Greetings,
I am Brad Byerley, Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans Field Division and I’d like to welcome you to Operation Engage!
As we all know, there are far too many non-fatal and fatal drug overdoses affecting our communities, and sadly, these numbers are increasing. In response, DEA has moved toward community-level collaborative efforts to help reduce these numbers through education and awareness, using our wide range of resources.
Through Operation Engage, our division will focus on Baton Rogue, targeting the methamphetamine drug threat. Other components of Operation Engage include:
- Stakeholder/Community Gatherings: To share the latest information about drug trends, drug threats, and other related pertinent information.
- The DEA’s Citizens Academy: DEA recognizes the importance of forging strong alliances with local communities and maintaining collaborative relationships with community leaders. The DEA’s Citizens Academy offers participants the opportunity to understand the world of federal drug law enforcement and the important role the DEA and the community together, play in combating drug trafficking, drug misuse, and related violence.
- Youth Engagement: Through programs like the DEA Educational Foundation Youth Dance Program and in collaboration with CADCA and the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, children of all ages will be able to actively participate in age-appropriate activities, designed for them to learn and gain the most knowledge about the dangers of drugs in a fun way.
- Community Outreach Programs: DEA, along with stakeholder involvement, will concentrate efforts in the communities most affected by methenamine abuse. In those targeted communities, the New Orleans Field Division will participate in facilitating prevention strategies to include, but not limited to, drug prevention training and technical assistance for communities, coalition outreach, and prescription drug take back events to name a few.
These are only a few of the many resources and opportunities we have available to share with our communities.
I invite you, and your families, to explore our Operation Engage webpage to learn about the many resources we have available. Learning as a family, early on, is the first step in avoiding drug experimentation, drug misuse, drug addiction, and all related behaviors that are plaguing our communities.
Always at your service,
SAC Byerley
Top Local Drug Threat
Local officials have identified methamphetamine (meth) as the area's top local drug threat.
Here are a few quick stats:
- 127 people died of overdoses (with the majority being opioid related) in East Baton Rouge Parish in 2019 compared to 28 overdose deaths in 2012. (Source: East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office February 9, 2020)
- In Louisiana, opioid deaths increased by 25% from 470 to 588 in 2019. (Source: Louisiana Department of Health - Louisiana.gov)
- Nearly 40% of the 1,140 reported drug overdose deaths in Louisiana involved opioids in 2018 – a total of 444 fatalities (Source: drugabuse.gov)
Learn more about local drug use statistics:
Louisiana: Opioid-Involved Deaths and Related Harms
National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, Opioid Epidemic: Addiction Statistics
Drug Information
What is Methamphetamine?
Methamphetamine (also known as meth) is a stimulant that speeds up the body’s system that comes as a pill or powder. Available in prescription as Desoxyn® to treat obesity and ADHD. Crystal meth resembles glass fragments and is an illegally altered version of the prescription drug that is cooked with over-the-counter drugs in meth labs. Learn more.
Here is a list of our community partners. Click on the links below to learn more about each.
- Baton Rouge Police Department
- Capital Area Human Services
- City of Baton Rouge
- District Attorney’s Office of East Baton Rouge Parish
- East Baton Rouge Police Department
- East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office
- Governor of Louisiana Office
- La Voz de la Comunidad
- Louisiana Board of Pharmacy
- Louisiana Department of Education
- Louisiana Department of Health
- Southern University at Baton Rouge
- State of Louisiana
- The Addict’s Mom – LA (TAMLA)
- The Benevolent Order of the Elks
- The Gardere Initiative
- TRUCE
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Office of the Middle District
Check out this list of community substance misuse prevention resources.
Looking for prevention resources specifically for young people? Go to the teen-focused site www.justthinktwice.com/. Here, they'll be able to get facts about drug use and learn ways to live a drug-free life.
In addition, check out these resources below:
D.A.R.E.-Drug Abuse Resistance Education
D.A.R.E.’s primary mission is to provide children with the information and skills they need to live drug and violence free lives.
End the Epidemic
End the Epidemic LA is committed to reducing the record levels of opioid abuse occurring throughout Louisiana on multiple fronts.
Louisiana Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD): Drug Information and Prevention
SADD’s mission is to empower young people to successfully confront the risks and pressures that challenge them throughout their daily lives.
Teen Crisis Text Line – 1-800-777-3273 the Crisis Text Line provided by Via Link
Go to FindTreatment.gov to search for general drug treatment facilities in your area. On this site, you can find facilities that offer various payment options (including free and no-cost care), youth treatment facilities, special programs for Veterans, plus more.
Otherwise, enter your zipcode below to find substance abuse treatment facilities in your area.
Sign up for email updates about Baton Rouge's Operation Engage Initiative.
Stay up to date with the Operation Engage initiative in Baton Rouge by following: DEA Baton Rouge Twitter account @DEABatonRouge, and the hashtags: #OpEngageBatonRouge and #EngagewithBatonRouge