Dozens of people are arrested after a year long investigation into a highly addictive drug hitting the streets in our area.
On Monday officials with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office released their results as part of “OperationRelentless Pursuit.” During the news conference several family members who lost loved ones to overdoses spoke emotionally about the ugly reality of drug addiction.
Sheriff William Snyder says the year-long investigation resulted in 34 arrests in addition to 15 others who are now currently being investigated. All of the charges related to the trafficking, sale and distribution as well as possession of the drug Opana, a highly addictive painkiller similar to OxyContin.
Officials say the drug is also to blame for a string of recent overdoses; at least 35 happening within one month. Sheriff Snyder says the investigation also showed that a majority of the Opana supply in Martin County came from Miami-Dade County. The problem has grown so much, deputies have recently had to double their supply of narcan; a drug used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
