by Amy McLeod
Michael McManus spoke to Elon students on Thursday about the increasing use of illegal drugs in America and the effort he has had in fighting drug wars over the past 30 years.
Michael McManus speaks to Elon students about the drug war and how he's been fighting it.
McManus is a former Federal Agent with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. He was one of the agents instrumental in bringing down George Jung, prominent a drug lord and the man responsible for America’s cocaine market. The 2001 movie Blow is based on Jung and his downfall.
“I have been blessed with an absolutely fantastic career,” McManus said. “I drive fast boats, smuggle cocaine out of the Bahamas and drive beautiful cars. And I get paid to do it.”
‘The people losing this battle are your little brothers and sisters’
McManus began by informing students about the way the drug industry has grown over the past few decades.
“We’ve won the drug war since 1979,” McManus said. “The people losing this battle are your little brothers and little sisters.”
According to McManus, of today’s eighth graders, 14.7 percent are experimenting with drugs, along with 28.7 percent of tenth graders and 36.5 percent of high school seniors.
A poll that surveyed 50,000 students revealed that the top three reasons why teens use drugs are peer pressure, family problems and as a form of rebellion.
On the other hand, the top three things that keep teenagers from using drugs are being brought up with a strong family, their religion and being educated about drugs and their potential effects.
Popularity of synthetic drugs and raves
No longer relying on plant-grown drugs such as marijuana, the youth today are experimenting with chemically created, synthetic drugs.
Ecstasy and Methamphetamine (meth) are two of the drugs becoming popular among young people.
“Meth is one of the most powerful, most addicting drugs you will ever see,” McManus said.
Young people are now going to “rave parties” and “pharming parties.” Rave parties consist of excessive ecstasy and pharming parties come about when young people steal their parent’s prescription drugs and they are randomly exchanged and ingested.
The recipe for meth can be found online and all ingredients can be purchased at Wal-Mart. The silent victims of these new drug markets are children of dealers whose skin is burned and lungs are infected by the acid and chemicals used to make meth.
McManus then told students about his experiences working undercover. He successfully infiltrated the Colombian drug system by obtaining the trust of drug lords. By using them, their sources and listening to cell phone activity, McManus was able to break down the system before drugs could get on the streets in America.
The most frightening moment of McManus’s career
“I’ll never forget it,” McManus said. “It was April 2, 1979 and it’s when I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”
McManus was undercover with another agent on a cocaine bust. His partner went with one of the dealers outside to see the drugs and the dealer came back inside the bar without McManus’s partner.
Knowing something was wrong but having to stay calm, McManus was in “survival mode.” It turns out his partner was behind the bar with an accomplice of the drug dealers. He was held at gunpoint but was not harmed.
When he went outside the two “bad guys,” one of the dealers pulled a gun on him. McManus pulled his gun on the second dealer.
“I’m a police officer,” McManus told the man. “You’re under arrest.”
Knocking the gun out of the first dealer’s hand and breaking his wrist, McManus shoved the second dealer’s head into a car.
“There was no time to see my life flash before my eyes,” McManus remembers. “That night sent two people in two different directions.”
McManus’s partner resigned the next day. McManus knew that it was now his job to fight the drug war.
“My goal is just to educate society. Remember this, if you smoke one marijuana cigarette, you won’t become addicted to cocaine or heroine. I just want you to be prepared to make an educated decision.”
amy mcleod 