How to Anonymously Report Drug Dealing

Drug overdoses and the deaths they cause have dominated the headlines in recent years. No longer does the term overdose refer to “hard” drugs like heroin, cocaine or ecstasy. Opioid use has risen dramatically, and the death rate has escalated.

That hooded drug dealer swapping out foil-wrapped illicit packages for cash in the dark of night has now been joined by white collar doctors, pharmacists and pain management clinicians. Reporting drug dealers to the authorities be anonymous and may save lives.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that deaths from opioids surpassed those from the harder drugs in 2017, with synthetic opioids such as fentanyl listed as the most powerful and deadliest. As opioids continue to be the main driver of drug deaths in America, the sale of these drugs is occurring in the open. Waiting rooms in pain clinics are jammed with people of all ages anxious to pick up their pills, just as street sellers troll for customers in cities large and small.

However, anyone can become part of a silent posse aimed at curtailing this deadly business by reporting suspected drug dealers through a network of anonymous outlets.

The Drug Enforcement Administration's website is far reaching and covers the illicit growing, manufacturing, selling or any type of trafficking of controlled substances. The site is categorized into the types of drugs being reported, medical outlets, pharmacies and online sales. The site includes a recommendation that if someone fears an immediate life threat, it should be reported to local authorities as well.

Fear of reprisal and a reluctance to get involved are the main reasons anonymous hotlines exist. The general population is as well informed as the local authorities as to what is going on in their community. Tapping into that source of information helps get the crimes off the street and the criminals behind bars.

“This is the WeTip Crime Hotline. Do not give your name or identify yourself in any way,” is the first thing callers hear when they call WeTip, a national hotline used to report the use and sale of drugs. The provided, anonymous information is turned over to local authorities for follow up.

Crime Stoppers is an international, non-profit organization dedicated to anonymously reporting crimes. Narcotics activity is a major focus of Crime Stoppers, and all callers are given a code number for identification. If the tip leads to an arrest, the caller is given a reward for the information.

Government Crime Stoppers, an arm of Crime Stoppers USA, is open to reports of governmental workers who may be involved in enabling drug dealers to continue their operations behind the backs of law enforcement.

Operation Unite, an anonymous drug tip hotline in Kentucky, reaches into communities to not only report illicit drug activities, but to provide educational and social outlets aimed at activities for children and adults, keeping them involved in healthy alternatives to drugs. This type of drug reporting outlet is the mainstay of many communities fighting the drug epidemic. Another example of local organizations is the Hanley Foundation, active in 15 Florida counties, which targets both teens and adults through educational programs aimed at curbing alcohol and drug abuse.

Most cities and states offer similar anonymous outlets in the effort to curtail drug operations. It takes the involvement of the total population to curtail death by drugs and to ensure the imprisonment of the enablers. Reporting anonymously is the first step.

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