Scooters now delivering illegal drugs downtown, undercover police learn
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Undercover police said Friday they have caught three men selling synthetic narcotics that had led to overdoses in the downtown area in 2018, but the unexpected part of the announcement was how some illegal drugs are now being delivered.
Scooters.
According to detectives, drug dealers have become more transient since state and local police began enforcing a “No trespassing” order in The American Legion Mall located in the 700 blocks of North Pennsylvania and Meridian streets.
“Detectives have also seen dealers using commercial scooters as a means to navigate the downtown area with more mobility,” a news release issued Friday from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said.
The undercover operations netted five people with pending criminal warrants and three men were arrested on drug charges. The five people netted on warrants were not named, but the three men arrested on preliminary drug charges Thursday were 47-year-old Johnny Gilson, 32-year-old Akeem Montgomery and 42-year-old Larry Spencer.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said police have not yet filed charging information against the three men arrested.
IMPD said it could talk on Monday about how they obtained information about the scooters.
Electric scooter rentals began in Indianapolis in 2018 after a contentious battle between two providers and city leaders about their safety. Both providers temporarily removed their scooters from Indianapolis streets as city leaders drafted an ordinance for using scooters.
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