Number of overdose deaths in Laredo rises to 18 after two incidents this past weekend

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Two deaths due to overdoses were reported on Saturday, April 8. That raises the number of fatal overdoses in Laredo to 18 for the year.

A 35-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man both lost their lives in separate incidents.

In 2022, the Laredo Police Department saw 40 fatalities due to drug overdoses. Police are reminding the community that there is help out there, for people struggling with substance abuse, from local organizations like SCAN and Pillar as well as the upcoming detox center. Officer Jose Espinoza said, ”The detox center at the health department is going to be a great help for those individuals that are struggling with substance abuse. We definitely want to stop the increase of overdose deaths.”

The police department has recently said they are seeing a lot of cases of drugs laced with fentanyl. Fentanyl is the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 18-45. In 2022, more than 2,000 lives were lost to fentanyl in Texas. According to provisional data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas has experienced a 500% increase in fentanyl-related deaths since 2019.

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