Claremont’s Deadly Batch

By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
A potentially life threatening batch of the opioid known as Fentanyl has made its way into Claremont.

In a statement published to their Facebook account, the Claremont Police Department issued a warning of a deadly batch of Fentanyl resulting in six known overdoses this previous weekend. Each instance of overdose was combated by administering Narcan and there were no resulting deaths. “We go there as a medical priority to save a life, but we are also police, so we are looking around the scene to do our due diligence,” said Chief Mark Chase.

Investigations as to the reason for the alarmingly high number of overdoses over the weekend led police to believe that they were each connected. A stamped scorpion “branding” on bags suspected to contain either heroin or fentanyl were found at the scenes. Branding of illegal drugs is a common practice and can often be anything from a scorpion to a cartoon character, but does not suggest anything about the contents or quality, only that it likely came from the same person or people.

“People will almost try and trademark their drugs. It doesn’t mean anything, it’s just packaging. I can’t say for sure that we’ve ever seen this particular label before,” said Chase.

Claremont police also believe that the actual number of overdoses over the weekend is higher than reported. While there are no statistics to prove the theory, professional experience leads them to this conclusion.

“We believe the number was much higher and we just weren’t called. We have talked to people in the past that have overdosed and the police weren’t contacted, they had been saved with Narcan,” stated Chase.

Initially announced to be a “bad batch”, Chase said that “deadly batch” is a more appropriate term. People that sell illegal drugs often will use cutting agents to create more products and lower the dosage of the drug itself. The lack of quality control leaves the person purchasing the drug with no idea of the dosage. Claremont police believe that this particular batch has a much higher dosage than what is typically seen in the area, causing unsuspecting users to overdose.

Chase hopes that the announcement of this particularly dangerous batch of drugs sparks a conversation among people suffering from addiction, so that they go and get the help they require. “It usually takes a dramatic or traumatic event for someone to realize they need to try and kick the habit,” he said.

There are a number of local resources for anyone suffering from addiction. These include essential service numbers like 211, who provide healthcare and human services information, local emergency rooms at either Valley Regional Hospital or Dartmouth are available to help, Mount Ascutney Hospital offers onboarding services that can connect someone with a rehabilitation facility. In addition to these options, there is currently a Recovery Center in Claremont and people can contact the Greater Sullivan County Public Health Network.

“These people aren’t evil, they need to find a way out, i hope it spawns a conversation and the people that need it get help. I don’t want to see anyone die from this,” said Chase.

Larger New Hampshire cities such as Manchester and Nashua are receiving overdose calls nearly everyday. House Bill 615 introduced to the New Hampshire House of Representatives and Senate sought to lower drug possession charges for all but fentanyl, which they intended to raise the penalty for possession. The bill ultimately was not signed into law. The Claremont Police Department has partnered with the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office as well as the Claremont Detective division to investigate the source of the deadly drugs.