NEWPORT, N.H. (WCAX) – It is well known that opioids, including fentanyl, have saturated communities across the region, but authorities in New Hampshire are sounding the alarm that methamphetamine is now becoming widespread, and it’s not the same as it was back in the ‘90s.
“We anticipated that it would eventually arrive in New England, and it did,” said Newport Police Chief Alex Lee.
Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, is a highly addictive stimulant that is chemically manufactured in a lab. Smoking it gets you high. Police in Claremont recently seized a large quantity of meth after a fentanyl overdose in neighboring Newport. “Seized quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, prescription pills, multiple different drugs. But again, the largest quantity in that seizure was the methamphetamine,” Lee said.
But police say the current meth in the area is not being manufactured locally. Makeshift labs and backyard “cooks” have been replaced with a much purer product being produced by cartels in Mexico and South America. “That methamphetamine is now widespread throughout New Hampshire and the whole country in larger quantities and being sold very cheaply,” Lee said.
“It’s more prevalent now then heroin or cocaine,” said Lebanon Police Chief Phil Roberts.
Out of a quarter pound stash, only a small fraction of that would get a person high for days. Police say finding the source of the drugs is near impossible because it is coming by mail. “it’s being delivered via delivery services. People are actually able to go order up any amount of this and it get shipped,” Roberts said.
And not only is meth extremely addictive, it also has severe psychological side effects. “We see paranoia, hallucinations, agitation,” Lee said.
He says that volatile behavior can often escalate situations, leading to additional violence with both law enforcement and members of the community.