Drug Situation: The state of New Jersey is situated between the major industrial markets of New York and Pennsylvania and has been referred to as the “crossroads of the east.” It is also a gateway state, with major interstate highways, roadways, airports, seaports, and other infrastructures capable of accommodating voluminous amounts of passenger and cargo traffic not only from both the eastern and western parts of the United States, but from around the globe. New Jersey is an ideal strategic corridor as well as a vulnerable corridor for transportation of drug contraband and illicit currency.
Beginning in April 2006, an increase in fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses was noticed by first responders and medical personnel in New Jersey. This increase has been linked to fentanyl. Fentanyl is commonly used for anesthesia and pain relief in medical settings; however, the current overdoses are associated with non-pharmaceutical fentanyl, manufactured in illegal labs. There have been at least 133 deaths related to the use of non-pharmaceutical fentanyl in New Jersey since mid-April. The New Jersey Division has initiated an Intelligence Gathering Initiative, “OPERATION UNDERTAKER.” Operation UNDERTAKER seeks to identify areas throughout the State of New Jersey where the precursor chemicals, necessary to manufacture fentanyl, are being delivered, and to also provide a general awareness to the public of the dangers of fentanyl. The New Jersey Division has made numerous contacts with other State and Federal Law Enforcement Agencies, Medical Examiner Offices, Colleges, and Pharmaceutical Companies in order to “Educate, Protect, and Respond” to the fentanyl situation, and monitor those precursor chemicals commonly used with fentanyl in the illicit market.
