FENTANYL

Two men were sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison for trafficking in fentanyl, according to the office of Attorney General Ashley Moody.

(NCD)CALEXICO, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from the Calexico Port of Entry recently intercepted narcotics worth more than $8 million during a five-day span. More than 106 pounds of fentanyl were discovered by CBP officers utilizing the port’s imaging machine on Friday, July 15.were discovered by CBP officers utilizing the port’s imaging machine on Friday, July 15. More than 72 pounds of fentanyl and nearly 187 pounds of methamphetamine were discovered by CBP officers utilizing the port’s imaging machine on Sunday, July 17. The total estimated street value of the narcotics intercepted by Calexico CBP officers was $8.25 million. The narcotics and vehicles were seized by CBP officers.

— A Louisiana man is accused of possessing fentanyl after he was stopped by sheriff’s deputies during a traffic stop, authorities said. The sheriff’s office said deputies with the Rapides Area Drug Enforcement stopped Williams after he ran a stop sign in Alexandria, KALB-TV reported. A man from Pineville was arrested in a traffic stop that led to the recovery of fentanyl. After receiving permission to search Williams’ vehicle, deputies discovered fentanyl and a digital scale, according to KALB. Williams was booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center.

Fentanyl bust K-9 in front of roughly 250 pounds of fentanyl seized by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Campo, California, on Monday, July 18, 2022. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)CAMPO, Calif. — U.S. Border Patrol agents thwarted a substantial smuggling attempt early Monday morning, intercepting roughly 250 pounds of fentanyl near Campo, California. >> Read more trending newsAccording to a news release, agents assigned to the Campo Border Patrol Station conducted a vehicle stop on a black 2015 GMC truck on eastbound Interstate 8 near the Golden Acorn Casino. After a Border Patrol K-9 alerted fellow officers to the suspected presence of narcotics, agents discovered multiple bundles concealed within the vehicle’s spare tire and gas tank. Further investigation confirmed that the bundles contained a combined 250 pounds of pills that tested positive for fentanyl.

In response to a growing trend of fentanyl-related overdoses, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody called upon President Biden Monday to classify fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction.

Fentanyl: What you need to know (NCD)OTAY MESA, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently intercepted more than 100 pounds of fentanyl concealed within a food shipment entering the United States at California’s Otay Mesa Port of Entry. >> Read more trending newsOfficers inspecting a 2005 GMC Yukon at about 10:50 p.m. PDT July 3 discovered 46 plastic-wrapped packages concealed within food products. The substances, which included both fentanyl powder and fentanyl pills, were found concealed in packages containing flour, ground coffee, creamer cans and powdered milk, according to a news release. Our field office is also diligently working on mitigating the risks involved with seizing this lethal narcotic,” she added. According to the agency, more than 42 pounds of fentanyl powder and more than 59 pounds of fentanyl pills, with a combined estimated street value of more than $1.2 million, were seized in the shipment.

A deadly drug when abused, the synthetic opioid also serves as a useful bogeyman.

Fentanyl: What you need to know (NCD)LOS ANGELES — Agents with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration made history in California when they seized 1 million fake pills that contained fentanyl. >> Read more trending newsThe DEA announced the historic bust in a news release, saying it was the largest seizure of fentanyl the organization had ever made in California. DEA seizes 1 million fentanyl pills in record-setting California drug bust Evidence photo. Agents told the newspaper that the fake pills were designed to mimic real prescription drugs in terms of size, color and shape. DEA seizes 1 million fentanyl pills in record-setting California drug bust Evidence photo.

Thirteen people were arrested as suspects of a drug trafficking organization that distributes fentanyl and cocaine, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine; as little as two milligrams of the drug can be lethal.

Mexico’s army and National Guard have made what they call a “historic” seizure of over a half-ton of fentanyl at a warehouse in the northern city of Culiacan

The state had even rejected a grant application to treat fentanyl overdoses because the county of about 43,700 people couldn’t definitively identify any cases involving the powerful synthetic opioid. Over the holiday weekend, nine people died and another nine were treated over suspected fentanyl overdoses. Law enforcement officials say most people affected don't know it's in the illegal drugs they're buying — in amounts that otherwise wouldn't necessarily be deadly. “In these last six months I've seen the most overdoses that I've ever seen since I've been working here,” said Jennifer Travieso, who has worked at DISC for 17 years. He believes it arrived in the county prepackaged, so it's possible local dealers weren't aware they were selling fentanyl.

