N.J. cops arrested 177 drug users, and then helped 148 of them get clean

Over one week in June, authorities across five counties arrested 177 people on drug charges. It was a grim tally, but no surprise in New Jersey, where opioid addiction rates continue to surge.

But this time it was different. All of those 177 users were immediately offered treatment, authorities said, and more than 80 percent of them took up the offer.

While they still faced criminal charges, 148 defendants were shuttled by police to drug treatment centers or connected to counselors as part of "Operation Helping Hand," a program created by state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.

Grewal said he decided during his time as Bergen County Prosecutor that he was "no longer going to just sweep (addicts) up and put their pictures in the paper and shame them, that we were no longer going to add to the stigma that's associated with this disease of addiction."

Now the attorney general is looking to take the program statewide, partnering with county prosecutors across the state to turn drug busts into chances to connect opioid users with recovery services.

The operation worked like this: Police and detectives from prosecutor's offices swept areas known for drug markets and arrested low-level users. After issuing them a summons, police offered them a bed in a treatment center or the chance to speak to a recovery specialist.

We talked to 3 people battling heroin addiction

The addiction crisis in New Jersey is nothing new, but the numbers keep getting worse. New figures released on Wednesday show there were 623 heroin deaths in the Garden State in the first six months of 2017, up from 594 deaths in the first half of 2016 and 415 in the first half of 2015. Meanwhile, the number of deaths attributed to the synthetic opioid fentanyl nearly doubled in the space of a year.

Between June 11 and 15, authorities in Bergen, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Union counties targeted open-air drug markets in New Jersey cities and towns. In Union County alone, authorities say, 100 drug users were arrested and 81 accepted help.

And three people not busted for drug crimes heard about the sweep and approached Union County officials about seeking treatment, the attorney general said.

Those who sought help were connected with addiction services in their counties, including New Bridge Medical Center in Bergen County and Eva's Village in Passaic, among others.

Matt Albanese, a peer support specialist at New Bridge who helps guide patients through the recovery process, said he was one of the addicts apprehended in an earlier sweep of "Operation Helping Hand."

"A year ago, I came here in handcuffs," he said during a press conference at the Paramus facility. "And now I work here."

Authorities say the operation also gave them "significant information and leads" regarding drug trafficking in New Jersey, but the goal of the program was to bring those suffering under the grip of addiction out of the shadows.

"It was a matter of getting out of our comfort zones, and instead of viewing these individuals as defendants, treating them like human beings," Grewal said.

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