The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "drug tracking" ...
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A story of hope, and a lopsided deal
A six-month Boston Globe investigation revealed that a contractor from California was repeatedly employing impoverished, drug-addicted men from an evangelical church to renovate hotels across the country. The story started in Boston, where reporter Casey Ross discovered that the contractor, Installations Plus, was paying illegally low wages to workers trucked up from Victory Outreach Church in Philadelphia. He also traced the illegal behavior to other Massachusetts communities and then to California, where he spent several days tracking down Victory Outreach members who recalled working for the contractor in that state. The result of his reporting was a richly detailed narrative that took readers into a little-known corner of America’s underground economy. After the story’s publication, the state of Massachusetts announced an effort to strengthen labor enforcement against companies that fund and manage projects where significant violations are found. In addition, California labor officials initiated an investigation into the employment practices of Installations Plus.
Tags: Economy; low wages; contractor; workers
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Uncounted Casualties
A three-day series that analyzed causes of death for 266 Texas veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. The six-month investigation uncovered previously unknown information, pulling data from a variety of federal, state and local sources. The series, which also depended on extensive interviews with family members and fellow service members, revealed the startling number of Texas veterans dying of prescription drug overdoses, suicides and motor vehicle crashes. The newspaper's analysis was hailed by epidemiologists and former Department of Veterans Affairs researchers as an important step in understanding veteran mortality, and led to calls for better government tracking of how veterans are dying.
Tags: Veterans; Iraq; Afghanistan; prescription drug overdoses; suicides; vehicle crashes
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Off Track: Clandestine Racing in California
This story delved into an unknown world of illegal and clandestine horse racing happening on private tracks throughout the state of California. The straight-track races occur on properties throughout the state. KCRA uncovered a world where drug deals, prostitution, illegal gambling and animal cruelty are the norm. KCRA got the point of view of investigators and a veterinary scientist who found that horses were being dosed with mixtures of cocaine and methamphetamine. Added to this was the fact that few local law enforcement know it's happening and state investigators don't have the resources to stop the racing from happening.
Tags: Horse racing; drug deals; prostituion; gambling; animal abuse; veterinary science; cocaine; methamphetamine
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Afghanistan: Corrupted by Drugs
The three-part series tracks the distribution of heroin and opium out of Afghanistan throughout Central Asia. The narcotic industry in Afghanistan exists securely under the foster care of U.S. forces while feeding the epidemic-sized hunger for heroin in Russia.
Tags: Tom Lasseter; narcotics; Russia; Afghanistan; Asia; heroin; opium; drugs; economy; trade; military; Tajik;
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Bitter Pills
"Medicines for cancer, cholesterol, blood pressure - even the front-line defense against bird flu - are being counterfeited by international rings." Dateline NBC examines how "loopholes in existing government regulations have allowed the fakes to reach U.S. drug stores - even major chains like CVS and Rite Aid." The investigation into this potential health risk found, among other things, a cocaine smuggler who now counterfeits Lipitor "because there was less risk and more money." Also, photos of counterfeit operations revealed some "based in caves, others using drywall, cement and highway paint among their ingredients."
Tags: Counterfeit drugs; counterfeit medicines; drug tracking; health risks
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Slain Pagan Targeted in Drug Probe; State Police Lose Track of Sex Offenders; Trapped in Despair; White Supremacy in the Internet Age; Delaware's Deadly Prisons; Wilmington's Deadly Streets; Deadly Force; Resisting Arrest
These eight investigations show Williams' commitment to crime reporting. They run the gamut from exploring the neo-Nazi presence on the internet to monitoring how effectively the police track sex offenders.
Tags: religion; paganism; drugs; sex offenders; low-income housing; Section 8 housing; white supremacy; Internet crimes; prisons; civil rights violations; police corruption
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Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids scandal that Rocked Professional Sports
San Francisco Chronicle reporters broke the story that some elite athletes used drugs to "run faster, hit harder, and cash in on the fame that comes only to those at the very top of their games." Fainaru-Wada and Williams used"Federal Grand Jury transcripts and federal investigative reports... court records and state health department records," among other documents. (332 pages)
Tags: steroids; drugs; BALCO; Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative; San Francisco Chronicle; Victor Conte; Major League Baseball; football; track and field; California Public Records Act; Federal Grand Jury; sports agents; trainers; sports doping; Olympics; Justice Department; IRS; U.S. Anti-Doping Agency; USADA
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Pushing Agenda; How the drug industry sells its agenda at your expense
The series tracked the political influence of the pharmaceutical industry in Washington and across the country. More money was spent on pharmaceutical lobbying than any other industry resulting in a series of favorable laws on Capitol Hill, including industry friendly FDA policy, defeat of legislative measures to contain prices and billions of dollars in profit.
Tags: lobbying; political influence; pharmaceutical industry; FDA; FOIA; Washington; federal government
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Meth Alert
This investigation examined the enforcement and effectiveness of a new Indiana law meant to restrict the purchase of materials used to make methamphetamine. It tested stores' compliance with the law and communication between stores to track abusers, as well as maintenance of ephedrine logs.
Tags: meth; methamphetamines; ephedrine; pseudoephedrine; drugs; meth labs; law enforcement; Indiana