Category: News

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.

Snapchat Sued By Temecula Family And Others Who Lost Kids To Fentanyl

TEMECULA, CA — Santa Monica-based Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, is being sued by families — including one in Temecula — who lost children to fake “medications” containing fentanyl. The deadly drug was peddled to their kids using the popular instant messaging app and the company did nothing to stop it, the suit alleges.

Read full article on Patch.com.

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36 Million Lethal Doses of Fentanyl Removed from Communities between May and September

DEA Announces Results of Enforcement Surge to Reduce the Fentanyl Supply Across the United States
9/27/22 DEA Press Release

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration today announced the results of an enforcement operation that spanned from May to September and resulted in significant fentanyl seizures across the United States.  

As part of the One Pill Can Kill initiative, the DEA and its law enforcement partners seized more than 10.2 million fentanyl pills and approximately 980 pounds of fentanyl powder during the period of May 23 through Sept. 8, 2022. The amount of fentanyl taken off the streets during this surge is equivalent to more than 36 million lethal doses removed from the illegal drug supply. Additionally, 338 weapons were seized, including rifles, shotguns, pistols, and hand grenades.

Read the full article on the DEA web site.

Zebulon man charged in deadly heroin/fentanyl overdose, deputies say

LOUISBURG, N.C. (WNCN) — Franklin County deputies have arrested a Zebulon man in a deadly overdose earlier this year, officials said.

Luis Santiago Franco, 20, died on May 21 at his home, according to his obituary and a news release from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives later determined that heroin/fentanyl was Franco’s cause of death.

Read the full article on the CBS 17 web site.

Sen. Chuck Schumer wants $290M to help fight deadly ‘rainbow fentanyl’

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday he wants almost $300 million in federal funding to fight “rainbow fentanyl” — highly-addictive pills that look like candy and could have a devastating effect on young people.

The $290 million in funds would be used to sustain 61 Overdose Response Strategy teams that would help try to curb fentanyl, including the new “rainbow” kind, the New York Democrat said at a press conference.

“This is fentanyl, this is a Sweetart — you tell me the difference,” Schumer said while holding up pictures of both the deadly pills and the tangy sweets. “Halloween is coming up… this is really worrisome and really dangerous.”

Read the full article on the NY Post web site.

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