California overdose death linked to opioid three times stronger than fentanyl, federal prosecutors say
1 month, 2 weeks ago

California overdose death linked to opioid three times stronger than fentanyl, federal prosecutors say

LA Times  

A Santa Clarita man was charged this week in what federal prosecutors believe is the country’s first death due to a synthetic opioid three times stronger than fentanyl. Benjamin Anthony Collins, 21, is being held without bond for allegedly selling pills containing protonitazene to a 22-year-old man and resident of Stevenson Ranch, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a news release. “After this incident — and after learning that his pills killed the decedent — Collins continues to deal drugs openly and prolifically and advertises his drug dealing services on Instagram live video,” according to court records. Protonitazene, which is reportedly three times stronger than the synthetic opioid fentanyl, has been sold over the internet in recent years, according to a release from the U.S. attorney’s office.

Death Collins Drug Court Records Fentanyl Pills Perc Protonitazene  victim  sold  death  pills  federal  protonitazene  fentanyl  overdose  say  times  collins  linked  drug  according  stronger  court  died  opioid  prosecutors

History of this topic

Man who sold fentanyl-laced pill liable for $5.8 million in death of young female customer
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Man who sold fentanyl-laced pill liable for $5.8 million in death of young female customer

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — In 2019, Brandon McDowell was contacted by a sophomore in college who asked to buy Percocet, a prescription painkiller. “We still have a long ways to go in terms of holding drug dealers accountable for deaths.” Baruch Cohen, the Capeloutos’ lawyer, said this was the first time a drug dealer has been held liable civilly for someone’s …

California man charged with distributing fentanyl that led to death of Denver man
3 months, 4 weeks ago

California man charged with distributing fentanyl that led to death of Denver man

LA Times  

Denver authorities have charged a California man with distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a Colorado resident. The Denver District Attorney’s Office alleged in a news release Friday that Jamal Gamal bore responsibility for the death of Denver resident Collin Walker by selling the 28-year-old fentanyl in November 2023 that led to his death. According to KDVR TV …

Ventura County man charged with murder in fentanyl overdose death
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Ventura County man charged with murder in fentanyl overdose death

LA Times  

On Sept. 23, 2023, authorities allege that Oxnard resident Rodney Rey Yanez sold fentanyl to Dylan Rusch at the Oxnard gas station where Rusch worked. An Oxnard man has been charged with murder following the fatal overdose of a gas station worker to whom he allegedly sold fentanyl, authorities said Thursday. This marks the first time the Ventura County district …

Some D.A.s are fighting fentanyl with murder charges. Why San Francisco will join them
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Some D.A.s are fighting fentanyl with murder charges. Why San Francisco will join them

LA Times  

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, right, with Dist. In an October statement announcing the initiative, Breed said people selling the synthetic opioid are “on notice that pushing this drug could lead to homicide charges.” Jenkins said the effort would make it easier to hold dealers “accountable for the true dangerousness of their conduct.” It’s a remarkable shift in rhetoric and …

Families of those killed by fentanyl gather at DEA as US undergoes deadliest overdose crisis
1 year, 3 months ago

Families of those killed by fentanyl gather at DEA as US undergoes deadliest overdose crisis

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Andrea Thomas had never heard of fentanyl when her daughter died after taking half of a pill she thought was prescription medication. Five years later, she’s among hundreds of thousands of families who have lost a loved one as the U.S. undergoes the deadliest overdose crisis in its history. prevention is going to be our strongest asset.” In …

Third person charged in suspected fentanyl poisoning death of 1-year-old at New York City day care
1 year, 3 months ago

Third person charged in suspected fentanyl poisoning death of 1-year-old at New York City day care

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — A third person has been charged in the death of a toddler apparently poisoned by fentanyl inside a New York City day care center, authorities said as the search continued for the alleged ringleader of the drug peddling operation. Renny Antonio Parra Paredes, 38, was charged with narcotics distribution resulting in death on Monday, ten days after …

Riverside County jury convicts man of murder in fentanyl-related case, a first of its kind verdict in California
1 year, 4 months ago

Riverside County jury convicts man of murder in fentanyl-related case, a first of its kind verdict in California

LA Times  

A Temecula man was convicted this week of second-degree murder for knowingly supplying fentanyl to a 26-year-old woman who died from the drug, the first jury verdict for a fentanyl-related homicide in California, Riverside County prosecutors said. “The fact that it was a jury verdict is significant — this represents the voice of the community … saying this is murder …

Counterfeit pills involved in growing share of overdose deaths in the US, CDC study finds
1 year, 4 months ago

Counterfeit pills involved in growing share of overdose deaths in the US, CDC study finds

CNN  

CNN — Overdose deaths reached record levels in the United States in recent years, and a new report shows that counterfeit pills are involved in a growing share of those deaths. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl was involved in nearly all overdose deaths with evidence of counterfeit pills use, including more than two out of five deaths that were exclusively caused by …

Former California first responder sentenced for selling fatal dose of fentanyl to hospital co-worker
1 year, 6 months ago

Former California first responder sentenced for selling fatal dose of fentanyl to hospital co-worker

