On Aug. 1, at approximately 4:50 p.m., the Garland Police Department officers, as well as Garland Fire Department paramedics responded to three overdose calls. Two occurred in the 200 block of Coneflower Drive at TGI Fridays. The other was in the 100 block of Coneflower Drive at the AMC Movie Theatre. All of the involved parties were teenage females.
The Garland Fire Department arrived on the scene and provided immediate medical attention, which included the administration of Narcan. These efforts undoubtedly saved the lives of these young people, and they are now recovering at a hospital.
Garland PD detectives and investigators from the Garland Narcotics Unit responded and identified 19-year-old Erik Santos as the person who supplied fentanyl pills to the victims of each overdose. Santos is currently in the Garland Detention Center, charged with three counts of Delivery of a Controlled Substance Causing Serious Bodily Injury (First Degree Felony).
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is alerting the public of a sharp nationwide increase in the lethality of fentanyl-laced pills. The DEA Laboratory has found that, of the fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills analyzed in 2022, six out of ten now contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.
National Fentanyl Awareness aims to amplify nationwide efforts to increase awareness and decrease demand for fentanyl, which is a highly addictive synthetic opioid that continues to drive the overdose epidemic. Please talk to your kids.
If you need advice or answers, please call the Garland PD Behavioral Health Unit at 972-205-4604, no questions asked. We will direct you to the best resources available for fentanyl addiction.