Yuma police say prescriptions source dangerous games

A dangerous game called "farming" is being played by Yuma's young adults, according to a Yuma County Narcotics Task Force officer. Farming is when juveniles raid their parents' medicine cabinets, pocketing prescription drugs. Then at a party, everyone dumps their stash of pills into a large bowl and everyone grabs them by the handful throughout the night "like Skittles."

"It's probably one of the worst things happening today ... They think it's OK because doctors prescribed them," the officer said.

Roughly 50 parents, local law enforcement and concerned citizens gathered at the Yuma Police Department recently for free training on "How to Reach Juveniles Who Are Getting Involved with Drugs."

The meeting, sponsored by the Community Justice Board, was led by members of the Yuma County Narcotics Task Force. The officers asked that their names be withheld, because they work undercover.

A task force officer said strawberry meth was recently found in Yuma County. He said sellers color it as a marketing strategy to make it more attractive to juveniles.

"It looks really cool. It just keeps getting better and better," he said. "It used to be chunky yellow and white. Now it looks like pretty crystal and glass."

He said cocaine and marijuana are the other two drugs of choice for juveniles in Yuma, and the proximity to the border makes them easy to obtain.

A task force officer described a party he saw in the desert where juveniles were dancing in front of a fire with music playing. There was no alcohol, but there were plenty of bottles of water.

"You may want to be suspicious," he said, because at this particular party, the juveniles were taking the drug Ecstasy, which can cause severe thirst.

Drugs are here in Yuma, in every neighborhood, and are often not too expensive for teens to get their hands on, according to a task force officer.

A mother and daughter told a story of a 15-year-old girl who was recently bragging to her classmates that she was able to score a gram of cocaine for $60.

Officers said a gram, which is the size of a packet of sugar, can cost anywhere from $20 to $240.

One attendee advised parents to tell their daughters even water is not safe these days. He said to never accept an opened bottle of water from a male, because it may have been laced with GHB, also known as "the date rape drug."

Officers said juveniles are being caught at the U.S.-Mexico border, trying to bring GHB, Rohypnol (another date rape drug, which is illegal in the U.S.), Valium and speed (amphetamines) to Yuma.

One mother described a heavy-duty lighter she recently found on her son. Another crowd member told her the lighter she described is known as a "turbo torch" because it has a very strong flame used to melt cocaine and meth. He advised her to search her son's room on a regular basis, and she said she already does.

An officer said many parents are concerned about violating their children's privacy, but he said it is more embarrassing to have the neighbors see the police kick in the door to do their own search.

One man said something as innocent as coffee filters could be used as drug paraphernalia, so parents have to be vigilant in keeping an eye on their children's possessions.

Other signs include missing money or jewelry, or seeing their children selling their own possessions.

Mood swings are normal in teenagers, but any mood swings that start extremely high and end extremely low for no apparent reason could point to drug use.

"It all goes back to knowing your children," an officer said.

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Nicole Squibbs can be reached at nsquibbs@yumasun.com or 539-6855.