2nd person in a week dies of opioid overdose in Grovetown
GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - For the second time in a few days, a person has died of an opioid overdose in Grovetown.
The latest death happened over the weekend in the 200 block of Hayne Drive, according to police.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the victim had possibly ingested cocaine that was laced with fentanyl, according to police.
The death came on the heels of one Thursday in the 300 block of James Street, where two overdose victims were found.
One of those people died.
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Police said they learned Johnny Vasquez-Morales, 29, of Grovetown, had provided the narcotics. He was arrested and charged with trafficking a schedule II substance (fentanyl) and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
He was transported to the Columbia County Detention Center.
Police said agencies across the CSRA are seeing a rise in overdose cases where cocaine has been laced with fentanyl, a much more potent synthetic opioid.
“In the past six months, we have seen roughly about a dozen cases that have involved some form of positive indication for fentanyl present,” Kitchens said.
In Richmond County, there have been 63 overdoses in 2022, many of those involving fentanyl, with another 67 autopsies still pending toxicology results.
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