Antioch Police warn of ongoing opioid dangers

ANTIOCH – As area students return to school, Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow is alerting parents about an alarming increase in instances of drug overdoses involving opioids laced with fentanyl.

The uptick in overdoses mirrors a growing problem locally, regionally and nationally.

In recent instances of overdoses in Antioch, three teenagers (two females and a male) were treated at area hospitals for separate instances of overdosing, according to a news release. One of the overdose victims was saved when an acquaintance administered Narcan.

Since the beginning of this year, Antioch police have responded to 17 reports of overdose victims, according to the release. Of the 17 overdose calls, three of the victims died as a result of the overdose.

Guttschow said of the 14 victims who lived, most were saved because a first responder administered Narcan. Every Antioch police officer is equipped with Narcan. When administered within a certain time frame, Narcan will rapidly reverse an opioid overdose. Guttschow emphasized that time is critical in the administration of Narcan.

“The quicker the response by first responders, the better chance of saving a life,” Guttschow said in the release. “That’s why our officers carry Narcan, and every shift commander carries multiple doses.”

Criminal drug networks are mass-producing counterfeit pills that look identical to common prescription and over-the-counter drugs. These fake pills have increasingly become more deadly.

“These pills are falsely passed off as legitimate and are being sold online, via common social media platforms,” Guttschow said. “The criminals who manufacture these drugs include fentanyl to make the drugs cheaper to make, which also makes the pills more deadly. It doesn’t take much fentanyl to kill someone. As a department, we are working hard to educate our community about these dangers. We’re also warning the drug dealers that we’re coming after them.”

Through social media and other community outreach, the Antioch Police Department is working to educate parents and community members about the growing dangers of illicit opioids and other drugs.