Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin said on Monday that fentanyl overdoses are fueling a drug crisis.
“In Riverside County, the number of fentanyl deaths in the last five years has gone up 800%. This year, we expect to have well over 500 people die because of fentanyl poisoning,” Hestrin told “America Reports.”
Hestrin said that law enforcement is facing a crisis in their county and across southern California at large. He continued to say that district attorneys have gotten together to start filing murder charges against people that deal fentanyl.
“We got to push back, get the word out that this will not be tolerated in our counties.”
FATHER WHO LOST SON TO FENTANYL OVERDOSE URGES US TO DESIGNATE DRUG A ‘WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION’
Roger Boyd, 35, holds a piece of foil containing Fentanyl while spending time on McAllister Street in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, Calif. Friday, June 21, 2019. (Photo by Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Hestrin’s remarks came as government data indicates fentanyl overdose deaths doubled in 30 states across the country between 2019 and 2021.
Furthermore, Alaska, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, California and Texas saw their numbers skyrocket, quintupling over the same time period.
Hestrin added that harsh penalties are not the sole solution for the distribution of fentanyl.
“We are working hard to get the message out and you having me on the program and covering this also helps,” Hestrin told ‘America Reports.’ “People need to understand there is no safe way to use or deal fentanyl.”
“The drugs on the streets now are virtually all laced with fentanyl, it’s all mixed in,” he cautioned.
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“There never was a time when drugs were safe, but now they are literally killing people; It’s playing Russian roulette.”
Fox News’ Bailee Hill contributed to this report.
