After a three-month-long investigation by the Crime Enforcement Agency of Ashtabula County, in Ohio, Darcy Spangler, a U.S. Postal Carrier with mail routes in Ashtabula, was arrested on drug trafficking charges. Spangler is accused of selling crack cocaine out of her mail truck. Heading the investigation is CEAAC commander Det. Greg Leonhard, who says:
This investigation involved transactions or purchases through undercover, confidential sources. On two out of three occasions, the (drug selling) transactions occurred out of her postal vehicle. (Star Beacon)
Crack cocaine is a popular recreational drug that is smoked for a short-lived but intense and euphoric high. Crack addiction is difficult to overcome alone and often requires help from a substance abuse program tailored for crack cocaine addicts.
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USPS Worker Selling Crack Cocaine
Spangler was arrested at her home on December 17, 2019, and arraigned the next day at the Ashtabula Municipal Court. U.S. Postal Inspectors, the Office of Inspector General and the Painesville Office of the FBI served a search warrant for her arrest. Numerous local news media sources have also reported that no drugs were found at Spangler’s home, but there was evidence of drug sales, including scales and packaging materials. Likely, Spangler was not working alone as additional charges against a second individual are still pending.
Spangler’s accused crimes shed light on the ever-increasing drug addiction crisis in Ohio. According to the Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network, OSAM, which collects data about drug addiction trends from eight different regions of the state, cocaine use in Ashtabula County has increased. Ashtabula is part of the Youngstown OSAM region located in the Northeast portion of the state. OSAM speculates that the increase in cocaine use might be a result of a drug addict’s awareness of Fentanyl laced drugs. Fentanyl is causing accidental overdose rates to increase because it is being used to cut opiates, like heroin.
Powdered cocaine is highly available in the majority of OSAM regions. In the Youngstown region, the availability of powdered cocaine has increased. The Ohio Department of Public Safety reported seizing 26.9 kilograms (59.4 lbs.) of powdered cocaine from the Youngstown region during the past six months. Participants and community professionals discussed opiate users switching to cocaine use due to fear of overdosing on fentanyl. (OSAM)
Throughout the Midwest and Northeast, crack cocaine abuse affects countless communities and families. Many people in less developed socio-economic situations often fall victim to crack cocaine dependency.
What is Crack Cocaine?
Crack is formed from powdered cocaine, and with more availability in the Ashtabula County, the public could assume crack dealers are becoming more commonplace. However, the arrest of Spangler does not reflect the standards of the U.S. Postal Service workforce as one of the main requirements of the United States Postal Service (USPS) is passing the drug test. The pre-employment drug test is mandatory for every applicant regardless of the postal service job. Only those individuals that pass the drug test are inducted as employees. A background check is also a requirement before employment.
Crack Addiction is Not Easy To Kick
Crack cocaine and cocaine addiction are two of the most challenging habits to conquer. Unlike other hard drugs, crack and cocaine do not cause severe physical withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, the people that use crack and cocaine can continue to do so without having to take the drug to avoid withdrawal symptoms continuously. This also means identifying crack addiction is more complicated. However, crack cocaine is extremely addictive. Crack addicts will binge on crack for days and even weeks. The amount of money crack addicts spend during a binge can be thousands of dollars.
We Are Here to Help With Crack Addiction
To locate help for a loved one for crack addiction treatment call one of our addiction recovery specialists. We will conduct a brief phone interview to determine what program and how to get you, or a loved one there within 24 hours or less. Crack addiction can be stopped. Once a person asks for help to end their addiction, it is the most crucial step and the most reliable indicator that they are ready to stop.