Anonymous Caller New DEA tip line launches
Tue, 2015-03-10 19:59
News Staff
If you hate your neighbor and/or ex-spouse, and you’re not adverse to lying, there is now a good way to get back at him or her: “drop a dime” to the DEA and claim they’re a drug dealer
selling illicit prescription meds. That should cause them some pain.
That’s a joke, of course, but this new Drug Enforcement Agency program has the potential for abuse. Or at least it could if it falls into the wrong hands (one belonging to a perverse mind).
Here’s the deal: if you think someone you know is abusing prescription drugs (hello, Rush Limbaugh), you can now text the DEA in anonymous fashion and give them the alleged abuser’s name, address and description, along with their alleged criminal activity.
The program, officially dubbed TIP411, is an
internet-based tool that allows anyone with a cell phone (99.9 percent of the RGV, including the unemployed) to quickly and easily report suspicious prescription drug activity in real-time
to a DEA agent.
The new anti-drug program kicked off last fall in Arizona. At the time, the DEA posted this on its website:
“The non-medical use of prescription opioids has greatly contributed to the sharp increase in heroin trafficking and use. In Arizona, the rate of emergency department cases related to opiate misuse or abuse increased 118.8 percent from 2005 to 2012. DEA and its local law enforcement and drug prevention partners are fully committed to combating this growing issue.”
"In Arizona, the rate of emergency department cases related to opiate misuse or abuse increased 118.8 percent from 2005 to 2012. DEA and its local law enforcement and drug prevention
partners are fully committed to combating this growing issue.”
It’s since moved across the U.S., and is now ensconced in South Texas.
The TIP411 system is 100 percent anonymous because, according to the DEA, it is part of a technology developed by “Citizen Observer” (AKA, spy on your neighbor) and removes all identifying information of the sender before the tip is forwarded to DEA.
In the Valley, should you be ticked off at an exspouse, or legitimate drug abuser, for that matter, you can pick up your cell and text this number: 847411 (TIP411). Then, begin the text by typing RGV, and then type the desired message, which goes directly to a local DEA agent. The federal agent can then text you back and forth in real time, while your anonymity remains intact. Photos and video can also be sent via text.
If at some point, let’s say, you want to get back together with your ex-spouse, and you don’t mind if he’s abusing and/or dealing drugs, you can type the word “stop” and text it to your newly established DEA contact and all further communication will be discontinued.
According to the DEA’s own website – DEA.gov – it is impossible for the federal agent to see the phone number from which the text is being sent. And once the sender has texted the word “stop,” the federal anti-drug agency has no way to re-establish contact with the drug tipster.
To learn more about the new anti-drug program, visit DEA.gov. In the search window (upper right corner of the home page), type TIP411.