Media Coverage Archives - Page 2 of 38 - Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina

Mom honors son’s memory by battling fentanyl crisis in North Carolina

Read the original article and watch the video on the WCNC New website.

Debbie Dalton’s advocacy continues as officials sound the alarm on the crisis.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Union County District Attorney Trey Robison is sounding the alarm about fentanyl and opioids, something he says remains a public health and safety issue as leaders across the Tar Heel State continue seeking solutions.

According to the State Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina averages nine deaths from fentanyl overdoses every day. Community leaders say it’s the number one issue impacting their community.

That’s a number that’s too high for Debbie Dalton.

Dalton lost her son, Hunter, to fentanyl in 2016. She’s been sharing her son’s story for the past eight years. In almost every room in Dalton’s home, reminders and memories are seen throughout. She told WCNC Charlotte that Hunter was a UNC Charlotte graduate who had bright dreams.

“This is Hunter’s room — he loved penguins, so we collect penguins everywhere we go,” Dalton said.

The Monday after Thanksgiving in 2016, Dalton learned she would never see her son again. Fentanyl, which he used as a recreational drug, turned deadly.

“I was bracing for ‘Hunter’s been in an accident’. I never could have fathomed the words that Hunter had overdosed. I just remember screaming,” Dalton said.

Dalton started her own organization, the Hunter Dalton HD Life Foundation, to warn others about the dangers of recreational drug use.

“Young people today, to make the decision to try drugs, there really is one of two things that are going to happen: they’re going to end up with a life of addiction or they’re going to die,” Dalton said.

“You can’t talk about those things without also talking about mental health; they are intertwined,” said Union County District Attorney Trey Robison, who’s advocating for more robust mental health and drug addiction treatment programs and places people can go when they need help.

“We’re working on the supply side of the opioid crisis, but the demand side has to be addressed as well. We’re not going to arrest and incarcerate people out of the opioid crisis, that’s not going to happen,” he added.

In the meantime, Dalton holds onto the bucket list her son created. She keeps it in his room as a reminder of why she’s advocating for families impacted by drug addiction to receive support.

“He has on his bucket list to save someone’s life, and what 23-year-old thinks of that?” she said. “We know that’s what he’s doing, his story is saving lives.”

Dalton has been recognized by Governor Josh Stein for the work she’s doing. Next month, she will meet with North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson to talk about more ways to combat the opioid and fentanyl crisis.

Contact Siobhan Riley at sriley@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook and X.

Alleged attempted fentanyl drugging shuts down Southern Colorado music festival

Read the original article on the KRDO website.

LAS ANIMAS COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – The Apogaea festival was set to be held June 4-8, but it was cut short due to alleged non-consensual drugging involving fentanyl. On Sunday, the Apogaea Board of Directors released a statement to clarify the weekend’s events.

The festival is known as a Colorado Burning Man regional event held near Trinidad, just north of New Mexico. What was expected to be a weekend full of art and music was quickly shut down.

On Thursday afternoon, event organizers say two festival goers came to a department tent, saying they had been gifted a substance that they tested positive for fentanyl. They say a volunteer notified the Apogaea Incident Command System (ICS), which in turn alerted the County emergency coordinator. Apogaea says they never had custody of the substance and did not test it.

The next morning, on Friday, organizers say a participant noticed an undissolved gelcap in their clear water bottle. This tested positive for fentanyl via two strip tests. Organizers say that since the bottle had been on volunteer premises, there was immediate concern that somebody might be targeting the volunteers. Apogaea says they tested the gelcap again with multiple reagent tests, which resulted in confirming the presence of multiple substances.

Field test methodologies are not 100% accurate, and they can result in false positives, shared the Apogaea board. With the presence of the gelcap reagent tests and the multiple positive fentanyl results, Apogaea says their teams had a high confidence that this was a situation of non-consensual drugging.

Organizers say that as a precaution, community water in the nearby Center Camp Café and Ranger Station was dumped. The board says they updated the County and worked with the Las Animas County Sheriff’s Office (LACSO) to come to the decision to close the event.

The Sheriff’s Office tells KRDO13 it was aware of the incident, however, it was not contacted by anyone to initiate a formal investigation of the alleged incident, nor have any suspects been identified.

