San Diego police say they’ve intercepted about $1 million worth of narcotics headed for shipment across the U.S., leading to four arrests.
Detectives with the San Diego Police Department’s Narcotics Unit worked with U.S. Postal Service inspectors throughout September to intercept 458 packages that were being prepared for shipment from postal facilities across San Diego County.
The seizure included methamphetamine, with more than 100,000 counterfeit Adderall pills, plus MDMA, ketamine, cocaine, and Xanax. Estimates of the street value reaches up to $1.14 million.
Evolution of the drug trade
Back in the day, buying drugs usually meant a sketchy, in-person transaction. Users met dealers after hours in places ranging from back alleys and gas stations to the parking lots of bars, fast food joints, and shopping malls.
Some of these spots were random and discreet, hidden amongst normal activity like people getting gas or groceries, while others were places you wouldn’t otherwise go. Some deals were quick handshakes. Others were lengthy ordeals, with users waiting around for the dealer to show.
Then came the internet. It didn’t happen overnight, but once the drug trade moved online, things changed drastically for users, dealers, and law enforcement alike. The Silk Road was the most famous illicit marketplace, the one that first brought the “dark web” to most people’s attention, but it was far from the only one.
When the Silk Road was shut down in 2013, after a lengthy chase to find its elusive founder, it was like the Greek tale of the Hydra: one head was chopped off and more grew back in its place, not just two, but many.
Today, instead of relying on a few marketplaces, users and dealers connect through a multitude of channels, networks, and platforms. Often all it takes is a single referral or a simple exchange of contact info, followed by a message like, “Hey, I’m looking for x / y / z.”
In big cities, delivery can come from dedicated couriers using everything from cars and motorcycles to scooters and e-bikes, or through postal and shipping services like USPS, FedEx, or UPS. This San Diego case involved USPS.
Related: Hawaii Cracked Down on Weed. Then Ice Took Its Place.
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