TRAGIC TOP 10: Fentanyl Deaths In NY, NJ, PA, MD Among Highest In Nation, Study Finds TRAGIC TOP 10: Fentanyl Deaths In NY, NJ, PA, MD Among Highest In Nation, Study Finds
Tragic TOP 10: Fentanyl Deaths In NY, NJ, PA, MD Among Highest In Nation, Study Finds New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland were among the 10 states with the most fentanyl deaths last year, a recent study found. All four were also among the states with the most deaths caused by the synthetic opioid since 2015, the non-profit Families Against Fentanyl found. The results led a former chief medical officer of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to urge Washington to "attack fentanyl overdoses with the same vigor and approaches as we do the coronavirus." Bipartisan leaders including former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and former CIA Directo…
Major Allentown Drug Bust Nets $567K Worth Of Fentanyl, Cocaine, Meth, Firearms: AG Major Allentown Drug Bust Nets $567K Worth Of Fentanyl, Cocaine, Meth, Firearms: AG
Major Allentown Drug Bust Nets $567K Worth Of Fentanyl, Cocaine, Meth, Firearms: AG An Allentown man was arrested Thursday after a search of his home and a separate location turned up $567,000 worth of fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, crystal methamphetamine, and two firearms, authorities said. Harold Bauza has been charged with drug possession with intent to deliver, dealing in unlawful proceeds and prohibited possession of a gun, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Friday. Bauza was on state parole at the time of his arrest for prior felony drug and weapons convictions, making him ineligible to purchase firearms. As a part of an ongoing drug investigatio…
Ex-Berks County Councilman Sentenced In 2nd Drug Store Robbery Case Ex-Berks County Councilman Sentenced In 2nd Drug Store Robbery Case
Ex-Berks County Councilman Sentenced In 2nd Drug Store Robbery Case An ex-councilman in Berks County who is already in prison, will face additional time behind bars after being sentenced for his involvement in a second drug store robbery. Kirk Mullen, 37, was sentenced to six to 20 years in state prison on Monday following his conviction of robbery and attempted delivery of a controlled substance, specifically opioids, according to the Berks County District Attorney's Office. The former West Reading councilman was arrested in Sept. 2020 after he taped a threatening note to the front door of The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy in Shillington, DA John T. Adams said.…
Opioids Drive Highest Number Of OD Deaths Ever In US, While NJ Holds Steady, CDC Reports Opioids Drive Highest Number Of OD Deaths Ever In US, While NJ Holds Steady, CDC Reports
Opioids Drive Highest Number Of OD Deaths Ever In US, While NJ Holds Steady, CDC Reports Call it a statistical oddity: Despite an historic spike in drug overdose deaths across the United States last year, the total reported for New Jersey ticked up barely 1% over 2019 – compared with an increase of more than 32% in New York, over 17% in Pennsylvania and more than 10% in Connecticut, the CDC reported. More than 93,000 people across the country died from drug overdoses amid last year’s COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. That total represented a 29.4% increase from the 72,151 deaths projected nationwide for 2019, according to an annual…
16 Charged In Drug Trafficking Bust After Probe Launched In Hudson Valley 16 Charged In Drug Trafficking Bust After Probe Launched In Hudson Valley
16 Charged In Drug Trafficking Bust After Probe Launched In Hudson Valley Authorities announced that 16 people were indicted for allegedly trafficking drugs in multiple states. New York State Attorney General Letitia James said the individuals trafficked prescription opioids and cocaine in Brooklyn, Staten Island, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. James made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon, July 14. We busted a major drug trafficking ring operating throughout New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.In our third major action in the past month, 16 individuals have been charged for their roles in flooding our communities with tens of thousands of opioid…
South Jersey Woman Arrested After Fatal Heroin Overdose South Jersey Woman Arrested After Fatal Heroin Overdose
South Jersey Woman Arrested After Fatal Heroin Overdose A 53-year-old woman from Burlington County faces multiple drug charges in connection with the fatal overdose of a Lumberton man, authorities said.  Linda Naulty, 53, of the first block of Cedar Street in Mount Holly, has been arrested and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, failure to surrender narcotics and several other drug-related charges, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Lumberton Township Police Chief Nicholas Peditto. An unidentified man's fatal overdose could lead to upgraded charges against Naul…
