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8 overdoses, including 2 fatal, reported in Fort Collins over last week, officials say

Posted at 3:41 PM, Jan 30, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-30 17:44:49-05

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Larimer County authorities are investigating a string of fentanyl overdoses — including two fatal cases — over the last week, officials said.

Officers from the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force and Fort Collins police SWAT were executing search warrants Thursday in the 600 block of Quaking Aspen Drive and the 1900 block of Pecan Street in Fort Collins, according to a news release.

Those addresses are connected to the sale of the drugs involved in the overdoses, said Capt. Joe Shellhammer, the commander of the task force. Investigators believe the drugs appeared to be Oxycontin when they were sold on the street, but they were actually laced with fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, Shellhammer said.

No arrests had been made as of Thursday afternoon, and investigators were still searching the two homes in Fort Collins.

The task force released pictures of the type of pills involved in the overdoses as a warning for anyone who might have bought the drugs on the street Fort Collins area recently.

Larimer County pill overdoses
Larimer County drugs

"We threw all our resources at it, trying to put a stop to the overdoses and trying to tie in the source," Shellhammer said. "We need to get people to understand: What you're getting is not what you think you're getting."

Anyone with information about the cases is asked to call the task force at 970-416-2560.