OxyContin, a morphine-like opioid that is used to treat moderate to severe pain, is one of the leading causes of prescription drug abuse. In New York City alone, violence driven by pill addiction is growing, with numerous robberies and homicides reported since 2011. In a bid to end the problem, the New York City Police is giving away “bait bottles” equipped with GPS tracking devices to pharmacies. The NYPD hopes to catch these pill addicts-turned-thieves by tracking them.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly is expected to make an official announcement on Tuesday at a conference sponsored by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. The NYPD is also asking industry researchers to explore the possibility of applying nanotechnology in such a way that individual tablets could be tracked by GPS. “In the event of a robbery or theft, we’ll be able to track the bottle, which may lead us to stash locations across the city,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. The strategic plan is a part of a big operation called Operation Safety Cap.