Fentanyl-related deaths up in Horry County

It’s killing celebrities and people here in Horry County. The CDC says Fentanyl is the deadliest drug in the US and the Horry County coroner says it’s becoming the deadliest drug right here at home. It’s something people don’t even know they’re using

“We’ve seen it mixed with crack cocaine, and we’ve also seen marijuana laced with Fentanyl,” said Lt. Jamie DeBari, who is a narcotics detective with the Horry County Police Department.

“Fentanyl is extremely strong and it’s just more than your system can handle sometimes,” said Coroner Robert Edge.

It’s fairly new to the coroner and to police.

“It was mainly prescription drugs, some heroin, a little cocaine, but in 2015, Fentanyl started popping up,” said Edge.

It caught the coroner’s eye because it’s a killing culprit.

“Fifty percent of all our drug cases have Fentanyl ,” said Edge.

That’s up from 2016, when only 22 percent of overdoses involved Fentanyl. It is also up from 2017, when 34 percent of overdoses involved Fentanyl.

How and why is it getting mixed in to already-dangerous drugs?

“It’s easy for them to get due to the being so readily available now, and if they mix it, then it gives a better high and it’s also more addictive,” said DeBari.

It’s coming from other countries.

“Fentanyl is being manufactured in China, and I believe they’re setting up operations in Mexico,” said DeBari.

Police say it’s then sneaked into the country through the US/Mexico border and through shipping ports.

“I think people just take that chance that it’ll never happen to them,” said Edge.

Then people die from something they don’t even know they’re using.