New Drug Bust of High-Influence Americans Shows Just How Far-Reaching Addiction Really Is

When you hear about someone being addicted to drugs, you probably picture an individual who is strung out, has a rocky life and is willing to do whatever it takes to get their fix.

What you probably don’t imagine is white collar figures getting caught red-handed wanting the same thing. But that’s what just happened in a drug bust led by undercover NYPD police officers.

While there were eighteen different arrests, the following four are the most high-profile:

• Fox Business Producer Katie Welnhofer

• Chipotle’s Chief Marketing and Development Officer Mark Crumpacker

• Huffington Post Writer Alex Mallory

• Merrill Lynch Associate Christopher Dodson

The high-influence figures who were arrested were all repeat buyers of cocaine. Dodson of Merrill Lynch bought the most, spending over $7,600.00.

#FoxBusiness producer and Chipotle executive arrested in cocaine bust in #NewYork http://bit.ly/29nqj1A http://pic.twitter.com/uBt87xRJQ3

— Zesty New York News (@zesty_NY) July 1, 2016

The Daily Mail reported on how the defendants received the drugs across Manhattan:

As detailed in the indictment, members of the ring allegedly used car services to deliver the drugs to buyers, including to delis, restaurants, bars, apartments, hotels, and the buyers’ workplaces.

The defendants delivered to locations across Manhattan, including the Lower East Side, the Upper East Side, Chelsea, the Financial District, and Midtown, as well as areas of Brooklyn and Queens. Many of the sales took place in delis or Duane Reade and CVS pharmacies.

The scope of addiction to cocaine in the United States is quite staggering. According to the latest statistics from Drugabuse.gov:

In 2014, there were an estimated 1.5 million current (past-month) cocaine users aged 12 or older (0.6 percent of the population).

Adults aged 18 to 25 years have a higher rate of current cocaine use than any other age group, with 1.4 percent of young adults reporting past-month cocaine use.

When it comes to drug use and addiction in general, it doesn’t discriminate over background or income. While addiction has multiple influences such as genetics, background and environment, it shows up in both white collar and blue collar environments.

And it’s a widespread problem. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found:

In 2011, an estimated 22.5 million Americans aged 12 or older were current (past month) illicit drug users, meaning they had used an illicit drug during the month prior to the survey interview (Figure 2.1). This estimate represents 8.7 percent of the population aged 12 or older.

All the defendants in this case were charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. At this time, it’s unclear what kind of sentences they’re facing.

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Source: independent journal

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