Authorities Say Detroit a “Hotbed” For Opioids Sold in Other States

Detroit has become a major source of prescription painkillers that are sold in other states, according to authorities. Pills originating in Detroit are being sold in states as far away as Alabama and Maine, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Drug runners from Detroit are routinely arrested in the eastern and southern United States, the article notes. Authorities in those states say the drug runners obtain the pills from local doctors and pharmacists, and sell them in other states for about $100 per pill. OxyContin is the drug of choice, the article states.

U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin of West Virginia told the newspaper, “Detroit, we love your cars. But we don’t love your drug dealers.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in West Virginia has handled more than a dozen prescription drug cases involving Detroit defendants since the beginning of the year. Other states reporting recent prescription drug cases involving Detroit defendants include Ohio, Kentucky, Maine and Michigan.