A 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.

Officials say nine people died over the holiday weekend from likely drug overdoses in a rural Florida Panhandle county.

Fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, marijuana and more were seized in what detectives are calling the largest fentanyl bust in Lake County history.

Recent reports out of Volusia County show an uptick in drug-related deaths countywide — a trend that Sheriff Mike Chitwood said could be traced back to a ‘porous’ border, drug-smuggling cartels and an abundance of fentanyl.

(NCD)PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Police in a Florida Panhandle city said they seized enough fentanyl “to kill every single resident of the City of Panama City,” authorities said. >> Read more trending newsAccording to a news release, the Panama City Police Department concluded a two-week investigation that resulted in the arrest of three men, WJHG-TV reported. Enough Fentanyl to kill everyone who lives in Panama City was taken off the streets. That’s according to Panama City Police. Brandon Lamar Ware, 32, was charged with possession of fentanyl and possession and/or use of narcotic equipment.

VIDEO: Fentanyl overdose victim’s mom says controversial test strip could have saved her life United States Drug Administration officials say reducing fentanyl overdoses has become their top priority in communities all across the country. (Ashley Edlund, WFTV.com/WFTV)ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — United States Drug Administration officials say reducing fentanyl overdoses has become their top priority in communities all across the country. “I dropped to my knees.”Kittrell’s daughter, Amber Bardwell, was just 19 years old when she died in a Central Florida motel. Investigators eventually confirmed for Kittrell that Amber didn’t know she was taking fentanyl that night. “There are testing strips where you can dip it in either a liquid substance or a powdery substance, anything really, you can test it for fentanyl,” Kittrell said.

The Biden administration says it has a plan to curb fatal overdoses by 13% by 2025. But as more synthetic opioids reach the U.S., there's skepticism interdiction can slow the flow of deadly drugs.

The Giles County (Tenn.) Sheriff's office said on two occasions a folded dollar bill was found on the ground of a local gas station.

The dollars may be “carrying pouches” for dangerous substances, the sheriff said.

Fentanyl: What you need to know (NCD)SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — A Utah man is accused of selling marijuana laced with fentanyl, authorities said. He also faces one misdemeanor “open container” charge after an open bottle of liquor was found in his vehicle, according to the television station. PSA - Today #SummitCounty Deputies learned a resident experienced a reaction after smoking marijuana he purchased from a 25yo Silver Summit man. After testing the drug, deputies determined that it was laced with fentanyl and contacted federal law officials, KTVX reported. He was detained after officers conducted a search of his vehicle and discovered a “green leafy substance,” according to the television station.

An Ocala man was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking after investigators found dozens of containers with drugs throughout his home, according to an arrest affidavit by the Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team.

The latest initiative to promote Mental Health Awareness Month has brought several alarming statistics to light, including the record number of drug overdose deaths in 2021.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday will hold a news conference at a fire station in Lakeland.

As drug overdoses are on the rise across the nation, more states are beginning to decriminalize fentanyl testing strips.

In Central Florida, 86% of overdose deaths were due to fentanyl in 2021, according to Project Opioid.

From Xanax to cocaine, drugs or counterfeit pills purchased in nonmedical settings may contain life-threatening amounts of fentanyl.

Overdoses Los Angeles FILE - Officials walk past images of illegal drugs outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, May 13, 2021, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles police say three men were found dead of suspected drug overdoses involving fentanyl. On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, officers found the dead men inside an apartment after police received a call about three unresponsive men late Wednesday. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) (Marcio Jose Sanchez)LOS ANGELES — (AP) — Three men were found dead of suspected drug overdoses involving fentanyl in downtown Los Angeles, police said Thursday. “Provisionally, in the 12-months ending October 2021, an historic 105,752 persons are predicted to have died from a drug overdose,” the document said.

Los Angeles police say three men were found dead of suspected drug overdoses involving fentanyl.

Fentanyl Every day, families mourn the unexpected deaths of loved ones due to them being unknowingly exposed to fentanyl. (WFTV.com News Staff)SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Every day, families mourn the unexpected deaths of loved ones due to them being unknowingly exposed to fentanyl. Three Central Florida families sat down with Channel 9′s Seminole County reporter Jeff Levkulich to talk about the loss of their children in the hopes that their stories will other lives before its too late. Davis’ mother now speaks to groups of students about the dangers of drugs at University of Central Florida and other schools. “It is totally heartbreaking, but we need to work on mental health in Florida and in this country,” she said.

