Authorities in Culpeper County, Va., recorded 11 heroin overdoses in the first 12 days of the month. Then, on Wednesday, three happened in the span of a day.
“I ask citizens to be alert to the symptoms of heroin use,” he said in a press release. “If you have friends or family that you suspect may be abusing heroin, or might abuse heroin, talk to them about this dangerous drug on the streets now.”
While Jenkins described this particular batch of heroin as “deadly,” no one has yet died from an overdose, but some have come close.
Investigators say the heroin may be mixed with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin and cause fatal reactions, authorities said.
Jenkins asked friends or family of drug abusers or suspected drug abusers to be on alert for symptoms of heroin use. Normally talkative or active people who may seem sleepy or disoriented should not be left alone, he said. Contact your local health provider, or if it is an emergency, call 911.
