Fentanyl fuels spike in drug deaths
DA report shows increase in overdoses in 2019
NORRISTOWN » Drug-related deaths in Montgomery County rose in 2019, setting a new high for fatal overdoses, according to an annual report issued by the county’s top law enforcement officer.
The 2019 overdose death statistics showed that 251 people died from overdose, an increase from the 210 drug-related deaths reported in 2018. District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said overdose deaths rose as dealers created new and more toxic combinations of heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.
“This increase is not welcome news, and the truth of the matter is that at 251 deaths or at 210, that overdose death number is too high. Every one of those deaths is someone’s loved one, friend or coworker who died too early,” Steele said. “We will continue to fight this scourge in every way we can.”
Comparatively, in 2015, there were 177 total overdose deaths
and in 2016, the county recorded 249 overdose deaths. In 2017, there were 245 total overdose deaths, according to statistics provided by Steele.
Overdose deaths, Steele said, continue to be connected to the presence of fentanyl. Because fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin, it takes very little to cause someone to overdose and die, and fentanyl continues to cause the majority of overdose deaths in the county, according to Steele.
The 2019 statistics show that 160 of the total 251 overdose deaths involved fentanyl, either alone or in conjunction with other drugs. In 2018, statistics showed that 152 of the total 210 overdose deaths involved fentanyl. According to 2017 statistics, 166 of the total 245 overdose deaths involved fentanyl.
Part of the driving force of the emergence of fentanyl is that it’s cheap and it’s potent, Steele explained. Fentanyl is a manufactured synthetic opioid, which according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, is produced primarily in China and Mexico.
Fatal overdoses due to methamphetamine increased nearly threefold, from 13 in 2018 to 38 in 2019, according to statistics contained in Steele’s annual report published last week. Cocaine deaths also appeared to be on the rise according to the 2019 data, representing 52 of the total overdose deaths, up from 42 in 2018.
Steele vowed to continue the fight against the drug epidemic.
Using state drug delivery resulting in death laws, county detectives investigate overdose deaths as potential homicides. The charge, similar to a thirddegree murder offense, carries a maximum possible sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.
Between 2017 and 2019, a total of 397 overdose deaths were investigated by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Narcotics Enforcement Team in conjunction with local police.
“When we can prove that someone sold the poison that killed an overdose victim, we will be charging drug delivery resulting in death, and drug dealers need to know they will be on the hook for murder,” Steele said.
Seventeen people have been charged with drug delivery resulting in death since 2017 and five others faced involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with overdose investigations.
At a news conference in March 2019, Steele announced the arrests of six people in connection with four overdose deaths in East Greenville, Lower Providence, Upper Merion and Abington.
“Dealers peddling their poison and preying upon those suffering from the disease of addiction should think twice about doing so in Montgomery County,” Steele said last week. “Our law enforcement community is committed to stemming the tide of the pain, suffering, addiction and death that those who traffic poison are raining down on our county and bringing into all of our lives.”
In July 2019, Gwendolyn Marie Prebish, 30, of Hatboro, was sentenced to a 6-to-15-year prison term in connection with the November 2016 overdose death of Michael Pastorino, 32, of the Willow Grove section of Upper Moreland. In May 2019, a jury convicted Prebish of drug delivery resulting in death, determining she delivered a fatal dose of fentanyl to Pastorino.
In October 2019, Brenda L. McLaughlin, 38, of Hatfield, was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in a state correctional facility after she pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and possession with intent to deliver heroin or fentanyl in connection with the Aug. 7, 2018, overdose death of Jared Dameron, 39, whose body was discovered by family members about 6:54 a.m. in the bedroom of his Morris Road home in East Greenville.
To combat the opioid epidemic, Steele has launched several initiatives.
When overdose deaths spiked in 2016, Steele used drug forfeiture funds, proceeds seized during drug investigations, to purchase naloxone for police in the county. Naloxone reverses the effects of opioids and can revive those experiencing an overdose if administered quickly.
Steele added emergency medical technicians also carry naloxone but he said research shows that police arrive to an overdose call nearly four minutes faster, making it imperative that they carry the lifesaving drug.
Steele and the county Police Chiefs Association coordinate annual Drug Take Back Days to collect unused prescription drugs to safely destroy them and keep them off the streets. In 2019, about 15,988 pounds of such drugs were collected during the initiatives.
Additionally, MedReturn boxes are available yearround at nearly every police department, the county courthouse and some medical facilities. A complete list of collection locations is on the district attorney’s web site at www.montcopa.org/da
Steele’s office has a colorfully painted MINI Cooper hatchback, dubbed the “Pill Take Back Mobile MINI,” in which officials travel throughout the county to get the word out to residents to dispose of expired or unused medications.
Fitted with a green pill disposal box in the cargo area, the vehicle shows up at some community events and allows citizens to anonymously dispose of unwanted medications as part of the district attorney’s ongoing “Drug Take Back Days” program.