La Jolla Crime and Public-Safety News: County deaths from meth hit record in 2018; Weekly list of incidents reported to San Diego Police

County deaths from meth hit record in 2018

Methamphetamine killed more people in San Diego County in 2018 than in any previous year by a wide margin, according to a report released Dec. 9, 2019.

County officials said methamphetamine killed at least 483 people in 2018, up more than 31 percent over 2017, when the drug killed at least 368 people, and up more than 28 percent over the previous record high of at least 377 methamphetamine deaths in 2016.

“We need the community to wake up and realize that this is a true epidemic,” said San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan at a news conference Monday.

According to the report, methamphetamine caused at least 262 deaths in 2014 and 311 in 2015.

County officials did not offer statistics or specifics about what was behind the increase in deaths but pointed to Mexico as the provider of “most of the methamphetamine in San Diego County.”

“The highly addictive and deadly drug is being manufactured and smuggled across the border by Mexican drug cartels,” officials said in a statement. “According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, methamphetamine seizures at the U.S.-Mexico ports of entry increased by nearly 40 percent in 2018.”

According to the DEA, 54 percent of the methamphetamine seized along the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018 was seized in the San Diego region, officials said.

Of the more than 22,000 deaths each year in the county, only about 3,000 require investigation by the county Medical Examiner’s Office, “so there might be additional people dying because of methamphetamine” that are not included in each year’s count, officials said.

— A. Riggins, The San Diego Union-Tribune

———

Police Blotter: La Jolla incidents reported to San Diego Police

Nov. 16, 2019

• Residential burglary, 5600 block Beaumont Ave. 6 a.m.

Nov. 17

• Fraud, 6000 block Germaine Lane, 8:37 p.m.

Nov. 23

• Vehicle break-in, 800 block Agate St. 5:45 a.m.

Nov. 24

• Theft, 6400 block Avenida Cresta, 4:13 p.m.

• Vehicle break-in, 2600 block Costebelle Drive, 6 p.m.

Nov. 26

• Grand theft, 7600 block Fay Ave. 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 27

• Fraud, 5500 block Soledad Mountain Road, 10 a.m.

Nov. 29

• Residential burglary, 2000 block Via Sinalda, 7:15 p.m.

Nov. 30

• Grand theft, 5200 block Cass St. 2 a.m.

Dec. 1

• Petty theft, 800 block Turquoise St. 3:40 p.m.

Dec. 2

• Petty theft, 1300 block Tourmaline St. noon

Dec. 3

• Vehicle stolen, 1100 block Virginia Way, 4 p.m.

• Residential burglary, 5400 block Caminito Bayo, 12:30 p.m.

Dec. 4

• Motor vehicle stolen, 7500 block Miramar Ave. 11:59 p.m.

• Residential burglary, 7500 block Miramar Ave. 11:59 p.m.

Dec. 6

• Vehicle break-in, 1200 block Van Nuys St. 10 p.m.

• Motor vehicle stolen, 1000 block Archer St. 6 p.m.

• Vehicle break-in, 1200 block Van Nuys St. 5 p.m.

— Compiled by La Jolla Light staff from San Diego Police reports.