WEATHER ALERT
Fentanyl fuels record homeless deaths in Oregon's Multnomah County, home to Portland
Read full article: Fentanyl fuels record homeless deaths in Oregon's Multnomah County, home to PortlandFentanyl fueled a record number of homeless deaths last year in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland.
Jacksonville father of baby that overdosed on fentanyl arrested, accused of child neglect
Read full article: Jacksonville father of baby that overdosed on fentanyl arrested, accused of child neglectFour months after a baby overdosed on fentanyl, the child's father was arrested on one count of child neglect.
U.S. Border Patrol seized over 2 pounds of fentanyl from package that washed ashore in Daytona Beach
Read full article: U.S. Border Patrol seized over 2 pounds of fentanyl from package that washed ashore in Daytona BeachU.S. Border Patrol agents seized over 2 lbs. of Fentanyl that was discovered washed up on the beach by a Good Samaritan, Andrew Scharnweber, Interim Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Miami Sector, said.
Drug Free Duval questions Biden’s proposal to reschedule fentanyl as it continues to educate on substance abuse
Read full article: Drug Free Duval questions Biden’s proposal to reschedule fentanyl as it continues to educate on substance abuseAs President Joe Biden bows out of the White House, he is taking one more aim at Congress to combat illegal drugs like fentanyl. One of those is a proposal through what is called the National Security Memorandum to make fentanyl a Schedule I drug.
‘I lost my daughter to fentanyl’: Parents tell their pain-filled stories at Florida summit amid ‘social health crisis’
Read full article: ‘I lost my daughter to fentanyl’: Parents tell their pain-filled stories at Florida summit amid ‘social health crisis’Their voices were a heartbreaking reminder that fentanyl continues to be the number one drug threat in Florida and across the country.
Decrease in drug-related deaths in Florida gives new glimmer of hope to families affected by addiction
Read full article: Decrease in drug-related deaths in Florida gives new glimmer of hope to families affected by addictionA recent report by the Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission revealed a slight decrease in the number of drug-related deaths in 2022, bringing a new glimmer of hope for families who have loved ones battling drug addiction.
Ex-Philippines leader Duterte assails Marcos, accusing him of plotting to expand grip on power
Read full article: Ex-Philippines leader Duterte assails Marcos, accusing him of plotting to expand grip on powerFormer Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is throwing allegations at his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and even raising the prospect of removing him from office.
In Mexico, Yellen announces economics sanctions as the US aims to crack down on fentanyl trafficking
Read full article: In Mexico, Yellen announces economics sanctions as the US aims to crack down on fentanyl traffickingTreasury Secretary Janet Yellen has announced economic sanctions against 15 people and two companies that the United States says are linked to a Mexican drug cartel.
Jacksonville man accused of manslaughter, drug trafficking charges following fentanyl overdose death
Read full article: Jacksonville man accused of manslaughter, drug trafficking charges following fentanyl overdose deathA Jacksonville man was arrested and accused on 16 charges, including manslaughter, following an investigation that started with a fentanyl overdose death earlier this year, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Officials stock up on overdose antidote naloxone after fentanyl-laced letters disrupt vote counting
Read full article: Officials stock up on overdose antidote naloxone after fentanyl-laced letters disrupt vote countingElection officials around the country are stocking up on the overdose reversal medication naloxone after a series of suspicious mailings — some containing traces of fentanyl — were sent to vote centers or government buildings in six states.
Local election workers have been under siege since 2020. Now they face fentanyl-laced letters
Read full article: Local election workers have been under siege since 2020. Now they face fentanyl-laced lettersThreatening letters sent to local election offices in at least five states, some including fentanyl, are the latest concern for local election workers around the country.
The US sanctions Mexican Sinaloa cartel members and firms over fentanyl trafficking
Read full article: The US sanctions Mexican Sinaloa cartel members and firms over fentanyl traffickingThe Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on 13 members of Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa cartel and four Mexico-based firms accused of trafficking fentanyl into the United States.
US government says it plans to go after legal goods tied to illegal fentanyl trade in new strategy
Read full article: US government says it plans to go after legal goods tied to illegal fentanyl trade in new strategyThe U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced a new government-wide strategy that will target not only fentanyl but precursor materials used to make the synthetic opioid.
