It's not meth, it's not
prescription pills. Charleston police say it looks
like orange-tinted crack cocaine.
Police tell 13NEWS that
some drug dealers put food coloring in their drugs, essentially marking it and
making it easier to market their *brand*.
Stephen Cooper, Chief
Detective, Charleston Police Department said, "Sometimes they'll claim the
quality is better if it's a particular color, typically it's not."
In the last few days,
overdoses on this drug have been plaguing the east end. Police say eight have been reported so far.
The on-going drug
problem has many on edge.
"I feel safe
because I'm driving in my car, but if I was walking I definitely wouldn't feel
safe," said Sarah Henley of Charleston.
Crack cocaine is
actually on the decline. According to
police, it's not as profitable as other drugs.
"The drug dealers
actually refer to the pills as fast money and crack cocaine as slow money. They prefer to deal with opanas, roxycontin,
different kinds of hydrocodone pills because they can get so much more as
opposed to a rock of cocaine," said Lt. Cooper.
Henley said the drugs in the
area are no secret, "I don't worry about it, but I can definitely tell
it's going on."
According to police,
they believe the orange tint could be a sign that the drug is laced with some
kind of poison.
We'll
keep you updated on the very latest in this developing story.
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