There has been a massive upswing in drug overdose cases reported in Murfreesboro in the past 72 hours to 14 days.
According to police reports, it appears as if the overdoses are related to the supply of what is being sold on the street as Percocet. However, the drug may actually be a synthetic form of heroin mixed with Fentanyl. Again, the drug is being sold as Percocet on the streets and at this point, it would appear that four deaths may be to blame on the drug in Murfreesboro alone.
The TBI sent out a warning on Thursday stating, "In recent days, Agents in the Middle Tennessee area have seen a spike in adulterated Percocet pills being sold on the street and are warning users that these counterfeit pills have deadly consequences. Active and ongoing investigations continue into the source of these pills." - SCROLL DOWN FOR ENTIRE TBI MESSAGE
The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office reported:
About 15 people overdosed Wednesday in Rutherford County from an apparent counterfeit Percocet pill laced with a potent painkiller believed to be Fentanyl, a prescription medicine used on cancer patients, the Sheriff's Office said.
Sheriff Robert Arnold said a multi-agency investigation is ongoing.
"We are warning people about the dangers of the non-prescription drug use and urging people to stop using the illegal drugs sold on the street," Sheriff Arnold said. "These drugs are extremely dangerous and potentially deadly."
A Sheriff's Office narcotics supervisor said Fentanyl will quickly depress the nervous system and respiratory system, causing distress, disorientation, coughing and cardiac arrest if absorbed, ingested or inhaled. The drug is so potent it can be quickly absorbed through the skin.
A Drug Enforcement Administration leader said Fentanyl is 40 to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine and even minimal exposure can be life threatening.
Percocet is used to relieve moderate to severe pain while Fentanyl is one of the strongest opiate drugs on the market used to prevent pain directly after surgery in hospitals. The drug being sold on the streets is not Percocet at all, it is tweaked or re-calibrated Fentanyl which is actually 50 times (or more) stronger than heroin. Reports indicate that drug traffickers may be changing the chemical compounds of Fentanyl and making it stronger and later selling it as Percocet.
This photograph of Percocet A333 from drugs.com resembles the counterfeit, non-prescription Percocet being sold illegally.
Some of the Murfreesboro Police Reports Released Thus Far (UPDATED!):
Drug Overdose: 16-12814
On June 25, 2016, Murfreesboro Police Officer R. Whitley was called to investigate a 35 year old Murfreesboro man who was found unconscious with a needle in his hand. A witness told the officer that he viewed the man walking in the area of Landmark Lane and noticed the man seemed to be unsteady. The witness then saw the subject collapse in the roadway. Emergency Medical Services were called to the scene and administered Narcan, an opiate antidote. The lifesaving drug revived the man who told police he had recently used heroin. The man was transported to St. Thomas Rutherford and survived the accidental drug overdose.
Unattended Death: 16-13003
On June 28, 2016, Murfreesboro Police responded to the Candlewood Inn and Suites on Thompson Lane to assist paramedics with a white male who was found face down, deceased in a motel room. Friends who were in the room with the now dead 21-year old told first responders they assumed their friend was only asleep. The three subjects who were in the motel room with the deceased male were transported to the police department for questioning. The victim is from Liberty, Tennessee.
Attended Death: 16-13182
A man walking down West Northfield Blvd. appeared to have lost his balance, according to witnesses, and fell down in a field. The 50 year old man then had a seizure. After the seizure, a witness told police the man became unresponsive. The subject was pronounced deceased at 16:47 hours on 6/30/16.
Unattended Death: 16-13437
On the afternoon of July 4, 2016, Murfreesboro Police responded to Apache Trail in reference to a death investigation. Once at the address in question, police found a 35 year old woman who was deceased. Detectives with the MPD collected "Drug Paraphernalia and other evidence" from the inside of the home.