US announces sweeping action against Chinese fentanyl supply chain producers
Read full article: US announces sweeping action against Chinese fentanyl supply chain producersThe Biden administration is taking aim at the fentanyl trafficking threat, announcing a series of indictments and sanctions against Chinese companies and executives blamed for importing the chemicals used to make the deadly drug.
Families of those killed by fentanyl gather at DEA as US undergoes deadliest overdose crisis
Read full article: Families of those killed by fentanyl gather at DEA as US undergoes deadliest overdose crisisAbout 150 people from families who have lost a loved one to fentanyl poisoning have gathered at the headquarters of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as the U.S. faces its deadliest overdose crisis.
Drug dealers using veterinary medicine to hook more addicts, and people are dying
Read full article: Drug dealers using veterinary medicine to hook more addicts, and people are dyingA drug made to treat animals is now being used by drug dealers to hook more addicts and it's killing people. The drug is called Xylazine and it's being mixed with fentanyl. A deadly combination that has put Duval county at the top of a list no county wants to be on. More people are dying here than any other county in the state.
I-TEAM: Can first responders exposed to fentanyl accidentally overdose? Doctors and deputies disagree
Read full article: I-TEAM: Can first responders exposed to fentanyl accidentally overdose? Doctors and deputies disagreeMany in the medical community and law enforcement are split on if first responders are in danger by fentanyl exposure alone.
‘Overwhelming;’ Local Sheriffs, Senator Rubio brainstorm attack on fentanyl crisis
Read full article: ‘Overwhelming;’ Local Sheriffs, Senator Rubio brainstorm attack on fentanyl crisisA chilling body camera video shows a local deputy's encounter with fentanyl, as he asks another deputy for an ambulance. This close call Thursday was one of many topics of conversation at a fentanyl roundtable in Clay County Friday morning.
Deputy’s body cam shows moments he was exposed to fentanyl, rescued by Narcan: sheriff
Read full article: Deputy’s body cam shows moments he was exposed to fentanyl, rescued by Narcan: sheriffA deputy's first-person perspective during a dangerous fentanyl exposure Thursday was captured on his body camera, along with a Narcan rescue by a fellow deputy that likely saved his life, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said.
Mexico shutters 23 pharmacies at Caribbean coast resorts after US warned of dangerous pill sales
Read full article: Mexico shutters 23 pharmacies at Caribbean coast resorts after US warned of dangerous pill salesMexico has closed 23 pharmacies at Caribbean coast resorts, six months after a research report warned that drug stores in Mexico were offering foreigners pills they passed off as Oxycodone, Percocet, and Adderall.
‘I didn’t think it was real’: Father still in shock after 9-month-old dies from fentanyl overdose
Read full article: ‘I didn’t think it was real’: Father still in shock after 9-month-old dies from fentanyl overdoseThe 17-year-old father of a 9-month-old baby that died after suffering from a fentanyl overdose is still in disbelief after his son’s untimely death.
‘It’s not worth it’: Man who lost 2 friends in a week to suspected fentanyl overdoses offers advice, message of hope
Read full article: ‘It’s not worth it’: Man who lost 2 friends in a week to suspected fentanyl overdoses offers advice, message of hopeFentanyl is the most common cause of fatal drug overdoses in the U.S. and Jacksonville is not immune.
9-month-old dies after 17-year-old Nassau County mother puts fentanyl in child’s bottle, sheriff says
Read full article: 9-month-old dies after 17-year-old Nassau County mother puts fentanyl in child’s bottle, sheriff saysNassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said a 9-month-old child died last month after the child’s teenage mother put fentanyl in the child’s bottle.
Sheriff: More than $370K worth of drugs, 1 million potential lethal doses of fentanyl seized in trafficking operations
Read full article: Sheriff: More than $370K worth of drugs, 1 million potential lethal doses of fentanyl seized in trafficking operationsA pair of independent operations targeting fentanyl traffickers in Jacksonville netted a slew of guns, more than $370,000 worth of drugs and two arrests, Sheriff T.K. Waters announced Wednesday.
