Franklin County's special operations unit finds opioid overdoses up in 2023

Preliminary data showed opioid overdose emergency department visits were up in June 2023 compared to the previous year in Franklin County.
Posted 7/18/2023, 9:48:48 PM Updated 7/19/2023, 12:58:07 AM

OF LABOR ARE NOW GETTING

INVOLVED. BACK TO. ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU, MARK. OF ALL THE

FATAL OVERDOSE DEATHS IN OUR

STATE IN 2021. FENTANYL WAS

INVOLVED IN 83% OF THEM.

THAT'S THE MOST RECENT DATA

FROM THE STATE'S HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT

WRAL'S DESTINY. PATTERSON WALKS

US THROUGH HOW A LOCAL

SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS USING THE

DEATH BY DISTRIBUTION CHARGE TO

HELP LOWER THAT NUMBER. WE'VE

SEEN WHAT HE'S DONE TO PEOPLE

FROM WARREN. I'M IN TEARS,

FAMILIES APART. AND I SAT DOWN

WITH THE SERGEANT OF SPECIAL

OPERATIONS IN FRANKLIN COUNTY

FOR SAFETY REASONS WE CAN TO

HIS FACE. HE SAYS HE TAKES THE

DRUG ISSUES IN THE COUNTY VERY

PERSONALLY.

>> I'VE DEALT WITH PERSONAL

>> FAMILY MEMBERS THAT I KNOW

THAT WE'RE ADDICTED TO DRUGS.

OVERDOSE DEATHS IN 2021.

INCREASED BY 22% IN THE STATE.

>> MORE THAN 77% OF THOSE

DEATHS LIKELY INVOLVES

FENTANYL. EVERY OVERDOSE THAT

I WORKED.

>> HAD BEEN COCAINE HADN'T

BEEN.

MOST CASES HAD BEEN HEROIN.

IT'S FENTANYL. FRANKLIN COUNTY,

SPECIAL OPERATIONS UNIT IS ONE

OF THE LEADING COUNTIES IN

DEATH BY DISTRIBUTION CHARGES

BEHIND HARNETT CABARRUS AND

ROCKINGHAM.

>> THE NEW CHARGE WENT INTO

EFFECT ROUGHLY AT THE BEGINNING

OF 2020 GIVING DRUG DEALERS

HAVE TO BE CONSEQUENCES IF THEY

SELL TO SOMEONE WHO DIES WITHIN

THE LAST 2 AND A HALF YEARS

IN NORTH CAROLINA HAS FEW ARE

THAN 80 DEATH BY DISTRIBUTION

CHARGES. THE SERGEANT SAYS THAT

DEATH BY DISTRIBUTION CHARGES

CAN BE DIFFICULT TO PROSECUTE

DUE TO LOOPHOLES. AND EVEN THE

NEWNESS OF THE LAW. HE SAYS

THAT IT'S A TEAM EFFORT TO KEEP

DRUGS OFF THE STREETS THAT

INSTEAD OF IT BEING A DRUG

CASE, YOU HAVE TO SHIFT INTO

MORE OF A HOMICIDE STYLE

INVESTIGATION.

>> THE LARGE AND ARCONIC SAND.

ORGANIZATIONS ARE GOING TO TAKE

YOUR HIGHWAYS.

>> CORPORAL ADAM CALLAHAN WITH

A SPECIAL OPERATIONS UNIT,

OFTEN DEALS WITH THINGS LIKE

TRAFFIC STOPS PERSON IN THAT

SEARCH THAT WAS NAMED BY MANY.

>> DRIVER INFORMATION OR IN ALL

50 STATES LIKE THIS ONE WHERE

THE DRIVER HAS A HISTORY WITH

NARCOTICS.

>> SOME FAMILY HOME WHILE ASIAN

THINGS ARE KIND OF CHILLY.

>> CHARGES AS WELL. BACK HERE

AT THE OFFICE, THE SERGEANT

SAYS THE DEATH BY DISTRIBUTION

CHARGES OR A WAY TO GIVE

CLOSURE TO VICTIMS, FAMILIES,

© WRAL