July 2023 Fentanyl in Meaningful

Fentanyl leaked into almost every crime in the city one way or another. I finally got to experience it first hand seeking out a dealer in a neighborhood. Surrounding the area was the usual signs like car break ins, stolen mail and packages, passed out people and homeless increasing, along with the usual buzzard behaviors at weird hours of the day. I find physical trails like this fun, plus the suspects that I follow and who lead me to the target dealer are so messed up I usually don’t have a problem and even feel for them. As my search narrowed down to an apartment complex an 18 yr old homeless man finally gave up the the local dealers location after about two weeks of me giving him food and water for info and gaining his trust. So then I started casing and recon on the apartment complex and documenting everything I experienced watching and interacting with the dealer and his place. I even started to get to know him, he was a nice guy but clearly used himself but at age 42 things were taking theiir toll. One day he’d be fine then snap with crazy bizarre fits of emotion. Really weird things like bloody foot prints on the wall I remember seeing and circus like goth clowns coming in and out. One night, eventually after tons of evidence submitted I got the call to go get him. I was to go in first since he had gotten to know me and then if needed the team would follow. Even before I started up the stairs I could hear a fight. The door was open and naked man with a Mohawk ran out and confirmed he was in there with his girlfriend. Game changer, so mentally shifting gears I had to make split decisions depending on what I walked in on. Once inside the fentanyl and all the paraphernalia was on the living room table. I would describe the smell as burnt mustard?… there was a rifle above the tv and the place was destroyed. My eyes were watering from the smell and I had to put a bandanna over my face. The girlfriend was beat up, black eyes, cuts, bruises and intoxicated herself. The dealer ran into the bathroom when he saw me in his doorway and I remained calm, telling him who I was and why I was here as I approached the bathroom door. It was locked… so I turned to attend the girlfriend who was hysterical. I called for back up and ambulance. Then the dealer came out of the bathroom with a taser pistol. I had did not want to draw my revolver so I drew my non lethal pepper launcher which I actually use more often. With the girlfriend behind me wanting to attack I was having to hold her kind of behind me with one arm while pointing the launcher with the other. Just as the police barged through the door the dealer shot me in the bare chest, tasering me twice in the heart. My shirt had ripped open in the scuffle. While I was being electrocuted I fired 4 pepper balls onto the dealers face and neck incapacitating him. I ripped the barbs out of my skin and honestly with my adrenaline I dont remember much other than being carried out with the girlfriend to the ambulance and I had pissed my pants lol. I was cleared that night but soon after I noticed heart murmurs, panic attacks, racing heart beats, sweating, dizzy, come and go. After tests done the doctors said I had the condition where one valve of the heart beats on it’s own tune out of since with the other. They had me on a special diet and heart monitor for 3 months. Pretty scary. Had to do therapy and almost surgery but two weeks before they were going to go in and fry one end of the heart valve everything stopped and I started getting better?! The doctors were amazed and said my younger age and change of life styles was enough to keep it under control. I still take medication and am on a diet but I’ve not had a major episode since the changes. Thank you God, heart stuff is scary. I was disappointed about having to switch to ultra light cigs but to this day I’m testing above average health for my age!