Animal tranquilizer mixed with opioids is an emerging threat to the U.S.
Read full article: Animal tranquilizer mixed with opioids is an emerging threat to the U.S.For the first time in U.S. history, the White House has declared a drug to be an emerging threat to the United States. The DEA says Xylazine, which is an animal tranquilizer is being used with the synthetic opioid fentanyl, and the results are deadly.
Lifesaving fentanyl test strips still illegal in some states under '70s-era war on drugs law
Read full article: Lifesaving fentanyl test strips still illegal in some states under '70s-era war on drugs lawA growing number of states are decriminalizing fentanyl testing strips, seeking to protect people who use drugs from unwitting exposure to the highly potent synthetic opioid ravaging the U.S. with overdose deaths.
El Chapo's son, Sinaloa members face sanctions over fentanyl
Read full article: El Chapo's son, Sinaloa members face sanctions over fentanylThe United States has sanctioned a son of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, three members of the Sinaloa cartel and two Mexican-based firms, alleging they trafficked fentanyl and other drugs into the U.S. Tuesday's sanctions came the day Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador talked with President Joe Biden about immigration and the fentanyl crisis.
More sanctions for deadly fentanyl if bill becomes law
Read full article: More sanctions for deadly fentanyl if bill becomes lawOver the course of a year, the U.S. Treasury Department has used the hammer of its sanctions powers to impose wide-ranging financial restrictions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, turning Russia into the most sanctioned country in the world.
Jacksonville nurse pleads guilty to replacing fentanyl with saline
Read full article: Jacksonville nurse pleads guilty to replacing fentanyl with salineA nurse who previously worked at a Florida outpatient surgical center has been convicted of stealing fentanyl and replacing the powerful pain medication with saline.
White House announces emerging drug threat, animal tranquillizer mixed with fentanyl
Read full article: White House announces emerging drug threat, animal tranquillizer mixed with fentanylFor the first time in U.S. history, the White House has declared a drug to be an emerging threat to the United States. The DEA says Xylazine, which is an animal tranquilizer, is being used with the synthetic opioid fentanyl, and the results are deadly.
Family files lawsuit, says 19-month-old died after being exposed to fentanyl at Florida Airbnb
Read full article: Family files lawsuit, says 19-month-old died after being exposed to fentanyl at Florida AirbnbA Jacksonville attorney is cautioning vacation rental owners to make sure their rentals are clean after each guest leaves.
DEA seized 379M lethal doses of fentanyl in 2022 — more than the total U.S. population
Read full article: DEA seized 379M lethal doses of fentanyl in 2022 — more than the total U.S. populationThe Drug Enforcement Administration announced this week that it seized more than 379 million doses of fentanyl in the year 2022 — enough to kill the entire population of the U.S. and Canada.
Doctors say reversing effects of fentanyl overdose becoming more challenging
Read full article: Doctors say reversing effects of fentanyl overdose becoming more challengingFor years, naloxone, which is also sold under the commonly-known brand name Narcan, has been used to reverse the effects of a life-threatening opioid overdose.
US Border Protection works to keep fentanyl out of the ‘wrong hands’ as overdoses on the rise
Read full article: US Border Protection works to keep fentanyl out of the ‘wrong hands’ as overdoses on the riseAlthough fentanyl has become a leading drug for overdoses, it is a legal pharmaceutical drug. It’s a synthetic opioid for severe pain and is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nassau County sheriff: 54 arrests made, hundreds of pounds of drugs seized in ‘Operation: Heavyweights’
Read full article: Nassau County sheriff: 54 arrests made, hundreds of pounds of drugs seized in ‘Operation: Heavyweights’A monthslong, multi-agency investigation named “Operation: Heavyweights” has resulted in 54 arrests and the seizure of hundreds of pounds of illegal narcotics, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper announced Tuesday.
Fugitive found in Flagler County with over 200 grams of fentanyl, enough to kill over 100,000 people
Read full article: Fugitive found in Flagler County with over 200 grams of fentanyl, enough to kill over 100,000 peopleA fugitive found in Flagler County faces charges after deputies say he had 200 grams of fentanyl, which is enough to potentially kill 100,000 people.