The amount of the synthetic opioid seized is equivalent to 42 kilograms.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Overdose deaths in Central Florida have hit historic highs, according to new data. Last year in Central Florida, an average of 58 people died from an overdose every 30 days. A report just released by the nonprofit Project Opioid finds overdose deaths across the states are up 190% since 2015 and are soaring in Central Florida. In Seminole County, community partnerships and programs are attempting to address both substance use and mental health. READ: Overdose deaths up from last year across Central FloridaClick here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

Project Opioid is set to discuss the latest overdose crisis data at the Citrus Club in Orlando Thursday morning, organizers announced.

Spring Break-Fentanyl-Florida Huston Ochoa, a clinical counselor for The Spot, hands out samples of Narcan, which can reduce opioid overdoses, to spring breakers on Fort Lauderdale Beach, Fla., on March 31, 2022. “But the spring breakers have been great. Gentles, who worked as a bartender and bouncer in New York City before moving to Fort Lauderdale, said he appreciates their efforts. The following Monday, more than 100 people representing agencies from law enforcement to social service organizations and hospitals met via Zoom to devise a plan to keep spring breakers safe. Smith, of The SPOT, said spring breakers were “grateful and appreciative” and his group now has to plan how to "keep the momentum going."

Community activists in South Florida sprang into action after West Point cadets on spring break were sickened by fentanyl-laced cocaine at a house party.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is sounding the alarm after at least seven U.S. cities have reported recent fentanyl-related mass-overdose events. “Fentanyl is killing Americans at an unprecedented rate,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram stated in a Wednesday letter to federal, state and local law enforcement, warning of the spike in fentanyl-related incidents. Tragically, many overdose victims have no idea they are ingesting deadly fentanyl, until it’s too late,” she added. When drug dealers sell pills designed to appear nearly identical to legitimate prescriptions but are actually fake prescription pills containing fentanyl. “This is creating a frightening nationwide trend where many overdose victims are dying after unknowingly ingesting fentanyl,” the agency stated.

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Prosecutors in California filed felony charges against two men after recovering 20.5 pounds of fentanyl last month, authorities said Wednesday. In addition to the fentanyl, Buena Park police officers recovered 821 pounds of methamphetamine and 189.7 pounds of cocaine, the release stated. It’s the largest drug bust in Orange County in nearly 16 years. Raygozaparedes and Lamas both face a maximum sentence of 37 years, four months in prison if convicted on all of the charges, prosecutors said. Drug dealers don’t care about you or your loved ones -- they only care about their bottom line and making as much money as possible.

“Operation Icarus" identified a group responsible for trafficking cocaine and thousands of fentanyl pills throughout Central Florida.

CORINTH, Maine — Members of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency arrested three people after they say they found nearly three pounds of illegal drugs hidden inside sealed cans of beans. Drug agents seize nearly 3 pounds of fentanyl hidden in cans of beans Photo from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency shows a can of beans that investigators say contained hidden fentanyl. Drug agents seize nearly 3 pounds of fentanyl hidden in cans of beans Drug agents said they found 2.8 pounds of fentanyl inside sealed cans of beans, as well as $3,000. (Penobscot County Jail)Agents said that in addition to 2.8 pounds of fentanyl in cans of beans, they also found $3,000 in suspected drug proceeds. Drug agents seize nearly 3 pounds of fentanyl hidden in cans of beans Agents said in addition to the 2.8 pounds of fentanyl, they found $3,000.

The rise in seizures comes following a record high number of overdose deaths in the country, researchers said.

A study by the National Institutes of Health said pills are the most common form of the drug, with a nearly 50-fold increase in law enforcement seizures.

CAMDEN, N.J. — Police in New Jersey have arrested a man after his 12-year-old nephew overdosed on fentanyl and died while on the bus to school. Man arrested for nephew's overdose death Prosecutors say Troy Nokes is responsible for his 12-year-old nephew's fentanyl overdose on a school bus Jan. 24. (Camden County Prosecutor)Prosecutors said the 12-year-old victim was found unresponsive on his school bus on Jan. 24. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said more than 150 people die each day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Woman arrested in child's overdose death Photo of Joanna Johnson, who is charged with tampering with evidence and hindering apprehension.

Police have made an arrest in connection with the fentanyl overdoses of a group of U.S. Military Academy cadets and others at a Florida vacation home during spring break.

