Mass overdose involving drugs possibly tainted with fentanyl

Authorities reported that a mass overdose in Florida left at least 9 dead over the holiday weekend.
The cases have been reported in various areas of the state such as Havana, Gretna, Quincy and Chattahoochee.
The ages of the victims range from 34 to 67 years.

DEADLY WEEKEND. Besides the terrifying Highland Park shooting in Illinois where seven people were killed, authorities also reported that a massive overdose event in Florida left at least nine dead over the holiday weekend.

Local police confirmed that nine people have died in the state of Florida from overdoses over the July 4 weekend. And that’s not all, four others have suffered heart attacks and six more have had to be intubated.

Mass overdose in Florida leaves at least 9 dead

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The situation is keeping the Gadsden County police on alert. They revealed that the ages of the fatalities vary between 34 and 67 years. In addition, cases have been reported in various other areas of Florida such as Havana, Gretna, Quincy and Chattahoochee.

Anglie Holmes, a Gadsden County lieutenant, said that in addition to the deaths, the overdoses caused four cardiac arrests and six intubations, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. She also said that on Friday two women were found dead in a county apartment.

What caused the overdoses?

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For now, the local authorities suspect that it could be tainted drugs. “We suspect this was due to some sort of intoxication from opioids such as fentanyl“, Sheriff Morris Young told the local outlet WTXL.

Surprised, Lt. Holmes added that this is the «first time» that officers in the jurisdiction have faced such an event. For now, the United States Drug Control Administration (DEA) is aware of the deaths that are connected to tainted drugs.

Deadly fentanyl

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«Today we learned of another possible event of mass fentanyl poisoning in Gadsden County, Florida,» Anne Milgram, of the Drug Enforcement Administration, began in a statement. She also suggested that it was possible pills had been intentionally laced with fentanyl.

“The men and women of the DEA are committed to bringing to justice the criminal drug networks and dealers that are killing Americans by deliberately distributing fentanyl and deceptively mixing it into other substances and into fake pills,» she added.

Mass overdose in Florida

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The local police commented that, for example, the passenger of a vehicle died in a traffic accident because the driver used drugs and passed out while driving. In just one weekend, the authorities have found bodies everywhere and have already counted nine people dead from this massive overdose involving tainted drugs.

In April, Milgram warned that drug use was «killing Americans at an unprecedented rate» and that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 70,000 Americans died last year due to fentanyl — 13,000 more than in 2020.