Methamphetamine use continues to “surge” in East Tennessee, constituting 32.2% of drug-related cases, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
“It’s very dangerous and very common,” said Mark Lyttle, assistant director of TBI’s forensics services division.
About 13% of drug arrests involve fentanyl. Lyttle said that although meth is East Tennessee’s biggest problem by volume, fentanyl poses the biggest risk to citizens. The TBI said they’ve seen a decline in heroin, which on the surface is positive news, but that the gap is being filled by fentanyl. Its use cuts across all demographics, said Jim Williams, special agent in charge of the drug investigation division for Upper East Tennessee.
While fentanyl used to be mixed with heroin, it is now commonly seen on its own, and in the form of counterfeit M30 tablets, made to resemble oxycodone. Lyttle said it is now rare to see a real oxycodone tablet; the majority are disguised as fentanyl. Knox County is a “distribution hub” for fentanyl, Williams said.
He said the TBI’s 313 initiative, which is a series of partnerships to stem the influx of illegal drugs from Detroit to Knox County, is having an impact.
“We’ve caused [the dealers] to change their MOs,” he said. Officials are finding weapons in almost every instance. The TBI seized 105 firearms since the initiative began in December 2022, and 10 of those were stolen.
Marijuana remains in the top three drug categories. "There is still violence associated with the distribution of marijuana," Williams said, "because of the amount of money involved."
He also said that the use of cryptocurrency is a complicating factor in drug investigations that is a “constantly evolving arena."
TBI relayed the information at a media day at its Knoxville location on Wednesday.
