"We don't want you to die," Fentanyl seized off the streets has doubled since last year
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ohio (WKEF) -- The amount of fentanyl seized on the streets of Dayton and throughout the county has almost doubled since last year. Fentanyl is a narcotic drug used to treat pain in a medical setting, but drug dealers are making their own versions, mixing it into other drugs to make users more addicted. The Montgomery County coroner says 2021 is on track to become the second-highest year for overdose deaths in the county compared to 2017 during the heroin epidemic. Dayton 247 Now’s Bryn Caswell investigates why overdose deaths are trending upward and how sellers are disguising fentanyl into other drugs.
Officials say fentanyl is laced into a lot of drugs sold on the street adding that the drug doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter how old, young, if you’re a regular user or not, anytime using, investigators said there’s about a 90% chance, it could be your last.
Montgomery county is home to drug dealers, drug designers, and consumers. These blood vials filling this cooler are just from overdose deaths within the last two months. The heroin epidemic in 2017 took the lead as the highest year in overdose deaths in Montgomery county’s history, but now Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said 2021 is giving 2017 a run for its money.
“The heroin has kind of went away I think because there was so much attention and focus on it,” said Streck. “Fentanyl unfortunately stayed.”
Over the last three years, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force seized over 170,000 grams of heroin and fentanyl. Dayton Police Department seized about 130,000 grams of fentanyl in the same time period. To put the seized amounts of fentanyl in perspective, it’s over 10 billion times more than the legal dose a physician gives a patient who is under anesthesia during surgery.
“Fentanyl is 100 times greater in power and potent than morphine.,” said Major Brian Johns with the Dayton Police Department.
Johns said in 2020, over 20,000 grams of fentanyl was taken off the streets and so far for 2022, it’s now jumped to over 51,000 grams of fentanyl seized.
“We have kind of doubled this year and the year isn’t even over yet,” Johns added.
“It’s sad,” said Johns. “People are selling this stuff to make money and it kills people. They don’t care about you. They only care about making money.”
One of the over 300 overdose victims this year in Montgomery County was 33-year-old Tanis Spragg from Kettering. Her stepfather, Paul Bertke, said Tanis died from a fentanyl overdose this past July, leaving behind four children.
“The police knocked on our door and said can we come in and talk to you?” said Berket. “And she (Angela Bertke) said not if you’re going to tell us what we think you’re going to tell us.”
Bertke said the last year was especially challenging for Tanis.
“Any time fentanyl is introduced, once is too many times,” said Bertke. “In her mind it was very was about the next fix.”
The Montgomery County coroner said 90% of overdose deaths this year are from fentanyl. Investigators said if you’re buying drugs on these streets, you’ll more like likely end up at the coroner's office in a body bag.
“They are deadly powerful product and are mixed in,” Dr. Kent Harshbarger, Montgomery County Corner. “You have no idea what you’re purchasing off the street, and it could be a very lethal, powerful chemical.”
At the Miami Valley Crime Lab, chemists work to identify what exactly is inside confiscated drugs. The changing color to red in powdery substances means fentanyl is in its makeup, but sometimes that’s not all.
“In fact, what’s really scary is the stuff that comes through the crime lab will have greater than 10 substances within a confiscated substance,” Harshbarger added.
Police said cocaine, meth, and heroin isn’t the only vehicle for drug dealers to lace in fentanyl. It’s being pressed into pills as well.
“This is real Oxycodone and Adderall, and these are the ones that are handmade that are fake, and you really can’t tell the difference,” described Johns.
No matter the drug of choice, fentanyl is here, all around us.
“Now a days, it’s everywhere,” said Streck. “It’s on the highways, it’s in our ports, it’s in the air, it’s in delivery services. It’s a nonstop event. I get notified numerous times a week about one of our task forces that just got this amount of kilos or this much cash or things like that because it’s a never-ending process.”
But for many, one fix can be the ending. Berkte hopes users know help is available through Friends of Addicts and other community resources if getting sober is desired.
“I want to help anybody I can to try and help them from feeling this pain because no parent should have to bury their child,” Berkte said.
Agencies throughout the city and county are continuing to find and prosecute criminals involved in drug distribution and trafficking, but Dr. Harshbarger wishes the overdose rate slows down.
“I’m hoping it levels out and we stay at some baseline,” said Harshbarger.
Police warns users to be careful.
“I hope you get off drugs but if you don’t, be very careful because we don’t want you to die,” said Johns.
Although 2021 is trending to come in at the second-highest year for overdose deaths at a predicted number around 350-360 deaths, the highest year in 2017 totaled to 566 overdose deaths.
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