Two chilling Camden child slayings that occurred in recent weeks may have been linked to the drug "wet."

Oswaldo Rivera at his arraignment
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Camden Police are investigating whether a bad batch of the drug "wet" - a mix of marijuana laced with PCP may have led to the murders.  A 6-year-old boy was killed Sunday trying to save his 12-year-old sister when they were assaulted in their home. A man known in the neighborhood, Oswaldo Rivera, has been charged, and police say he admitted he smoked "wet," a combination of PCP and marijuana, in the hours before the attack.

Almost two weeks earlier, a woman decapitated her child then killed herself, police say. Preliminary tests show she had PCP in her system and police believe she also smoked "wet."

"The common thread in the drug wet is that it all involves some form of PCP. Sometimes it can be put on marijuana, tobacco, etc and smoked. It doesn't matter about the leaf, that it is the delivery system" said Jason Laughlin, a Camden County Prosecutor's Office spokesman.

Laughlin says the PCP is what causes the bizarre and psychotic behavior.  "Its well known to cause delusional behavior, violence, hallucinations."

But, despite the two recent cases in Camden, he said its not a particularly widespread drug.

"One of the drug enforcement task forces in the city earlier this year confiscated about 140 vials of PCP, compared to thousands of bags of heroin…so its not something that's endemic to the city, but it is available and it can be easily obtained" said Laughlin.

Police are offering a $500 reward for tips leading to arrests of those selling "wet."

Officials with the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, New Jersey Chapter, said they haven't heard of an increase in the use of the drug "wet."

"We are working to curb the use of the drug in the city" said Laughlin.

 

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