By Caitlin Tan
ctan@uwyo.edu
Laramie is home to three college institutions, around 30,000 people and a high intensity drug trafficking area (HIDTA).
Consequently, Albany County Sherriff David O’Malley said the drug scene in the county is “alive and thriving well.”
In 2015, Laramie police officers made 80 arrests for possession of marijuana, as well as multiple arrests for synthetics, such as LSD. Five months into this year, drug arrests and citations have included 24 for marijuana, several for heroin and one meth case, according to Laramie Police Department records.
Laramie has had a history of a vibrant drug scene, O’Malley said. The city was featured in a GQ article last year for its growing heroin scene.
Being the town is near Highway 287 and I-80, O’Malley said it is prime location for a drug hub. He added that another factor is the proximity to Colorado, where recreational marijuana is legal.
“The number of folks stopped for speeding under the influence or possession of marijuana has skyrocketed,” O’Malley said. “The influence of heroin is at a level I never would have imagined in particular areas.”
Drugs enter the county generally via vehicles or mail, O’Malley said. The majority of drug busts occur because of non-related traffic stops, he said.
“Our guys stopped a person on 287 going 94 mph in a 65, he was as stoned as an ax,” O’Malley said. “It’s a death waiting to happen of the driver or someone they might run into.”
Busting drugs through the mail is less common, O’Malley said; however, he added that does not mean drugs are not being mailed.
Often, people will have drugs sent to them anonymously either to another address or under a fictitious name, O’Malley said. This makes it tricky to trace back to any one individual, he said.
“We’ve had some cases particularly through the sheriff’s office and police department with suspicious packages where we use the canine to alert on the packages,” he said.
The Albany County Sherriff’s Office has two canines, as well as specifically drug-trained staff, O’Malley said.
Drug busts also can occur at house parties if there is suspicion, O’Malley said. Technically, the person living at the house could be punished for any drugs on cite regardless of involvement. Similarly for the person driving the car if the bust occurred in traffic stop.
However, O’Malley said generally officers use their discretion.
“They are more interested in getting to the truth of an issue,” he said. “If a person is truly uninvolved they try to determine that.”
In drug busts, marijuana is the most prevalent, Laramie Police Department Lieutenant Gwen Smith said.
Last week, two busts of over $1 million of marijuana, were processed through the Albany County District Court.
Smith said prescription drug abuse is another growing issue, but these records do not show up in the drug arrest files.
O’Malley said in the 80s and 90s cocaine was a popular drug in Laramie. The cocaine crowd has now shifted more toward methamphetamine, as it is a quicker, cheaper, longer-lasting high, O’Malley said.
Prescription drug abuse has declined, which could explain the spike in heroin use, he said. Now that prescription drugs have a timed release, rather than an instant high, the opiate-crowd naturally has chosen the quicker high of heroin, O’Malley said.
He said originally heroin was a “skid-row” drug, but now middle and upper class individuals are using it.
In Wyoming, after three misdemeanor offenses of possession of a controlled substance one can be charged with a felony. O’Malley said a criminal record can prevent a career in law enforcement or a federal government job; however, he added this is not the worst consequence.
“Drugs are illegal – that is one thing – but drugs can actually kill you,” he said.
He added that quality control of street drugs is limited, and as a result young people and students have died.
Ultimately, O’Malley said adults are old enough to make their own decisions, but he hopes they “don’t make a poor decision they don’t have the opportunity to take back.”
