Southern California drug dealers whose clients die of fentanyl poisoning can now be charged with murder, prosecutors said this week as opioid deaths skyrocket 1,500 percent throughout the state.
As deaths mount in Orange County - where coroners are processing the toxicology results of 450 drug-related deaths - prosecutors are being given the green light to pursue murder charges for those who sell or manufacture fentanyl-laced drugs that kill someone.
‘These are not overdoses,’ Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said during a press conference Tuesday. 'These are murders.'
Fentanyl deaths have spiked 1,000 percent in Orange County over the past five years as a result of the drug being falsely marketed as other less potent drugs, the Orange County District Attorney’s office said.
Fentanyl deaths have jumped more than 1,500 percent statewide. The drug is believed to be 60 to 100 times more potent than morphine.
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Flanked by photos and relatives of fentanyl victims, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer (center at podium) announced November 10 that dealers who sell fentanyl-laced drugs to clients who die of fentanyl poisoning could be charged with murder
Spitzer held up a one-cent coin to demonstrate how a miniscule amount of the synthetic opioid can be fatal for an unsuspecting user.
‘I'm just holding up a penny,’ he told reporters. ‘The amount of fentanyl that can kill is the amount of fentanyl that can cover Abe Lincoln's nose. It's that tiny, it's that insignificant. It’s that de minimis.’
Orange County isn’t the first to take a tougher stance on fentanyl-related deaths.
In neighboring Riverside County, the district attorney’s office is currently prosecuting seven fentanyl-related murder cases.
Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin
Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin said fentanyl-related deaths have been rising exponentially in recent years.
While just two such deaths were recorded in 2016, authorities are on track to record 600 deaths this year, he said.
‘Fentanyl is so lethal that it's poisoning our communities,’ Hestrin told reporters Tuesday. ‘That's what's happening. Two milligrams of fentanyl is fatal; there are 5,000 milligrams of fentanyl in a teaspoon.’
In September, Riverside police arrested two people after finding 21 kilograms of the highly-toxic drug carfentanil – enough to kill 50 million people – inside a Perris, California, home.
Carfentanil is so powerful that it's fatal at a nanogram level; veterinarians wear protective gear while handling it to avoid exposure.
Riverside County Officer Ryan J. Railsback said dealers sometimes lace drugs such as heroin or cocaine with synthetic opioids to give users a stronger buzz.
When the dealers get the measurements just right, he said, they're likely to have a satisfied - and repeat - customer.
'It would be bad business if they're
