Police and firefighters in Wood River responded to five drug overdoses in 14 hours, and say cocaine laced with fentanyl may be to blame.
According to police reports, around midnight Thursday, two overdoses were called in by Donzo's Lounge. First responders used Narcan to save the lives of a 21-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man who were both taken to Alton Memorial Hospital.
Around 2 a.m., a 36-year-old man overdosed at a home in the 200 block of Penning. He was also taken to Alton Memorial Hospital.
At 10 a.m., it's believed a 28-year-old man overdosed in his car at the Walmart on Wesley. He was dead by the time first responders arrived at the scene.
Just before 2 p.m., a crash was reported in the 600 block of Mildred. When police arrived, they found a 27-year-old man who was unresponsive and they used Narcan to revive him. He was taken to Alton Memorial Hospital.
Police say evidence from one of these cases was taken to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab in Belleville where it was determined to be cocaine mixed with fentanyl. Officers believe that the drug is being sold as cocaine and users might not know it has been mixed with fentanyl, which can be deadly even in small amounts.
Officers are warning residents that the mixture is making the rounds locally and that fentanyl can be absorbed into the skin or nasal passages, causing illness or death.
Investigators are currently following up on several leads.
For more information on drug prevention, visit NCADA online.
