On Long Island, in New York State not far east of Brooklyn and Queens, criminals have erected harmful vending machines that threaten to damage the local communities. These vending machines, which sell crack pipes, are illegally located on public property. Police have confirmed that the devices were originally intended to supply tampons but were reworked to distribute crack pipes among users ranging from addicted junkies to curious youngsters.
Thankfully, three crack pipe vending machines have been taken down by police on Long Island, preventing people from having easy access to potentially deadly drug supplies.
Suffolk County has a long history of drug abuse. The police department strives to combat substance-related issues, but they don’t seem to have quite the same impact as they would like. It’s maddening. When law enforcement works to solve one issue, criminals come up with something new, such as these refurbished tampon dispensers fitted with crack pipes.
An outrage to the public, the vending machines that dispense “Sketch Pens” are filled with sketching supplies. The offenders charge two dollars per ceramic tube.
The machines were not set up by the police. They might have been installed by drug dealers. Or an unscrupulous businessperson who saw a gap in the market may have illegally put them on street corners without the appropriate licenses.
Vending machines distribute a ceramic “pen” with a filter, making it simple for users to smoke the hazardous and addictive narcotic drug.
The Suffolk County Police Department is working hard to figure out what’s going on with these false walls. They’re trying to figure out who might have put them in public restrooms.
“At first we were like, ‘Could this be a joke?’ But then we saw how intricate it was and realized it wasn’t a joke,” Michael Loguercio, a councilman for Brookhaven Town District 4, said in an interview.
Residents who want the police to solve their community’s terrible drug problem were shocked to discover that criminals have become so creative as to install drug paraphernalia vending machines in public restrooms.
From 2009 to 2013, the number of heroin-related fatalities in Suffolk County has increased by 337 percent. That was the greatest drug overdose death rate among any county in New York state during that four-year period.
Anthony Minichini, a resident of Suffolk County, is tired of the criminal activity. He first discovered a crack vending machine near a bus stop.
“Wow! You learn something new every day. Suffolk County on the side of the road next to bus stops a crack pipe vending machine. Really?”
The local government officials concurred. Supervisor Ed Romaine of Brookhaven Town noted:
“People that were selling crack, obviously there was trouble from their potential users getting crack pipes, and they thought this would be an ingenious solution.”
The median price of a house in Suffolk County is currently $376,700, which is more than twice the median cost for an existing home throughout the United States.
In Long Island, “sketch pens” are readily available. They may be found in vending machines in Suffolk County, however not on the street.
