NEBRASKA CITY – A Nebraska City woman’s arrest earlier this month raised concerns locally about the deadly designer drug flakka, but an agent with the Omaha office of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency says he is not aware of any seizures of the drug in Nebraska.
Police arrested the woman Nov. 11 after a family disturbance where relatives told police her behavior was uncharacteristic and threatening.
Police encountered the 32-year-old woman again nine days later, when witnesses described bizarre behavior. Police were told that it might be the result of the “flakka that was around.”
Steve Bell, assistant special agent in charge with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Omaha division, said synthetic cathinones have not been an issue in Nebraska like they have been elsewhere in the country.
Bell: “Typically here, we deal with methamphetamine and marijuana, heroin, not really the synthetics.”
Nebraska City police say there may be mental issues involved, but do not have evidence of illegal drug use regarding the recent arrests.
The Nebraska City woman is accused of kicking down an apartment door with a knife in her hand. She confronted a man inside while holding a badge with a bunny on it. Police say she threatened to kill the man if he did not return her daughter.
Court records say the woman later began directing police to pursue a white van that had passed because she knew her daughter was inside of it. Police say she began to negotiate her immediate release saying she needed to protect her family.
Flakka was highly publicized in 2016 when a 19-year-old Florida man stabbed and murdered a woman and her husband before biting off pieces of the man’s face.
Another man impaled himself on a fence around a Florida police station.
Police suspect the use of flakka in Bonne Terre, Mo., this year, where two brothers tore up an apartment.
Police say someone opened the apartment door and the man ran “faster than a sprinter.” When police caught up, he was yelling at inanimate objects like poles and buildings. His hands were up in fighting stance and his eyes were bulging out of his head.
The other brother was screaming prayers out loud and appeared to be looking at some sort of dragon or monster.
With a chemical make-up similar to bath salts, flakka is also known as Alpha-PVP, and is easily accessible.
Agent Bell said people can anonymously order the drug from China on what investigators call the “dark web.”
Bell: “The dirty dealers that are using the Internet are being looked at, but it’s a very complex problem because, when you’re on the dark web so to speak, you know, there’s a whole list of anonymizers and trying to figure out what jurisdiction actually web servers are located in and what due process.”
In Australia the drug is nicknamed the “zombie drug” because people are seen writhing around on the floor, running in fear from non-existent predators, taking of their clothes and claiming to be God.
The Nebraska City woman is charged with use of a weapon to commit a felony, burglary and terroristic threats. A $5,000 bond provision has been set for her.
