LAFAYETTE, La. (KADN) — In the final part of our in-depth look into the surge of deadly fentanyl coming into the Hub City, we sat down with the head of the narcotics division at the Lafayette Police Department and Louisiana's attorney general.
We've learned that Lafayette Parish is on pace right now to set a record for fentanyl overdose deaths this year.
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LAFAYETTE, La. (KADN) — News 15 Investigates looks into the influx of deadly fentanyl coming into the Hub City. This year, Lafayette Parish could be on pace for a record-high number of fentanyl-related deaths.
LAFAYETTE, La. (KADN) — In Part II of the series, I sat down with Lafayette's coroner and he shared some shocking new information. The coroner told me 2024 could be a record year for fentanyl-related deaths in Lafayette Parish. Plus, News 15's medical editor Dr. Jon Liprie broke down what makes street fentanyl so deadly.
The head of the Lafayette Police Department Narcotics Division told me it’s concerning because they are confiscating more and more fentanyl off the streets of Lafayette every day.
For years, Lafayette has been a hotspot for drug trafficking, with two major interstates, I-10 and I-49, meeting up in the Hub City. LPD is constantly seizing drugs and a good majority of it contains deadly street fentanyl. In April, LPD seized its largest fentanyl bust in the city's history, confiscating five pounds.
"Whenever the K-2 spikes start hitting the market and these local smoke shops and whatnot, and at that point, I think we saw a trend of your more traditional drugs are now going to be converted to more synthetic in the future and I think that's where we're at right now," said Lt. Will White with the Lafayette Police Department.
He added the drug dealers and pushers use fentanyl to help increase their profits.
"Because fentanyl is so cheap, if I buy, let's say a kilogram of heroin, I can stretch my profits by cutting it with fentanyl. Fentanyl and heroin kind of run parallel with one another. So, I'm able to turn one kilo, perhaps into two kilos, which maximizes my profits down the road," explained Lt. White.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is working with sheriff's offices, Louisiana State Police, and even city police departments in hopes of curbing the influx of fentanyl being pushed statewide.
But it's not an easy task.
"We are right on I-10 come straight in from the border,” said AG Murrill. “So, our fentanyl problem is a fentanyl problem that started in Mexico and started with cartels trafficking drugs across our border. The open border and the crisis that we have now at the border has created, it has turned our interstates into arteries for mainlining fentanyl into our smallest communities. And that's why we see these overdose deaths in some of the smallest communities in our state. And that's true in every state," she explained.
