With how much fentanyl they’ve seen in the past several years, attorneys in Williamson County say it’s become a top priority to prosecute those who “put this poison on our streets to the highest extent of the law.” Fentanyl was hardly on his radar ten years ago when Assistant District Attorney Carlin Hess was merely an intern at the very …

Tennessee will receive more than $53 million in additional funding from the federal government to address mental health and addiction treatment needs driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, state officials announced Thursday. The funding — which is part of a $3 billion allocation for mental health services included in the recently signed American Rescue Plan — will add more than $27 …

Rutherford County Sheriff’s detectives seized nearly 16 pounds of fentanyl as part of a Drug Enforcement Agency Task Force in Nashville. The seizure was part of a three-month investigation into Carlos Batey, 44, of Hendersonville. Batey used four locations to store, manufacture and distribute various types of narcotics, according to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. While executing a search warrant, RCSO said detectives also …

DEA officials said one kilogram of fentanyl is capable of killing up to 500,000 people. Officers discovered more than 15 pounds of fentanyl at a home in Nashville, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. Metro Nashville Police and DEA agents conducted a search warrant at two homes on Luton Street on Wednesday. Detectives discovered 15.5 pounds of fentanyl, 123 grams …

An autopsy shows that a Tennessee toddler likely starved to death after his mother died of a drug overdose. A probation officer found the bodies of 32-year-old Tiffany Spears and her 15-month-old son, Nicholas Crowder, in their home in Portland, Tennessee, on February 9. A three-year-old girl was found alive in the home. There were no obvious signs of foul …

In disproportionate clusters from Cape Cod to San Diego, the opioid epidemic is taking a deadly toll on people’s mental health, suggested the findings of a new study by the researchers from the University of Cincinnati. Fatal opiate overdoses are most prevalent among six states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana and Tennessee. But researchers identified 25 hot spots of …

Local Kootenai County law enforcement warn of ‘sharp increase’ in overdose deaths linked to the synthetic opioid. Over the past eight days, five people in Kootenai County died of suspected fentanyl overdoses. Authorities are warning the public about a “sharp increase” in fatal overdoses connected to the synthetic narcotic fentanyl in Kootenai County.  Five overdose deaths involving counterfeit prescription pills and other …

Those who track opioid overdoses in Nashville tell FOX 17 News during the pandemic, drug misuse trends have changed, and unfortunately could take years to get under control. Trevor Henderson is MPHD’s Director of Opioid Overdose Response and Reduction Program. He says this past year has been tough, and he wishes he had better news to share. “We thought 2018 …

A group of law enforcement officers that work to keep drugs and criminals off the streets in West Tennessee received a huge honor this week. The West Tennessee Drug Task Force interdiction team has been named the 2020 Team of the Year. These law enforcement officers reduce illegal drug trafficking, by working with 932 agencies along the major drug corridors …

Two people were arrested Monday after Indiana State Police say they were caught with $2 million worth of narcotics originating from Memphis. Ester Osegueda, 32, and Adam Lopez, 27, were pulled over in a Chrysler van by Indiana State Police on Interstate 70. Authorities said there were some indicators of criminal activity and the vehicle was searched, leading to the …