U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials in El Paso showcased their investigative tools for dealing with fentanyl and other dangerous chemicals that put first responders and millions of Americans in danger.
The DEA El Paso held a news conference to talk about the deadly drugs and chemicals in the wake of its agents responding to drug exposure incidents that left at least three people dead and more than a dozen people hospitalized in Mountainair and Silver City in New Mexico. Most of the victims hospitalized or who got sick were first responders.
The DEA’s El Paso Division, which oversees West Texas and New Mexico, assisted with the incidents with the agency’s Clandestine Lab and High Hazard Environment Team.
“We say clandestine lab because it (Clandestine Lab and High Hazard Environment Team) was initially created to go to meth labs where they would manufacture meth domestically in the United States,” said DEA El Paso Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jeffery Castillo, who oversees the agency’s clandestine lab team. “There isn’t a lot of that today, that primarily happens in Mexico, but what we have today is the danger of fentanyl and the cross-contamination of fentanyl, in general, and all the other chemicals that are associated with it or synthetic opioids.”
The DEA Clandestine Lab and High Hazard Environment Team includes specially trained agents. The team uses a large vehicle that carries all supplies needed for the removal and disposal of hazardous chemicals, contaminated apparatus and seized equipment. The items include drug and substance testing kits, hazmat suits, rubber boots, rubber gloves, eye protection, air tanks and environmental hazard reading devices.
Many cases the DEA responds to aren’t home-operated drug labs, but people who have overdosed on the illegal drugs and left drugs and chemicals inside the home, causing a hazardous and deadly danger for first responders.
“What was different about those scenarios (in Mountainair and Silver City) is the magnitude as to which people are impacted,” Castillo said. “The first responders who got there were also impacted. We haven’t really seen a lot of that in this area. When those first responders responded, and they were impacted by whatever was in the atmosphere, that’s what prompted our response to go assist them.”
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: DEA El Paso responds to drug chemicals to keep first responders safe
Reporting by Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
