The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division will join with millions of Americans October 23, to kick off Red Ribbon Week, the nation’s oldest and largest drug misuse prevention awareness program. Over the course of nine days, members of DEA will provide drug education presentations to communities across the five state Division, landmarks will be lit red and proclamations will be signed declaring Red Ribbon Week as a time for citizens to demonstrate their commitment to a drug-free lifestyle.
Red Ribbon Week is an annual event dating back to 1985. A native of Calexico, California, DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was investigating members of a drug cartel in Mexico when he was kidnapped, tortured and murdered. Shortly after Camarena’s death, students in his hometown began wearing red ribbons, pledging to lead drug-free lives to honor the sacrifices made by Camarena and others. Thirty-nine years later, the efforts of those students have multiplied, with communities across the nation taking time each October to promote the importance of drug education while raising awareness to the consequences of drug use.
“Kiki’s murder was felt nationwide,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Steven T. Bell said. “The tragedy of his death set a community in motion and their work still resonates today. With fentanyl pills, pink cocaine and the resurgence of methamphetamine making headlines, it’s important that families begin or continue conversations on the lethality of drugs and the destruction they cause in our communities.”
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed a proclamation October 21, declaring October 23-31, as Red Ribbon Week across the Cornhusker State. Governors in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota will follow suit in the coming days. Altogether, 10 landmarks across the Division will be lit red, including the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge and Fountain Ridge in Omaha, Nebraska.
Through the first nine months of 2024, DEA investigators noted a slight increase in methamphetamine and fentanyl seizures across the five-state division. Agents have removed nearly 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine and approximately 3.5 million lethal doses of fentanyl both in pill and powder form. Nationally, DEA has removed more than 286 million lethal doses of fentanyl, including close to 40 million pills.