DRUGS

A routine traffic stop for Jourdanton Police Sgt. Joshua Walker turned into a life-saving event for a man who he says swallowed heroin.

Italian police have scooped up two tons of cocaine that was wrapped in protective plastic and bobbing in the sea off eastern Sicily.

Texas lawmakers want tougher criminal penalties for possession of delta-8 and fentanyl. But that would mean much more work for the crime labs handling most of the drug testing for the state’s 254 counties.

The bill would take fentanyl test strips off the state’s “drug paraphernalia” list, meaning it would no longer be a crime to carry them.

The “One Pill Kills” campaign is funded with the help of a federal grant, and the statewide Narcan distribution is being paid for with funds from Texas’ settlement agreement with opioid manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies.

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Department held its first fentanyl awareness presentation at Morgan’s Wonderland Camp as part of its “one pill can kill” campaign.

Texas is attempting to address the fentanyl crisis gripping schools by having staff learn how to administer lifesaving medication.

Anti-abortion advocates are trying to revive the long-dormant 1873 Comstock Act, which banned mailing of anything related to abortion or contraception, in a lawsuit about mifepristone, an abortion-inducing drug.

A 32-year-old San Antonio woman was sentenced to more than eight years in prison after she was found guilty of possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.

Police often can’t tell if a cannabis vape pen is derived from marijuana or legal hemp, like the delta-8 products on display in gas stations across Texas. That doesn’t stop them from from making felony arrests in high schools.

A 17-year-old was arrested Thursday on two counts of aggravated robbery after police say he pointed a handgun at two teens during a drug deal.

Kerr County Sheriff’s Office arrested two suspects in separate cases involving drugs, one of which ended in a pursuit with one of the suspects.

Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republicans have expressed support for legalizing fentanyl test strips, which help users identify whether the drugs they are planning on taking contain the deadly synthetic opioid.

San Antonio Area law enforcement cadets are being trained on how to take illicit drugs off the streets without coming in contact with them and becoming ill, things like fentanyl and carfentanyl are among the deadliest and most popular on the streets.

Residents in a South Side neighborhood say they no longer feel safe at home. Concerns are growing due to fights and drug use by a growing homeless population in their area.

While not detailing how the distribution might be funded, Abbott said the medication, Narcan, should be distributed to law enforcement agencies as well as some hospitals and schools.

A state lawmaker who introduced a bill to make fentanyl test strips legal to save lives says the issue should be revisited during the upcoming legislative session.

Danica Kaprosy was found lying face down, unresponsive, on her bed last July. Her family blames her death on a fentanyl-laced pill.

As overdoses skyrocketed amid the pandemic and the fentanyl crisis, advocates across the state are working discreetly to distribute these supplies as part of a practice to combat substance use disorder known as harm reduction.

The DEA is decoding common emojis used by drug dealers to discuss the drugs used. One community member who work's closely to help young addicts' find a path to recovery says sometimes there's no decoding, the drug talk is in plain sight an easy to understand.

While treatment experts say education and prevention is key to saving lives. Governor Greg Abbott declares criminal organizations in Mexico as terrorists in a fight against fentanyl deaths.

Abbott directed the Department of Public Safety to boost efforts to collect intelligence on cartels and investigate gangs in Texas that support drug and human smuggling.

Pills that can kill -- two suspected distributors have been arrested in charged in San Marcos. Hays County authorities now warn communities in the area to be vigilant of counterfeit Percocet pills.

The state’s federally funded “More Narcan Please” program ran out of money in January, in part due to high demand. Advocates say Texas should invest more in the harm reduction effort.

Bexar County community groups help state addiction researchers get a better sense of what the overdose data shows in vulnerable communities that don't have access to health care. Members are being trained on a new database that's set to launch statewide in the fall.

Drug busts continue to be a big focus for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. So far this year, more than $1 million worth of narcotics have been taken off the streets by BCSO and its partner agencies.

San Antonio are drug agents say a deadly synthetic opioid is in our streets and many victims are falling victim to it without knowing it.

While some safe smoke kits do include drug pipes as a way to reduce harm, HHS issued a statement this week saying “no federal funding will be used directly or through subsequent reimbursement of grantees to put pipes in safe smoking kits.”

Two people are detained after an apartment fire broke out on the Southeast Side on Wednesday afternoon, according to the San Antonio Fire Department.

Rise Inspire Academy is nearing the end of it's first official semester, and has about a dozen students in the program. It's the first of its kind in Bexar County.

New government research shows that record numbers of Americans died of drug overdoses across the country.

Bexar County residents who have an opioid addiction will soon have more resources available to help them after the county approved a roughly $12 million portion of a settlement between the State of Texas and Johnson & Johnson worth more than $290 million.

Another hearing on the matter is scheduled for Nov. 5.

After having his office ransacked, a San Antonio podiatrist is raising awareness about the severity of the opioid epidemic.

A prominent Dallas attorney pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to launder money he believed was linked to drug trafficking.

The state and its political subdivisions could get up to $1.5 billion from the settlement. But some local governments are considering pursuing their own lawsuits against drug makers and distributors.

A Boerne man is in custody after being found with nearly $80,000 worth of THC during a drug bust, according to the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office.

Abbott said the increase in fentanyl seizures correlates with President Joe Biden taking office in January and implementing new border policies.

SAN ANTONIO – If improving your wellness was one of your new year’s resolutions, maybe you’re thinking about taking dietary supplements. Before you click the “buy” button, Consumer Reports has an important warning about potentially dangerous substances found in some supplements sold online. AdEbay responded to Consumer Reports by saying it was “reviewing the site” and would be removing the tainted products. Even if the companies take down the tainted supplements identified by the FDA, that might not solve the larger problem. This is just the latest in a string of studies that have found undeclared and potentially dangerous drugs in dietary supplements.

