Two police officers in Florida have been hospitalized after being exposed to drugs from an addict they were arresting.
The opioid overdose treatment, Narcan, was administered to two Gainesville Police officers on Sunday after they were exposed to suspected narcotics from placing a subject under arrest.
Both officers were transported to the hospital and have since been released, according to GPD.
Readers of The Free Press may recall on August 18th, when we reported on four first responders that were exposed to Fentanyl, required treatment, and were transported to a local hospital.
Two Levy County Deputies along with two Levy County Department of Public Safety members, a Firefighter Paramedic, and a Firefighter EMT were injured in the incident.
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They were exposed to Fentanyl while responding to an overdose call in Bronson. All four first responders required advanced medical treatment at a local hospital and are expected to make a full recovery.
Law enforcement and EMS personnel responded to 9790 NE 92 Place east of Bronson to a report of female suffering from an overdose.
EMS personnel immediately went to the deputy’s aid and administered Narcan to resuscitate him.
Shortly after, the second deputy and both EMS personnel began suffering from Fentanyl exposure. All four affected first responders required transport for treatment and observation at a local hospital.
One EMS first responder was exposed while simply removing his protective equipment after the affected individuals had been transported. A total of four EMS vehicles and multiple law enforcement personnel responded to this extremely chaotic scene.
Fentanyl, a deadly synthetic sedative 50-100 times stronger than morphine and heroin is toxic to humans and even in minute doses is known to cause death.
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A person does not need to inject, smoke or inhale the drug to be affected. A minuscule amount, light enough to become airborne that comes into contact with a person’s skin can cause an overdose.
Fentanyl has grown in popularity amongst drug addicts because of its potency and how readily available it has become.
Each time EMS or Law Enforcement is called to overdose cases they are at great risk of deadly exposure.
Last week, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested two U.S. citizens and seized 340 packages of fentanyl pills near Gila Bend, Arizona, early Wednesday evening.
Agents discovered the narcotics around 6 p.m. while conducting a vehicle stop on a white Chevy Equinox heading eastbound that had exited Interstate 8 at mile marker 115. During the stop, agents observed several black duffel bags in the vehicle’s rear cargo area and the female driver was noticeably nervous as she was questioned.
After receiving her consent to search the vehicle, agents found three bags containing packages wrapped in black tape and cellophane as well as coated in axle grease, a technique often used to mask the scent of drugs. Further investigation revealed 340 packages of fentanyl pills weighing a grand total of 187 pounds and worth an estimated $4.3 million.
“Fentanyl seizures are a top priority, given the drug’s extreme danger to communities. During a recent suspected smuggling event, Tucson Sector agents administered naloxone to a man displaying signs of an overdose. Fentanyl is generally considered lethal at just 2 milligrams,” said U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
In July, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody called on the Biden administration to classify Fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction.
Moody sent a letter to President Biden demanding he takes immediate action to stop the fentanyl crisis killing hundreds of Americans every day.
The letter directs the president to classify fentanyl as a WMD, enabling and requiring more parts of the federal government to coordinate a uniform response to illicit fentanyl, including the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Department of Defense.
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Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Border patrol has seized enough fentanyl to the kill the entire American population many times over. With that in mind, and the recent mass overdose events in Hillsborough and Gadsden counties, I am demanding President Biden classify illicit fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction. The federal government already works to disrupt the supply chains of other chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons—it’s not hard to imagine that similar tactics could be used to reduce the flow of illicit fentanyl into the U.S. through cartels in Mexico—and save countless American lives.”
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