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — A Southern California first responder who sold a fatal dose of fentanyl to a co-worker was sentenced Wednesday to 29 years and four months in prison, federal prosecutors said. Cruz Noel Quintero, 43, was convicted last September of distributing fentanyl resulting in death, along with multiple felony weapons charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news …

7 people treated for fentanyl overdoses in Washington jail
1 year, 7 months ago

7 people treated for fentanyl overdoses in Washington jail

Associated Press  

EVERETT, Wash. — A man in custody in a jail north of Seattle is facing additional charges after officials say seven incarcerated people were treated for signs of overdosing on fentanyl. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said officials administered Narcan to seven people in the jail in Everett on Wednesday evening, The Daily Herald reported. Five have since been released …

Total overdose: Drug-related deaths in San Francisco up by 41% in three months
1 year, 8 months ago

Total overdose: Drug-related deaths in San Francisco up by 41% in three months

Firstpost  

200 persons died of overdoses in the city in the last three months, up from 142 in the same period last year Drug-related deaths in San Francisco have increased by 41 per cent in the first quarter of 2023, with one person dying of an accidental overdose every 10 hours, reported The Guardian. According to the reports by San Francisco’s …

Harris, Feinstein told in 2018 of American killed by fentanyl pills from Mexican pharmacy
1 year, 8 months ago

Harris, Feinstein told in 2018 of American killed by fentanyl pills from Mexican pharmacy

LA Times  

Celia, left, and Terry Harms at their home in Warwick, R.I. Their son Jonathan Harms died in 2017 after purchasing fentanyl-tainted pills from a pharmacy in Mexico. We just got stock answers to constituent complaints.” After The Times contacted Feinstein’s office Tuesday, Celia Harms said, one of the senator’s staffers in California called and “apologized that no one offered to …

New street drug is surfacing, threatening to make California’s overdose crisis worse
1 year, 10 months ago

New street drug is surfacing, threatening to make California’s overdose crisis worse

LA Times  

Deb Walker of Chester, Vt., lost daughter Brooke Goodwin, 23, to an overdose involving xylazine in 2021. Traces of xylazine, commonly known as “tranq,” have been found to have contributed to a small number of overdose deaths in San Francisco and Los Angeles, indicating the drug commonly used by veterinarians to tranquilize animals has already started to make its way …

As fentanyl overdose deaths keep rising, efforts to reverse trend meet liability fears
2 years ago

As fentanyl overdose deaths keep rising, efforts to reverse trend meet liability fears

LA Times  

As fentanyl overdose deaths rise unabated, California is at the forefront of the fight to reverse the grim trend. In a perfect world, she’d erect stands or boxes containing naloxone — she likened them to “Little Free Library” boxes, but with opioid reversal medication instead of tattered paperbacks — in homeless encampments and other places where drug users congregate. A …

18-year-old charged with murder in teen’s fentanyl overdose death in San Bernardino County
2 years, 3 months ago

18-year-old charged with murder in teen’s fentanyl overdose death in San Bernardino County

LA Times  

An 18-year-old has been charged with murder in San Bernardino County for allegedly selling the opioids that led to another teen’s overdose death, prosecutors said. California 7th LAUSD teen overdoses from possible fentanyl-laced pills A seventh LAUSD student has overdosed from pills possibly containing fentanyl after Bernstein High student Melanie Ramos died last week, LAPD says. The L.A. County Department …

Fentanyl is the most dangerous drug in America – but panic over it isn’t helping
2 years, 4 months ago

Fentanyl is the most dangerous drug in America – but panic over it isn’t helping

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. …

Rural Florida county shocked by fentanyl deaths over holiday
2 years, 6 months ago

Rural Florida county shocked by fentanyl deaths over holiday

Associated Press  

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A small, largely rural county west of Florida’s capital experienced an unheard-of spike in deadly drug overdoses believed to be caused by fentanyl over the July 4 weekend, with nine people dying in the latest sign that a national crisis is becoming even more far-reaching. The problem has become so acute that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration …

California families who lost loved ones to fentanyl-laced drugs press lawmakers to act
2 years, 7 months ago

California families who lost loved ones to fentanyl-laced drugs press lawmakers to act

LA Times  

An investigator leaves the scene where three men were found dead from a fentanyl overdose in an apartment building in downtown Los Angeles on May 5. They erect billboards blaming politicians for the drug crisis and stage “die-in” protests against open-air drug markets in Los Angeles’ Venice Beach and San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. One critic of California’s progressive policies is …

Three men found dead in downtown L.A. after ingesting fentanyl, police say
2 years, 8 months ago

Three men found dead in downtown L.A. after ingesting fentanyl, police say

LA Times  

A crime scene investigator at the scene of a downtown Los Angeles apartment complex where three men were found dead from a fentanyl overdose Thursday morning. Three men were found dead in a downtown Los Angeles apartment early Thursday after ingesting fentanyl, the latest instance in what officials say is a nationwide epidemic of overdoses and deaths related to the …

Seven charged with distributing fentanyl that killed 10 in Orange County
2 years, 8 months ago