KRDO13 spoke with Joe Richards, the Las Animas County Emergency Manager, who was in contact with the event organizers. Richards says the incident commander contacted him initially on Thursday to make him aware that two people at the festival had tested for and found fentanyl in a substance someone had given to them.

He says that after they had another instance with someone finding a capsule in their water the next day, which tested positive for fentanyl, that’s when they became more concerned and contacted him.

Richards tells KRDO13 the incident commander said they’d like to shut the event down to prevent any further risks, and he said it’s up to you, but I support it wholeheartedly.

So he says, as a group, they came to the conclusion to shut down the event, and although some are upset, he’s grateful there were no serious injuries. Richards says the incident commanders were proactive and took the right steps to handle the incident.

Richards says with 1,400-1,500 people at the event, the possibility of someone non-consensually drugging others was highly concerning, especially with how deadly fentanyl is. He says there were multiple EMTs at the festival, along with a local fire department on scene for nearly the entire event.

Apogaea says that to their knowledge, no one was dosed or harmed physically at the event, and there were zero medical transports from the site during the event.

Why are synthetic opioids so dangerous? An ER doc explains

Read the original article on CNN.com.

The United States is facing an alarming increase in overdose deaths among young people due to synthetic opioids.

The rate of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids, which include fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, increased more than 20-fold between 2013 and 2022, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Overdoses and drug poisonings are now the third leading cause of death in people under age 20, behind firearms and motor vehicle crashes.

The overdose death counts among US youth ages 15 to 24 rose from 4,652 to 6,723 between 2018 and 2022, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics. (A slight decrease occurred between 2021 and 2022.)

The largest increase was seen in deaths involving only synthetic opioids: Since 2020, fatal overdoses involving only these substances were higher than overdoses in which multiple substances were implicated. Overdose rates were nearly 2.5 times higher among male youths compared with female youths and more than two times higher among those ages 20 to 24 compared with those ages 15 to 19.

As a parent, I wanted to know more about synthetic opioids and their uses. Why are they so dangerous, and how are overdoses treated? How can people tell if the drugs they are taking contain synthetic opioids? Crucially, what can parents and other family members do to help reduce the risk of overdose?

The article continues on CNN.com or download the article PDF below.

Download Article PDF

Two arrested in connection with Riley Goolishian’s fentanyl death in Beaufort

Beaufort, NC — Two men are now behind bars in connection with the death of a 25-year-old woman following a joint investigation, according to the Beaufort Police Department.

Officials say 26-year-old Ladavion Vontrell Manning of Morrisville and 24-year-old Kevin Crishawn Milliken of Apex are facing second-degree murder, death by distribution and the sale and delivery of Schedule II controlled substances.

Manning was taken into custody at his Morrisville home on May 2, 2025 and was also charged with sale and delivery of fentanyl. He remains jailed at the Carteret County Detention Center under a $750,000 bond.

On Tuesday, June 3 officials arrested Milliken in Chatham County. He also faces separate charges in Chatham County, including felony possession of cocaine, maintaining a vehicle or dwelling, possession of drug paraphernalia and simple possession of a schedule IV-controlled substance. Milliken remains in jail in Chatham County under a $1 million bond and will be transported to Carteret County for trial proceedings.

These arrests come after an investigation into the death of Riley Goolishian, who was found in her Beaufort home back on May 26 of 2024 unresponsive. Authorities say she died a day later at Carteret Health Care in Morehead City. It was confirmed her cause of death was fentanyl and cocaine toxicity through autopsy and toxicology findings.

The joint investigation determined that both Manning and Milliken sold fentanyl and cocaine to Goolishian the day prior to her being found unresponsive.

The investigating agencies include the Beaufort Police Department, Carteret County Sheriff’s Office and the NC SBI.

Beaufort Police Chief Paul Burdette stated, “This case represents a coordinated effort by multiple law enforcement agencies to bring justice in the face of a heartbreaking loss. We remain committed to pursuing those who distribute dangerous and illegal substances in our communities.”

Catawba County spending about 10% of opioid settlement funds. Where is the money going?

Read the original article on the Hickory Record website (pay wall).

Billy Chapman

“Because these funds are a one-time disbursement, as a community, we have to be strategic about where they are spent to ensure that we have a meaningful and lasting impact.”

