Month: October 2023

FIGHT ILLICIT FENTANYL CAMPAIGN, NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC

FENTVIC.ORG is pleased to host:

FIGHT ILLICIT FENTANYL CAMPAIGN, NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC

10/8-22/2023 Public Safety Digital Billboard Campaign

10/14/23 Family Summit on Fentanyl Fatalities in NC:  Public Safety & Justice Conference

DETAILS

  • 10/8 @12am -10/22/23 @ 11:59pm.  Runs 24/7, digital and illuminated.
  • New Hanover County, NC, 6 locations (see below)
  • Made possible by NC fentanyl victim families & corporate good citizens Lamar Advertising (Cynthia Barbour) & Adams Outdoor (Julie Belnap)
  • Features 13 Eastern NC fentanyl fatality victims killed by fentanyl 13 different ways.
  • 10/14/23 Family Summit on Fentanyl Fatalities:  Public Safety & Justice Conference.

10:30-3:30. Private Event for NC Fentanyl Victim Families & Press who pre-register.  Separate press release to be issued.

PURPOSE:  

  1. SAVE LIVES!
  2. Raise awareness about 13,957 fentanyl fatalities in NC, 2013-22 (source:  North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, Vital Statistics Death Certificate Data)
  3. 440 fentanyl fatalities occurred in New Hanover County 2013-22 (source:  North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, Vital Statistics Death Certificate Data)
  4. Spark public safety conversations within communities and amongst families about the dangers of illicit fentanyl, particularly counterfeit pills.
  5. 7 out of 10 ‘street’ counterfeit pills contain lethal dose of fentanyl additives (DEA 2023)
  6. Link to New Hanover fentanyl fatality data on fentvic.org website:  https://fentanylvictimsnetworknc.org/wp-content/uploads/reports/New_Hanover_County.pdf

CONTACT

  • Fentanyl Victims Network of NC (fentvic), www.fentvic.org
  • Barb Walsh, Executive Director, 919-614-3830, barb@fentvic.org
  • Fentvic is a charitable nonprofit located in Wake County NC.  EIN #88-3921380
  • Fentvic is a grassroots organization that promotes public safety, justice, education, advocacy, and support of NC fentanyl victim families in all 100 NC Counties
  • In partnership with Forgotten Victims of NC, Patricia Drewes, Founder, 252-204-9611, patriciadrewes@yahoo.com, link to FB page:  http://forgottenvictimsofnc.org/

Locations:  6 Public Safety Billboards in New Hanover County

  1. 143 S College Road + Market Street
  2. 5216 Oleander Drive + Hawthorne
  3. 1328 US 421 + Spencer Farlow Drive
  4. US-17 + 7491 Market Street
  5. US-17 + Military Cutoff exit
  6. US-17S + NC210
Download Press Release PDF

North Carolina Passes Senate Bill 189 to Strengthen Laws on Death by Distribution

Raleigh, North Carolina- In a significant move aimed at combatting the alarming rise in drug-related fatalities, North Carolina’s General Assembly has passed Senate Bill 189, which has now been signed into law by NC Governor Roy Copper. The legislation, driven by a collaboration between lawmakers and law enforcement agencies, revises existing statutes pertaining to “Death by Distribution” of controlled substances. According to the Bladen County Sheriff’s Department, this crucial step in the fight against drug-related deaths has garnered strong support from the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association, highlighting its high-priority status.

The passage of Senate Bill 189 signifies a collective commitment to addressing the grave consequences of drug distribution, mainly when it results in loss of life. The bill introduces key changes to the existing legal framework.

Among the noteworthy provisions of Senate Bill 189 are:

1. Stricter Penalties: The bill strengthens penalties for individuals found guilty of distributing controlled substances that lead to a fatal overdose. These penalties are intended to serve as a deterrent against drug dealers who knowingly engage in activities that can result in death.

2. Enhanced Law Enforcement Powers: The legislation empowers law enforcement agencies to take more proactive measures in tracking down and prosecuting those responsible for distributing drugs that lead to fatalities. This includes expanded investigatory tools and resources.

3. Increased Accountability: Senate Bill 189 underscores the importance of holding drug dealers accountable for their actions by imposing harsher penalties. This accountability extends not only to those directly involved in distribution but also to individuals associated with the distribution network.

4. Education and Prevention: The bill recognizes the need for a multifaceted approach to address the opioid crisis. It allocates resources for education and prevention programs aimed at reducing the demand for controlled substances and promoting awareness of the dangers associated with their use.

The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association has been a vocal advocate for Senate Bill 189, emphasizing the critical role that law enforcement plays in safeguarding communities from the devastating impact of drug-related deaths. Their support underscores the urgency of addressing the ongoing opioid crisis, which has claimed countless lives across the state.

