Middlesex County

Top Local Drug Threat

New England Field Division’s newly promoted Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget wants to remain in Lowell, MA for Operation Engage efforts, but also wanted to extend the area of Middlesex County, MA while including the City of Lawrence, MA too. There are 54 cities and towns in Middlesex County, which includes approximately 1.7 million residents with a median age of 38.8 and covers 818 square miles. 

Middlesex County suffered 3,480 opioid related overdose deaths from 2013-2023. Fortunately, the total number of 301 deaths in 2023 showed a decrease of 10% from the previous year.

In 2023, Massachusetts reported 1,971 opioid-related overdose deaths where a toxicology screen was available. Among these deaths, fentanyl was present in 90%, cocaine in 54%, alcohol in 26%, benzodiazepines in 25%, amphetamines in 11%, prescription opioids in 7%, heroin in 5%, and xylazine in 9%. Since June of 2022, xylazine was routinely reported among opioid-related overdose deaths. By the end of 2023, the presence of xylazine in opioid-related overdose deaths had increased to 9% from 5% in 2022.

In New England, the City of Lawrence, Massachusetts has been one of the primary locations of drug manufacturing and distribution for not only Middlesex County MA and Essex County MA, but New Hampshire and Maine as well. The primary drug is fentanyl, so we will continue to focus on the Fentanyl Free America campaign, as well as One Pill Can Kill initiative for the Operation Engage efforts. The Operation Engage City of Lowell, MA has shown great successes with our prevention efforts, but including Lawrence and the rest of Middlesex County is essential to take a geographic approach to slow the constant drug manufacturing and distribution in northern Massachusetts and northern New England. 

SAC Forget wants to include a holistic approach, to include prevention efforts and media programs to include billboards in the Operation Engage area. Overall, Lowell and Lawrence will be the primary Operation Engage Cites, so having readily available resources available for Lawrence, MA and the rest of Middlesex County is paramount for SAC Forget’s plan of action to work on eliminating or greatly reducing the drug issues in our region.

Drug Information

Get facts about how fentanyl and methamphetamine affect a user's body.

Fentanyl

Methamphetamine

Learn more about the history and effects of drugs with neat, printable fact sheets (all PDFs) that can serve as handy resources by visiting www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/publication/drug-fact-sheets.

Teachers and employers can also visit www.operationprevention.com, a collaboration between DEA and Discovery Education to provide no-cost online tools that support every member of the community with the power of prevention.

College prevention professionals should browse www.campusdrugprevention.gov, DEA’s effort to support drug use prevention programs on college campuses and in surrounding communities.

DEA New England is excited to partner with our Lowell, Massachusetts leaders to help educate Lowellians about the dangers of Fentanyl and other drugs hitting the streets of America. Our Operation Engage initiative will help support current efforts, as well as, form new partnerships with those who reside in the Merrimack Valley to further our efforts to educate students, businesses, Faith based leaders, parents and educators too. We look forward to partnering with City Manager Tom Golden, Police Superintendent Greg Hudon and the many outstanding not for profits who serve the citizens of Lowell.

Check out this list of local organizations that provide services to the public regarding addiction, community empowerment, drug education and prevention, drug take back programs, recovery, and overall health and wellness.

City of Lowell Police Department
DEA Dance Program
Lowell Police Youth Services Program
Lowell Public Schools

Credit: Smart Approaches to Marijuana

Credit: Smart Approaches to Marijuana

Nearly one in five young adults in Massachusetts used marijuana daily or near-daily, according to Smart Approaches to Marijuana.

Looking for prevention resources specifically for young people? Go to the teen-focused site www.justthinktwice.com. Here, they'll be able to get facts about drug use and learn ways to live a drug-free life.

Families play a key role in preventing and responding to substance use. Too many families are grieving the death of a loved one due to substance use or coping with the stress that comes from loving a person affected by substance use or misuse. Fortunately, there are thousands of professionals and volunteers involved in all types of organizations who are in positions to help families help their loved one. The Drug Enforcement Administration is honored to partner with these organizations at the state, national and local level. Together for Families seeks to be a place where you can find information that helps you wherever you are on your journey. Visit www.dea.gov/togetherforfamilies.

Find treatment in your area. Go to FindTreatment.gov to search for general drug treatment facilities in your area. On this site, you can find facilities that offer various payment options (including free and no-cost care), youth treatment facilities, special programs for Veterans, plus more.

Otherwise, enter your zipcode below to find substance abuse treatment facilities in your area.   

Events

View details.

Thank you to Levi and his staff for allowing DEA Outreach to speak to approximately 80 youth about our One Pill Can Kill initiative at the Lowell Youth Leadership Program. 

They are building tomorrow’s leaders! 

One Pill Can Kill Vehicle Wrap

  • DEA New England car with One Pill Can Kill wrap

    DEA New England car with One Pill Can Kill wrap

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Please DO NOT submit tips using the feedback form on this page.

Use the official tips page (https://www.dea.gov/submit-tip) to report what appears to you as a possible violation of controlled substances laws and regulations. 

Tips submitted to the feedback form below WILL NOT be addressed.

Contact Us

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Stay Up to Date!

Stay up to date with Operation Engage Middlesex County by signing up to receive email updates.

Connect With Us

Connect with Operation Engage Middlesex County by following @DEANewEngland and using the hashtags #OpEngageMiddlesexCounty and #EngagewithMiddlesexCounty.