NASHVILLE, Tenn.–A Tennessee District Attorney General is sharing information which shows the continued and dangerous growth of fentanyl in our communities. District Attorney Brent Cooper of the 22nd Judicial District shared the staggering statistics on his Facebook page which was compiled by the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) and the U.S. National Institute of Health. According to the latest data, fentanyl …

Hamilton County saw a record number of suspected drug-related deaths in 2022, with the synthetic opioid fentanyl contributing to 73% of those fatalities, according to a new report from the county health department. Drugs killed an estimated 226 people in the county last year, according to the Hamilton County Health Department’s Drug Overdose Surveillance Report, released Monday. Read the full …

JACKSON, Tenn. — Kevin Ritz was nominated by President Biden in July of last year, and is now the United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. He has served in this particular position for around six months, but is very familiar with this role. “Public service in in my nature,” Ritz said. “It’s why I wanted to be a prosecutor …

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Two people are facing charges after more than 25 pounds of drugs, including nine pounds of heroin and fentanyl, were seized from a home where three children were present on Wednesday according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. The drugs were found during a search of a home on the 2900 block of Boyds Bridge Pike …

FRANKLIN COUNTY, TN.–A Tennessee corrections officer had to be issued the overdose drug Narcan after an inmate’s bag of fentanyl blew into the officer’s face. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office reports the corrections officer was escorting a woman from the booking area to the general female population, preparing her for a final body check in the women’s restroom. A search …

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A private security group brought in by businesses downtown, Solaren Risk Management, are very concerned about the current fentanyl crisis. They are not only worried about the public, but the impact on first responders. The CEO of Solaren Risk Management, Jack Byrd, says overdose deaths have increased more than 200% in the last five years in Tennessee …

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Metro Nashville Public Health Department reported 103 suspected overdose deaths from the beginning of the year to the week of March 4. That’s compared to 136 during the same time period in 2022. According to MPHD, the highly lethal drug fentanyl was detected in 73.5% of suspected overdose deaths. Tennessee will share in a $275 …

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A bill filed in the Tennessee General Assembly would classify fentanyl and its derivatives as chemical warfare agents like tear gas, nerve agents and blister agents. Tullahoma Republican Sen. Janice Bowling filed SB 1115 this legislative session. Under present law, it is a Class B felony for anyone to possess, develop, manufacture, produce, transfer, acquire, weaponize or retain …

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Officials with the Knoxville Police Department said a traffic stop Friday afternoon of a car with expired Illinois tags on Martin Luther King Drive led to the seizure of over 80 grams of suspected fentanyl packaged for resale. Officers also said a loaded firearm was found in the car, and a convicted felon from Detroit was …

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Drugs are being trafficked through the Nashville International Airport. Just this week, police arrested two people after catching them with drugs. One man had eight grams of meth in his luggage. Another had 11 pounds of fentanyl, enough to kill more than 2 million people. Both the number of overdose deaths in Middle Tennessee and the …