As the legislation goes into effect, North Carolina law enforcement agencies will have a more potent set of tools to combat controlled substance distribution, especially when it leads to fatalities. The hope is that these measures will not only serve as a deterrent but also contribute to saving lives and curbing the opioid epidemic.

Members of the public, local news media, and communities are encouraged to review the attached news release for a more comprehensive understanding of the changes brought about by Senate Bill 189. 

Read the full article on the BladenOnline website.

Download Article PDF

Bill strengthening penalties for fentanyl distribution signed into law

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Fentanyl overdoses are killing on average ten people every day in North Carolina.

Now, the state is working to reduce drug distribution, specifically fentanyl-related incidents.

Senate Bill 189, Fentanyl Drug Offense and Related Changes, was recently passed by the General Assembly and has been signed into law by Governor Cooper.

The bill strengthens a current law related to the distribution of controlled substances when they result in a person’s death. A controlled substance can be any form of opium or opiate, cocaine, methamphetamine, or any combination of these substances, including fentanyl.

The bill was designed to increase penalties for North Carolina’s Death by Distribution law. If a person dies as a result of a controlled substance, the person who delivered the substance to the victim will be punished as a Class C felony, which results in automatic prison time. More penalties may follow if the person who distributed the controlled substance acts with malice or has a previous conviction for a controlled substance violation.

Proof of sale to the victim is also no longer required to hold a person responsible for killing someone, a distributor could simply give someone the drug to be charged.

Read the full article and watch the video on the WECT News 6 website.

Law change should make it easier to prosecute those who sell deadly drugs

Victims’ families say “death by distribution” laws are a step forward, but they want more prosecutions.

With overdose deaths at all-time highs, North Carolina lawmakers moved this year to make easier to prosecute drug dealers who sell a fatal dose.

Victims’ families say “death by distribution” laws are a step forward, but they want more prosecutions.

Debbie Peeden’s granddaughter, Ashley, overdosed in a Greensboro apartment in 2021.

In the years since, Peeden has been relentless: holding signs in the rain outside the state capitol, showing up at meetings and reaching out to law enforcement, all to try and raise awareness of the threat of fentanyl, and a tool she says prosecutors often fail to use: North Carolina’s death by distribution law.

She saw some success last week when Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law a change that makes it easier to link a drug dealer to an overdose death. The law now no longer requires proof that drugs were sold to the victim in the case of a fatal overdose, just that those drugs were supplied by the suspect.

Read the full article and watch the video on the WRAL News website.

Families advocate for more education and legislation to prevent fentanyl-related deaths

According to the CDC, more than 150 people die everyday to opioids, including fentanyl. Over 13,000 NC families have lost a loved one to the deadly illicit drug.

BURLINGTON, N.C. — According to the Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina, 8 people die each day from fentanyl poisoning. 

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, 100x stronger than morphine. 

It can be mixed with illegal drugs, made into pills, and even candies. 

In the eyes of more than 13,000 North Carolina families, fentanyl is a killer. 

“We probably already have surpassed 14,000, that’s enough to fill the Charlotte Knights stadium of dead people,” said Barb Walsh, the Executive Director of the Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina.

Walsh lost her daughter, Sophia, to fentanyl poisoning. 

She hosts events throughout the state to let other families to know, they are not alone.  

“You go into a black hole when your child dies and some people don’t come out. I am there for them. I go to the court dates. I feel lucky enough to get them, hold events like this, so they can meet other people who are going through the same thing,” said Walsh.

Read the full article and watch the news segment on the WFMY News 2 website.

Fentanyl Isn’t Just Smuggled In From Mexico. It Also Arrives Duty Free By Mail

Fentanyl isn’t only arriving in the U.S. by your standard-fare drug smuggler, hiding it in suitcases and the back seat of a go-fast boat from Mexico bound for San Diego. It’s still coming in via U.S. mail and other international shippers. And it comes in duty-free. Barring drug-sniffing dogs at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities catching the wayward package shipped usually from China and Mexico, duty-free entry remains a small but active way of getting the killer drug to addicts nationwide.

“CBP continues to see bad actors seeking to exploit the increasing volumes of de minimis shipments to transit illicit goods, including fentanyl and the precursors and paraphernalia used to manufacture it,” a spokesperson for CBP told me. De minimis is a Customs trade provision that allows for duty-free entry of all goods if priced under $800. CBP said that in fiscal year 2022 (beginning Oct 1 and ending Sept 30), most package seizures by Customs agents were from de minimis mail, including seizures for narcotics.

Although the CBP did not specify the source of these packages, Mexico and China are the top two, with China long known as the go-to spot for the raw materials and equipment used to make fentanyl in a lab.

Equipment such as pill presses, used by drug cartels for turning powder into consumable pills, were often seized at CBP mail rooms. Some 80% of those seizures came from duty-free entry, Brandon Lord, executive director of the trade policy and programs directorate, said on Sept. 11 at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America conference.

Read the full article on Forbes.com (subscription may be required).

Download Article PDF