NEW HAVEN -- The latest drug overdose death in the state came less than 18 hours before federal, state and local officials plan to announce new initiatives to target narcotics distributors.
U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly and representatives from the DEA, Chief State’s Attorney’s Office and several police departments from across Connecticut will hold a press conference Wednesday in New Haven announcing an initiative targeting distributors of heroin and opioids that cause overdose deaths.
The latest death occurred Tuesday night in Groton. A 25-year-old man was discovered unresponsive from an apparent Opioid overdose in a car on Route 12. The victim was transported to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have not released his identity.
On Saturday, just before 7:30 a.m., an unresponsive 18-year-old man was pronounced dead and Norwich police determined that the man had been recently using heroin which was laced with fentanyl. Just after 4:15 p.m., police said a 21-year-old woman overdosed on heroin. She was taken to Backus Hospital where she was treated and is expected to survive.
Law enforcement agencies have increased investigation into narcotic related crimes in the past few months. As of the end of March, almost 50 heroin-related arrests have been made in southeastern Connecticut since the newly formed Regional Community Enhancement Task Force started operations.
After an extensive investigation by the task force and Norwich police into the sale of fentanyl laced heroin, three people were arrested Tuesday in Norwich, Jonathon Fisher, 34, Joseph Hirschfeld, 19, and Raymond Belardo, 37, were taken into custody. Fisher and Hirschfeld were charged with heroin possession and intent to sell among other charges. They were held on $100,000 bond. Belardo was charged with possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia and held on $5,000 bond.