Meth remains most common drug in St. Clair County

The St. Clair County Drug Task Force seized more than 2,300 grams of methamphetamine throughout 2023.

That amount is a significant drop from a high point in 2021, when the task force seized more than 4,300 grams of the drug, but comes in the context of an increased use of other synthetic drugs, the use of which cannot be easily measured as Michigan State Police labs are overwhelmed with requests.

The drug task force, which brings together law enforcement officers and prosecutors in the Blue Water Area to investigate drug crimes and bring cases against dealers, is preparing for voters to consider renewing its operating millage in August.

Sheriff Mat King, who himself worked on the drug task force before becoming sheriff, spoke to the Port Huron City Council on May 13 to advocate for reapproving the four-year 0.5598 mill tax, or 56 cents per $1,000 of taxable value, which would generate $4,234,752 its first year.

King said the millage provides funding for nine deputies, two sergeants and a lieutenant. It also funds two Port Huron Police Department positions, one officer each from Clay Township and Marysville, two support staff positions and a prosecutor at the St. Clair County Prosecutor's Office. The task force includes both a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent and a U.S. Border Patrol agent, but neither have their salaries paid with the millage.

"In 2023 we took $3.5 million worth of drugs off the street," King said. "Those drugs would have been distributed throughout our community and used. That's a lot of drugs taken off the street."

In addition to meth, the task force also seized 1,518 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, 511 grams of cocaine and 67 grams of heroin in 2023. How many drugs and how valuable the task force finds in a year can vary based on the number of warrants issued and the specific operations involved.

"It's really hard to tell from year to year," King said. "Sometimes we have more raids, sometimes we have less raids but find more drugs because we hit a big drug trafficking group. It's really hard to nail down if next year will be busier than this year or vice-versa."

In 2023 the DTF acted on 68 search warrants, and has executed 277 search warrants since 2021. In addition to drugs, the task force seized 87 guns, part of 551 weapons seized since 2021 during drug investigations.

"Just about any violent crime that isn't connected to a domestic situation can find its root in the drug world," King said. "Just about every homicide, just about every shooting, just about every robbery."

So far, 2024 is shaping up to be a busy year. In early may the DTF arrested a man in a local hotel who was holding just under 600 grams of meth.

Lt. George Maschke, who leads the drug task force, said meth likely remains the most common drug in St. Clair County because it's relatively easier and cheaper to produce without drawing attention. As a synthetic drug, meth is typically created from other substances, whereas heroin, cocaine and mushrooms all need a crop to be grown.

In past years, meth would often be produced in large batches in a laboratory, not unlike how it's depicted in the popular show "Breaking Bad."

By the time that show was on the air, however, most drug operations were switching to the "one-pot" method, Maschke said, using household chemicals in a container to mix meth one dose at a time.

Other synthetic drugs can be harder to measure. Fentanyl is often a small portion of a pill due to the fact that it takes only a fraction of the mass to achieve the same high as other drugs, and it's often mixed with meth, cocaine or heroin.

The CDC has warned in the past that drug buyers may be unaware they're purchasing fentanyl because it may be disguised as medication or illicit drugs to achieve the same effect with less substance. King and Maschke both said most buyers they've contacted have become aware they're buying fentanyl. Though, just 2 milligrams can be fatal, they said several buyers continue to purchase the drug to feed addictions that started with legal medications.

Because fentanyl often is only a small percentage, the field tests used by law enforcement will often only identify the primary drug, making it difficult for local police to form an estimate of how much of these smaller synthetic drugs are present in the community.

More detailed analyses are possible, but only through labs managed by Michigan State Police. Because it has to do testing for the entire state, state police labs will only perform tests if it's needed as part of a case against a defendant.

"We can't send everything on a whim to the lab just because we're curious," Maschke said.

This has also made it difficult to track newer drugs in the community.

A report published by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in January listed meth and fentanyl as the primary "enduring threat" drugs nationwide. But two new drugs, xylazine and nitazene, were listed is emerging threats.

Both of the newer drugs are synthetics that have grown in popularity as law enforcement nationwide have cracked down on fentanyl.

Both Maschke and the DEA report state xylazine, which is meant to be used as a tranquilizer for animals, is particularly threatening because naloxone, a medication used in emergency to reverse the effects of overdoses, is ineffective on overdoses caused by xylazine.

Xylazine is typically mixed with fentanyl, though it has been found mixed with heroin and cocaine. The DEA warns abuse can result in muscle damage or interrupt the circulatory system, causing tissue to die from lack of blood that can require amputations in extreme cases.

Nitazene, like fentanyl, was originally developed as an alternative to morphine, according to the National Institute of Health. Unlike fentanyl, however, nitazene was never approved for medical use because it was too dangerous, having about 40 times as much potency as fentanyl.

So far neither xylazine and nitazene has been associated with any of the 48 overdose deaths in St. Clair County in 2023, King said, though the DEA warns a lack of testing means their role is often overlooked in individual cases.

Drug offenses can be reported anonymously to the DTF at 800-243-3784.

Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com.