Man arrested for selling heroin named 'Ebola'


A New Jersey man was arrested Monday for spreading Ebola — no, not the virus, but the drug.
Barnabas "Hammer" Davis was found inside a Toms River Ramada Inn room with 633 wax folds of heroin, many stamped with the brand name "Ebola," authorities said. Police also found 40 grams of crack cocaine, although it's not known if that drug had an infectious disease-inspired moniker. Davis has been charged with possession of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of crack cocaine, and possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute.
It's not unusual for drugs to have brand names, since it makes it easier for a buyer to request a specific product. "Different dealers have different potencies and products," Officer Ralph Stocco told the New York Daily News. "Many times they are labeled with catchy phrases. In the past we have had Bin Laden, Hello Kitty, D.O.A., Twin Towers, 911, gumball, pow, etc."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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