A West Point official told The Associated Press that one of the cadets who was hospitalized is an Army football player. The official said another football player at the house was not hospitalized. The official had no further information and could not give the sickened player’s condition. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the ongoing investigation. Two other victims were in stable condition, one was in good condition and one was released.

WILTON MANORS, Fla. — (AP) — The U.S. Military Academy said Friday that cadets from that institution were involved in a situation in which six people overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine at a South Florida vacation home during Spring Break. Two of the six were in critical condition, rescue and emergency officials said. The New York academy's public affairs office released a statement Friday afternoon saying its officials are “aware of the situation involving West Point cadets, which occurred Thursday night in the community of Wilton Manors." Two other victims were in stable condition, one was in good condition and one was released. Gollan said that in the 70 days since Jan. 1, his department has responded to 215 suspected opioid overdoses, almost all of them involved fentanyl.

It happened in an Airbnb in the Fort Lauderdale area. One of the six students was in critical condition. Authorities said four apparently ingested fentanyl-laced cocaine and the other two were affected when they tried to perform CPR.

It happened in an Airbnb in the Fort Lauderdale area.

Six people overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl and were hospitalized in Fort Lauderdale while on spring break.

A Palm Coast man was given a 15-year prison sentence Tuesday for manslaughter in the opioid overdose death of someone who Flagler County investigators said he sold fentanyl to.

Drug tests done at the apartment in Commerce City, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) northeast of Denver, found an “overwhelming amount” of fentanyl and some cocaine, 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason said. The evidence suggests the victims were snorting the substance, which is a more common way to ingest cocaine than fentanyl, when they died Sunday, he said. Fentanyl is an unpredictable and powerful synthetic painkiller that is blamed for driving an increase in fatal drug overdoses. Nichols said that he did not know who the victims were but that some of them lived inside the unit. He said it was unclear if the baby's parents were among the people found dead in the apartment.

A Florida sheriff’s deputy is facing charges that he conspired to arrest an innocent person on drug charges in exchange for sexual favors and a trip to Paris.

In front of the Orange County Opioid Advisory Committee, Sergeant Stephen Marra with the Orlando Police Department explained how six officers ended up at the hospital on Wednesday.

The following is a transcript of an interview with DEA Administrator Anne Milgram that aired Sunday, December 19, 2021, on "Face the Nation."

A man accused of killing three others via fentanyl overdose after he sold them the drug when they thought they were purchasing cocaine has been arrested, Orlando police said Friday.

A federal court finds Walgreens, CVS and Walmart helped create an oversupply of addictive painkillers.

Marijuana Stock photo of marijuana. Health officials in Connecticut are warning residents that a rash of recent statewide overdoses may be linked to fentanyl-laced marijuana. (Scott Cramer/Getty Images/iStockphoto)HARTFORD, Ct. — Health officials in Connecticut are warning residents that a rash of recent statewide overdoses may be linked to fentanyl-laced marijuana. “This is the first lab confirmed case of marijuana with fentanyl in Connecticut and possibly the first confirmed case in the United States,” Juthani stated. >> Related: Drug overdose deaths top 100,000 annually for first time, CDC says©2021 Cox Media Group

The parents of a 2-year-old were arrested after their daughter died of a fentanyl overdose, deputies say.

Comedian Fuquan Johnson died in Los Angeles after taking fentanyl-laced cocaine. Similar overdoses have been reported from New York to Nebraska.

The Flagler County Sheriff's Office conducts a major drug bust.

Fentanyl bust U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers took a closer look Aug. 24 at a package manifested as “wood crafts art and technique of making" and found fentanyl concealed within the boxes. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Would-be fentanyl smugglers got a little crafty at an express consignment hub in Memphis, Tennessee, recently, but the ruse ultimately failed. The boxes had been bound for a southeast Houston residence. According to customs agents, an X-ray identified anomalies within two of the boxes, and investigators discovered an off-white powdery substance along the inside linings of the display boxes. The substance, later confirmed in lab testing to be fentanyl, had been placed “within gaps created by a double walling of the interior of the boxes,” the CBP stated.

The official count easily eclipsed the state's prior record level of fatal drug overdoses and mirrored a national increase in overdose deaths, the report said. A key factor was the prevalence of fentanyl — involved in about 71% of the state's overdose deaths for the year, according to the report, issued Tuesday. Another factor contributing to the 49% increase in Kentucky's drug overdose deaths was the availability of potent, inexpensive methamphetamines, the report said. Nationally, overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government reported recently. That estimate far eclipses the high of about 72,000 drug overdose deaths reached the previous year and amounts to a 29% increase.