SAN ANTONIO – Thirteen people were charged with trafficking cocaine in the San Antonio area, according to the Western District of Texas Department of Justice. A federal grand jury charged the defendants with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, according to a news release from the department. Authorities said during the investigation they seized 25 kilograms of cocaine, 35 firearms, two silencers, a grenade, body armor and $256,000 in cash. According to the indictment, the defendants allegedly conspired since January 2020 to distribute cocaine. AdThe following defendants are charged with with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine:

San Antonio – The parents of a 14-year-old boy who was shot and killed a week before Christmas are speaking out against gun violence. Bobby Lee Carter Junior, their son, was killed alongside Robert Smith, 20, on the Northeast Side. Bobby Lee Carter Senior and Victoria Carter, his parents, said their son was a happy boy. He had a good heart and soul.”They said Bobby Lee Carter Junior suffered from ADHD, but was finding his own ways of dealing with it. Bexar County Deputies said Bobby Lee Carter Junior was trying to sell marijuana to Smith when two men approached their car, robbed them and shot them.

Hilario Nieto, 41, who once had his federal prison sentence commuted by President Barack Obama, was arrested, along with seven others, on federal drug trafficking charges, according to the Department of Justice. In 2004, Nieto was sentenced to 248 months in federal prison on drug charges in the Western District of Texas. Scheduled to be released in 2021, President Barack Obama commuted Nieto’s sentence in 2016. “It is truly appalling that a man whose sentence the President previously commuted chose to flout that generous gift after being released from federal prison by resuming gang-related drug dealing in the San Antonio community,” said U.S. Attorney Sofer. If convicted, the defendants are looking at anywhere between 10 years to a lifetime in prison, according to authorities.

While we may not know if President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden won the presidential election for a while longer, there was one clear “winner” on election night, and that was recreational drugs. States across the country have been legalizing recreational marijuana every election cycle, and 2020 was no different. Residents in New Jersey, Arizona, Montana and South Dakota all voted to legalize recreational cannabis, and South Dakota also legalized medical marijuana, along with Mississippi. South Dakota became the first state to legalize medical and recreational marijuana in the same election. For the first time in U.S. history, the state of Oregon decriminalized possession of hard drugs, as well as voted to legalize psychedelic mushrooms.

She has since opened a local café called Comfort Café which helps keep the residential recovery center operating. “It is a recovery center helping families recover from their addictions,” Lopez said. “So we started in Smithsville where we have a women’s program, a men’s program, and a family program on the campus. “I help everyone at the café serving and connecting with people and letting them know we are more than just a café,” Payne said. That came with legal issues, homelessness, not knowing where my next meal is coming from.”After entering the program, Payne learned he was not alone.

SAN ANTONIO – An armed man is accused of trying to evade police after he was caught smoking marijuana on the River Walk Friday morning, according to the San Antonio Police Department. Officers said the incident began when a park police officer spotted the man who appeared to be smoking marijuana after 7 a.m. on the River Walk near Commerce Street. During the chase, he appeared to be reaching into his pants, possibly to grab a weapon, according to SAPD. She radioed in for help and officers caught him up on the street level of West Commerce Street near Bowie Street. Officers found a gun on him as well as a wad of cash, police said.

EL PASO, Texas U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced Tuesday that officers working at the Ysleta port of entry in El Paso seized approximately 158 pounds of liquid methamphetamine Friday evening disguised as bottled water. These might look like ordinary water bottles, but @CBP agriculture specialists discovered they were filled with liquid meth. CBP officers selected the man for a secondary exam.The agency reported that a drug-sniffing dog alerted officers to the presence of narcotics. CBP officials said an X-ray scan of the bottled water, conducted by a CBP agriculture specialist, revealed dense liquid in the water bottles. Related: CBP officers seize 201 pounds of pork hidden in trucks engine at Laredo Port of Entry

San Antonio A San Antonio chef is using his passion for food to serve the needy in our community. This call to action was motivated by his own experience of being a former drug addict, alcoholic and nearly homeless. Starting off as a young man, life for John Meyer, owner of Best Little Food House in Texas, seemed great. He started his own food truck service called the Best Little Food House in Texas where he cooks his signature gourmet meals for those in need. I gave it all to God, Meyer said.

SAN ANTONIO A woman was handed a 70-month sentence in federal prison for smuggling black tar heroin in plastic toys during a flight to San Antonio. A federal judge handed down the sentence to Angelica Reyes-Vasques, 28, on Tuesday, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. According to the DOJ, Reyes-Vasques flew from Mexico City to the San Antonio International Airport on Oct. 26, 2019. Reyes-Vasques was questioned twice and officers checked her luggage, where they found about 5.4 kilograms of black tar heroin concealed in three plastic toys, the DOJ states. Read also: Man sexually assaulted, impregnated 14-year-old relative, San Antonio police say

Crystal Sanders with TouchTunes Bartender of the Year award (Courtesy Crystal Sanders) (KSAT)Crystal Sanders, 40, is not only a bartender at Brewer's Grill, but she is a direct care specialist at ALPHA Home. Crystal Sanders as a child (Courtesy Crystal Sanders) (KSAT)"Things like that change you," Sanders said. AdSanders stopped drinking alcohol but it was a scary experience starting off. Crystal Sanders with her children (Courtesy Crystal Sanders) (KSAT)Crystal Sanders with her son (Courtesy Crystal Sanders) (KSAT)"For the longest time, my oldest sons didn't speak to me but they allowed me to stalk them on social media," Sanders said. “You either struggle to stay clean or fight to stay high every day,” Sanders said.