Fuquan Johnson – Inside deadly rise of fentanyl-laced cocaine as dealers spike drugs to rake in more cash
UNSUSPECTING victims are overdosing on deadly fentanyl secretly mixed into cocaine by ruthless dealers in a new scourge claiming lives across America.
Comics and Enrico Colangeli, who died along with a third pal in LA on Saturday, are thought to be the latest tragic victims of a chilling twist in the US opioid epidemic.
is believed to be 50 times more powerful than heroin and manufacturers press the drug into pills to make them look legitimate, tricking unsuspecting victims.
Dealers have turned to fentanyl to keep their supply of drugs flowing throughout the pandemic.
Last week, at least eight people in Long Island’s North Fork had overdosed, leaving six dead.
None of the victims were over 40 and cops said their deaths were caused by cocaine laced with fentanyl.
The victims were: Fausto Rafael Herrera Campos, 25, Navid Ahmadzadeh, 30, Seth Tramontana, 27, and Nicole Elizabeth Eckardt, 34, Matthew Lapiana, 32, and Swainson Brown, 40.
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Tramontana's dad, who is also called Seth, told the : "They (the dealers) poisoned them to make money.
"You can say he made his choice and did what he was doing to have fun — but this is not what he asked for."
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And, almost 3,000 people have died from overdoses in Suffolk County over the last decade.
Arrests were made after six people in the East End of Long Island died last month after ingesting fentanyl laced with cocaine.
Nysean Giddens, 23, of Florida, was charged after allegedly selling another man cocaine which led to his death.
Shaun Callahan was found unresponsive in his bed on September 13 2020 and medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Cops said a white powdery substance was found and came back positive for fentanyl, according to
In Houston, 296 people died from fentanyl last year as coronavirus surged - compared to just 13 fatalities in 2013.
Cops said that most people who took the drug didn't even know they were getting it, reports.
Grieving mom Kristi Hancock, whose son died from fentanyl last August, told the outlet: "He started experimenting with drugs and it led to an addiction and it's an illness."
In Texas, officials recorded a 50 percent increase in synthetic opioid deaths between June 2019 and May 2020.
Up to two milligrams of the opioid can be fatal and health officials have found tabs containing up to 5.1 milligrams of fentanyl per tablet.
It’s feared that one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill up to 500,000 people as it is trafficked across borders, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
Drug overdose deaths have surged across the US throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, jumping by 30 percent, according to .
'ADDICTION'
Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told the outlet: "This is completely different. It's a disruption of the trend."
She said deaths involving fentanyl "grew exponentially."
Suspected fentanyl overdoses have claimed the lives of several celebrities in recent years.
Comedian was among three people found dead inside an apartment in Venice Beach, LA on Saturday after suffering a suspected drug overdose.
Natalie Williamson, 33, and fellow entertainer , 48, were also found lifeless.
Comedian and model Kate Quigley was rushed to hospital in a critical condition but is expected to survive.
All four were reportedly unresponsive or already dead when police arrived on the scene.
It's not known who brought the laced drugs to the party or in what capacity they were used or passed around.
Autopsies will be conducted on each of the three dead to determine their cause of death.
The list of celebrities who have died after accidentally overdosing on fentanyl is growing.
Autopsy results revealed that Bobby Brown Jr – the son of Bobby Brown – died last November from a combination of alcohol, cocaine, and fentanyl, reports.
The 28-year-old’s girlfriend found him unresponsive at his California home on November 18.
Paramedics declared him dead when they arrived on the scene.
Coroners said his death was an accident and no foul play was suspected.
Brown Jr’s passing came just years after was found dead after she drowned in a bathtub in 2012.
'LETHAL COCKTAIL'
Rap superstar died of an accidental overdose at his California home on September 7, 2018.
The musician had a history of substance abuse and had ingested a lethal dose of alcohol and drugs before his passing.
An autopsy revealed Miller had a lethal mixture of fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol in his system when he died.
Guy Lawrence, of Disclosure, told : "He was on the way back to recovery and health, and by all accounts, it was just a tragic accident."
The rapper's personal assistant told cops that Miller had been in "good spirits" and was working on projects, reports.
Cameron James Petit, 28, allegedly gave Mac a deadly concoction of Xanax, cocaine, and fentanyl.
Petit and two other men were charged in October 2019 with the distribution of a controlled substance in connection with Mac's death. He pleaded not guilty, according to .
By all accounts, it was just a tragic accident
Guy Lawrence
Singer-songwriter Tom Petty died of an accidental overdose in 2017, according to Los Angeles coroners.
He had taken several medications including fentanyl and oxycodone to relieve pain.
Petty’s family said that the drugs had been prescribed to treat emphysema, knee problems, and a fractured hip, reports.
His death came just a week after the Heartbreakers 40th anniversary tour.
Medics found him unconscious at his Malibu home in October 2017 where he was rushed to hospital and put on life support.
His family hoped that his death would spark a debate on the opioid crisis within the US.
Petty's daughter Adria said: "It (Fentanyl) is so crazy-strong. We really don't want this to happen to anyone else.
"We learned this is the worst feeling you can have: to lose someone you love for no good reason."
'OPIOID CRISIS'
Legendary singer, dancer, and record producer died in Minnesota in April 2016.
He was one of the best-selling artists of all time having sold over 100million records worldwide.
Prince was 57 when he died after he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park home in May 2016.
Autopsy results revealed he died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl.
Cops searched Prince’s home and looked through the mobile phone records of his associates, according to search warrants.
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Other bottles of pills were allegedly marked under the names of different drugs – but at least one of those tested positive for fentanyl.
In April 2018, cops announced that nobody would be charged in connection with supplying the painkillers that killed the artist.
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