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Suspect arrested in connection to fentanyl-laced cocaine overdose that hospitalized spring breakers

Suspect arrested in connection to fentanyl-laced cocaine overdose that hospitalized spring breakers 2

A suspect believed to be connected to the group of spring breakers who overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl was arrested in Florida, police confirmed to WSVN Friday night. 

Police did not release the suspect’s name or indicate their connection to the six West Point cadets who were hospitalized.

The students, at least two of whom are football players at the military school, were hospitalized in the Fort Lauderdale area Thursday after overdosing on the drug. 

A seventh individual – only identified as a woman – was later taken to the hospital and treated, the Sun-Sentinel reported. It is unclear if she suffered an overdose or what condition she is in. It is also unknown if she attended West Point with the other patients.

As of late Friday, only three remained in the hospital, the TV station reported. Two were in critical condition and on ventilators. The other patient is said to be in stable condition.  

Two of the cadets had not ingested the drugs but were overcome by the effects of fentanyl when they attempted to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on their sickened friends, the Sun-Sentinel first reported on Friday. 

The students were staying in a short-term vacation rental home listed on VRBO for $360 per night. It is unclear where or how they obtained the drugs.

It is also unclear if the suspect was staying at the rental property with the spring breakers.  

DailyMail.com reached to the U.S. Army Academy at West Point and was told by a representative that the college was ‘aware’ of the incident in Florida involving its students. 

‘The U.S. Military Academy is aware of the situation involving West Point cadets, which occurred Thursday night in Wilton Manors, FL,’ a West Point spokesperson said in an email. ‘The incident is currently under investigation and no other details are available at this time.’  

Local10 helicopter footage shows paramedics trying to revive six West Point Academy football players on spring break who overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday

Local10 helicopter footage shows paramedics trying to revive six West Point Academy football players on spring break who overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday

Officials say four college students staying at a vacation rental home in Wilton Manors ingested the drug and went into cardiac arrest, and their two friends fell ill after coming into contact with the fentanyl by performing CPR on the patients

Officials say four college students staying at a vacation rental home in Wilton Manors ingested the drug and went into cardiac arrest, and their two friends fell ill after coming into contact with the fentanyl by performing CPR on the patients

A first responder in a HAZMAT suit is seen working at the scene of the mass overdose in Wilton Manors on Thursday night

A first responder in a HAZMAT suit is seen working at the scene of the mass overdose in Wilton Manors on Thursday night 

The six patients are college students who traveled to Fort Lauderdale for spring break

The six patients are college students who traveled to Fort Lauderdale for spring break 

The overdosed vacationers were treated with nalaxone at the scene before being taken to a hospital, where one of them was listed in critical condition

The overdosed vacationers were treated with nalaxone at the scene before being taken to a hospital, where one of them was listed in critical condition 

Paramedics are seen removing one of the overdoses college kids from the home on Thursday

Paramedics are seen removing one of the overdoses college kids from the home on Thursday

What is fentanyl and why is it so dangerous?

Fentanyl was originally developed in Belgium in the 1950s to aid cancer patients with their pain management. 

Given its extreme potency it has become popular amongst recreational drug users. 

Overdose deaths linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl jumped from nearly 10,000 in 2015 to nearly 20,000 in 2016 – surpassing common opioid painkillers and heroin for the first time. 

And drug overdoses killed more than 72,000 people in the US in 2017 – a record driven by fentanyl. 

It is often added to heroin because it creates the same high as the drug, with the effects biologically identical. But it can be up to 50 times more potent than heroin, according to officials in the US. 

In America, fentanyl is classified as a schedule II drug – indicating it has a strong potential to be abused and can create psychological and physical dependence. 

News helicopter video shows paramedics converging on the front yard of a short-term vacation rental home on NW 29th Court in Wilton Manors, where multiple people were found in cardiac arrest at 5pm Thursday.

Footage from the scene shows first responders administering first aid and placing several individuals onto stretchers. 

Fort Lauderdale Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Gollan told Local10 that two of the people who overdosed were sickened because they tried to perform CPR on the initial four overdose victims. He said the opioid-overdose-reversing drug naloxone, which is sold under the brand name Narcan, was administered to revive the victims. 

Neighbors described seeing the spring breakers being carried out of the rental home crowded with young vacationers. 

‘We saw paramedics pulling the kids out of the house, unconscious, just laying them on the grass,’ Dana Fumosa, who lives a few doors down, told NBC6. 

Four of the patients were taken to Broward Health Medical Center, and the remaining two were transported to Holy Cross Hospital. 

‘These are healthy young adults, college students in the prime of their life,’ Gollan said. ‘Getting this drug into their system, it’s unknown what the recovery will be on the critical individual.’

Fentanyl is an unpredictable and powerful synthetic painkiller blamed for driving an increase in fatal drug overdoses. It’s 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine and used to treat severe pain, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. It also slows a person’s breathing and heart rate. 

Neighbors in Wilton Manors told the Sun-Sentinel that the West Point cadets had been staying at the rental property for several days, and that on Wednesday night police were called for an unspecified reason. 

Two local residents said they have repeatedly complained to the managers of the vacation property about excessive noise and rowdy parties.  

Meanwhile, Florida and Fort Lauderdale are bracing for ‘triple’ the amount of visitors compared to last year as tens of thousands of students prepare to celebrate the first Spring Break in the US free of COVID rules. 

Inhabitants of popular vacation spots, including Cancun, Miami, Pensacola, Fort Lauderdale and South Padre Island have to deal with observing never-ending crowds of college students having a good time, often blasting loud music and drinking alcohol from the first week of March until April. 

Starting last Saturday and until March 20, many public school districts in Florida, including Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Manatee and Sarasota counties — as well as the University of Southern Florida and Tampa – will be on vacation.

That means that an estimated 570,00 students will be on holiday at the same time in the Sunshine State, not to mention all the teachers and staff who will also have the week off, according to Tampa Bay Times. 

Last year’s spring break saw about 65,000 passengers fly into Tampa Bay International Airport per day during peak weeks. However, in 2020, the number of spring breakers was ‘dismally low’ in March and April, as there were as few 1,500 people flying in per day.    

Many popular springtime vacation spots are expecting at least double-to-triple amounts of spring breakers flying in this year between March and April, as resorts, nightclubs and other businesses are looking forward to recovering from time lost during the last two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: A packed beach in Fort Lauderdale. None of the students pictured were involved in the drugs incident

Many popular springtime vacation spots are expecting at least double-to-triple amounts of spring breakers flying in this year between March and April, as resorts, nightclubs and other businesses are looking forward to recovering from time lost during the last two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: A packed beach in Fort Lauderdale. None of the students pictured were involved in the drugs incident

Beachgoers carry a cooler down Poinsettia Street during Spring Break on Fort Lauderdale Beach as they get ready to soak up the sun. None of the students pictured were involved in the drugs incident

Beachgoers carry a cooler down Poinsettia Street during Spring Break on Fort Lauderdale Beach as they get ready to soak up the sun. None of the students pictured were involved in the drugs incident 

A Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue lifeguard watches over beachgoers during Spring Break as many are expected to pack the city's beach in the next few weeks. No one pictured was involved in the drugs incident

A Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue lifeguard watches over beachgoers during Spring Break as many are expected to pack the city’s beach in the next few weeks. No one pictured was involved in the drugs incident

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