ST. LOUIS — After a former federal prosecutor's claims about illegal drugs went viral, we wanted to see if the claims were true.
Former federal prosecutor Will Scharf, whose Twitter bio also says he is a candidate for an unnamed statewide office in Missouri, made claims on Twitter about illegal drugs in our area.
The posts were retweeted or liked almost 10,000 times.
The tweets said “Have you taken ecstasy recently? Guess again. It was meth. There is no ecstasy anymore” and “There is no heroin left in St. Louis. It’s all fentanyl.”
THE QUESTION
Is it true ecstasy and heroin are no longer part of the illegal drug market?
THE SOURCES:
- Michael Davis, DEA Special Agent in Charge, St. Louis Division
- Det. Melody Quinn, St. Louis County Police Department
THE ANSWER
Ecstasy and heroin are still part of the illegal drug market.
WHAT WE FOUND
DEA Special Agent in Charge of the St. Louis Division, Michael Davis, said the statement that there is no ecstasy anymore is not true. Davis says agents are still seizing the drug also known as MDMA. He admits there is less ecstasy on the streets as methamphetamine use grows, but ecstasy is still present in the community.
As for heroin, Davis said his division seized 35 pounds of heroin in the 12-month period between October 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022.
Detective Melody Quinn with the St. Louis County Police Department says the drug division has only made 1 or 2 heroin seizures in the last year.
While both sources agree they are seeing less heroin as fentanyl use skyrockets, both agencies made heroin busts in the last year.
We can verify these tweets are false. Ecstasy and heroin are still part of the illegal drug market.