Multiple spice overdoses reported at Fort Wayne parks
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — There have been at least seven spice overdoses in the last 24 hours and police expect there will be more.
Fort Wayne police and paramedics were called to Freimann Square Park Tuesday morning for a reported drug overdose. As first responders worked to treat the two people involved, they received a call about another reported overdose at Headwaters Park. Fort Wayne police believes all of the overdoses are connected to the synthetic marijuana spice. A first responder on scene told Newschannel 15 said there were four overdoses at Freimann Square last night, also.
“Spice is one of those drugs that ebbs and flows,” said Officer Michael Joyner. “We will start seeing it travel through the city so we know this particular bad product has just arrived because we are responding to calls for service.”
Captain Kevin Hunter of the Fort Wayne Police Department said there has been an uptick in a certain string of spice that causes severe overdose effects. This particular spice is called 5-Fluoro-ADB. Hunter said it is responsible for at least four overdose deaths this year. Police saw a spike in the drug at the end of July. As a result, Hunter said there were five drug raids back to back associated with the spice last summer.
“We have enforcement efforts through vice narcotics and when we get credible information we work with that information to try to intercede in sales or usage,” said Joyner.