2 months ago
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FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The Fresno County District Attorney's Office has launched its 3rd question of fentanyl consciousness billboards. The connection reads, "You sell, Your cell, Murdered by fentanyl."
Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp says they person seen a important alteration successful fentanyl overdoses, truthful they cognize these campaigns are making a difference.
Fresno County's Fentanyl Education and Awareness Campaign started backmost successful 2021. That year, the region saw 114 fentanyl-related deaths. Last year, that fig dropped to 80.
"It is simply a fight that we are making advancement in, but we are surely not winning," Smittcamp said.
Earlier this year, the DA's bureau handed down the county's first-ever blameworthy verdict successful a second-degree fentanyl execution case, making it the 3rd region successful the authorities to execute this.
"Against the fentanyl trader who had cognition of the lethality of fentanyl, sold it, and continued to merchantability it after. This idiosyncratic knew that the pills she had antecedently sold had killed someone," Smittcamp said.
That triumph triggered Monday's campaign. 50 billboards with the message, "You sell, Your cell, Murdered by fentanyl" volition beryllium placed strategically passim Fresno County.
Smittcamp says the connection is wide and simple.
"If they take to enactment successful this behavior, the penalties are going to beryllium stiff. We are going to find you. We are going to prosecute you. And you could look 15 to beingness if you proceed to merchantability this," Smittcamp explained.
Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto shares however her officers are seeing caller ways fentanyl is being distributed.
"It's successful everything. It's not conscionable the small bluish pills. It's utilized successful weed. Just your communal weed, successful a joint, tin incorporate fentanyl due to the fact that it's specified a inexpensive high," Casto said.
Casto says they respond to thousands of fentanyl-related calls each year. Just this past weekend, they responded to adults utilizing drugs with a babe wrong a car.
"They were smoking meth, which was successful the extremity laced with fentanyl due to the fact that the babe tested affirmative for fentanyl. And this babe has nary choice. Her ma was there, her dad, respective different relatives, and they chose to forgo her information and usage these kinds of narcotics astir that child. When she was taken to the hospital, it was besides recovered that she had a skull fracture. So she is 1 of the different victims of fentanyl that the parents are much engaged with their addiction than caring for their children," Casto said.
Thankfully, the babe survived. But Casto says they are going to support warring for families and children affected by the terrors of fentanyl.
