During an interview in his office with WVXU, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Ken Parker points to a wall with pictures of kids. He says they are his hope. He thinks about them when cracking down on drug traffickers.
The flow of drugs hasn't slowed, and Cincinnati and Dayton remain key locations for dealers.
With millions of pounds of ketamine coming straight into the Cincinnati port and headed for other countries — along with fentanyl and cocaine going to Dayton for distribution elsewhere — Parker says the best way to make a difference is with the future generation, teaching kids to stay away from drugs. He says the Mexican drug cartels want law enforcement to throw up their hands.
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"But if we did that, we'd be doing a disservice to every American in this country," Parker says. "I would be a disservice to every resident in the Southern District of Ohio. We'd be doing a disservice to every young person that we wish would have discussions with their parents and we would be doing a disservice to even generations who haven't been born yet."
Xylazine, a horse tranquilizer, is also a problem because of its potency and because the life-saving drug Narcan doesn't always work on it.
As fentanyl-laced drugs continue to kill people, Parker has a message for dealers — the amount of time you get in prison is not related to the amount of money you made on the deal, but the amount of fentanyl you distributed.
"I had a case where the individual only got $50, yet the person died. And that $50 bump is what he caught himself getting," Parker says. "He was looking at 20 years."
The Southern District of Ohio has a good track record for prosecuting dealers on charges of death resulting through distribution. Parker says the Mexican drug cartels supplying the dope don't care about the dealers or the users and continue to mix in fentanyl.
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The U.S. Attorney says an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
"Everything we can do to prevent this community from having an appetite for it is always great. It starts with parents talking to their children about the harmful effects of drugs, and in every way — and when I say in every way, you know, opioid, the opioid problem was even starting from the pain pill issue."
He suggests not taking pills in front of kids and having a candid conversation about why you are doing it.
Parker says his office is willing to speak to community groups about the dangers and prevalence of drugs.
