Feds’ new push against opioids
THE FEDS have launched new attacks on people they say are fueling New York’s opioid epidemic.
On Thursday, Brooklyn federal prosecutors filed heroin- and fentanyl-dealing charges against a Staten Island man who caused two near-fatal overdoses, and upgraded charges against a doctor to lay an overdose death at his feet.
In the new arrest, prosecutors say Michael Hitsous’ heroin almost killed 23and 25-year-old women, one of whom overdosed at Hitsous’ house. Both women were saved by emergency responders who brought them back from the brink.
After the near fatalities, court papers said, Hitsous 26, still peddled poison. Police searched his home Wednesday and allegedly found 85 bags of heroin.
Magistrate Judge Steven Gold remanded Hitsous to in-patient treatment Thursday at his arraignment in Brooklyn federal court.
Prosecutors also unveiled new charges against Manhattan physician Martin Tesher.
Six months after authorities said Tesher scribbled prescriptions generating 2.2 million oxycodone pills, their new indictment said Tesher distributed oxycodone and fentanyl patches that caused a Staten Island man’s March 2016 death.
Nicholas Benedetto, 27, died two days after Tesher prescribed him the oxycodone and fentanyl patches. Court papers said Benedetto’s mother told first responders her son was smoking the patches.
Tesher, 81, faces at least 20 years and up to life if convicted. He pleaded not guilty Thursday. U.S. DEATHS from drug overdoses skyrocketed 21 percent last year, and for the second straight year dragged down Americans’ life expectancy. Government figures released Thursday put drug deaths at 63,600, up from about 52,000 in 2015. For the first time, the powerful painkiller fentanyl and its close opioid cousins played a bigger role than any other legal or illegal drug, surpassing prescription pain pills and heroin. The overdose deaths weigh into Center for Disease Control’s annual calculation of the average time a person is expected to live. The life expectancy figure is based on the year of their birth, current death trends. AUSTRALIAN POLICE were investigating whether there was any terrorism-related motivation behind Thursday’s car ramming attack on Melbourne pedestrians that left 12 people injured, four of them in critical condition.
Early indications were the driver of the car, a 32-year-old Australian citizen of Afghan descent with a history of drug abuse and mental health issues was not motivated by terrorism, said the Victoria state police acting chief commissioner, Shane Patton.
He said the ramming was being treated as a “singular” incident.
The driver made several utterances while under police guard in hospital, including mentioning poor treatment of Muslims, Patton said.
The possibility of terrorism is not off the table, Patton explained.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also reiterated that “no terrorism link has been identified” but that “nothing should be ruled out.”
“This was a despicable and cowardly act,” Turnbull said. “But I want to reassure Australians that this is an isolated incident. We should continue to go about our daily lives the way we always do.”