St. Augustine mother brings awareness to the dangers of fentanyl after daughter dies from accidental exposure
Read full article: St. Augustine mother brings awareness to the dangers of fentanyl after daughter dies from accidental exposureA St. Augustine mom is speaking up about fentanyl deaths after her daughter died in May from being unknowingly exposed to the deadly drug.
‘One pill can kill’: Florida attorney general issues fentanyl warning to college students
Read full article: ‘One pill can kill’: Florida attorney general issues fentanyl warning to college studentsFentanyl is a deadly synthetic opioid that can easily mix with other drugs to the point where you may not know it’s there.
Random text message to Flagler County Commissioner ends with suspected drug dealer arrest
Read full article: Random text message to Flagler County Commissioner ends with suspected drug dealer arrestA Palm Coast 18-year-old was arrested around 12:40 Monday morning during an undercover operation set up by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
Northeast Florida nurse sentenced to 1 year in prison after pleading guilty to replacing fentanyl with saline
Read full article: Northeast Florida nurse sentenced to 1 year in prison after pleading guilty to replacing fentanyl with salineA nurse working at a Florida hospital has pleaded guilty to stealing fentanyl and replacing the powerful pain medication with saline.
Rural Florida county shocked by fentanyl deaths over holiday
Read full article: Rural Florida county shocked by fentanyl deaths over holidayA small, rural county just west of Florida’s capital is stunned by an unheard-of spike in deadly drug overdoses believed to be caused by fentanyl mixed with other illegal drugs.
‘Your family is not immune’: Mother knows pain of losing loved one to drug addiction
Read full article: ‘Your family is not immune’: Mother knows pain of losing loved one to drug addictionThe Centers For Disease Control estimates more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, in numbers the agency released Wednesday. It sets another tragic record in the nation’s escalating epidemic.
Camden County inmate charged in fellow inmate’s OD death
Read full article: Camden County inmate charged in fellow inmate’s OD deathAn inmate at the Camden County Detention Facility has been charged with providing the drugs resulting in another inmate’s death by overdose, according to U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine. “It’s particularly disturbing to learn of this poison’s presence as contraband in a detention facility.”The investigation began May 17 when an inmate at the Camden County Detention Facility identified as J.D. The indictment alleges that Swing provided the fentanyl to J.D. The case is being investigated by the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office at the request of the Camden County Sheriff’s Office. “The death of any person is a tragedy, but a death caused as a result of illegal narcotic distribution is even more terrible for the families of victims,” Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said.
Grand jury indicts Flagler County man in 2019 overdose death
Read full article: Grand jury indicts Flagler County man in 2019 overdose deathA Flagler County grand jury has indicted Jevante Taquana Hamilton on a first-degree murder charge in the death of a 25-year-old man who died last year from an overdose of Fentanyl. The investigation into the overdose death began Aug. 24, when Flagler County detectives found drug paraphernalia and baggy later determined to contain Fentanyl near the body. The State Attorney’s Office determined there was enough evidence to present the case to the grand jury. Delays in presenting the case to the grand jury were caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic. “This is the second successful investigation of a drug dealer who caused an overdose death being indicted by a grand jury for murder in Flagler County,” Sheriff Rick Staly said.
China sentences fentanyl drug ring in rare public trial
Read full article: China sentences fentanyl drug ring in rare public trialWikimedia Commons(CNN) - Nine members of a cross-border fentanyl smuggling ring were sentenced at a public hearing in a Chinese courtroom Thursday, a rare display by Beijing of its efforts to crack down on the highly-addictive drug. After three months of investigation, Chinese narcotics authorities busted the drug ring in a series of raids across the country, including in Hebei and Jiangsu provinces. Yu said that after the fentanyl was manufactured in China, it was sent overseas in postal packages. In a statement released in August, the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy claimed that China "continues to pour poison into our communities." He added that since 2012 the US had only shared six leads with Chinese authorities, three of which Yu claimed had led to joint investigations.