West Chester Closed-Door Pharmacy To Pay $225K In Civil Penalties For Illegally Selling Drugs West Chester Closed-Door Pharmacy To Pay $225K In Civil Penalties For Illegally Selling Drugs
West Chester Closed-Door Pharmacy To Pay $225K In Civil Penalties For Illegally Selling Drugs A West Chester closed-door pharmacy has been ordered to pay $225,000 in civil penalties for illegally selling drugs after receiving warnings from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), authorities announced. A civil lawsuit alleges that Source One Pharmacy Services LLC -- which operates as a pharmacy that is not open for business to the general public --  improperly documented and distributed drugs including opioids, Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said. The complaint further alleges that Source One distributed some drugs to locations where the recipients …
West Philadelphia Doc, 80, Charged In Patient's Cocaine, Oxy Overdose Death West Philadelphia Doc, 80, Charged In Patient's Cocaine, Oxy Overdose Death
West Philadelphia Doc, 80, Charged In Patient's Cocaine, Oxy Overdose Death A West Philadelphia doctor is facing involuntary manslaughter charges after he prescribed his patient a combination of opioids that resulted in an accidental overdose of cocaine, oxycodone, and morphine, authorities announced Wednesday. An investigation showed that Dr. Walter Wrenn, 80, fabricated the patient’s diagnosis in order for Keystone First to approve filling the prescribed medications, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. The patient’s opioid prescriptions far exceeded the recommended 90 milligrams per day, Shapiro said. On Keystone First’s authorization form, Dr. Wrenn s…
NJ Senate Approves Bill Aimed At Preventing OD Deaths NJ Senate Approves Bill Aimed At Preventing OD Deaths
NJ Senate Approves Bill Aimed At Preventing OD Deaths The New Jersey Senate on Thursday approved a proposed law that would require doctors to prescribe Narcan when writing opioid pain management prescriptions for high-risk patients. At least seven states now require co-prescribing Narcan (naloxone) with opioids: Arizona, Florida, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Laws in California and Ohio require prescribers to offer naloxone co-prescriptions in certain circumstances. “It can make a difference in New Jersey, as well,” said state Sen. Anthony M. Bucco, R-Boonton, a co-sponsor of the measure, which had bi-partisan su…
Man Charged In Connection To Fatal Long Island Overdose Man Charged In Connection To Fatal Long Island Overdose
Man Charged In Connection To Fatal Long Island Overdose An accused Long Island drug dealer was arrested in connection to a fatal overdose. Nassau County Police Narcotics and Vice detectives arrested Woodside resident Juan Altagracia, 31, shortly before 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Great Neck Plaza, the department announced. Altagracia’s arrest came as part of “Operation Natalie,” the Nassau County Police Department title for its “war against opioids,” as they investigated the fatal overdose of a Nassau County resident earlier this year. The investigation into the fatal overdose led detectives to Altagracia, who was arrested without inciden…
Police: Smallest Little Whorehouse In Paterson Raided Police: Smallest Little Whorehouse In Paterson Raided
Police: Smallest Little Whorehouse In Paterson Raided At street level it was a typical inner-city storefront, with a ground-floor business that offered travel, tax and mortgage services. But upstairs, Paterson police said, people were selling sex. Responding to complaints from merchants and residents, ABC/Vice Unit members raided the second-floor Main Street apartment, where they said men came and went all hours of the day and night. Two accused hookers were arrested along with an alleged manager. More than $900 in suspected proceeds was seized. Police said they also found a bag of coke and jar of pot. Charged with promoting prostitution and …
Grant Helps USR-Allendale Coalition Assist Families Dealing With Drugs, Other Youth Issues Grant Helps USR-Allendale Coalition Assist Families Dealing With Drugs, Other Youth Issues
Grant Helps Usr-allendale Coalition Assist Families Dealing With Drugs, Other Youth Issues A unique program aimed at reducing substance abuse while also tackling other troubling issues among young people in Allendale and Upper Saddle River will grow even stronger, thanks to a new federal grant, organizers said. The $625,000 National Drug Control Policy grant will be distributed evenly over five years to the USRA Coalition, said Upper Saddle River Mayor Joanne Minichetti, the group’s chairperson. The money will “both sustain and broaden the USRA Coalition’s programming and education,” Minichetti said. The USRA Coalition was created in 2017 in response to the increase in substan…