Category: Media Coverage
Fayetteville man charged after Harnett County man dies of drug overdose
A Harnett County man who died of a drug overdose has led to a Fayetteville man’s arrest.
On Sunday, first responders found a 53-year-old man unresponsive at a residence on Roger Curtis Lane in Spring Lake.
A Harnett County Sheriff’s Office investigation revealed the man had purchased narcotics from Lamont McKoy Jr., a 31-year-old from Fayetteville.
Read the full article and watch the video on the WRAL News web site.
As fentanyl continues to plague Onslow County, which area has the worst drug problem?
Following the recent seizure of about five pounds of fentanyl and the ongoing problem of local overdoses, drugs in Onslow County continue to be a major concern.
Onslow County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Colonel Chris Thomas said fentanyl results in the overwhelming majority of overdoses in Onslow County, adding the problem is rarely heroin anymore. Last week, Thomas said the county had three overdoses but was able to revive all three of them with Narcan.
One of the biggest current problems, Thomas added, is that fentanyl is now being pressed into pill form as a way of concealment.
He said the local drug enforcement unit even seized a pill press in Jacksonville a few months ago that was being used for that very reason. Thankfully, Thomas said, the county has not yet seen fentanyl in the form of candy, a growing problem throughout the nation.
Read the full article on the JDNews.com web site.
Drug bust with enough fentanyl to kill millions has NC connection
Enough fentanyl to kill nearly 3 million people was seized in two separate drug busts with connections to North Carolina this past month.
The fentanyl crisis is at an all-time high, with the southern border crisis intensifying since the Biden Administration took office in 2021.
The first and biggest bust occurred on Oct. 12 when Mario Alberto Castro Solache, 29, of Raleigh; Pedro Mondragon, 27, of Lillington; and Ignacio Rodriguez, 28, Bradenton, Florida, were arrested in connection to the largest drug bust in the history of Polk County, Florida.
Florida officials announced the arrests on Oct. 22.
Investigators seized 11 pounds of fentanyl, enough to kill 2.7 million people.
Operation Hot Dirt began in September when detectives were tipped off to drug traffickers’ plans to smuggle fentanyl from Mexico to Bradenton, Florida, and then into Polk County.
Read the full article on the Carolina Journal web site.
Families Sue Snapchat Over Drug Dealing: An Overview
On October 13, 2022 the Social Media Victims Law Center and C.A. Goldberg, PLLC filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Snap, Inc. on behalf of the families of Alexander Neville, Daniel Puerta, Jeff Johnston, Jr., Dylan Kai Sarantos, Devin Norring, Jack McCarthy, Alexandra Capelouto, and Daniel (Elijah) Figueroa. These teenagers and young adults are eight among hundreds who have died after taking pills purchased from drug dealers operating on Snapchat.
Also included in the suit are the parents of a 16-year-old who survived fentanyl pill poisoning and continues to use the app.
More details can be found on the Parternership for Safe Medicines web site.
Widow and mother of late MLB pitcher Tyler Skaggs speak out against fentanyl
For the first time on camera, the widow of Tyler Skaggs and his mother are sharing their story of loss after the 2019 death of the Los Angeles Angels pitcher. Skaggs was just 27 years old when he was found dead in his hotel room after taking fentanyl-laced oxycodone on the road with his team.
Over three years after Tyler Skaggs’ death, his wife, Carli Skaggs, and mother, Debbie Hetman, spoke to ABC News about what justice looks like to their family.
Read the full article on the Good Morning America web site.
Substance use disorder stigma impacts individuals, families
Lori Ashenfelder, whose son died last year from fentanyl, said substance use and its impact on a family are very difficult to talk about.
“You tend to stay isolated, a lot more than you normally would,” she said. “For me, it was a lot about staying in the shadows, staying in the background, don’t talk about it.”
Last Thursday, the CARE Coalition of Transylvania County hosted“Transylvania CARES: Stories of Addiction and Hope” at the library to share the many unexpected ways substance use disorder stigma impacts the lives of individuals and their families.
Read the full article on the Transylvania Times web site.
Woman arrested in connection with drug overdose in Sanford
SANFORD, N.C. — A woman was charged Wednesday with death by distribution years after a man who suffered a drug overdose was found dead in the woods.
On Sept. 28, 2020, deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a Sanford home after receiving a call about a missing person. Deputies searched land and water around the home for Cory Dale Moore, 32, but were unsuccessful.
Read article and watch video clip on WRAL web site or the article on the CBS17 web site.
Moms share heartbreak of losing sons to fentanyl
On October 6, 2022 April Babcock of Lost Voices of Fentanyl and Tanya Niederman were interviewed on FoxNews in a segment titled: Moms Share Heartreak of Losing Sons to Fentanyl.
Rainbow fentanyl concealed in LEGO box in NYC
Authorities find 15,000 rainbow fentanyl pills in Lego box, largest seizure of the drug in NYC history, DEA says
Federal authorities have accused a New Jersey woman of concealing approximately 15,000 rainbow-colored fentanyl pills in a Lego box as part of a drug trafficking scheme, in what US Drug Enforcement Administration authorities said in a news release is the largest seizure of the drug in New York City history.
Latesha Bush, 48, pleaded not guilty last week at an arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court, a spokesperson for the prosecutor said. She was charged with one count of first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to a criminal complaint.
Read the full article on CNN.com.