druginducedhomicide.orgDrug Induced Homicide | Why are drug dealers getting away with murder?

Victims Submit A Victim’s Story State Chapters Criminal Action Civil Action Events Resources SubscribeContact Shop Donate Select Page Why Are Drug Dealers Getting Away With MURDER? A drug toxicity death occurs nearly every 7 minutes in America. Illicit drugs are now the leading cause of death for Americans age 18 to 45. Man-made illicit fentanyl is involved in the majority of these deaths which now surpass car accidents, firearms, suicide and illness. The bulk of illicit fentanyl is manufactured in China and Mexico then illegally brought into the United States. Fentanyl is highly addictive, highly lethal, and very cheap to manufacture. Drug dealers are selling counterfeit pills pressed to mimic legitimate pharmaceutical medications such as Xanax, Percocet, and Oxycodone. Instead, they contain nothing but useless filler and illicit fentanyl which is up to 100 times stronger than morphine. They are adding fentanyl to common far less lethal street drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and others. This despicable act by cartels and drug dealers is being done solely for financial gain with absolute disregard for human life. While China and drug cartels in Mexico are a major part of the illicit drug supply chain so are the drug dealers operating in America. Some say that arresting drug dealers does not have an impact on drug deaths. We at DIH disagree. The reality is less than two percent of all drug deaths result in the conviction of a drug dealer. Until drug dealers are held accountable deaths will continue and drug dealers will continue getting away with murder. Drug Toxicity Deaths 1999 - 2023 Our children are dying in record numbers. The judicial systems in many states still refuse to criminally investigate & prosecute the lethal poisoning of our loved ones. Dealing Death A person commits drug-induced homicide when he or she unlawfully delivers a controlled substance to another, and any person’s death is caused by the injection, inhalation, absorption, or ingestion of any amount of that controlled substance. Learn more… Dealing Anguish As the country struggles to contain the worst drug crisis in its history, families of victims are shattered. They suffer in solitude, staggering under the tremendous weight of shock, loss, sorrow, and outrage. It’s time for JUSTICE . We Are The Voice Of Those Who Cannot Speak For Themselves. Support our mission to: Raise awareness about the effectiveness of criminal investigation and prosecution in reducing deaths related to illicit drugs. Advocate for a shift in thinking within our judicial system away from past protocols focusing on accidental to now classifying cases as criminal. Advocate for laws that provide greater accountability to those who willfully distribute illicit drugs. Support families of victims who were unlawfully delivered a controlled substance resulting in death. Have you lost a loved one to drug toxicity and need answers? Your loved one’s cell phone may hold the answers you need and help you get the justice you deserve. Second Peek Investigations provides data extraction services for families affected by drug induced homicide. If the cell phone contains evidence, the data is secured so that it is admissible in a court of law. Learn more at SecondPeekInvestigations.com. SUBSCRIBE FOR UPDATES * indicates required First Name Last Name Email Address * What You Can Do Let your elected officials know that enough is enough. Together we can and will bring these perpetrators to justice. Read The Brief For many years, most prosecutors charged only those drug-related deaths involving rival drug gang fights as being homicides. But the focus has now broadened to also examine overdose deaths as prosecutable homicides against those who sold and distributed the drugs causing the overdose. It is important to emphasize that not every death because of a drug overdose is a criminal matter. Some are suicides, and some are simply accidents. But some deaths, legally and ethically, may rise to the level of criminal homicide. These homicides may not be easily discovered, investigated, prosecuted or proven, but they still deserve attention. For that to happen, a paradigm shift in thinking by law enforcement officers and prosecutors is required, away from attitudes focusing on accident to thinking and treating overdoses as homicides. In order to make that shift, it is important to understand and appreciate the variety of approaches available within existing statutory schemes and case law. While a handful of states have no statutory or case law basis for treating overdose deaths as homicides,[8] the majority already had or have adopted a wide variety of legal theories useful in addressing these cases. Two basic options highlight the differing approaches: use of the existing statutory structure, often referred to as the felony murder rule, and creation of a specific offense of death resulting from the distribution of controlled substances. What might be characterized as the traditional approach to the matter may be found in those states that have included overdose deaths within their murder statute. Arizona and Oklahoma, among others, list drug offenses as crimes which, when a death occurs during the commission of that offense, is treated as murder.[9] A significant number of states enumerate drug offenses within their murder statutes and, while the laws have been on the books for a considerable time, they are only now being considered for use in overdose cases. A felony murder statute allows the prosecutor to charge an offense which requires no specific mental state other than that required for the enumerated offense;[10] the law may specifically state that no proof of intent to cause the death is required.[11] In general, proof of the underlying offense and the cause of death will be sufficient to obtain a conviction under this approach. Additional elements, such as proof that the underlying felony must be inherently dangerous to human life,[12] or proof of recklessness in both causation and appreciation or awareness of the risk,[13] may be required in some states. Where these various felony murder states differ is in their classifications for punishment for the offense. The possibilities range from first degree or capital murder,[14] second degree murder,[15] manslaughter,[16] involuntary manslaughter,[17] and even negligent homicide.[18] They may also limit the application of the statute. For example, Florida’s statute applies only to distribution by an adult,[19] while Colorado’s statute applies only to distribution to a minor on school grounds.[20] Those states punishing drug dealing resulting in death as a specific offense have adopted a variety of approaches as well. These drug-induced homicide” statutes are crafted as stand-alone felonies rather than being included in existing murder or other statutes. Again, as with the felony murder alternatives, the treatment of punishment and application may vary. New Hampshire and New Jersey both define the offense as being one of strict liability.[21] Both statutes, mirroring one another, apply to methamphetamine, lysergic acid, diethylamide phencyclidine (PCP), or any other Schedule I and II controlled substances and provides that any person who manufactures, sells, or dispenses the substances in violation of law is strictly liable for a death resulting from their use. The varieties of these statutes are numerous and diverse. Pennsylvania’s statute applies to any controlled substance and provides that the delivery must be done intentionally.[22] Delaware has imposed a minimum weight threshold to its statute, requiring, for example, that there be delivery of at least one gram or more of heroin.[23] Michigan’s law covers Schedule I and II controlled substances, but specifically excludes marijuana.[24] A recent amendment to the Illinois law allows for prosecution for a death within the state caused by a drug that was delivered outside the state in violation of the law of that...