CEDAR PARK, Texas — As part of Red Ribbon Week the Drug Enforcement Administration is giving us a peek into how they operate.
Officials from the DEA took one of their clandestine labs to the Texas Museum of Science and Technology.
- Approximately three-fourths of all drug overdose deaths are now caused by opioids
- According to CDC, 64,070 people died from drug overdoses in 2016 — 21% increase over year before
- More Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016 than the number of American lives lost in the entirety of the Vietnam War says Police Executive Research Forum report
The museum is where local students got to see all of the necessary tools and gear agents wear in the field when investigating opioid labs. Agents wear suits that can weigh up to 40-50 pounds for several hours at a time.
One agent said there's no other way to get the job done.
"During the cooking process, the chemicals, the fumes that go into the air, they are explosive. They are flammable. They are toxic if they get on your skin or if you breathe it in. So we wear full protective gear. That means, No. 1, you have a full body suit. That's going to keep any chemicals from touching your skin or from splashing on your skin," said DEA Special Agent Steve Roberson.
Red Ribbon Week ends with a national collection of unwanted or expired prescription pills, no questions asked. Collection sites will be located around San Antonio and Austin, to find a location close to you head to dea.gov.