A dangerous street drug that's led to spike in 911 calls has Dallas police looking to cut the supply.
Dallas Police Chief David Brown said the department has reached a "flash point" with K2 synthetic marijuana: either the drug will become widespread in more Dallas neighborhoods besides downtown, or officers must infiltrate the supply chain and arrest high-level dealers.
On Monday, Dallas police said they would soon start beefing up their undercover presence downtown in order to find out who's controlling the dangerous drugs before they hit the streets.
Police did not say how many undercover officers would be directed downtown.
"I think our undercover work is going to be important – making buys, getting into the supplies of this drug, charging people with felony delivery," said Brown.
Undercover work already this year has led to four felony arrests for K2 drug distribution.
A recent certificate of occupancy inspection at the Up In Smoke smoke shop on the 1600 block of South Ewing led to the seizure of 55 packets of the synthetic drug.
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Police are now linking the rise in K2 use downtown to the rise in aggressive, in-your-face panhandling in downtown.
"It puts you in this psychotic state for 15 to 30 minutes. You become more aggressive, you become violent," Brown said. "And we believe the drug dealers for K2 may be targeting our homeless community, even to the point of giving away K2 free to get them hooked."
"And later they can panhandle for $2, $3 or $4 and buy a hit of K2. That's a connection we're making, and that's why we're being so aggressive," Brown added.
Dispatchers have dealt with hundreds of K2-related calls near downtown this year.
Police recently sent out a photograph highlighting the problem—mounted patrol officers dealing with multiple K2 overdoses, with two people sprawled out on the sidewalk.
"This may be a flash point in downtown, and we want to put an end to K2 addiction before it expands," Brown said.
Later this month police plan on asking City Council for new ordinances that allow them to inspect drug-paraphernalia shops and call for a new law that establishes paraphernalia free zones in certain parts of town.