To read this article you must have access to the Hickory Record.

New Bern woman charged in drug overdose death in Pamlico County

PAMLICO COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – A New Bern woman is accused of giving drugs to a man who later died from an overdose.

Pamlico County deputies have charged Stephanie Nelson with death by distribution.

Back on February 10, 2024, deputies say they were called to a home on Old Bay River Road outside of Gransboro for a man’s death.

Warrants say Nelson sold fentanyl to Damian Nobles, causing his death. An obituary said the Bayboro man was 22 years old.

The 24-year-old Nelson remains in jail on a $500,000 secured bond.

“One pill took her daughter”: Fentanyl Crisis turns personal at Salisbury Roundtable

Congressman McDowell pledges to fight fentanyl crisis in North Carolina after losing his brother to an overdose.

SALISBURY, N.C. — The fentanyl crisis tearing through North Carolina isn’t just a public safety threat — it’s personal. At a high-level roundtable this week in Salisbury, that reality hit home as lawmakers, prosecutors, and grieving families joined forces to demand action.

Congressman Addison McDowell, who convened the meeting, opened with a message that carried more weight than politics.

“Getting it off our streets is just the first step,” McDowell said. “Prosecuting those who profit from fentanyl is a major step as well.”

For McDowell, the fight is more than a policy priority — it’s a personal mission. His younger brother died from a fentanyl overdose, a tragedy that inspired his run for Congress.

“We want to stop the deaths that come with this poison,” he told the room, surrounded by district attorneys, sheriffs, and special agents.

Among the voices calling for change was Barbara Walsh, founder of the Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina. She clutched a photo of her daughter, Sophia, as she told the story no parent should have to repeat.

“Sophia was 24. She went to visit friends in Watauga County. On her way out of town, she stopped for water,” Walsh said. “That bottle, unknown to her, had just eight nanograms of fentanyl. It was enough to kill her.”

Her story silenced the room — a chilling reminder that behind the data are names, faces, and futures cut short.

“It’s more than a number. Every photo is just one ripple in a massive pond of fentanyl deaths,” Walsh said.

Local sheriffs echoed her urgency, pointing to limited resources and the growing reach of drug trafficking networks.

“What I’ve seen in three years as sheriff — this is a local resource issue,” said Rowan County Sheriff Travis Allen.

Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers added, “We can’t fight this alone. We have to work with partners — every agency, every county.”

The roundtable, titled “Prosecuting the Poison,” ended with a commitment to tougher laws, better coordination, and faster action.

For leaders like McDowell and families like the Walsh’s’, that commitment can’t come soon enough.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, help is available. Contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

AG Jeff Jackson’s Newsletter on Fentanyl

On May 22nd Jeff Jackson’s newsletter featured details on the lawsuit filed against WeChat which is a key enabler of the fentanyl epidemic.

Last week, South Carolina’s Attorney General, Alan Wilson, joined me for a press conference.

He had accepted my invitation to make an announcement together.

That’s two different states – and two different parties – standing together for one reason.

Folks, it’s time to tell you about something I’ve been working on.

Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for people my age and younger. In North Carolina, we lose about six people a day.

It’s really the third wave of the opioid crisis that began with OxyContin in the 1990s. That was the prescription pill crisis, which became the heroin crisis, which became the synthetic heroin crisis, and that’s fentanyl.

As AG, I’ve met a lot of families who have lost loved ones. It’s crushing. And I have a responsibility to attack this problem on every front I can.

One of those fronts is illegal money laundering – the engine that makes the fentanyl trade so profitable. And I’m starting with a very big target.

How the Fentanyl Trade Works

Here’s a quick outline:

Step 1: Drug cartels in Mexico buy the chemical ingredients for fentanyl from China. Those ingredients are shipped to Mexico, mostly in large cargo ships but sometimes as regular air parcels via commercial carriers, like FedEx.

Step 2: The cartels mix those chemicals and produce fentanyl.

Step 3: The fentanyl is smuggled into the U.S., taken to various cities that serve as distribution hubs (often where highways intersect), then sold to dealers, who sell to users.

Step 4 (this is the money laundering part): The cash from the drug sales doesn’t go back to Mexico – not directly. Instead, it’s laundered through an underground banking network run by money brokers, often in China.

