WILTON MANORS (CBSMiami) – Six people, enjoying Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale, were hospitalized on Thursday after overdosing on cocaine laced with fentanyl.
When authorities arrived at the Airbnb home, in the 800 block of NW 29 Court, they found six college students who had difficulty breathing.
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“They seem like good kids, typical college kids,” said one neighbor. “Rowdy in the pool, but they don’t deserve this.”
Shock from neighbors is coupled with worry from fire rescue crews after the six spring breakers overdosed.
“It brings great concern that there could be other ODs over the next couple of days,” City of Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan said.
Four of those who overdosed went into cardiac arrest before two friends tried to help by performing CPR. That’s when they were also exposed to the drug.
Chopper 4 was over the scene Thursday as first responders rushed the victims on stretchers to nearby ambulances.
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The opioid-overdose-reversing drug naloxone was administered, according to Gollan.
Four people were transported to Broward Health, two were transported to Holy Cross. Five of them were stable but one was in critical condition, added Gollan.
Fentanyl is extremely potent. It’s 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine and used to treat severe pain, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease and Prevention.
A 2020 report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows three districts in South Florida are in the top 10 for fentanyl-related deaths.
The Fort Lauderdale area is the highest.
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“Obviously if there’s a bad batch, it’s not isolated just to one buyer, it normally goes to everyone that purchases that same substance from whoever they got it from,” said Gollan.