Accidental overdose: 16-13554
Police responded to the Colony House Apartments on July 5, 2016 in reference to an overdose. Evidently a 27 year old female was found to be passed out in a bathroom. The victim was transported to St. Thomas Rutherford in Murfreesboro. The report shows that the woman possibly snorted crushed up Percocet prior to overdosing. At last report, she was alive after the overdose which was accidental.
EMS Assist: 16-13573
Murfreesboro Police responded to Jerickia Court to assist medical personnel with 26 year old man who was found unresponsive on Wednesday, July 6, 2016. Once at the scene, the complainant told police the man went outside to smoke, but never came back inside. The complainant went outside to check on the subject and found him unresponsive. CPR was performed and the man was taken to St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital. His condition is not known. Detectives were called to investigate the man's prior drug use history.
Attended Death: 16-13583
Murfreesboro Police were called to Eagle Street on Wednesday in regards to deceased female. A friend of the female told police that the deceased 33 year old did not have a prior medical history. Detectives took over the investigation.
Pill Overdose: 16-13618
Police responded to an address on Rochester Drive in Murfreesboro on Wednesday (6/7/16) due to an unresponsive female who is 35 years of age. The husband of the woman told authorities that his wife had taken her prescription medication and possibly a Percocet. The husband told officers that his wife was on the Rover bus earlier in the day and that an unknown woman on the bus may have given her the Percocet. The 35 year old woman was said to have a pulse when she was transported to the hospital.
Drug Overdose: 16-13620
On Wednesday, July 6, 2016, Murfreesboro Police were called in reference to a woman overdosing on what she believed to be Percocet. The 26 year old woman told police that she and three other persons purchased the drug on July 5, 2016 during the evening hours. The victim who called the authorities said that she took one of the pills and became unconscious. She told police to take the pill, she crushed it and then snorted it. Her boyfriend had to revive her. The boyfriend later took a pill as well. He too overdosed and was transported to St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital. Another person by the name of Tiffanie Scott also took a pill and died, according to the same police report.
Unintentional Overdose: 16-13720
During the early morning hours on Friday, July 8, 2016, police in Murfreesboro were called to a mobile home on North Tennessee Boulevard for a drug overdose. Once on the scene, police found an unresponsive 21 year old female. A witness at the scene was giving the female CPR while waiting for paramedics to arrive. The woman was transported to St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital and did survive. She later told police that she did not intend to overdose.
NOTE: Overdose deaths have also been reported in nearby Shelbyville, TN this week.
TBI Releases WARNING about fake Percocet:
Special Agents with the Drug Investigation Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are warning the public about a recent dramatic increase in the prevalence of counterfeit prescription drugs in Tennessee.
In recent days, Agents in the Middle Tennessee area have seen a spike in adulterated Percocet pills being sold on the street and are warning users that these counterfeit pills have deadly consequences. Active and ongoing investigations continue into the source of these pills.
These counterfeit drugs have a very similar look and appearance to legitimate Percocet pills, but contain potentially lethal ingredients that cause law enforcement officials immediate concern. Numerous overdoses across Middle Tennessee are being attributed to this batch of dangerous drugs, and Agents are warning users that more overdoses and deaths are likely as these pills make their way to users.
"We want to make the public abundantly clear that these pills being made in clandestine labs present a very real and life-threatening danger to anyone who takes them," says TBI Deputy Director Jason Locke. "We can't stress enough that the pills people buy on the streets can and do contain deadly elements."
In the last year, dozens of case submissions from counties across Tennessee have shared a common, concerning trend: Pills shaped, colored, and stamped to look like a particular type of prescription medication have proven to be something different in laboratory analysis.
For example, in May 2015, a Tennessee law enforcement agency recovered what appeared to be several 30mg pills of oxycodone during a traffic stop. Each was the same size and featured the signature A/215 stamp characteristic of oxycodone. However, laboratory analysis performed by TBI Forensic Scientists indicated the pills were counterfeit and did not contain oxycodone. Instead, they contained fentanyl, a pain killer 50 times as potent as heroin that can be deadly in high doses.