It’s important to know that China limits how much money its citizens can move out of the country – no more than $50,000 a year. But many wealthy Chinese nationals want to move more.

So brokers in China connect the two markets: the cartel’s drug traffickers in the U.S. and Chinese nationals who want to move their money out of the country and into U.S. dollars.

The broker accepts the cartel’s drug money, finds someone who wants to get money out of China, and makes a match.

Then the broker essentially says, “Ok, Mr. Cartel Guy – this Chinese currency is now yours. You can now buy anything you want that is made in China and we’ll ship it to you.”

And once those goods (often cars and farm equipment) are shipped from China to Mexico, the cartels arrange for them to be sold into the domestic market for pesos, at which point they collect their profit.

How much money are we talking about here?

Billions.

The WeChat connection

The evidence strongly suggests that the main platform used to facilitate that money laundering is an app called WeChat.

You’ve probably heard of WhatsApp. It’s the largest text messaging app in the world.

Well, the second-largest text messaging app is WeChat. It’s owned by a Chinese company and has over a billion users.

And when it comes to fentanyl money laundering, as one DEA agent said, “It’s all happening on WeChat.”

So I spent months digging into it. Talking with agents. Reading reports. When I felt like I had the full picture, I called five other attorneys general – two Democrats, three Republicans. I asked them to join me in stopping WeChat from being a safe harbor for money laundering.

They all agreed.

So we worked on our plan and last week we took the first step, which AG Wilson and I announced at our press conference (the other AGs were invited but live too far away to attend).

The first step is a public letter to WeChat summarizing some of the evidence about their complicity in a vast amount of money laundering and giving them 30 days to respond with a detailed account of steps they will now take to stop this.

If they fail to respond, we have a range of options for escalation.

But as I said at our press conference:

“Evidence suggests that WeChat has allowed itself to become an enormous digital pipeline for money laundering that fuels the fentanyl trade. By allowing that to continue, WeChat is essentially helping to bankroll the fentanyl epidemic. This must stop.”

I’ll let you know what we hear back, and that will determine next steps.

AmeriCorps lawsuit

One more quick update:

We recently filed a lawsuit against the federal administration after it attempted to unlawfully defund AmeriCorps.

Congress authorized AmeriCorps funding, and the executive branch cannot unilaterally cut it.

But beyond that, it would have hit western North Carolina especially hard as it’s rebuilding from Hurricane Helene. AmeriCorps has a strong presence there.

We had a hearing this week on a request for an injunction to stop the government from cutting this vital program. We expect to hear soon how the first round of that case will go.

Best,

Jeff

P.S. Avery stopped by the office the other day. Here she is signing some very important papers:

Bond set at $200,000 for NC man charged with brother’s death

Police charge Matthew Porter with his brother’s death after giving him fentanyl.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — A man was charged with the death of his brother on Wednesday after police said he gave him fentanyl.

Police arrested Matthew Glenn Porter, 37, in relation to an overdose investigation into the death of his brother Jeffrey Allen Porter, 38.

Jefferey was found unresponsive in his home back in Sept. 2024. He was taken to the hospital where he later died, according to police. The Medical Examiner ruled he died by overdose.

In an arrest warrant obtained by WFMY News 2, police said Matthew gave Jeffery the fentanyl.

Matthew was charged with one count of death by distribution and has a $200,000 bond.

AGs in both Carolinas target Chinese app linked to international fentanyl trade

Read the original article on the SC Daily Gazette website.

The Chinese messaging app WeChat has more than a billion users globally

Attorney General Alan Wilson speaks at a news conference on Monday, May 12, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C., about an effort to hold WeChat, a Chinese messaging app, accountable for its role in the fentanyl trade. He’s accompanied by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Lt. Robert Sprague. (Photo courtesy of Attorney General Alan Wilson’s Office)

Attorneys general from six states, including both Carolinas, say they’re demanding accountability from WeChat, a Chinese messaging and payment platform being used by fentanyl traffickers.

The bipartisan group is giving WeChat, what’s become known as a super app, a month to detail what steps it’s taking, if any, to combat its use as a money launderer for the international drug trade.

“We need answers; we need them now,” Republican Alan Wilson, South Carolina’s attorney general since 2011, said at a news conference Monday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Standing beside him was North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, a Democrat.