly’ Believed To Be Responsible For Recent Drug Overdoses
Law enforcement and medical personnel in Largo, Florida said they have recently had to deal with a lot of drug overdoses that have been attributed to the new club drug, Molly, and they are warning people about the drug.
Largo Police reported that several people in the area have overdosed in the past week. In those cases, the victims stopped breathing and had to be placed on life support.
Molly has been marketed to teens and young adults as pure MDMA (Ecstasy) by dealers across the country, and officials said the users of the drug believe they’re taking pure MDMA.
However, according to the Drug Enforce- ment Agency, only 13% of Molly contains any MDMA whatsoever.
There is a widespread misconception that the club drug Molly contains only pure MDMA, a drug that alters the mind to bring on feelings of euphoria.
Molly was first mentioned in 2011 by high school students in a teen survey focus group. Though Molly had been around for almost ten years, it was really starting to gain popularity among young people in the United States at that time.
Molly comes in a crystallized powder form, and presents the misconception it is healthier because of its pure appearance. However, MDMA is far from being safe.
MDMA is a synthetic drug that acts as a hallucinogen and stimulant.
Users often experience dehydration (which can lead to overheating, convulsing and seiz-
ing), as well as depression, paranoia, anxiety and confusion.
Molly samples have also been found to contain addictive drugs, such as methamphet- amine, heroin, ketamine, PCP and ampheta- mines. The ingredients in Molly have been implicated in the emergency room visits and deaths of people who assumed they were tak- ing pure MDMA.
It is imperative that people understand that regardless of what their drug dealer tells them, they never truly know what combination of chemicals they are purchasing. While pure MDMA is far from safe, the adulterated drug sold as Molly is even more dangerous, has killed people, and caused reactions that re- quire emergency medical and psychiatric in- tervention.
On Sunday, January 31st at 4 p. m., a Community Educa- tion Meeting will be held at the Tampa Heights Youth De- velopment and Community Center, 2005 North Lamar.
The meeting is being held to attract Tampa Heights res- idents and business owners impacted by the proposed $9 billion I-275 expansion proj- ect by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).
In a plan known as TBX, FDOT wants to expand I-275 with toll express lanes, and the project is expected to take up to 15 years.
According to those close to the project, the conception was drafted based on plans
20-years-old, and it paves over community assets, local businesses, and historic sites.
Tampa Heights residents have repeatedly said what they want is better transit.
The proposed TBX project will reportedly prevent walk- ability, economic growth, and cultural revival for city-center communities that have al- ready endured destruction and blight caused by the first time I-275 was built.
It has been reported that commuters could pay up to $100-per-commute on Ex- press Lanes.
Everyone is urged to at- tend this important meeting.
Ex-Marion County Deputy Indicted For Using Excessive Force On Alleged Drug Ringleader
TAMPA -- The United States Department of Jus- tice announced Wednesday morning that former Mar- ion County Sheriff’s Of- fice Deputy Jesse Terrell was indicted in Tampa on civil rights violations.
Terrell, along with four other deputies — James Amidei, Trevor Fitzger- ald, Adam Crawford and Cody Hoppel — had been suspended without pay for his involvement in a drug- related arrest warrant re- garding Marion Oaks drug ringleader, Derrick Price, 44.
Marion County Sheriff’s Deputies Trevor Wade Fitzgerald, 32, and James Louis Amidei, 32, pleaded guilty in federal court on August 7, 2014 for beating Price.
The remaining three deputies have been identi- fied as Cody Hoppel, Adam Crawford, and Jesse Terrell, referred to in court documents as deputies 1, 2, and 3.
Derrick Price was beaten up by 5 Marion County Police officers.
According to the U.S.
Attorney’s Office, the arrest
was recorded on surveil-
lance video at two local
businesses located on Marion Oaks Boulevard.
Price was arrested along with 6 others and cars, drugs and guns were seized.
Officials said that Fitzgerald sat on Price’s legs during the beating, while Amidei stood by and watched the beating.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office discovered this video record- ing during a use-of-force investigation. “The actions of these five in- dividuals shown on the video which we discovered violated the oath of office they took to serve and protect our citizens and have com- promised the integrity of the badge,” Marion County Sheriff Chris Blair said in a press release.
Upon discovery of the video, Blair requested an investigation of the five individuals. Four employees pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing — except Terrell.
Terrell was fired from the sheriff’s office. The other four em- ployees resigned.
“The video shocked me to my core when I saw it,” Blair said. “I thought their actions were egregious enough that they should never see another dime from Marion County taxpayers.”
Price, who was charged with multiple drug related offenses and resisting an officer without violence, was released August 9, 2014, two days after the incident, according to Marion County court records. Price’s drug charges are still pending in Marion County court; the resisting an officer charge was dropped on September 29, 2014.
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