Fentanyl deadliest drug in US, but meth kills more in some places
Read full article: Fentanyl deadliest drug in US, but meth kills more in some places(CNN) - Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug in the United States, but in some areas of the country, methamphetamine kills more people. In 2017, fentanyl was associated with 38.9% of all drug overdose deaths, an increase from 2016, when it was associated with 29% of all fatal overdoses. While fentanyl was the most common drug involved in fatal overdoses nationally, there was a geographic divide, the report said. In 2017, the latest year for which complete data is available, more than 70,000 people died from drug overdoses. Final data for 2018 hasn't been released, but early figures show overdose deaths involving meth have increased.
San Francisco inmates, deputies hospitalized after narcotic exposure
Read full article: San Francisco inmates, deputies hospitalized after narcotic exposureCopyright 2019 CNNSAN FRANCISCO - Five inmates and eight deputies from a San Francisco County jail were taken to the hospital after exposure to a narcotic -- possibly fentanyl, authorities said. The San Francisco Fire Department responded Tuesday evening to a call from sheriff's deputies who found an unresponsive inmate at County Jail #4 at the Hall of Justice. The inmate, along with four others who showed symptoms, were given Narcan and transported to a local hospital, the San Francisco Sheriff's Department said in a statement. Eight deputies who administered CPR on scene were also exposed to the narcotic and taken to local hospitals. The fire department has cleared the affected area but it still needs to be decontaminated, authorities said.
19 prison staffers treated for potential drug exposure after deaths of inmates
Read full article: 19 prison staffers treated for potential drug exposure after deaths of inmatesThe Florida Department of Law Enforcement is the lead agency investigating the deaths of the inmates and the department's Office of Inspector General is assisting. Visitation was canceled Sunday at Columbia Correctional Institution. The overdoses occurred in the annex portion of the Columbia Correctional Institution, which is a separate building from the main one. According to the FDOC, 20 people have died in the Columbia Correctional Institution Annex since 2014. Columbia Correctional Institution has seen a host of problems over the years.
6 prison staffers hospitalized for possible fentanyl exposure
Read full article: 6 prison staffers hospitalized for possible fentanyl exposureWikimedia Commons(CNN) - Six staff members at a prison in Connecticut were taken to local hospitals for possible exposure to fentanyl, the potent synthetic opioid, the Connecticut Department of Correction said. An ambulance was called to the Cheshire Correctional Institute, a state prison, at 9 a.m. on Tuesday to take a correctional officer in medical distress to the hospital, the department said in a statement. The Department of Correction and Connecticut State Police are investigating. The correctional institution has 428 current staffers and emphasizes rewards for deserving inmates, including in educational programming, its website states. That potency means that police, first responders and prison staffers can overdose or suffer health effects after even a minor encounter with the drug.
Drug deaths down in first half of 2018
Read full article: Drug deaths down in first half of 2018The report contains the latest available data from the state and distinguishes between opioid-related deaths and opioid-caused deaths. Both opioid-related deaths and opioid-caused deaths are down, the report shows. There were 2,773 opioid-related deaths in the first half of 2018, a 10 percent decrease from the same time the prior year. Fentanyl caused 1,101 deaths in Florida during the first half of 2018 -- more than any other drug -- followed by cocaine, which caused 844 deaths, and benzodiazepines, which killed 559 people, according to the report. That figure includes deaths that were caused by drugs and deaths where drugs were found.
Murder charge in fentanyl death 1st for Jacksonville
Read full article: Murder charge in fentanyl death 1st for JacksonvilleJACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A grand jury indicted a man on a charge of first-degree murder Thursday in the death of a man from a fentanyl overdose -- the first murder indictment in the Fourth Judicial Circuit using a law passed last year by the Florida Legislature. After Thursday's indictment, Wadley was rebooked on one count of murder in the August 2018 death of Timothy Sexton. Law enforcement and lawmakers hope a murder charge will deter drug dealers. While the Wadley first-degree murder charge is breaking new ground for state prosecutors, it's not the first time authorities have pursued drug dealers for murder through the drugs they sold. The State Attorneys Office charged him initially with murder, but that charge was dropped when his case was moved to federal court.