Four dead from drug overdoses in one day span in same Midlands county, SC cops say
One Midlands county has experienced a spike in drug overdoses, including several with deadly consequences.
In a 24-hour span last week, between Thursday and Friday, 11 overdoses were reported in Kershaw County, according to the sheriff’s office. Of those, four were deadly, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
The four overdose victims who died have not been publicly identified by the Kershaw County Coroner’s Office.
While an investigation is ongoing, Coroner David West told The State that several of the people who overdosed are connected.
Three overdose victims, two who survived, lived on the same street, according to West. There were two more overdose victims who worked together at the same hotel, as well as two more with the same last name, West said.
“It was a bad batch of drugs going around,” West said.
Most of the overdoses involved crack and powder cocaine containing what is suspected to be fentanyl, according to the release.
Fentanyl was made to be a pain-relieving drug. The synthetic opiod is also about 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The Drug Enforcement Administration previously said because of its “potency and low cost, drug dealers have been mixing fentanyl with other drugs including heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, increasing the likelihood of a fatal interaction.”
More than 100,000 deaths from overdoses were reported in the U.S. in 2021, and 71,000-plus involved fentanyl, according to the CDC.
Although deputies in the drug units of the sheriff’s office have made multiple searches and arrests in response to last week’s overdoses, they have been unable to determine the source of the deadly drugs, according to the release.
“We always tell citizens not to sell or use illegal drugs,” Sheriff Lee Boan said in the release. “We are making the same request now. People are dying. JUST SAY NO!!!”
Information about the number of overdoses reported in Kershaw County this year was not available. West said his office has handled 17 “known” overdose deaths, and more than 80% of those involved fentanyl. Those numbers don’t include the four deaths from last week, where tests are still pending.
Along with the coroner’s office, the sheriff’s office has investigated the overdoses with assistance from the Camden Police Department, Kershaw County EMS, Kershaw County Fire Service, and Kershaw Health ER.
Following the recent spike in overdoses, West praised the life-saving effects of Narcan.
Narcan, which is the name of a popular brand of the drug Naloxone, can be administered as a nasal spray or as an injection for patients suffering from an overdose, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said.
West said the lives of four youngsters in Kershaw County were recently saved by emergency responders who gave them Narcan. The kids were at a park where they were smoking marijuana that had been laced with fentanyl, according to West.
To report drug use or distribution, contact CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
This story was originally published November 16, 2022 at 12:19 PM.