According to the most recent data from the CDC, overdose deaths in the United States rose 29.4% in 2020.

Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told CNBC's "The News with Shepard Smith" that she's hopeful that the spike in drug overdoses will not be lasting.

Former Hawaii QB Colt Brennan ingested something laced with fentanyl before dying. The drug has been linked to a high number of opioid deaths in the U.S.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A death investigation is underway after Brevard County deputies said a body was found in a submerged car in Malabar. Deputies said the car was found underwater near the St. Johns Management area boat ramp located at 4350 Malabar Road in Malabar. READ: 53 Fentanyl dealers arrested in 9-month operation, Orlando police sayNo other details have been released. Stay tuned to Channel 9 Eyewitness News for updates. READ: Potential Tropical Cyclone Three forecast to bring heavy rain, flooding to Gulf Coast

ORLANDO, Fla. — Police said they arrested 53 Fentanyl dealers over a span of nine months during a special operation in Orlando. Police said the department’s Special Enforcement Division’s Overdose Unit made the arrests during “Operation Good Call.” They said that name came from the many phone calls detectives made to buy Fentanyl and then subsequently arrest the dealers. READ: COVID-19 delta strain could become dominant variant“Fentanyl addiction is a problem that impacts the entire community, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or age,” said Police Chief Orlando Rolón in a statement. “The drug is so potent, it is claiming lives at a rapidly increasing rate.”The department’s overdose unit is set to discuss the operation at 10 a.m. on Friday. READ: 3 people found dead in Parramore apartment buildingStay tuned to Channel 9 Eyewitness News for updates.

Deaths from fentanyl overdoses have jumped by more than 2,100% in five years as the powerful drug has flooded the state Family members whose relatives died from pills containing fentanyl outside the Roybal federal building on in Los Angeles, California Photograph: Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Getty Images When San Francisco police seized seven kilos of powder-filled baggies containing the deadly opioid fentanyl last week, the city’s police chief warned the bust contained “enough lethal overdoses to wipe

A Michigan trooper was given Narcan during a traffic stop after he was exposed to a drug, officials say.

Bennett was arrested on Wednesday when she had reported to the probation office, since she was on probation for drug offenses. That initial report was listed as a “death,” not an overdose death, and included no indications of an overdose. “Every overdose death in Flagler County is investigated and prosecuted as a homicide. There is no more slap on the wrist for selling drugs that cause overdose deaths. In 2016, fentanyl was the leading cause of drug-overdose deaths, with 704 such deaths recorded.

60 Minutes Archives: Buying fentanyl online from China Fifty times more potent than heroin, Fentanyl was available on the internet and could be delivered through the mail.

CLERMONT, Fla. – Two people are behind bars after authorities in Lake County found drugs and firearms during a drug bust at a Clermont home. Law enforcement from the Clermont, Eustis, and Leesburg Police Departments worked to serve a search warrant Friday on a suspected drug house. “The investigation began as the result of numerous citizen complaints that drugs were being dealt at the home,” deputies said. “Detectives seized a 2015 custom Dodge Charger, a 2003 Ford van, a 2015 Dodge Durango, and a 2014 custom Ford F-350, as well as the large amount of cash that was located,” detectives said. The Department of Children and Families was brought in to take care of the children living in the home with dangerous drugs including Fentanyl.

Susanne Rachel Whitaker, a 41-year-old resident of a second-floor apartment at European Village in Palm Coast, fell from her balcony early Sunday morning. The Flagler County Sheriffs Office is describing the incident as suspicious.The 911 dispatch center got a call at 4:43 that morning reporting the fall. Brett Lalomia, 49, told deputies he was Whitakers boyfriend of six years and a resident at the same apartment. According to a sheriffs incident report, he told deputies that he wasnt sure what had taken place. Lalomia told deputies that his girlfriend allegedly does inject fentanyl, and that it is very likely that she took it that day, according to the report.

The 26-year-old Mai was indicted in July on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Samantha Stefanczak. Buffington testified that the amount of fentanyl found in Stefanczaks system was not high enough to cause her death. He said she had other drugs in her system and those amounts were also not high enough to cause her death. Buffington testified that it was unknown what caused Stefanczak to have that "medical event." He said none of the drugs found in her system, including fentanyl, were in a high enough dosage to kill her.