The Northwest Regional Drug & Gang Task Force is sounding the alarm on a spike of overdoses and overdose deaths in the northwestern corner of Virginia in recent weeks. And, it appears fentanyl is the suspected culprit.
“The past few weeks have made the threat we face from fentanyl apparent,” said Chief Kahle Magalis with the Front Royal Police Department. “We want to caution the public and make them aware of exactly how lethal fentanyl can be.”
According to the Task Force, between Feb. 10 and Feb. 24, there have been 11 overdoses with five leading to death. That compares to only one death and five total overdoses from the beginning of the year until Feb. 10.
Meanwhile, as overdoses and drug fatalities are rising, the Task Force is reportedly catching a lot more fentanyl in its territory. They reported seizing approximately four times the amount of fentanyl in the first two months of 2024 as in the whole year of 2023.
Last week, Attorney General Jason Miyares announced a new public awareness effort in the “One Pill Can Kill” Campaign that includes statewide billboards and cable, broadcast, and digital/social media efforts set to run from March to October.
The Attorney General also unveiled a new One Pill Can Kill website that’s designed to link Virginians with education and resources.
That website states, “Officials from the Drug Enforcement Agency report a dramatic rise in the number of fake pills containing at least 2 mg of fentanyl, which is considered a potentially lethal dose.” And it adds that, “criminal drug networks are flooding the Commonwealth with these pills.”
“We need the public to be aware of how dangerous this problem is, and to avoid drug use,” said Town of Strasburg Police Chief Wayne W. Sager, Command Board Chair of the Northwest Virginia Regional Drug and Gang Task Force. “Every pill we take off the street is a potential overdose prevented,” he added.
Members of the Northwest Regional Drug & Gang Task Force
Law enforcement personnel from Clarke, Frederick, Page, Warren, and Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Departments, Front Royal, Luray, Strasburg, and Winchester Police Departments and the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Culpeper Field Office
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