Seven charged with distributing fentanyl that killed 10 in Orange County

LA Times  

Bill Bodner, shown here in 2020, leads the DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division, which investigated a spate of fatal overdoses attributed to fentanyl. Federal prosecutors have charged seven people with distributing fatal doses of fentanyl that killed 10 people over the last several years in Orange County. William Dick Jr., 40, is charged with selling drugs to four people at …

Man sentenced to 10 years in rapper Mac Miller’s drug death
2 years, 8 months ago

Man sentenced to 10 years in rapper Mac Miller’s drug death

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — A man who admitted supplying the dealer who sold Mac Miller the drugs that killed the rapper has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. Reavis knowingly supplied counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to co-defendant Cameron James Pettit, 30, of Los Angeles, according to a plea agreement. Another co-defendant, Stephen Andrew Walter, 48, of Los …

Two California men arrested with enough fentanyl to kill 4.7 million
2 years, 9 months ago

Two California men arrested with enough fentanyl to kill 4.7 million

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors …

Prosecutor: Fentanyl likely killed 5 in Colorado apartment
2 years, 10 months ago

Prosecutor: Fentanyl likely killed 5 in Colorado apartment

Associated Press  

DENVER — Preliminary evidence suggests that five people found dead in an apartment in suburban Denver overdosed on fentanyl while taking what they believed to be cocaine, the district attorney said Monday. Drug tests done at the apartment in Commerce City, about 7 miles northeast of Denver, found an “overwhelming amount” of fentanyl and cocaine, 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian …

Man to plead guilty in rapper Mac Miller’s drug death
3 years, 2 months ago

Man to plead guilty in rapper Mac Miller’s drug death

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — An Arizona man accused of supplying the dealer who sold Mac Miller the drugs that killed the rapper has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge, prosecutors said Wednesday. Ryan Michael Reavis, 38, will admit to a single count of distribution of fentanyl, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles said in a statement. Reavis knowingly …

Mother, father charged after child dies from fentanyl overdose
3 years, 2 months ago

Mother, father charged after child dies from fentanyl overdose

LA Times  

Adler Metcalf, 22 and Sandy Acuna, 20, was charged with murder in the death of a 15-month-old child. The mother of a 15-month-old child has been charged with murder and the father with child endangerment after a Riverside County sheriff’s investigation determined their child died of a fentanyl overdose in Jurupa Valley two months ago, a Riverside County district attorney’s …

Suspected Southern California drug dealers charged in 11 overdose deaths
3 years, 7 months ago

Suspected Southern California drug dealers charged in 11 overdose deaths

LA Times  

Federal authorities in Los Angeles have charged 11 people with supplying drugs that caused fatal overdoses — mostly fake oxycodone pills laced with dangerous quantities of fentanyl. Federal agents fanned out across Southern California this week to arrest suspects charged with supplying drugs that caused 11 fatal overdoses amid a rising danger from black-market pills laced with fentanyl. In California, …

Man arrested for allegedly selling counterfeit drugs to Mac Miller, two days before his death
5 years, 4 months ago

Man arrested for allegedly selling counterfeit drugs to Mac Miller, two days before his death

Firstpost  

A Los Angeles man was arrested Wednesday on charges that he sold counterfeit opioid pills to Mac Miller two days before the rapper died of an overdose. A Drug Enforcement Agency affidavit unsealed after the arrest of Cameron James Pettit alleges that Miller asked him for oxycodone and other drugs, but on 5 September 2018, Pettit gave Miller counterfeit oxycodone …

Feds: Man sold rapper Mac Miller drugs before overdose death
5 years, 4 months ago

Feds: Man sold rapper Mac Miller drugs before overdose death

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles man was arrested Wednesday on charges that he sold counterfeit opioid pills to Mac Miller two days before the rapper died of an overdose. A Drug Enforcement Agency affidavit unsealed after the arrest of Cameron James Pettit alleges that Miller asked him for oxycodone and other drugs, but on Sept. 5, 2018, Pettit gave …

Man who allegedly supplied Mac Miller with fentanyl-laced pills is held without bail
5 years, 4 months ago

Man who allegedly supplied Mac Miller with fentanyl-laced pills is held without bail

LA Times  

Soon after news reports of Mac Miller’s overdose death last year, the hip-hop artist’s alleged drug dealer anxiously messaged a friend on Instagram. “But it might.” Now, almost exactly a year later, the 28-year-old Hollywood Hills man is facing 20 years in federal prison on a charge that he sold counterfeit oxycodone laced with fentanyl to Miller two days before …

Fentanyl blamed for mass overdose in California that killed one and left 14 in hospital
5 years, 11 months ago

Fentanyl blamed for mass overdose in California that killed one and left 14 in hospital

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A suspected fentanyl overdose …

Fentanyl is the deadliest drug in America, CDC confirms
6 years ago

Fentanyl is the deadliest drug in America, CDC confirms

CNN  

CNN — Fentanyl is now the most commonly used drug involved in drug overdoses,according to a new government report. According to Wednesday’s report, which analyzed death certificates for drug overdose deaths between 2011 and 2016, fentanyl was involved in nearly 29% of all overdose deaths in 2016. Kolodny, who was not involved in the study, pointed to states such as …

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